Buried Treasures: Mattel's Secret Wars Bad Guys!

Doug: Hey, friends. We're finishing a 2-part look at the back panels from Mattel's Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars action figure line, on sale way back in 1984 and 1985. There were two series sold in the United States, and a third wave sold in Europe that featured Electro, the Constrictor, and Iceman. While I never had those, I did have the 13 figures that were available domestically. I say it past tense, as I sold them last week!

Last week we looked at some Handbook entries and 4-panel comic strips from the heroes' packaging. Today, it's Bring on the Bad Guys! And be sure to check the bottom line on Magneto's card. Say what?

Buried Treasures: Mattel's Secret Wars Box Art

Doug: Yep, I'm still selling! And because of that, I'm still finding things I'd forgotten that I had. Of course I did not forget the 13 action figures in Series 1 and 2 of Mattel's Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars line -- they've been on one shelf or another for the better part of 30 years. I decided to list the entire set on eBay this week (search dlw66 under Sellers), which included all of the accessories. The auction was not live for 15 minutes when they sold on a "Buy It Now" for $150. How's that?

But what I'd lost track of were the short comics that adorned the back of each package. Today we're going to "hero up" and look at the good guys; next week we'll Bring on the Bad Guys.

Anyone with information on the creators associated with the little 4-panel comic strips, please don't keep it a secret (see what I did there?). The material on the left side of each of these was for the most part lifted from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, albeit with some editing to focus the context toward the toy line. I got a kick out of these after not laying eyes on them since the mid-80s; I hope you enjoy them, too!

Major Matt Mason

Karen: Mattel's man in space -Major Matt Mason! 

More "Mego"-like Goodness!

Doug: Quick post today, fans of all ages! I just saw this over at Superhero Times, and wanted to pass it on, because it's so doggone cool. The Batman in particular takes me back, as this is what my first Mego Batman looked like! Great job on this series, DC and Mattel!!

Bronze Age Babies Bulletins

Doug: Happy Tuesday, everyone. Today we have three items to toss your way -- a newsflash, an opinion, and a conundrum. In that order...

Doug: I don't really buy action figures anymore. The increased price of oil a couple of years ago that seemingly pushed the price of new figures out of my budget range, coupled with the switch by Hasbro to the 3 3/4" line ended my love affair with Marvel Legends. And although I really like what Mattel is doing with DC's 6-inch line, I just didn't want to jump into that with the (again) higher prices. However, having seen what Mattel has been doing as exclusives for Comicon International has me itching. Last year it was the Wonder Twins; this summer it's Plastic Man.

Now I'm no Plastic Man fan, but this package/figure/presentation is just incredible. You can read the full review at Action Figure Times.

Doug: I was at a comic shop yesterday and spied Avengers #1 on the shelves. I took a gander at it and put it back after only a few page turns. I have long argued that since comics are a visual medium, it's the art that grabs a potential buyer. Yes, story is important, and perhaps good art doesn't save a bad story (I'll say that a good story can be killed by bad art!), but if the reader/buyer doesn't feel an excitement upon laying eyes on the printed page then a potential sale may be lost. That being said, I've long held a disdain for the artwork of one John Romita, Jr. and his work on Avengers #1 didn't change that opinion. I just find his work unreadable -- it's so scratchy at times, so unrealistic (yeah, Gil Kane was unrealisitc, but the guy could move a story with dynamic camera angles and emotional characters). So even as a longtime Avengers fan, I'll continue to pass on my favorite title, which has turned into the exact thing I despised about the X-plosion of titles and characters that drove me away from the once-merry mutants.

Oh, and speaking of mutants, could someone please inform the powers-that-be that Mr. Wolverine is not an Avenger? I'll thank you for doing so...

Doug: Which brings us to our last point of interest today. Allow me to reprint a brief e-mail exchange Karen and I shared this morning:

(Doug) Good morning -

Boy, was I disappointed when I went to the comic shop yesterday. It was part of a chain that has about 1/2 dozen stores around the south suburbs. The oldest issue I saw in the longboxes was from the late 1980's, so it was a total strike-out in terms of finding any Bronze Age reader copies.

(Karen) Isn't it sad when an 'old' back issue is from the 1980s? There are four stores in our area and the one nearest us is the smallest. They have about as many boxes of comics as I do, and like the store you mentioned, most of their books are from the last two decades. Fortunately they have a much larger store about 20 miles south of us that has back issues from the 70's (wow, ancient history!), but the selection is spotty.

(Doug) Yep -- I must be a dope, because I thought I was going to march right into that store and snag 5-10 unbagged ratty-looking reader copies of Bronze Age glory for around $10. Didn't happen.

Doug: So, what's a Bronze Age enthusiast to do? If you want long runs of a title, there are always the Essentials or Showcase Presents -- these are great, cheap, etc. But if you want some color in your four-color fun, then you are looking at trade paperbacks, and I don't always like the color reproduction in those (too bright and glossy). Do any of you face these problems with your local comic shops? Seriously, I just wanted some musty, dog-eared reader copies. That's not so hard, is it?

The Megos Cometh Again -- or the Next Best Thing!

Just a quickie this morning -- saw some cool pics of upcoming product from Mattel and wanted to post it. As you know, I was a Mego fan as a child -- played 'em until they exploded! DC Retro-Action Heroes are about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public -- check out some of the press shots!


Here is the original information as I found it on http://www.superherotimes.com/ yesterday:

Check out these prototype images. You'll see they're not recreations, but updates lovingly based on the old style. In some cases, Mattel will even improve their iconic features, like adding a more accurate belt buckle for Green Arrow, or an "s" curl in the hair of Superman.

There will be three waves of four figures in 2010, starting with the characters pictured above in Wave 1: Superman, Sinestro, Lex Luthor, and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan).

Green Arrow will be the first release, and he'll be offered at MattyCollector.com on December 15th. This will be followed by a line at Toys"R"Us and select online retailers in the spring.


So, no idea what they will cost -- probably significantly more than the $4 my mom used to pay when I was getting these back in the early 1970's! But hey, they are cool and I'm sure these will find a place in the hearts of many a middle-aged collector!