TOP 13 LISTS | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

Dec07

The TOP 13 CAPTAIN ACTION Sets and Collectibles — RANKED

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Dec 7, 2024

The TOP 13 CAPTAIN ACTION Sets and Collectibles — RANKED

TOYHEM! Michael Eury, the pre-eminent authority on the classic ’60s action figure, goes out on a well-considered limb… — Welcome to TOYHEM! For the sixth straight holiday season, we’re bringing you a series of features and columns celebrating the toys of our youth, which often made for the best memories this time of year. Click here to check out the complete index of stories — and have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah and Happy Holidays! — Dan — UPDATED 12/7/24: Hey, it’s a fave from the TOYHEM vaults! Dig this (slightly updated) 2019 piece by our pal, since-retired Back Issue and RetroFan editor Michael Eury. Plus, check out 13 GREAT CAPTAIN ACTION OUTFITS THAT NEVER WERE and MORE GREAT CAPTAIN ACTION OUTFITS THAT NEVER WERE. Right on! — Dan — A week ago, we brought you RetroFan and Back Issue! magazine editor Michael Eury’s recollection of getting his first Captain Action back in the mid-’60s. It’s a charming, heartwarming tale, so if you’d like a smile, click here. But there’s more to it. See, Michael is probably the world’s foremost authority on the adventurous Captain, seeing as he literally wrote the book on him: Captain Action: The Original Super-Hero Action Figure, which, like the two aforementioned mags, was published by TwoMorrows. (It’s out of print, but do yourself a favor and track down a copy — just be prepared to pony up.) — Anyway, with TOYHEM! still in full swing, it only made sense to put poor Michael on the spot and ask him to rank the TOP 13 CAPTAIN ACTION SETS AND COLLECTIBLES — and he agreed to dive in. So here’s an argument starter (or ender, I suppose) for you CA mega-fans. Dig it. — By MICHAEL EURY Captain Action: The original super-hero action figure. The mysterious man of many identities. My favorite childhood toy (sorry, View-Master). Ideal Toys’ super-hero alternative to Hasbro’s G.I. Joe may have had a relatively short product life — roughly three years, starting in 1966 — but nostalgia and the dedication of our pals at Captain Action Enterprises have continued to engender fan and consumer interest in this imaginative boys’ “doll.” As the guy who wrote the book on the subject — twice (two editions of Captain Action: The Original Super-Hero Action Figure, from TwoMorrows Publishing, both out of print) — I’ve been asked to select the...

Dec06

13 QUICK THOUGHTS on the Glorious SECRETS OF THE BATCAVE — 1968

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Dec 6, 2024

13 QUICK THOUGHTS on the Glorious SECRETS OF THE BATCAVE — 1968

A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE: Late artist Frank Springer was born 95 years ago… — UPDATED 12/6/24: The late Frank Springer was born 95 years ago! Perfect time to reprint this piece from 2021. Also, check out Peter Stone’s FRANK SPRINGER: A Professional Through and Through. Click here. — Dan — Late artist Frank Springer — born 94 years ago on Dec. 6, 1929 — had a lengthy, varied career but to me he will always be, first and foremost, the man who illustrated the greatest detailed look at Batman’s headquarters and equipment: Secrets of the Batcave — 1968, from Batman #203. These four pages, which have been reprinted numerous times in the decades since, has been my mental blueprint for the Batcave since early childhood and is still the quintessential cutaway of the cavernous command post under Stately Wayne Manor. So, in honor of Springer’s birthday, we present 13 QUICK THOUGHTS ON THE GLORIOUS SECRETS OF THE BATCAVE — 1968: — 1. If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with the feature, but to recap, Secrets of the Batcave — 1968 is four pages, including a two-page splash of Wayne Manor and the Batcave, a page the explains the intracacies of Batman and Robin’s utility belts and a page on various other equipment, including the Batarang and Batplane. Batman #203 was an issue filled with reprints spotlighting various aspects of Batman’s arsenal. — 2. I love that it’s detailed and still so low-tech that it’s out of scale. Just compare the size of the Batcomputer to Wayne Manor. The computer itself would take up an entire wing of the mansion! 3. I would stare and stare at the utility belt page, especially Batman’s. It was fantastic to see each capsule accounted for — a bold move when you consider that Batman could pull a kitchen sink out of there if the situation warranted it. The little detail that one of the capsules is a mini-power source for the rest of the gadgets is ingenious. I don’t recall whether that had ever been noted before but I dig it. — 4. I also really appreciated seeing how Robin’s belt worked — the pouches were on the inside. It was the perfect answer for why the outward side was so smooth and clean. — 5. As noted above, it’s not the first...

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