1989 Toy Biz DC Comics Super Heroes

As I have frequently harped about (and someday I'll even write an article about them), the Kenner Super Powers Collection action figures made a pretty strong impact during my formative years and most likely led to my die-hard love of DC comics during that era. Unfortunately, the last series of Kenner figures were released in 1986 and that was pretty much that. This was a shame because I was five years old at the time, and unless they were still on the shelves at my local department store there was no way I was going to be able to add more DC heroes/villains to my collection...

...and then, in 1989, Toy Biz released a line of 5" DC comics action figures -- aptly named:

(Just to be clear: this branding was used on quite a bit of DC comics merchandise at the time, and not just limited to the Toy Biz action figures. Here's an example I previously wrote about. Nevertheless, this was the logo that set my little heart racing when I was perusing the toy isles.) 

While 99% of action figure collectors will unanimously agree that the Toy Biz 5" figs were vastly inferior to the Kenner figs released several years prior, at the age of eight years old I really didn't care. All I knew was that the drought was over -- I actually didn't realize there was a distinction between Kenner and Toy Biz, I just thought "Hey, new DC action figures! And they're the same scale as my Super Powers Collection! I need these!".

The Toy Biz DC Comics Super Heroes had some pretty low-key advertising. So low-key, in fact, that I couldn't find any comic book or magazine ads promoting them. All I could find was this vintage TV ad on YouTube courtesy of Sum Square Stories (they have a really extensive archive of 80s and 90s commercials, do check them out): 

If memory serves correctly, the Toy Biz DC action figures were released in two waves, and the first wave included the three Batman 89 characters along with Mr Freeze, the Penguin, Riddler, Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor -- so we can essentially thank the Batman 89 film for Toy Biz picking up the license and making that first wave of figs. The second wave was thanks to The Flash TV series from 1990 -- this led to the release of Aquaman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Two-Face and Flash action figures. Normally I'd discuss the action figs by order of release, but for this one I'm going to start with all the super heroes.

As per usual, it's not just enough to look at the figure. To get the WHOLE experience you need to check out the packaging, too. The images in this article come from various sources (including pics of my own pics), many of these were images found doing media searches. I try to credit the source when I can, but if these are any of your photos and I didn't credit you, please feel free to drop us a line so we can come correct. Alright, upwards and onwards. Let's start with everybody's favorite Kryptonian:

1) Superman

The motion blur photography signifies Superman teetering from the ring's effects. 
image source: ebay.com

  

This was arguably the most popular figure in the toyline (that wasn't Batman or Joker) -- partly because the Richard Donner Superman films had cemented Superman as America's favorite super hero of the 80s and because 1988 was the 50th anniversary of the Man of Steel. I personally had no interest in this guy since I still had my Super Powers Collection version at this point (without cape, of course). Unlike his Kenner counterpart, this Superman didn't have any special power action feature, but came with a special 'kryptonite' ring instead. While Toy Biz chose not to directly rip-off Kenner and create 'power actions' that were triggered by squeezing a fig's arms or legs, they did try clever things to imitate power actions [sometimes it was a hit, and sometimes it was a miss]. Case in point: this Superman figure would start jerking sporadically if you held the kryptonite ring close to his chest. Why? Magnets. I actually found that to be pretty innovative. While most collectors trash this fig as the 'inferior' Superman, I did acquire one later in life from a dealer selling a bulk of DC figures and I was surprised at how well-constructed he was and could've been a dead ringer for my Super Powers Collection Superman.

SuperPowersWiki.com really went in-depth on describing the differences between the Kenner and Toy Biz versions of Superman, and this is a must read for anyone who is generally interested in the differences between the Kenner and Toy Biz figs.

Kenner on the left, Toy Biz on the right.
image source: www.superpowerswiki.com

2) Robin

image source: ebay.com

While Robin was absent in the Batman 89 film, it didn't mean that Toy Biz was going to exclude him from their first wave of DC figs. After all, what's a Batman without a Robin? If you cranked Robin's right arm upward he had a lever in his back (that was conveniently concealed by his cape) that, when pushed, would cause his right arm to come down in a 'karate chop' motion: 

Toy Biz Robin: Front and back. 

Image source: mine.

He also came with a grappling hook and (I'm pretty sure) the same batarang that Toy Biz Batman came with. Some Robins came mispackaged with Lex Luthor's handgun, which some collectors informally refer to as 'the Jason Todd variant'. Similar to Superman, I already had a Super Powers Robin so I wasn't really chasing this one down. As a kid I was very economical, so why would I need two Robins? One was just fine. I'd rather use the money I would've spent on the second Robin on another character I didn't have yet. I did get a Toy Biz Robin later on in life...

Super Powers Robin on the left, Toy Biz Robin on the right.
Image source: me

...and you can see, in a side-by-side comparison with the Super Powers Collection Robin, that they were more or less the same scale and build. Very similar molds, too. I'd probably argue that one was just as good as the other.

3) Wonder Woman

image source: ebay.com

You know what? I have nothing but great things to say about this fig. I didn't own the Super Powers version, and was lucky enough to the Toy Biz version in a clearance bin at my local Zellers sometime in 1991, so yeah... this fig brings back lots of great memories. That being said, I'm sure the Kenner version was superior in sculpt and quality, but I had no qualms with this version.

Wonder Woman came with a lasso (gold-colored thread) that she was able to 'throw' with her right arm when you pressed a button on her back. Because of this, her right arm was always sticking straight up like that eager kid in class who was dying to answer the teacher's question. No complaints here -- at least my JLA now had some diversity. 

Toy Biz Wonder Woman. Image source: mine.

4) Green Lantern

image source: ebay.com

This truly was the crappier version of Green Lantern. I had the Super Powers version and nothing could hold a candle to that one. I wouldn't have even looked twice if this was on the toy store shelves. First, it had some sort of squirt pump mechanism that caused water to shoot from his right fist. I truly disliked action figures that involved water running through them -- too many things could go wrong and they tended to get rusted quickly. [The Joker fig also involved a squirt mechanism, FYI.] Second, the actual mold looks shoddy: it looks like Hal is wearing a bright green turtleneck under a pale green sweater, and what's with those screws in the back? Yup, not a fan. The only thing I like about this fig is his little lantern accessory and the plastic ring he came with. That's not to say that I wouldn't pick him up if I found him for cheap somewhere, but I'm not actively chasing this one down. 

images from ebay.com

5) Aquaman

image source: ebay.com

I didn't own a Super Powers Collection Aquaman (and I still want one to this day), so I would've jumped at the opportunity to grab this if I had seen it on the shelves back then. Let it be known that I have never seen this fig... either carded or loose... anywhere. It's a true anomaly to me.

Toy Biz Aquaman included a little switch on his back that, when flicked, would cause his legs to kick giving the impression he was swimming. He also came with a huge trident weapon and a little plastic seahorse. 

images found on ebay.com

Apparently there's a 'green armed' variant of this Aquaman. I've never seen it in person, but I have seen it for sale online. I don't think there's a huge bump in price 

image source: ebay.com

6) Hawkman 

image source: ebay.com

Super Powers Hawkman was, bar none, my favorite Super Powers figure. I'm fairly certain that it contributed to my lifelong love of Hawkman, particularly the Tony Isabella and Dan Mishkin ongoing series from the 80s (we cover this and more in our 'Reboot' issue of Baxter Stock). While I didn't NEED another Hawkman action figure, I was always curious if he'd been improved on from the Kenner version. Unfortunately, I had also never seen this fig in person (either carded or loose) my entire life, and am still watching for one. Not only is this figure hard to find in the wild, but nobody seems to have any good, high quality photos of this fig. Thankfully, Cool Toy Review has a really nice gallery of hi-res shots: 

image source: www.cooltoyreview.com

From the pics I've examined, the big difference between Toy Biz Hawkman and Kenner Hawkman is that the Toy Biz Hawkman sculpt looks a bit 'boxier'. His wings still flapped, but only thanks to the button on his back that you pushed (versus the squeeze-the-legs 'power action' the Kenner version had). His included weapon/accessory was a mace with a reaaally long handle -- most likely to emulate a flail/morning star. Someday I hope to acquire one of these.

7) The Flash

 

image source: ebay.com

Rounding off our roster of re-made series one Super Powers Collection super heroes, we've got the Flash (presumably Barry Allen). I already had the Kenner Flash and didn't need another one, so I had no interest in this fig -- but that didn't matter since I'd never seen him on the toy store shelves. Now that I think about it, I don't think ANY wave 2 figures from this toyline ever made it to my local department store. This is probably a good thing since I did pick one up a few years ago at a flea market and have to agree that it is much crumbier than the Kenner version. By comparison, the Toy Biz Flash seemed like a very fragile wind-up toy: he had a crank on his back that you wound up in order to make his arms pump and cause his loose head to bobble (giving the illusion of him running).

Toy Biz Flash: front and back.

Image source: me

It's only when you stand the Kenner and Toy Biz Flash side-by-side with each other that you see just how much bigger the Toy Biz version is. The trend I'm noticing is that the Toy Biz figs had longer legs than their Kenner counterparts -- this sometimes made them fit awkwardly in the Super Powers Collection vehicles. 

Super Powers Flash on the left, Toy Biz Flash on the right

This could be Kid Flash (Wally West) standing next to the Flash (Barry Allen), really.

image source: mine

As previously mentioned, a new Flash TV series was being released in 1990, so Toy Biz offered this exact same figure in alternate packaging making the 'Flash' logo the central point of attention on the front of the card:

source: ebay.ca

Toy Biz released ANOTHER Flash action figure, this time with a 'turbo platform' (aka: a platform with wheels you propped Flash on, pulled back and released in order have it go hurtling forward). I've never actually seen this figure in stores or in person, so I can't tell you if he was sturdier than the other Toy Biz Flash. Regardless, here's the figure on card:    

image source: ebay.com

The Ubernerd, Beyond Lonesome blog wrote up a really in-depth review comparing the two different versions of the Toy Biz Flash. Highly recommend you check it out if this kind of stuff interests you.

I recall once seeing a carded Toy Biz Flash with the TV version of the Flash (in costume) as the image on the card. I believe I saw it in Wizard magazine or Hero Illustrated (or one of the hundred other 'comic magazines' available at the time). I can't find any info about this anywhere, so it may have been a custom job or I'm just misremembering what I saw. If you know what I'm referring to, leave us a comment.

Alright, that's enough for one article. In our next article, we'll take a look at the supervillains that were released for the Toy Biz DC Comics Super Heroes toyline. See you then!

-Justin

2018 Toronto Comicon 'Spring edition'

It was a deceptively cold March weekend [-6 Celsius, but felt way colder with the wind chill], yet that didn't stop comic book and anime fans from coming out in droves to the Spring Edition of the FanExpo Toronto Comicon being held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It was a 3-day event -- overlapping St Patrick's Day -- spanning from March 16th to Match 18th, and featured a diverse selection of special guests.

As an 80s/90s DC comics fan, I was very interested in meeting Dave Dorman, John McCrea and Howard Chakyin. Ty Templeton was around somewhere, but co-editor Mark Belkin already interviewed him at the 2016 Montreal Comiccon -- and I don't think I could ever top Mark's interview -- so he wasn't an urgent priority.

As a fan of comics from the 90s, I was hoping to chat with Howard Mackie and Richard Pace.

Also appearing at this convention, which I suspected was the reason we saw a lot of Flash cosplay, was John Wesley Shipp -- who is best known for playing Barry Allen/The Flash on the live-action TV series that aired on CBS during the early 1990s (and now has a recurring role in the new CW Flash TV series as Golden Aged speedster Jay Garrick). Thankfully, Shipp held a celebrity Q&A on Saturday, and we were lucky enough to attend.

This photo of John Wesley Shipp as the Flash was NOT taken by Samy Osman

As a special treat, my guest photographer for this event was Samy Osman -- probably the most famous person I personally know -- who did an excellent job of taking photos of the cosplayers and going-ons at this event. Almost every photo you see in this article was taken by Samy.

As mentioned, this was the Spring Edition of the Toronto Comicon -- I'd consider it a 'warm-up' for the main event: Toronto's FanExpo convention which is held late August/early September.

We arrived on a Friday evening around 6pm and the convention centre was already buzzing with fans. A few cosplay pics we snapped on Friday evening:

cosplayers dressed up as Marvel's Silver Sable and DC's Rorschach 

gang of Harleys cosplay

It wasn't the usual sea of Harley Quinns and Poison Ivys (don't get me wrong, there were some Quinns and Ivys), and there was lots of diversity in this event's DC cosplay. Amazons and Wonder Woman were a pretty big theme this time (no doubt inspired by the success of the recent film and rumor of a new Wonder Woman film in production), plenty of Flash-themed cosplay (due to John Wesley Shipp's appearance, naturally) and Teen Titans cosplay (most likely inspired by press release photos of the new Teen Titans live-action TV series in the works). As for non-DC cosplay, Marvel's X-Men was a pretty big theme this year -- and we saw a lot more X-Men characters than we were used to. Asgardians were also a recurring theme, thanks to last summer's Thor film (and because everyone secretly just wants to dress as vikings).

A tour of the convention floor showed us what to expect these next few days: a huge emphasis on Star Wars, Dr Who, Ghostbusters, anime, and -- of course -- comic books (not in that order).

The 501st Legion -- Star Wars cosplay enthusiasts -- has this rad life-size diorama of Jabba the Hutt and his Throne Room you could pose for photos with. Seeing as how that was my favorite part of Return of the Jedi, I though this was absolutely brilliant.

The Doctor Who Society of Canada (self-explanatory) had a cool little exhibit set up in which you can take photos with Daleks.

The Ontario Ghostbusters were also onsite with an interactive exhibit booth.

Kurt Lehnar & son

One of our first interviews was with Kurt Lehnar -- Canadian illustrator and animation artist. We talked at length about various DC projects he was involved in. He also told us about a few other cartoons from our youth he had a hand in. Kurt's enthusiasm for the medium is contagious, and we'll be posting a complete interview with him in the near future.

John McCrea

We had a chance to talk to John McCrea, and I really wished I had asked him about working with Garth Ennis on Hitman. Instead, we chatted a bit about pencilling chores on DC's The Demon and Hitman (and his contributions to the stories). McCrea is a really friendly and interesting guy, and speaks with a heavy Irish [?] accent. Stop by and talk to him if you ever see him at a convention.

Dave Dorman

Before Alex Ross, there was Dave Dorman. Well -- that's not completely true, but Dorman *IS* responsible for some of my favorite trading card art from the 1994 Skybox DC Master Series -- a set I truly do cherish.

Two Dorman-illustrated cards from the 1994 Skybox DC Master Series set

My mind went kind of blank talking to him and couldn't think of any profound questions to ask him. PRO TIP: Sometimes you meet an artist, and you really can't think of anything much to say except for how impressed you are with their work. Sometimes it's just best to leave it at that rather than strain yourself trying to look "knowledgeable".

Howard Mackie signing a copy of Marvel's Ghost Rider

Before the evening was over, Howard Mackie made time for us. Among the many Marvel titles he's written for in the 80s and 90s, Mackie is best known for launching the 'new' 90s Ghost Rider (of which he wrote the first 69 issues and then some). Marvel's Ghost Rider v3 had the unique distinction of being the ONLY Marvel title I wasn't allowed to bring into my very Catholic household during my teens -- mainly because the lead protagonist rode a motorcycle and had a flaming skull (looking very demon-like). I made a point to (jokingly) communicate this to Mackie in a stern way. Mackie's reply: "You should've told them that it was written by a Catholic boy, and all the characters were Catholic, and it was taking place in a Catholic cemetery."

While Ghost Rider had a bit of resistance from the sales team regarding a new series relaunch (ex: brand new 'unknown' creative team, combined with Ghost Rider v2 [1973 - 1983] being cancelled due to low sales), offending religious readers was not something that ever crossed the sales team's mind. "We'd done demonic characters before in a way without reflecting any religion (ex: Damian Hellstrom)", Mackie explained, "so they didn't give it a second thought. It was all about the numbers. Publishing is all about the numbers."

I had to hide this issue very carefully from my parents.

Unbeknownst to most fans, Mackie was one of the four comic pros (among John Byrne, Mark Gruenwald and Tom DeFalco) who had managed to turn Jim Shooter's self-imploding New Universe imprint (for Marvel comics) into something worth reading. Mackie told us how he initially didn't want the job:

"I had gotten a promotion [at Marvel], and there were a lot of things going on -- when I got the promotion, I was told the last guy who was editing the New Universe ahead of me was fired and they were giving me the job. And I didn't want it."

Mackie went to his supervising editor, DeFalco, and pleaded not to get the promotion. Mackie was concerned that he would be fired next, by Jim Shooter, when the doomed-to-failure New Universe imprint inevitably didn't succeed and would leave a black smear on Mackie's writing career.

Instead, it was Shooter who was fired from Marvel within two weeks of Mackie begrudgingly accepting the promotion.

With Shooter no longer imposing creative restraints, Mackie was able to bring on his own creative teams for New Universe titles (ex: John Byrne, Peter David, Fabian Nicieza and Mark Gruenwald). 

"Bringing John Byrne, at that point, bringing him back in [to Marvel] was kind of a coupe. Because at that point, he had been doing Superman [for DC comics]. He had left Marvel, and I had brought him back. Not only did I bring him back, but I brought him back in to do a book that, for all intents and purposes, he should not have wanted to do. I became known, for a long time, as 'the Byrne Whisperer' -- because I could always get John to do things he didn't want to do."

"The way I did it -- and he knows, because John is a good friend of mine -- I would call him up and I would say, for instance, "Hey John, you'd never thought of doing StarBrand? Ah, no no no -- what am I talking about? You'd never think of that." and I'd hang up the phone. And then the phone would ring back -- and I knew it was John -- and I wouldn't answer. Then... an hour later... I'd finally pick up, and he'd say "Goddamnit Howard, all I've been able to do for the last hour was think of StarBrand stories!" and I'd say "Okay, well if you WANT it... sure! You can have the book. You don't have to beg." And I did the same thing to him with Marvel's West Coast Avengers."

Star Brand v1 #12 (cover by John Byrne and Tom Palmer), Star Brand v1 #16 (cover by John Byrne)

We talked a bit how not too long after the New Universe imprint ended, elements of it still appeared in Marvel's Quasar. "That was Mark [Gruenwald]'s doing", Mackie assured me, "Mark was so tightly tied in to both."

Mackie explained that sometimes books are targeted for cancellation by the sales team, and there was really no way of getting around it. The New Universe creative team saw the writing on the wall. The only thing Mackie asked for was the ability to end the imprint the way the creative team wanted to, and that's what they did. In his own private joke, he made sure to have "#32 in a thirty-two issue limited series" above the title of each book. "I felt like we had told the story and we were allowed to wrap it up, which just wouldn't happen today." He felt that the New Universe imprint finally thrived when they were just free to create as they pleased. The key thing, he explained, was to "just let creators create".

Mackie's 'private joke'. Now you're in on it, too. ;)

Regarding the direction of the New Universe imprint: "'The World Outside Your Window'. That was the conceit of the New Universe, but the reality is that the first time that world changes, it's no longer the world outside your window. One outside event and it changes EVERYTHING."

I had way too much fun interviewing Mackie, and I feel a little guilty that we're not 'Marvel in the 80s' because I'm sure he had stories that could've entertained us for hours. A truly charismatic guy, that Howard Mackie.

...and that concluded day 1.

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We came back on Saturday and the attendance had seemingly doubled. Lots of cosplayers on Saturday sporting lots of DC-themed costumes. Some of the stand-outs included:

Golden Age Dr Fate (Kent Nelson) and Raven (of Teen Titans)

Teen Titans! Left to Right: Donna Troy/Troia, Kid Flash, Nightwing, Aqualad/Tempest, Changeling/Beast Boy. Also: Deathstroke's head photo-bombing us. 

Lobo and Wonder Woman. As mentioned above, Wonder Women and Amazons were pretty numerous in attendance this year (and they all looked great) -- we selected this WW cosplay pic because it's the classical costume we grew up with during the 80s.... and, if nothing else, we're a sucker for the classics over here at DC in the 80s.

Lobo's back

Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick) and more Teen Titans (Raven and Changeling/Beast Boy). FUN FACT: Friday's Rorschach (scroll way up and see Friday cosplay photos) was also cosplayed by the same guy who was the Golden Age Flash.

Teen Titans! Love this pic! Left to right: Raven, Nightwing, Starfire and Robin. FUN FACT: The lady cosplaying as Starfire also cosplayed as Silver Sable (scroll way up) on Friday night.

Harley Quinn and Joker to the left, Teen Titans (now including Cyborg) to the right. There were quite a few Harley Quinn and Joker cosplayers at this event, but we went with this duo since they looked like dead-wringers for the Batman: The Animated Series Joker and Harley. Upon closer inspection, I'm realizing that 2 out of the 3 Titans in the second photo where in the group shot several photos above, but what can I say? I'm just excited that Teen Titans are getting more attention.

This is writer Howard Chaykin. We appreciate that he took the time to answer our inane questions about comics he wrote 30 years ago. He's a stand-up guy and we truly admire him for being so patient with us.

We toured the convention a bit more and managed to fumble our way through an interview with Howard Chakyin. We'll post that interview shortly.



Richard Pace -- who has quickly become one of my newest favorite illustrators (the man draws like Bernie Wrightson -- seriously) sat down with us for almost an hour and told about the numerous DC projects he has worked on (including a few future projects we're not allowed to mention, yet). We'll be posting that interview shortly. Until then, please enjoy this photo of Pace attempting to describe the size of the trophy pike he caught last weekend while ice fishing in Ontario. ;)

Richard Pace

John Wesley Shipp (right) at the Celebrity Q&A panel

The last event we attended on Saturday was the Celebrity Q&A panel featuring John Wesley Shipp. Prior to this weekend, I really hadn't ever given the 1990 The Flash television series a second thought, but after this weekend, I'm thinking it's probably time for an episode guide. Shipp spoke for about half an hour regarding his experiences on the 1990 live-action television series (as the lead character, Barry Allen), and his experiences on the new 2014 The Flash live-action television series (as supporting character, Jay Garrick). After the first half an hour, he opened the floor to questions.

And now for the burning question you've all been wondering: was John Wesley Shipp a big Flash fan before he got the role?

Shipp did NOT collect or read Flash comics, or even know WHO the character was BEFORE he was offered the role for the 1990 TV series. "They said to me 'Flash', and I said "You mean Flash Gordon?" I didn't know anything -- it was a process of discovery." He elaborated, "I took everything I needed from the scripts, but then I got curious."  He acknowledges that fans have made The Flash the success it is, and wishes to respect that comic fandom legacy -- particularly the Barry Allen/Jay Garrick relationship.

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This article wouldn't be complete with a round-up of the other non-DC cosplay we saw, so here were a few that stuck out for us:

I really get a kick when kinda obscure Marvel characters are cosplayed. Here we've got Bishop and Jubilee. Jubilee left her pink sunglasses in the car, and her friend had ran out to retrieve them, she explained to us.

Black suit Spider-Man and Black Cat on the left. Kraven the Hunter on the right. I seem to recall Kraven hunting black suit Spidey during the 80s, so this all works out.

Doctor Strange cosplay on the left. Agent Venom (of the Guardians of the Galaxy) on the right. Yeah, I keep up with current Marvel comics -- I'm only human. ;)

By Crom! I'm pretty sure this is Conan the Barbarian cosplay -- but if I'm wrong, may the gods forgive me.

----

The convention was packed all day long. Plenty of enthusiastic comic/anime fans. A great showing from Toronto.

One thing I will say about this event is that it just flew by so quickly. Lots of things happening, and before I realized it, the afternoon was already over. I didn't get to spend as much time in the retailers section as I would've liked to (I love looking for bargains) -- I normally like to poke around and look for complete trading card sets -- but I was on a tight schedule and didn't have the time to peruse the tables like I normally do. I did, however, pick up these:

Yep, I collect pins and patches now.

The 2018 Toronto Comicon "Spring edition" was an extremely well-organized and entertaining event. Lots to see and do: bring a reliable camera, a few comics you'd like autographed and prepare to be entertained for the better part of a weekend.

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Big thanks to Jen and Jess of Touchwood PR for allowing us to cover this excellent event. Another HUGE thanks to Samy Osman for taking the beautiful photos. Samy is sure to win an Oscar someday, so check him out now while he's still an up-and-coming indie star.

NOTE: If you didn't see your cosplay photo on this page, and we snapped a pic of you, check our 2018 Toronto Comicon spring edition Facebook cosplay gallery. There was lots and lots of great cosplay this year, and choosing photos to post in this article was a pretty difficult task.