Captain Action

Book excerpt: Captain Action, the original super-hero action figure, was introduced in 1966 in the wake of the Batman TV show craze, and later received his own DC comic book with art by Wally Wood and Gil Kane. Able to assume the identities of 13 famous super-heroes, his initial career was short-lived, but continuing interest in the hero has led to two different returns to toy-store shelves. Lavishly illustrated with over 200 toy photos, this second edition of the critically acclaimed volume by author Michael Eury chronicles the history of this quick-changing champion, including photos of virtually every Captain Action product ever released, spotlights on his allies Action Boy and the Super Queens and his arch enemy Dr. Evil, an examination of his comic-book appearances, and Action facts that even the most-diehard Captain Action fan won't know! Features a foreword, cover image, and previously unseen package illustrations by Murphy Anderson, as well as historical anecdotes by the late Gil Kane, Jim Shooter, Stan Weston (co-creator of G.I. Joe, Captain Action, and Mego's World's Greatest Super-Heroes), and Larry Reiner and Larry O'Daly, formerly of Ideal Toys, plus never-before-published and classic Captain Action artwork by Gil Kane, Joe Staton, Carmine Infantino, Jerry Ordway, Paul Gulacy, Mark Sparacio, Ruben Procopio, and Tom Yeates. This revised second edition also includes behind-the-scenes material covering Captain Action's triumphant 2008 return to comics shelves in his new series from Moonstone Books, and spotlights on the new wave of Captain Action collectibles.