Wishful Thinking: (Bring back) SUPER POWERS

Pics from kennersuperpowers.com

As a child of the 80's and a big comics fan, I don't know why I never got into DC/Kenner's Super Powers line. Was it too expensive? Or not as prevalent in toy stores as other lines I was into, like He-Man and G.I. Joe (and later on Ninja Turtles)? I remember owning (or at least holding) a Jack Kirby-drawn mini-comic (which later became a regular comic-sized mini-series). I also remember a few of them were re-released (or repainted) as part of the 1989 Batman movie.

I guess just I wasn't as into it as those other lines, perhaps a feeling of snobbery ("G.I. Joe is cooler and hipper than that old fogey Superman!") which I now regret. I remember feeling hyped up in watching the commercial for the figures:

One of the great things is that they just didn't do the major heroes, but lesser-known characters many fans would not have expected, like Firestorm, Dr. Fate, Darkseid and many others.

They still remain, even today, some of the finest toys. The sculptures were amazing, capturing their iconic looks, further enhanced by the colorful paint jobs. Their designs were evocative, or directly influenced, by the "style guides" of artist Jose Garcia Lopez in the 80's.

The Batman of my childhood

Still, I can't imagine not begging for some of the more major characters (Superman, Batman), if I saw them lining up the shelves at the local Toys R'Us, but I don't remember them as being prevalent as other toy lines. No, my memory of them is as already-valued items in a collector's market.

Mattel currently has plans to release a wave of figures paying homage to the Kenner line, but these are just their newer, DC Universe Classics line re-painted and repackaged in facsimile boxes.

Hm, not quite what I was wishing for

It would be nice if DC re-released or remade a full-blown "comeback"  of the 3 3/4" scale, minus the action figures, with some added articulation, featuring not just the old line-up but expanding into newer characters (Deadshot! Blue Beetle!).

Other figures designed by JGL