Although I never actually saw it for sale in stores, the ads for Captain Action fascinated me. Here was an action figure that could transform into many different heroes - and what a selection! Batman, Superman, Captain America, The Phantom, The Lone Ranger, Flash Gordon, The Green Hornet, and many more... the guy was a real life inter-company crossover before there was even such a thing! It's crazy that they had the rights to use all those different characters, I can't imagine it happening that way today.
one goal this upcoming season on all cw super hero shows please do a live action dial h for hero
ReplyDeleteI had a Captain Action and an Action Boy when I was a kid. I had Superman and Captain America outfits for CA, and a Robin outfit for AB. So, yes, I teamed up Robin and Captain America before I even understood what an inter-company crossover was!
ReplyDeleteThis is a frackin' awesome cover!
The Mego superhero action figures also had characters from both DC and Marvel and even Tarzan, but that was years ago.
ReplyDeleteToday, Lego licences both Marvel and DC characters as well as other popular franchises, and the Funko Pop figures have characters from just about every popular franchise out there.
I'd like to see a Dial H crossover with Ben 10. I always thought would be a fun story too
ReplyDeleteHeroclix also does figures from both. I've long thought of doing some small diorama with a couple of heroes taking on villains from other companies. Sort of a miniature version of what you do here daily.
ReplyDelete@TJW- I had a Capt. Action as well, no Action Lad but I had a Batman costume for him. No Robby Reed Ross? Shame as they were near contemporaries at the time. How about teaming Robbie with Reed Richards? How about the nephews of Donald Duck and Popeye? Or just those two. Cylons vs. Cybermen? Here's one to try, Harley Quinn and Marvin the Martian! You can title it a Quinn Martian production! Sorry, just been watching a lot of Barnaby Jones! ;-)
ReplyDeleteEmsley pointed out HeroClix; Lego also has heroes from both DC and Marvel, as well as many others (like TMNT and LotR). In fact, Lego may be the only way we ever get to see a big-screen adaptation of the JLA/Avengers crossover miniseries (though considering that the Lego movies tend toward high humor, even I might dread the result). I think Sideshow also has figures from both of the Big Two.
ReplyDeleteAs for Captain Action, I actually had never heard of him before now, except maybe seeing or hearing his name in passing. From your description, he does seem like a good pairing for the Dial "H" heroes. Maybe if you ever team them up again, you could bring in Access or the Doctor (Doctor Who) to help repair the damage.
Ah! The Swinging Superheroic Sixties!
ReplyDeleteWhat a more optimistic time that was (in comic books and animated cartoons, anyway). I, myself, wound up collecting the action figures Johnny West and his faithful horse Thunderbolt; Maj. Matt Mason, his young adjutant Sgt. Storm, and Callisto the Jovian (translucent green cranium included); Zobor the Zeroid (open-topped trailer included); and talking GI JOE Adventure Team Commander.
But, of course, my folks later gave them away to needier kids (not yet "too old to play with 'em").
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Action
ReplyDeleteFascinating history! The comics were first illustrated by Wally Wood, and then Gil Kane!
I only had the Superman costume, but he had Krypto, too!
ReplyDeleteHere's a challenge for you, Ross.
ReplyDeleteMack Bolan vs. The Punisher!
@Mike Shirley: The story I heard is that there were plans to do an animated Dial H For Hero series, but the licensing fees DC was charging were too expensive, so the studio decided to create their own version. Ben 10 was the result.
ReplyDeleteIn DC's original Captain Action series, CA was an archaeologist who had discovered a cache of ancient coins, each of which gave him the power of a different god or mythological hero when he held it. So, like the Dial H kids, he had different powers every time he went on a mission; but unlike them, he got to pick and choose which powers he wanted!
Great story-line! Love it!
ReplyDelete@Ross: Have you ever done the Robby Reed version DHFH?
ReplyDeleteP.S.---or failing that, how about Capt. Action meets Lego Batman?
ReplyDeleteRobby and Batman/Captain Action have both been on the blog before, just click on the Captain Action or Dial H labels.
ReplyDeleteThen, I guess Option 2 has automatically become more likely. ;-)
ReplyDelete