I still have my Baron Karza!
Cause he’s not one.
Slight hijack, but it just absolutely slays me that someone would create a website to show off all the old toys he owns, none of which are for sale.
I think it’s great that he shares this. It’s a lot of fun to be reminded of the weird old toys that one might have owned or coveted as a child, but not seen in decades–or for the younger set, to see the weird old toys from before your own time. Just like it’s a lot of fun to reminisce about the absurd low-rent superheroes from old comic books.
Word. I sometimes regret having quit collecting comics when I did (1984) because I just missed all the great stuff that happened right after that. But then I remember crap like Dial H.
Pardon?
You have forgotten Bueno Excellente. He is…what is is.
And I like the Nature Boy.
Micronauts was a great comic!
Spoilers
The first series ended with a great story about a robot’s questions about emotions inspiring the crew to write poetry to leave in a memorial satellite around their world.
The second series ended with all the characters pondering what meaning their lives had and all the things they’d done as they committed suicide to save the Microverse from Baron Karza’s doomsday device.
Back To The OP
The Mystery Men- Besides those seen in the film, there are about 20 more. A few of them have invented and use part of an Iron Man like suit. Captain Attack has a costume with a load of guns. Jumpin’ Jehosaphat can well jump using special boots. The Hummer invented a sonic weapon. He later went insane from using said weapon to make himself high.
I didn’t forget him. I just listed my favourite three and for space reasons grouped the other five as “the rest”
There’s also the Heroes and Villains in “The Tick” comics and TV shows.
Some memorable, some not so much.
Lycra Woman And Spandex Girl
I bought an issue from the 50 cent bin. I expected a pointless jiggle book. In fact, the art is pretty good and the writing is very funny. The host of a local exercise show puts on a tight costume and fights crime using her knowledge of aerobics. The series has a whacky oddly wholesome charm. After it turned out that the word Lycra was a protected trademark, the heroine’s name was changed to Flex Woman.
Hero Hotline
In a world of Superman, Batman and the Justice League, what happens to those heroes whose powers aren’t quite good enough to fight crime? The Hero Hotline has just the hero for your problem! Private Eye’s special glasses can see through almost anything. Microwavabelle can fly and heat up substances. Brother Bicep is really strong and insists on changing his superhero name every week.
Dish Man- After years of eating off of radioactive Fiesta Ware, he gained the power to make dirty dishes disappear and the reappear cleaned and stacked in the cupboard.
More Mystery Men
The Mystic Hand- can detach his hands, which can fly. He loses control if they wander out of his sight.
Silverfish- became a superhero after being hit on the head.
Crimson Smasher- Looks like a class A superhero. Has class A powers. Would be on a team like the Justice League except that he has an odd problem. He vanishes suddenly to somewhere else (possibly another dimension) without warning for random periods of time.
Beak- attached to the X men and eXiles. He has chicken-esque appearance and no powers or special skills.
Twilight Avenger- A fun read, he fought crime in a neat costume blinding criminals with a magnesium light and using a gas gun.
The Great Lakes Avengers-
Doorman- can telpeort any body from in front of him to in back of him
Flat Man- He can bend a lot and go through tiny spaces
Big Bertha- This supermodel can change to a morbidly obese form with super strength and toughness. To change back, she has to vomit up all the excess mass.
Squirrel Girl- cheeck pouches, squirrel teeth, climbing claws, tail, agility, ability to speak to squirrels
I Man- Cannot be killed. Heals any wound. Has no fighting ability or other special skills.
The Street Freaks- Mutated from fruits and vegetables, they rode in a flying car and fought crime. Their debut issue was so truly awful it was hilarious.
Fat Ninja- He was fat and hungry and moved like a lethal shadow. The series was written almost entirely in deadpan seriousness. It was epic.
Shalom Man- Created, written and drawn by a retired barber. When somebody in distress shouts “Oy vey!” the shin rock statue transforms into the Kosher Crusader. Some issues are really funny shlocky fun. Some are preachy crap. The creator has called Jewish critics of his work “self-hating Jews”
Leading to a surprisingly good record when it comes to taking down some of the heavyweights of the Marvel Universe.
And she has a bag of treats for little friends.
She calls it her “nutsack.”
“First Appearance: Crack Comics #1”
You don’t say.
Question: was “Mandrake The Magician” ever in comic book format?
It was a fairly obscure strip-haven’t seen it in years.
There was a short-lived Mandrake comic in the '60s, published by King, the same house that was publishing the Phantom comic at the time (both characters created by Lee Falk; both are still running as strips to this day).
Mandrake also saw comic book action as a member of the Defenders Of The Earth back in the eighties.
Aw, that’s no fun. He didn’t even gesture hypnotically!