Joe, although the protagonist dolls of both toy lines were created and designed by the same toy-and-idea man, Stan Weston.
Toy developer Stan Weston went to Hasbro's Don Levine with the idea of an articulated doll in the form of a soldier — a basic figure, and with limitless accessories.
The figure itself had a rather sad and worried expression, a strange shaped head (so the masks of the various heroes would better stay in place over it) and a more detailed musculature than G.I.
The original Ideal base for the line was Captain Action in his blue and black uniform, with lightning sword and ray gun included in the box.
Separate Superman, Batman, Lone Ranger, The Phantom, Flash Gordon, Captain America, Sgt Fury, Steve Canyon and Aquaman costumes (with accessories) were available;[1] the next wave (1967) added Spider-Man, Buck Rogers, the Green Hornet, and Tonto, with a Blue Lone Ranger variation (matching the still popular Clayton Moore series) and collectible flicker rings in each box.
Evil, a blue skinned alien with large bug eyes and an exposed brain, wearing a modified Nehru suit and sandals.
A vehicle called the "Silver Streak", a 2-foot-long (0.61 m) amphibian car with missile launchers, was added, large enough for both the Captain and sidekick.
Evil, costumes released boxed with Captain Action figure were The Lone Ranger (in red and black outfit), Tonto, Flash Gordon, his never-before-made nemesis Ming the Merciless (with a new flesh-tone Dr.
The line met with lackluster sales, and carded costumes-only were issued separately: Green Hornet, Kato, Lone Ranger (in blue outfit), Tonto, The Phantom, and his never-before-made enemy Kabai Singh.
Since 2005 Captain Action Enterprises holds the licensing rights and has been producing an array of new merchandise, including statues, toys, comics, trading cards, collectibles and apparel.
National Periodical (DC Comics) licensed the character from Ideal and published five issues of Captain Action in 1968,[3] illustrated at first by Wally Wood, then by Gil Kane.
A 2006 interview with Shooter reveals the unpromising setup of the comic: [Editor Mort Weisinger] called and asked if I'd like to create a new character.
Captain Action was given a real name of his own, Clive Arno, and was identified as a widowed archaeologist and museum curator, and was described as having located "the coins of power" in a buried city.
[6] Issue #5 of the Captain Action comic book series, retitled 'Thrills and Adventure', was used as a prop in the 'It's the Arts' episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
The weapons are connected to a race of alien parasites called the Red Crawl, who have been taking over world leaders in a bid to dominate the earth.
The series also tell the story of a second Captain Action, Miles's rebellious son, Cole Drake, who inherits the heroic identity in the 21st century.
The identity-changing aspect of the toy line shows up in Captain Action's ability to use a material called "plastiderm" to disguise himself as almost anyone.
In the modern stories the younger Captain Action uses the more advanced "plasmaderm" which allows him not only to assume someone's likeness, but any powers they possess.
In July 2010, Captain Action Season 2, an ongoing series written by Steven Grant, debuted that lasted 3 issues.
This is an all-ages casual game including art from classic comics artists Jerry Ordway, Kerry Callen, and Paul Gulacy.
A third Captain Action novel titled Cry of the Jungle Lord, written by Jim Beard and Barry Reese, was released by Airship 27 in 2017.