Recent from talks
Super Powers Collection
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Super Powers Collection
The Super Powers Collection was a line of action figures based on DC Comics superheroes and supervillains that was created by Kenner Products in the 1980s.
In 1984, DC Comics awarded the master toy license of their characters to Kenner Products, following Mattel's "action feature" heavy Masters of the Universe toy line. The initial pitch seemed to be heavily influenced by Kenner's popular Star Wars toyline with multiple playsets dedicated to individual franchises like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Teen Titans, Lois Lane, and the Super Jrs. Winning the license away from Knickerbocker and Mattel in 1982 with an emphasis on action and art, Kenner devised hidden mechanisms within the figures that would trigger an action when the figure's legs or arms were squeezed. This emphasis on each figure's "super power" led to the naming of the line: "The Super Powers Collection". Each figure in the first two series were also packaged with a mini-comic featuring an adventure with a spotlight on that character. The figures also included a cut-out collector's card on the back of each package.
With his Apokoliptian New Gods characters like Darkseid judged ideal antagonists for the line, comic creator Jack Kirby received some of the only royalties of his long career for redesigning his characters for Kenner. Artist George Pérez also received royalties for his design of Cyborg and redesign of Lex Luthor. Ed Hannigan had already redesigned Brainiac in Action Comics the previous year (June 1983). Most of the other designs (and much of the packaging artwork) were based on José Luis García-López's classic DC Style Guides (other artwork used appears to be the work of Dick Giordano, who was known to ink Garcia-Lopez's art for the publications, and Mike DeCarlo). Alex Saviuk provided box art for the line save Shazam.
In all, three series of figures and accessories were released from 1984 to 1986. The line was abruptly cancelled in February 1986. Two toys pictured on the back of the third wave packages were never produced: the All-Terrain Trapper Vehicle and the Darkseid's Tower of Darkness playset.
Once the line was on the market, a vigorous merchandising campaign took place, with DC Comics and Kenner striving for the Super Powers logo to become ubiquitous. DC Comics produced three comic book mini-series featuring characters from the toyline, one during each year of the toyline's existence. The first series of comics in 1984 was plotted by Jack Kirby, who also provided covers, wrote and penciled the last issue, and went on to pencil the second series. (These two series were collected and reprinted in 2013 in The Jack Kirby Omnibus Vol. 2, in 2018 in Super Powers by Jack Kirby, and in 2019 in DC Universe: Bronze Age Omnibus by Jack Kirby). The third and final series was penciled by Carmine Infantino. In 1986, DC Comics published The Super Friends: Super Powers which reprinted "Bad Weather for Supergirl!" from Super Friends #37 (October 1980) along with coloring pages on the inside front and back covers illustrated by José Luis García-López of Batman and Robin and Wonder Woman, respectively. The cover of the comic reprints that of the Super Friends issue but with the addition of the Super Powers bursting stars logo.
The same year the first series was published, Federal Comics in Australia also published the original issues and the first issue of the second series but numbered it as the series' sixth issue. Beginning in 1985, French publisher Arédit reprinted the first mini-series to start off its DC Flash series. From 1986 to 1996, Brazilian publisher Editora Abril reprinted various DC Comics in a book called Super Powers for 37 issues, so far as using the Super Powers logo (or a variation of it) for the first ten issues. In 2017, the original Jack Kirby series was reprinted by Panini Brasil in Lendas do Universo DC: Super Powers. Tom Scioli produced a Super Powers back-up series in the pages of Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye in 2016. Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani created a Super Powers mini-series in 2017 as a follow-up to their Tiny Titans and Superman Family Adventures.
These comics were separate from the continuity of the regular comics featuring the characters. Hanna-Barbera also produced two animated television series (a refreshing of the venerable Super Friends concept), called Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians. Warner Home Video used the opportunity to issue episodes of Superman, Batman, Superboy, and Aquaman produced by Filmation in 1966 on VHS and Betamax video cassette in 1985 under the Super Powers label (and also as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of their sister company DC Comics), reissuing them again on VHS in 1996 (and were still available into the early 2000s until the end of the VHS format). At the 1984 Toy Fair, DC Comics through LCA (Licensing Corporation of America), Warner Bros licensing company, distributed a fourteen page handout with the heading "Fighting for you in the aisles, on the shelves and at the registers..." to apply the Super Powers brand to a multitude of products. This saw the application of the art and logo to the likes of lunchboxes, 3-D puffy stickers, party supplies, paintable figurines, Underoos, coloring and activity books (Secret of the Frozen City, Superman, Lex Luthor, The Joker, Batman, The Penguin, Wonder Woman, Villains, Superman and Batman, and Superman and the Super Powers), The Super Powers Anti-Coloring Book (ISBN 059070494X) by Susan Striker, Stain-A-Sticker, Justice League of America Skyscraper Caper game, sunglasses, playhouses, belt buckles, sneakers, signature stamp sets, coloring play mats, drinking glasses/tumblers, MPC model kits, soap, stain painting sets, calendars, Play-Doh sets, cube game, jointed wall figures, wrist watches, jigsaw puzzles (Jaymar and Craftmaster), Give-A-Show projectors, backpacks, gym bags, Valentine's Day paraphernalia, kites, pajamas, card games, sticker albums, sleeping bags, wall cling decorations, inflatable punching bop bags, bed sheets, clothes, windsocks, greeting cards, View-Master theatre sets, nut and fruit mix, sidewalk artist sets, temporary tattoos, SunShiners, galoshes, Nerf wrist flyers, duffel bags, lip balm, slippers, crayon sets, planners, school supplies, belts, baseball caps, flashlights, bumper stickers, pins, jewelry, embroidered patches, and posters. Kenner offered several mail-in promotions including a flexible vinyl record called The Darkseid Saga, child-size Superman plastic cape, and an 18" by 24 " color poster.
Burger King produced cup holders and meal packs as part of the promotion. I.J.E., Inc.'s Kid Vid Productions produced three See & Read books for Super Powers under their Kid Stuff line named Battle At the Earth's Core (ISBN 0876601492), Darkseid… of the Moon (ISBN 0876600704, art provided by the aforementioned Alex Saviuk), and The Battle for Apokolips! (ISBN 087660176X) available as a picture book with audio cassette, vinyl record (reminiscent of Power Records), or VHS tape (similar to Golden Book Video). I.J.E., Inc. also released a Listen 'N Look book (which included an audio cassette) for the line called The Adventures of Superman (reprinting the Golden Look-Look Book of the same name from 1982). Simon & Schuster produced a series of four Which Way books for the Super Powers line titled Superman: The Man of Steel (ISBN 0671474634), Supergirl: The Girl of Steel (ISBN 0671475665), Justice League of America (ISBN 0671475673), and Batman: The Doomsday Prophecy (ISBN 0671683128)/(distributed in the UK by Carousel). DuPont Pharmaceuticals and the National Association of Retail Druggists commissioned Super Powers: Good Health Activity Book (1986) which promoted fitness and health education for children. This black & white book went through four printings up to 1989 though later editions were titled DC Comics Super Heroes: Good Health Activity Book. The "DC Comics Super Heroes" logo would replace the Super Powers logo on merchandise when the line died out (especially in 1989 when Toy Biz reused many of the action figure molds for their DC Comics Super Heroes line). Only the toy line carried the "Collection" tag; all other merchandise would have a solo "Super Powers" logo.
Hub AI
Super Powers Collection AI simulator
(@Super Powers Collection_simulator)
Super Powers Collection
The Super Powers Collection was a line of action figures based on DC Comics superheroes and supervillains that was created by Kenner Products in the 1980s.
In 1984, DC Comics awarded the master toy license of their characters to Kenner Products, following Mattel's "action feature" heavy Masters of the Universe toy line. The initial pitch seemed to be heavily influenced by Kenner's popular Star Wars toyline with multiple playsets dedicated to individual franchises like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Teen Titans, Lois Lane, and the Super Jrs. Winning the license away from Knickerbocker and Mattel in 1982 with an emphasis on action and art, Kenner devised hidden mechanisms within the figures that would trigger an action when the figure's legs or arms were squeezed. This emphasis on each figure's "super power" led to the naming of the line: "The Super Powers Collection". Each figure in the first two series were also packaged with a mini-comic featuring an adventure with a spotlight on that character. The figures also included a cut-out collector's card on the back of each package.
With his Apokoliptian New Gods characters like Darkseid judged ideal antagonists for the line, comic creator Jack Kirby received some of the only royalties of his long career for redesigning his characters for Kenner. Artist George Pérez also received royalties for his design of Cyborg and redesign of Lex Luthor. Ed Hannigan had already redesigned Brainiac in Action Comics the previous year (June 1983). Most of the other designs (and much of the packaging artwork) were based on José Luis García-López's classic DC Style Guides (other artwork used appears to be the work of Dick Giordano, who was known to ink Garcia-Lopez's art for the publications, and Mike DeCarlo). Alex Saviuk provided box art for the line save Shazam.
In all, three series of figures and accessories were released from 1984 to 1986. The line was abruptly cancelled in February 1986. Two toys pictured on the back of the third wave packages were never produced: the All-Terrain Trapper Vehicle and the Darkseid's Tower of Darkness playset.
Once the line was on the market, a vigorous merchandising campaign took place, with DC Comics and Kenner striving for the Super Powers logo to become ubiquitous. DC Comics produced three comic book mini-series featuring characters from the toyline, one during each year of the toyline's existence. The first series of comics in 1984 was plotted by Jack Kirby, who also provided covers, wrote and penciled the last issue, and went on to pencil the second series. (These two series were collected and reprinted in 2013 in The Jack Kirby Omnibus Vol. 2, in 2018 in Super Powers by Jack Kirby, and in 2019 in DC Universe: Bronze Age Omnibus by Jack Kirby). The third and final series was penciled by Carmine Infantino. In 1986, DC Comics published The Super Friends: Super Powers which reprinted "Bad Weather for Supergirl!" from Super Friends #37 (October 1980) along with coloring pages on the inside front and back covers illustrated by José Luis García-López of Batman and Robin and Wonder Woman, respectively. The cover of the comic reprints that of the Super Friends issue but with the addition of the Super Powers bursting stars logo.
The same year the first series was published, Federal Comics in Australia also published the original issues and the first issue of the second series but numbered it as the series' sixth issue. Beginning in 1985, French publisher Arédit reprinted the first mini-series to start off its DC Flash series. From 1986 to 1996, Brazilian publisher Editora Abril reprinted various DC Comics in a book called Super Powers for 37 issues, so far as using the Super Powers logo (or a variation of it) for the first ten issues. In 2017, the original Jack Kirby series was reprinted by Panini Brasil in Lendas do Universo DC: Super Powers. Tom Scioli produced a Super Powers back-up series in the pages of Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye in 2016. Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani created a Super Powers mini-series in 2017 as a follow-up to their Tiny Titans and Superman Family Adventures.
These comics were separate from the continuity of the regular comics featuring the characters. Hanna-Barbera also produced two animated television series (a refreshing of the venerable Super Friends concept), called Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians. Warner Home Video used the opportunity to issue episodes of Superman, Batman, Superboy, and Aquaman produced by Filmation in 1966 on VHS and Betamax video cassette in 1985 under the Super Powers label (and also as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of their sister company DC Comics), reissuing them again on VHS in 1996 (and were still available into the early 2000s until the end of the VHS format). At the 1984 Toy Fair, DC Comics through LCA (Licensing Corporation of America), Warner Bros licensing company, distributed a fourteen page handout with the heading "Fighting for you in the aisles, on the shelves and at the registers..." to apply the Super Powers brand to a multitude of products. This saw the application of the art and logo to the likes of lunchboxes, 3-D puffy stickers, party supplies, paintable figurines, Underoos, coloring and activity books (Secret of the Frozen City, Superman, Lex Luthor, The Joker, Batman, The Penguin, Wonder Woman, Villains, Superman and Batman, and Superman and the Super Powers), The Super Powers Anti-Coloring Book (ISBN 059070494X) by Susan Striker, Stain-A-Sticker, Justice League of America Skyscraper Caper game, sunglasses, playhouses, belt buckles, sneakers, signature stamp sets, coloring play mats, drinking glasses/tumblers, MPC model kits, soap, stain painting sets, calendars, Play-Doh sets, cube game, jointed wall figures, wrist watches, jigsaw puzzles (Jaymar and Craftmaster), Give-A-Show projectors, backpacks, gym bags, Valentine's Day paraphernalia, kites, pajamas, card games, sticker albums, sleeping bags, wall cling decorations, inflatable punching bop bags, bed sheets, clothes, windsocks, greeting cards, View-Master theatre sets, nut and fruit mix, sidewalk artist sets, temporary tattoos, SunShiners, galoshes, Nerf wrist flyers, duffel bags, lip balm, slippers, crayon sets, planners, school supplies, belts, baseball caps, flashlights, bumper stickers, pins, jewelry, embroidered patches, and posters. Kenner offered several mail-in promotions including a flexible vinyl record called The Darkseid Saga, child-size Superman plastic cape, and an 18" by 24 " color poster.
Burger King produced cup holders and meal packs as part of the promotion. I.J.E., Inc.'s Kid Vid Productions produced three See & Read books for Super Powers under their Kid Stuff line named Battle At the Earth's Core (ISBN 0876601492), Darkseid… of the Moon (ISBN 0876600704, art provided by the aforementioned Alex Saviuk), and The Battle for Apokolips! (ISBN 087660176X) available as a picture book with audio cassette, vinyl record (reminiscent of Power Records), or VHS tape (similar to Golden Book Video). I.J.E., Inc. also released a Listen 'N Look book (which included an audio cassette) for the line called The Adventures of Superman (reprinting the Golden Look-Look Book of the same name from 1982). Simon & Schuster produced a series of four Which Way books for the Super Powers line titled Superman: The Man of Steel (ISBN 0671474634), Supergirl: The Girl of Steel (ISBN 0671475665), Justice League of America (ISBN 0671475673), and Batman: The Doomsday Prophecy (ISBN 0671683128)/(distributed in the UK by Carousel). DuPont Pharmaceuticals and the National Association of Retail Druggists commissioned Super Powers: Good Health Activity Book (1986) which promoted fitness and health education for children. This black & white book went through four printings up to 1989 though later editions were titled DC Comics Super Heroes: Good Health Activity Book. The "DC Comics Super Heroes" logo would replace the Super Powers logo on merchandise when the line died out (especially in 1989 when Toy Biz reused many of the action figure molds for their DC Comics Super Heroes line). Only the toy line carried the "Collection" tag; all other merchandise would have a solo "Super Powers" logo.