Ten years since edits? Check! Thanks to Angelfire for maintaining all of these years! It's as if I can take a snapshot in time- it's 2016 and my last edit was 10 years ago with a yahoo email! Not going to get rid of this anytime soon! Updated email of stevenmoreno@me.com btw and have sold off my collection!

My apologies for not updating or cleaning up the site for at least 4 years! I've been just a little busy lately with my wife and I becoming parents, moving to Chicago, and all sorts of other interesting bits and pieces. There will be some major overhauls going on the next few months for the 4 people who've visited the site in the last year! I've managed to contact a few of the original creators of the toy line from Mattel so I'll be putting some of the new knowledge there into the site. Also, there's been another two-pack discovered and I'll get that on here as soon as I can along with some production art and other neat goodies. Marvel Comics produced a twelve-issue mini series way back in the Golden Age of comics circa 1984. I say that only half-jokingly as that was right around the time that I began my comic reading days. As the time I was a 12 year old that began to mass consume Marvel comics as a card carrying “Marvel Zombie” (as it was affectionately known in those days).

The series was filled with an amazing amount of sub-plots as well as blazing a trail for future mini series and plotlines. After the Secret Wars began, a great deal of mini-series came to being and still continue to this day. The plot was written primarily by then Marvel superstar Jim Shooter and penciled mostly by Mike Zeck with help occasionally from Bob Layton-all of whom grew in stature and skill and continue to work in comics.

The series is probably best known for two products. The most well known is of course the black costume, alien symbiote, that would later be known as Venom.

The second is what I’m most interested in, and that of course is the Mattel action figure line that was the impetus for the production of the mini-series.

Mattel

Mattel, fresh off the heels of blowing their chance at D.C.’s toy line (which would go to Kenner and become arguably the best super-hero action figure line of all time: Super Powers), licked their wounds and limped on over to Marvel. Mattel’s presentation to D.C. was mediocre at best and wasn’t improved much for their meetings with Marvel. However, Marvel was very interested as their rivals were getting the jump on them and so forged ahead to produce their toy line in conjunction with Mattel.

In the short span of about 3 years, Marvel and Mattel managed to release somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 different carded/boxed action figures accompanied by approximately 12 different vehicles and accessories.

It should be noted that there were actually only 16 distinct action figures produced (not counting one variation to date and 6 different multi-packs). It is also interesting that of the 12 distinct boxed vehicles, there were really only 9 as there were 3 variations that included figures.

While it was a short-lived line, it has become a landmark series in action figure history. One nice aside is that even though there weren’t many toys made, it makes a more attainable collection that can be had relatively inexpensively. As it approaches 20 years since release, I expect it will become more and more difficult to complete.

10-28-06

Thanks,

Steven Moreno

Sjmoreno9@yahoo.com

Steven Moreno's Secret Wars Archive

Toys-Mattel-Home

Series 1 Heroes

Series 1 Villains

Series 2 Heroes

Secret Wars…

Mattel