PREPARE FOR ACTION!!!
By RIC CROXTON
Ric presents us with an interview with the team behind the new Captain Action comic –Joe Ahearn & Ed Catto [“CA”]. Having been a big Captain Action comic fan when it first appeared [!] but never having had the toy [aaah] I was keen to find out more –and I know there are others out there!
Take it away,Ric!
Ric:When did you first become interested in Captain Action?
CA: That’s a more interesting question than you realize. Like millions of American boys, Captain Action was my “best toy ever” as a kid. I can vividly remember playing with the action figure the first time under the Christmas tree back in ’68.
But two years ago, my partner Joe Ahearn came to me with the wild idea of re-launching the character. Since then, we’ve been overflowing with ideas on how to bring him back – not only for the hungry collector market, but on a bigger scale too!
Ric: Is the Captain Action in your comics the same one from the 1960s?
CA: Our series features the “same one” from the sixties, but initially our focus is on his son’s quest to find out what happened to his dad, to learn responsibility and to ….of course…save the world.
Ric: Will the origin of Captain Action be the same as the original?
CA:That’s the most exciting part of the character. If 30 million kids played with toy in the sixties- there were 30 million origins. The Captain had “printed adventures” in his in-packed comic and in the great DC series, but they were really just two of the many, many interpretations of the character. Our series takes the best elements of the character and combines it all into an all-new full-speed-ahead thriller!
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Ric: Will Action Boy be in the series?
CA: Yes, we reveal just what happened to Action Boy and it’s central to the tale we tell. He’s a big part of the initial 6 part story arc.
Ric:Will we see Dr. Evil?
CA: Dr. Eville, as we call him now, isn’t a big presence in our first storyline. Our antagonist is the Red Crawl, and we know old and new fans alike will be impressed with this wild concept.
Ric:Will this be a limited or ongoing series?
CA: We’re establishing 2008 as our “Year of Action”. It all begins with issue #0 and big splash at New York Comic Con. Actually on “NY Comic Con Eve” we’re having a celebrity signing at Jim Hanley’s Universe in New York with Fabian Nicieza, interior artist Mark Sparacio and our Sculptor (and variant cover artist) Ruben Procopio. Then at the actual New York Comic Con we’ll be selling the first issue (as will retailers) at our Action Booth, showcase signings with our creators and hold the first ever Captain Action Panel Discussion. Captain Action Alumnus Murphy Anderson’s back for the fun too, and he’ll be signing for Captain Action as well as previewing some of the special projects we’re planning with him.
Then in June we have our Captain Action Novella, Captain Action: First Mission Last Day. It’s followed by issue #1 and the ongoing series!
Our Captain Action retro-Aurora Model kit just went on sale, and is selling like wildfire. There’s a huge fan frenzy and we wish we had made more. We have a few more surprises, but in time for the Holidays we’ll be releasing our gorgeous Captain Action Statue by Electric Tiki. Ruben has done a magnificent job and we’ll be previewing the master, for the first time ever, at New York Comic Con.
Above:Jim Alexander
Ric:Why bring back Captain Action?
CA: The question is why hasn’t anyone brought back Captain Action? With the resurgence of past heroes from the Justice Society to the Super Powers Heroes, to The Lone Ranger and Flash Gordon, it seems like the perfect time to reintroduce the hero who could become them all! Captain Action has dual charm in that he is fondly remembered as classic pop culture by older readers, and now with Fabian Nicieza’s brilliant new treatment of the character, he fits in perfectly in today’s world as a modern age action-packed Super Spy which is sure to entice a modern audience.
Ric:Do you plan on bringing back any other toy heroes like Major Matt Mason?
Ric:Why bring back Captain Action?
CA: The question is why hasn’t anyone brought back Captain Action? With the resurgence of past heroes from the Justice Society to the Super Powers Heroes, to The Lone Ranger and Flash Gordon, it seems like the perfect time to reintroduce the hero who could become them all! Captain Action has dual charm in that he is fondly remembered as classic pop culture by older readers, and now with Fabian Nicieza’s brilliant new treatment of the character, he fits in perfectly in today’s world as a modern age action-packed Super Spy which is sure to entice a modern audience.
Ric:Do you plan on bringing back any other toy heroes like Major Matt Mason?
CA: We don’t own the rights to Major Matt Mason, but that would be cool. I could see him being a modern day Flash Gordon type. Not every toy translates well into a comic , but Captain Action, who was the first ever Super Hero action figure , fits the bill perfectly as he has always been associated with other heroes , has been in the comics before, and is now a highly sought after collectible toy to boot. He’s an easy character to work with as he’s a clean slate and could be anything a great imagination would want him to be. That’s why he works as a great toy as well.
Ric:Will there be any prose novels based on the hero?
CA: Yes, a prose novel is on the agenda, but first Moonstone has taken that concept and tweaked it into a half prose, half illustration hybrid we are calling the comic’s first Novella. We are doing a 1960s Year One story of Classic Cap in this format, with the title First Mission Last Day.
CA: We don’t own the rights to Major Matt Mason, but that would be cool. I could see him being a modern day Flash Gordon type. Not every toy translates well into a comic , but Captain Action, who was the first ever Super Hero action figure , fits the bill perfectly as he has always been associated with other heroes , has been in the comics before, and is now a highly sought after collectible toy to boot. He’s an easy character to work with as he’s a clean slate and could be anything a great imagination would want him to be. That’s why he works as a great toy as well.
Ric:Will there be any prose novels based on the hero?
CA: Yes, a prose novel is on the agenda, but first Moonstone has taken that concept and tweaked it into a half prose, half illustration hybrid we are calling the comic’s first Novella. We are doing a 1960s Year One story of Classic Cap in this format, with the title First Mission Last Day.
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Ric:How often will the books come out?
CA: Captain Action #0 is our preview book which debuts in April. After that, we have the Novella, First Mission, Last Day in July, and finally Captain Action Comics will be the on going series that continues thereafter.
Ric: Will there be variant covers?
CA: Yes there will be variant covers. Issue #0 has a variant cover by the great Paul Gulacy which is awesome and we are also offering a very exclusive chase cover done by Ruben Procopio. Going forward, Mark Sparacio will be our regular cover artist with variants being done by Ruben and other guest artists as well. For Captain Action # 1 we’ve cooked up someone very special in the form of Silver Age legend Murphy Anderson! Besides his comics legacy, Murphy is also well known to the Captain Action community as the artist who rendered most of the packaging art for the original Ideal Toy line, so it is a dual honor to have him be able to join Team Action for this. Murphy will also be our special guest at the first ever Captain Action panel we are holding at the NY Comicon, and will be signing some Comicon exclusive items for us at our booth.
Ric:Will the series be collected in a trade paperback or hardback?
CA: Yes, we’re planning a graphic novel /trade paperback as soon as we get the series established.
Ric: Will the series from the 1960s be reprinted?
CA: Not at this time, but we would like to see that happen eventually. It would be a nice nod to the past to have a collected edition containing all 5 DC issues and some added extras. Those books are just classic with art by the great Gil Kane, Wally Wood, Irv Novick, and the first 2 issues written by Jim Shooter.
Ric: What new characters will we see?
CA: Captain Action#0 will introduce several new Super Villains– former Super Heroes that were infected by the Red Crawl. There will be Savior, The Crescent, The Green Circle, and Flashpoint, to name a few.
Ric: Do you plan on making any changes in his costume?
CA: Captain Action has a new costume updated with a modern feel combined with nods to the original costume styling. The only legacy item Captain Action retains is the hat! Like for characters such as Indiana Jones, that hat is symbolic and has been dovetailed nicely into the new storyline as a father/son legacy. We will also be showing Cap in his classic costume in occasional flashbacks and in things like the year one novella, so there will be a nice balance of old and new to satisfy older and younger fanboys alike. That’s one of the great things about this character. He is a multi generational character so we can go in a lot of different directions.
Ric: When does the series come out?
CA: As mentioned above, Cap #0 hits comic shops mid April, the First Mission Last Day Novella hits in July and then Captain Action Comics, the on going series will debut right after that!
Ric: What company is publishing it and does it have a web-site?
CA: Our website is:
www.CaptainActionNow.com
and our publisher,Moonstone,has a website at
www.moonstonebooks.com
Ric: Being a fan in my 40s, I remember reading the original and look forward to the new series. What does Captain Action have to interest younger readers who never read or heard of the character?
CA: I think Captain Action will be exciting to young readers as he has the no nonsense kick your butt style of say, the Punisher combined with great modern hi tech weaponry including the cool ability to morph into other characters to complete his missions. It’s also a great coming of age story as this young warrior is going through the same sort of angst in trying to find his purpose in life, just as our younger readers do as they are growing up into young adulthood.
Ric:Will any of the new heroes have their own books?
CA: Nothing in the works as yet, but there is certainly great potential for that. We could definitely envision year one type stories of any one of these Super Villains about their lives as heroes collectively or individually in the days before they were infected by the Red Crawl.
Ric: Any plans for a TV series (live or animation) or movie?
CA: We have actually been approached as respects both live action and animation projects and are looking into that currently. We think that our Captain Action character would work great in that medium. Could you imagine watching his morphing transformation on the big screen with today’s special effects? It would be so cool!
Ric: What does the future hold for Captain Action?
CA: The sky’s the limit really. We are looking to expand the property in as many areas as possible which make sense. We are making great new contacts for projects pretty easily as it seems that most everyone we speak with seems to want to get involved. We are really looking forward to kicking things into high gear at NY Comic Con in April, and throughout the convention season. We are very appreciative of the success we have had in such a short span of time and are excited to see what the future will hold.
My thanks to Ric and
Comic Bits Online is the web version of the Comic Bits magazine Edited and run by Terry Hooper. Currently Interviews Editor at Manga Life,Terry has over thirty years experience in the comic industry as script writer,artist,freelance Editor,publisher and much more. But if you want the facts:
Curriculum vitae Name:Terry HooperDob:6th June 1957 [50 yrs]Currently living Ashton Vale,Bristol,United Kingdom ...
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Posted on March 14th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
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