In 1995 Kenner toys began releasing a series of action figures and vehicles under the name Superman: The Man of Steel. It was an amazing line of figures that was both surprising and not surprising. Suprising in that Superman got a line of figures based on the comics and not an animated series. Not surprising because the Superman books were incredibly popular at the time.
It also had a great television commericial.
I’m not being ironic when I say, “Don’t mess with the S!” is a great catch phrase for a ninties era action figure line.
The line featured both single figures and two-packs, and one of those two-packs contained the very first Doomsday action figure paired with a Superman figure in the Hunter/Prey suit.
Excuse the blurry photo. The camera on my iPhone at the time wasn’t the best at the time I took it.
Along with the two figures, the two-pack came with a special comic book by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding.
When Mattel got the DC license in 2006 they followed Toy Biz’s Marvel Legends lead by packaging a reprint comic along with the figure. Kenner walked a different path. This was not only an original story by the original creators of the mini-series, but also two profile pages, a trivia quiz, and a page to draw the Hunter/Prey Superman. It was the perfect introduction to the characters for the younger toy buyers and it had some fun activities. Plus an ad for the other figures…which is understandable.
In the picture of the figure above you can see Mattel’s take on the Hunter/Prey Superman and while that figure is…okay, I’d really love for a high quality action figure of that suit. Because it’s awesome.
Tomorrow – Part one of a three part look at the ways the series was collected.
More to follow…