What do you think?
Rate this book
Captain Action: The Classic Collection
A Classic from the Silver Age of Comics, unavailable for more than 50 years with art and stories by three legends! Completely re-mastered with all-new coloring that faithfully mimics the look of the original comics!
Captain Action is back in Action! The world's first action figure, Captain Action burst onto the scene just as the '60s superhero craze was heating up. This volume lovingly celebrates the timeless tales from the Silver Age by top talents like Gil Kane, Wally Wood, and Jim Shooter, re-presented for the first time ever since they were first published nearly half a century ago. Also featuring Action Boy, Khem, The Silver Streak, and the fearsome Doctor Evil. All five of the original issues are here, along with some unexpected treasures!
Captain Action is back in Action! The world's first action figure, Captain Action burst onto the scene just as the '60s superhero craze was heating up. This volume lovingly celebrates the timeless tales from the Silver Age by top talents like Gil Kane, Wally Wood, and Jim Shooter, re-presented for the first time ever since they were first published nearly half a century ago. Also featuring Action Boy, Khem, The Silver Streak, and the fearsome Doctor Evil. All five of the original issues are here, along with some unexpected treasures!
144 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2022
10 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Gil Kane
1,582 books28 followersGil Kane (/dʒɪl keɪn/; born Eli Katz /kæts/) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character.
Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and co-created Iron Fist with Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics. He was involved in such major storylines as that of The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98, which, at the behest of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, bucked the then-prevalent Comics Code Authority to depict drug abuse, and ultimately spurred an update of the Code. Kane additionally pioneered an early graphic novel prototype, His Name Is... Savage, in 1968, and a seminal graphic novel, Blackmark, in 1971.
In 1997, he was inducted into both the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame and the Harvey Award Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.
Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and co-created Iron Fist with Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics. He was involved in such major storylines as that of The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98, which, at the behest of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, bucked the then-prevalent Comics Code Authority to depict drug abuse, and ultimately spurred an update of the Code. Kane additionally pioneered an early graphic novel prototype, His Name Is... Savage, in 1968, and a seminal graphic novel, Blackmark, in 1971.
In 1997, he was inducted into both the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame and the Harvey Award Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 10, 2022
From this reprint of a short-lived comic book series from the late 1960s that was based on a toy line, it's easy to see why it was canceled so quickly. Bad scripts and mediocre art make it chore to read. The original letter columns are included, and it is amusing to see that some of the early reactions were pretty negative and that a couple of the letters were by eventual comic book professionals Martin Pasko and Klaus Janson.
Captain Action is archaeologist Clive Arno. He discovers some magic coins that were left on Earth by some aliens who came to our planet and were the basis of the gods of ancient mythology. As long as he holds some of the coins somewhere on his person, he can switch between the grab bag of powers they grant (super strength, super senses, weather manipulation, super speed, combat skills, etc. -- alas, there was no "I know kung fu" coin). He immediately creates an undercover headquarters outfitted with a fancy car and laboratory and becomes a superhero. He gives one coin to his son so he can be his sidekick, Action Boy. He fights evil villains while yelling, "Let justice be done!"
So let's see, we've got some Batman, Superman, Hawkman, Shazam/Captain Marvel, Dial-H-for-Hero, and Ultra Boy all lumped together with a sticky gruel of pure dumbness.
A perfect example of the sort of superhero dreck we used to accept as normal back in the day.
FOR REFERENCE:
Originally published in magazine form as Captain Action (1968) #1-5.
Contents:
• Introduction by Mark Waid
• Captain Action #1 cover / Art by Irv Novick
• Captain Action #1: "Origin of Captain Action" / Script by Jim Shooter, art by Wally Wood
• Captain Action vintage advertisement
• Captain Action #2 cover / Art by Gil Kane
• Captain Action #2: "The Battle Begins" / Script by Jim Shooter, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Wally Wood
• Captain Action #3 cover / Pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Dick Giordano
• Captain Action #3: " . . . And Evil This Way Comes!" / Script and pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Wally Wood
• Captain Action #3 letters page / Letters written by Gordon Flagg, Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.) and Paul Wikander (Berkeley, Cal.)
• Captain Action #4 cover / Art by Gil Kane
• Captain Action #4: "Evil at Dead World's End!" / Script and art by Gil Kane
• Captain Action #4 letters page / Letters written by Carl Gafford (New Milford, Conn.), Harvey Sobel (Commack, N.Y.), Dave Truesdale (Bemidji, Minn.)
• Captain Action #5 cover / Art by Gil Kane
• Captain Action #5: "A Mind Divided" / Script and pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Wally Wood
• Captain Action #5 letters page / Letters written by Gordon Flagg, Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.), Martin Pasko (Clifton, N.J.), Klaus Janson (Bridgeport, Conn.), George Gambino (Levittown, N.Y.), Craig Battmer (Minneapolis, Minn.), Lee McMichael (Valdosta, Ga.), Preston Quade (Norfolk, Va.), Steven Sinatra (Brockton, Mass.), Mark Anderson (Highmore, S.D.), Rich Mrozek (Elmwood Pk., Ill.), Pat Moade (Mt. Carmel, Ill.), Warren Somers (Los Angeles, Cal.)
• Captain Action Gallery / Art by Kurt Schaffenberger, Chic Stone, Gil Kane, and Wally Wood
Captain Action is archaeologist Clive Arno. He discovers some magic coins that were left on Earth by some aliens who came to our planet and were the basis of the gods of ancient mythology. As long as he holds some of the coins somewhere on his person, he can switch between the grab bag of powers they grant (super strength, super senses, weather manipulation, super speed, combat skills, etc. -- alas, there was no "I know kung fu" coin). He immediately creates an undercover headquarters outfitted with a fancy car and laboratory and becomes a superhero. He gives one coin to his son so he can be his sidekick, Action Boy. He fights evil villains while yelling, "Let justice be done!"
So let's see, we've got some Batman, Superman, Hawkman, Shazam/Captain Marvel, Dial-H-for-Hero, and Ultra Boy all lumped together with a sticky gruel of pure dumbness.
A perfect example of the sort of superhero dreck we used to accept as normal back in the day.
FOR REFERENCE:
Originally published in magazine form as Captain Action (1968) #1-5.
Contents:
• Introduction by Mark Waid
• Captain Action #1 cover / Art by Irv Novick
• Captain Action #1: "Origin of Captain Action" / Script by Jim Shooter, art by Wally Wood
• Captain Action vintage advertisement
• Captain Action #2 cover / Art by Gil Kane
• Captain Action #2: "The Battle Begins" / Script by Jim Shooter, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Wally Wood
• Captain Action #3 cover / Pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Dick Giordano
• Captain Action #3: " . . . And Evil This Way Comes!" / Script and pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Wally Wood
• Captain Action #3 letters page / Letters written by Gordon Flagg, Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.) and Paul Wikander (Berkeley, Cal.)
• Captain Action #4 cover / Art by Gil Kane
• Captain Action #4: "Evil at Dead World's End!" / Script and art by Gil Kane
• Captain Action #4 letters page / Letters written by Carl Gafford (New Milford, Conn.), Harvey Sobel (Commack, N.Y.), Dave Truesdale (Bemidji, Minn.)
• Captain Action #5 cover / Art by Gil Kane
• Captain Action #5: "A Mind Divided" / Script and pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Wally Wood
• Captain Action #5 letters page / Letters written by Gordon Flagg, Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.), Martin Pasko (Clifton, N.J.), Klaus Janson (Bridgeport, Conn.), George Gambino (Levittown, N.Y.), Craig Battmer (Minneapolis, Minn.), Lee McMichael (Valdosta, Ga.), Preston Quade (Norfolk, Va.), Steven Sinatra (Brockton, Mass.), Mark Anderson (Highmore, S.D.), Rich Mrozek (Elmwood Pk., Ill.), Pat Moade (Mt. Carmel, Ill.), Warren Somers (Los Angeles, Cal.)
• Captain Action Gallery / Art by Kurt Schaffenberger, Chic Stone, Gil Kane, and Wally Wood
October 22, 2025
It's August 1968 and DC is doing some interesting stuff (for a change). Neal Adams is shaking up Batman (or at least his looks) in Brave & Bold. Bat Lash is shaking up the western (for a short time). Enemy Ace feels different than your average war comic. Anthro. The Creeper. Brother Power. There's some interesting, if not always great, stuff happening. And in to this mix they throw Captain Action. And one can only wonder...why?
Captain Action was a boy's doll (action figure for the insecure) that was thrown in to the market by Ideal to compete with G.I. Joe in 1966. Beyond the base toy there were accessories that allowed him to dress as Batman, Superman, Captain America, The Phantom, etc. Sales were apparently good initially, but declined quickly and the line was discontinued in 1968. So DC tied it's boat up beside a sinking ship. And...they couldn't actually do the one thing that made Captain Action marginally interesting, which was to have him be multiple different heroes to face different threats.
The first issue came out with a story by Jim Shooter and some pretty nice art by Wally Wood. With the second issue Gil Kane had taken over the pencils with Woody inking. They actually look pretty good together. And again, with issue number 3 Kane takes over the writing of the book (not something he did a lot that I'm aware of) with Woody inking issues 3 and 5 and Kane inking himself on issue 4.
And the book is a tale of two parts. I'm not going to complain about the art on any issue. Woody was great in the first issue. And Kane did his usual fine job. But this book is an absolute turd to read. I've never been a Shooter fan and there's nothing in those two issues to change my mind. And as a writer...well Kane was a good penciler. The stories are just awful across the board. Captain Action, shorn of what made him interesting, is given ALL the powers by virtue of finding coins of the Gods (who are really aliens) but only a few at a time. The stories are overwritten even moreso than the average horribly overwritten story of the time. And they feel like they're written very much for a 7-9 year old market...which makes sense for this book based on a toy, but makes for a super tough read for an adult.
Was it gone too soon? Oh, hells no! This one being discontinued was a mercy killing. Honestly, it was a weird book to put out anyway. It was at least a year too late. More likely eighteen months. There was absolutely nothing here that a buyer couldn't get from a dozen other comics that were far better written. It's a reasonably pretty book to look at...but it's one of the worst comics I've read in a very long time story-wise.
Captain Action was a boy's doll (action figure for the insecure) that was thrown in to the market by Ideal to compete with G.I. Joe in 1966. Beyond the base toy there were accessories that allowed him to dress as Batman, Superman, Captain America, The Phantom, etc. Sales were apparently good initially, but declined quickly and the line was discontinued in 1968. So DC tied it's boat up beside a sinking ship. And...they couldn't actually do the one thing that made Captain Action marginally interesting, which was to have him be multiple different heroes to face different threats.
The first issue came out with a story by Jim Shooter and some pretty nice art by Wally Wood. With the second issue Gil Kane had taken over the pencils with Woody inking. They actually look pretty good together. And again, with issue number 3 Kane takes over the writing of the book (not something he did a lot that I'm aware of) with Woody inking issues 3 and 5 and Kane inking himself on issue 4.
And the book is a tale of two parts. I'm not going to complain about the art on any issue. Woody was great in the first issue. And Kane did his usual fine job. But this book is an absolute turd to read. I've never been a Shooter fan and there's nothing in those two issues to change my mind. And as a writer...well Kane was a good penciler. The stories are just awful across the board. Captain Action, shorn of what made him interesting, is given ALL the powers by virtue of finding coins of the Gods (who are really aliens) but only a few at a time. The stories are overwritten even moreso than the average horribly overwritten story of the time. And they feel like they're written very much for a 7-9 year old market...which makes sense for this book based on a toy, but makes for a super tough read for an adult.
Was it gone too soon? Oh, hells no! This one being discontinued was a mercy killing. Honestly, it was a weird book to put out anyway. It was at least a year too late. More likely eighteen months. There was absolutely nothing here that a buyer couldn't get from a dozen other comics that were far better written. It's a reasonably pretty book to look at...but it's one of the worst comics I've read in a very long time story-wise.
August 3, 2023
This painstakingly restored volume collects all five issues of Captain Action, and includes house ads and scans of some of the original art pages too!
Captain Action, a hero ‘concocted’ in the late 60s to sell action figures to boys, was able to transform himself into various heroes, with the help of special coins. Of course, there were evil doers who wanted to battle Captain Action. Plus, Captain Action had a young sidekick who admired Batman and Superman. All the necessary ingredients for toy sales and comic success! Alas, time was running out for superheroes and toy figures… the times were a-changin’.
The five issues of Captain Action are written by a VERY young Jim Shooter (aged 16!!), with art by Wally Wood, then Gil Kane.
It’s great fun, and not to be taken completely seriously. Everyone is running around, pronouncing themselves ‘all-powerful and almighty’, and landing haymakers on each other. Wally Wood’s figures fly gracefully through the air in order to land in a pile of rubble, while Kane’s people gyrate wildly, knuckles spread, hips splayed, necks craning.
At long last, though, we can enjoy this adventurous mini-series at its very best, totally restored, with foreword by Mark Waid.
Captain Action, a hero ‘concocted’ in the late 60s to sell action figures to boys, was able to transform himself into various heroes, with the help of special coins. Of course, there were evil doers who wanted to battle Captain Action. Plus, Captain Action had a young sidekick who admired Batman and Superman. All the necessary ingredients for toy sales and comic success! Alas, time was running out for superheroes and toy figures… the times were a-changin’.
The five issues of Captain Action are written by a VERY young Jim Shooter (aged 16!!), with art by Wally Wood, then Gil Kane.
It’s great fun, and not to be taken completely seriously. Everyone is running around, pronouncing themselves ‘all-powerful and almighty’, and landing haymakers on each other. Wally Wood’s figures fly gracefully through the air in order to land in a pile of rubble, while Kane’s people gyrate wildly, knuckles spread, hips splayed, necks craning.
At long last, though, we can enjoy this adventurous mini-series at its very best, totally restored, with foreword by Mark Waid.
January 20, 2024
This collects a short-lived oddity of the sixties, a DC comic based on an action figure designed to be transformed into any number of superheroes and action stars.
The most notable thing about these stories is the creative talent involved. The writing on the first two issues is by a young Jim Shooter and feature artwork by Wally Wood, while Gil Kane takes over as writer and penciller for the final issues, Wood remaining as inker.
Conceptually, it's a mystery to me why they didn't stick with the concept of the hero who could become any number of other characters, which could have played out as a kind of hybrid of Human Target and Dial H for Hero. Instead, they opted to go with him getting powers from mystical coins, even that getting a little watered down in the Kane issues as it presumably was felt to make him too powerful. Beyond the appearance, there seems little to connect the action figure to this character.
The stories themselves are unremarkable. The first two stories are simplistic hero vs. villain battles. The last three issues drop this, trying to add a little more stability and, presumably, philosophical complexity to the tales, but Gil Kane's stories read as though he's trying to do Marvel stories through the simplistic 50s-60s DC lens, resulting in tales which ring false at both a logical and emotional level.
On the other hand, the artwork is very easy on the eyes, particularly for Kane, who displays some of his best work of the period here, either through his own motivation or as a result of complementary Wood inks.
As a quality piece of storytelling, I can't recommend this, but for a glimpse into one of the early toy-to-comics translations and the ups and downs of such adaptations, as well as early work from Jim Shooter and above-average art of the time from Wally Wood and Gil Kane, I can suggest giving it a look.
The most notable thing about these stories is the creative talent involved. The writing on the first two issues is by a young Jim Shooter and feature artwork by Wally Wood, while Gil Kane takes over as writer and penciller for the final issues, Wood remaining as inker.
Conceptually, it's a mystery to me why they didn't stick with the concept of the hero who could become any number of other characters, which could have played out as a kind of hybrid of Human Target and Dial H for Hero. Instead, they opted to go with him getting powers from mystical coins, even that getting a little watered down in the Kane issues as it presumably was felt to make him too powerful. Beyond the appearance, there seems little to connect the action figure to this character.
The stories themselves are unremarkable. The first two stories are simplistic hero vs. villain battles. The last three issues drop this, trying to add a little more stability and, presumably, philosophical complexity to the tales, but Gil Kane's stories read as though he's trying to do Marvel stories through the simplistic 50s-60s DC lens, resulting in tales which ring false at both a logical and emotional level.
On the other hand, the artwork is very easy on the eyes, particularly for Kane, who displays some of his best work of the period here, either through his own motivation or as a result of complementary Wood inks.
As a quality piece of storytelling, I can't recommend this, but for a glimpse into one of the early toy-to-comics translations and the ups and downs of such adaptations, as well as early work from Jim Shooter and above-average art of the time from Wally Wood and Gil Kane, I can suggest giving it a look.
August 13, 2022
This is utter nonsense, not even interesting as an artifact of the time. Captain Action was a toy that could wear different superhero clothes. The base CA figure could transform into Batman, Spider-Man, etc… And since it sold well, DC decided it wanted to get some more cash by selling a comic. To do this, Captain Action actually had to be a superhero rather than a blank template, so we get an archeologist that discovers magical coins that bestow the powers of all the gods. But only when he’s holding the coins. And for some reason the utility belt he designs has a max capacity of four.
His first enemy is his unworthy assistant who gets the one evil Loki coin, but after two issues that was dumped and a new writer decided on Dr. Evil. He’s CA’s father-in-law, and alas he didnot go to evil medical school. He’s just some PhD that had a reaaallllly bad acid trip.
Taken seriously, this is just a pile. However, a few panels were unintentionally hilarious. This cash-grabby, dull, stock BS is why superhero stories fade out of fashion. Eventually it’s just candy colored trash without any imagination.
His first enemy is his unworthy assistant who gets the one evil Loki coin, but after two issues that was dumped and a new writer decided on Dr. Evil. He’s CA’s father-in-law, and alas he didnot go to evil medical school. He’s just some PhD that had a reaaallllly bad acid trip.
Taken seriously, this is just a pile. However, a few panels were unintentionally hilarious. This cash-grabby, dull, stock BS is why superhero stories fade out of fashion. Eventually it’s just candy colored trash without any imagination.
September 2, 2023
"a blast from the past before my time! But only just!
"i'd barely even gheard of Captain Action until recently, when I discovered Jim Beard's novels. Then I learned of these comics, and decided to see what this whole Captain Action thing was about. It's quite fun! I particularly enjoyed the last 3 issues, when Gil Kane takes over as writer. He goes darker than I expected from something approved by the Comics Code Authority, particularly from the 1960s. Especially the final issue! And that's all I have to say about that.
I also loved the vintage advertisements included. They were quite a hoot!
If the very name "Captain Action" sends a thrill down your spine, then I highly recommend this comic book. It will not disappoint, particularly the final 3 issues. And what a writer Gil Kane is! I'm curious to see what other writing he's done since these first appeared on stands. "i'm new to the comics scene, so many readers may be banging their heads against the nearest solid object on my behalf ... I get it. But I look at it this way: I've so much to discover!
"i'd barely even gheard of Captain Action until recently, when I discovered Jim Beard's novels. Then I learned of these comics, and decided to see what this whole Captain Action thing was about. It's quite fun! I particularly enjoyed the last 3 issues, when Gil Kane takes over as writer. He goes darker than I expected from something approved by the Comics Code Authority, particularly from the 1960s. Especially the final issue! And that's all I have to say about that.
I also loved the vintage advertisements included. They were quite a hoot!
If the very name "Captain Action" sends a thrill down your spine, then I highly recommend this comic book. It will not disappoint, particularly the final 3 issues. And what a writer Gil Kane is! I'm curious to see what other writing he's done since these first appeared on stands. "i'm new to the comics scene, so many readers may be banging their heads against the nearest solid object on my behalf ... I get it. But I look at it this way: I've so much to discover!
June 15, 2022
Ideal hoped Captain Action action figures would follow GI Joe's trail and become a big thing. They didn't, but we got this comic book tie-in first. Clive Arno, archeologist, discovers the gods of myth were real. A set of ancient coins bestows whoever carries them with powers of myth (sun god for solar bolts, war god for battle skill, god of wisdom, god of wind, etc.); he vows to use them for justice as Captain Action.
The first two issues, by Jim Shooter, are fun. Gil Kane takes over for the remaining three, giving us great art but "meh" stories (only one is really good). So this is one of those reviews where the number of stars varies issue to issue.
The first two issues, by Jim Shooter, are fun. Gil Kane takes over for the remaining three, giving us great art but "meh" stories (only one is really good). So this is one of those reviews where the number of stars varies issue to issue.
September 21, 2022
That was so much fun. I'm going to buy a second for my childhood friend. We used to play with our "action figures" for hours back in the day. Mostly G.I. Joe of course, but Mike had CA and he fit right in to our motley crew of Hollers!
Look, some people are saying these stories are utter non-sense. Of course they are (you expected something else) but the art is still top notch, even by todays standards. Then you apply the rose coloured glasses of nostalgia, and this is a simply wonderful book you can enjoy again and again.
Look, some people are saying these stories are utter non-sense. Of course they are (you expected something else) but the art is still top notch, even by todays standards. Then you apply the rose coloured glasses of nostalgia, and this is a simply wonderful book you can enjoy again and again.
February 17, 2023
A blast from the past!
This collection will take the reader back to the 1960s and the social tumult that marked that period. The book really sizzles when Gil Kane assumes both writing and art duties. I was reminded of Gil Kane’s extraordinary talent and his innovative panel construction.
This collection will take the reader back to the 1960s and the social tumult that marked that period. The book really sizzles when Gil Kane assumes both writing and art duties. I was reminded of Gil Kane’s extraordinary talent and his innovative panel construction.
December 2, 2024
These stories are among the best of the Silver Age, as someone who is a fan of that era. The art by Wally Wood and Gil Kane is titanic.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews