My first memory of DC's cosmic warlord Tyr was his appearance as an action figure in Kenner's third series (1986) of Super Powers action figures.
Three decades later, it remains a mystery to me why Tyr was chosen for the Super Powers line. According to Jake Rossen, following the wind down in popularity of Star Wars figures, Kenner was looking for the next big thing.
They thought they'd found it in the deep bench of DC super characters; and the first two series of figures seemed to vindicate that belief. Anchored by cultural icons like Batman and Superman, and tying in directly with the Super Friends cartoon--which had been airing under one name or another since the 70s--most of the figures were familiar, at least to Saturday morning cartoon junkies like me.
And then came the third round. I always enjoyed seeing new action figures...but it really frustrated me when they never made their way into the cartoons. Eventually, even a naive kid like me was bound to start suspecting the producers were more interested in making a quick buck than in making high quality art/entertainment.
As I later learned, Tyr had always a Legion of Superheroes foe. This made his inclusion in the Super Powers Collection even more baffling. All the other villains were classic enemies either of the Super Friends as a group (e.g., Darkseid), or individual members of the team (e.g., Penguin, Mr. Freeze). What was the point of randomly including a villain from faaaaaar in the future who never fought any of these guys?
One might hypothesize that this was a first volley in some strategy to expand further into the DC canon. Yet even if this were the case, the Tyr decision still doesn't make sense. If they wanted to enter the world of the Legion, it would have made way more sense to start with some heroes (e.g., maybe the original three--Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl).
Furthermore, even if--in some bizarre drunken stupor--a Kenner exec actually convinced himself that starting an expansion with a villain would be a great idea, why the heck Tyr?! Wouldn't a higher-profile LSH foe like the Time Trapper or the Fatal Five have been a far more solid choice?
[I refer you, dear reader, to the following two videos on the topics of "greatest villains of the Legion of Superheroes." Wanna guess who doesn't get mentioned in either of them?]
So what do you say? Can someone with either more insight into the DC universe, or an insider perspective on the action figure biz, provide a rationale for this decision?
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Under the influence of toy lines like Masters of the Universe, I just assumed his name should be something like Laser-Arm.
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They thought they'd found it in the deep bench of DC super characters; and the first two series of figures seemed to vindicate that belief. Anchored by cultural icons like Batman and Superman, and tying in directly with the Super Friends cartoon--which had been airing under one name or another since the 70s--most of the figures were familiar, at least to Saturday morning cartoon junkies like me.
And then came the third round. I always enjoyed seeing new action figures...but it really frustrated me when they never made their way into the cartoons. Eventually, even a naive kid like me was bound to start suspecting the producers were more interested in making a quick buck than in making high quality art/entertainment.
As I later learned, Tyr had always a Legion of Superheroes foe. This made his inclusion in the Super Powers Collection even more baffling. All the other villains were classic enemies either of the Super Friends as a group (e.g., Darkseid), or individual members of the team (e.g., Penguin, Mr. Freeze). What was the point of randomly including a villain from faaaaaar in the future who never fought any of these guys?
One might hypothesize that this was a first volley in some strategy to expand further into the DC canon. Yet even if this were the case, the Tyr decision still doesn't make sense. If they wanted to enter the world of the Legion, it would have made way more sense to start with some heroes (e.g., maybe the original three--Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl).
Furthermore, even if--in some bizarre drunken stupor--a Kenner exec actually convinced himself that starting an expansion with a villain would be a great idea, why the heck Tyr?! Wouldn't a higher-profile LSH foe like the Time Trapper or the Fatal Five have been a far more solid choice?
[I refer you, dear reader, to the following two videos on the topics of "greatest villains of the Legion of Superheroes." Wanna guess who doesn't get mentioned in either of them?]
So what do you say? Can someone with either more insight into the DC universe, or an insider perspective on the action figure biz, provide a rationale for this decision?
 |
| Sure ya will, buddy...just keep swingin' for the fences. |
