Once Upon a Geek

Mattel’s DC Universe Classics line has a new Blue Devil action figure coming our way this spring!  Check it out below.

This figure is part of DC Universe Classics wave 13 and will be available this spring or summer at Wal-Mart.

If you’re a long time reader of ONCE UPON A GEEK, then you know I’m a big Blue Devil fan.  Part of me is really excited about this figure, part of me is disappointed.  I’m excited because Blue Devil deserves the recognition and anything that puts him in the limelight helps to speed his return to monthly comics.  I’m disappointed because this figure just doesn’t look quite right to me.  It seems that toy manufactures have a hard time capturing Paris Cullins’ Blue Devil likeness.  Click here to see previous Blue Devil action figures.  Below you’ll find Paris Cullins’ Blue Devil.  Maybe it’s just me, but new figure’s face, horns, and muscle bulk doesn’t seem to match.  What do you think?

Pic and release information from Comic Book Resources.

*** UPDATED WITH MORE LINKS ***

CELEBRATING DOCTOR FATE (AND NEARLY BLUE DEVIL) IN THE SUPER POWERS COLLECTION!

Fourteen different blogs have combined forces today to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kenner’s Super Powers Collection! While we’ll be looking at Doctor Fate here (as well as the proposed Blue Devil figures), every other blog in the crossover will cover different action figures or mini-comics from the Super Powers Collection.  Back in 1984, Kenner released the first wave of Super Powers action figures based upon heroes and villains from DC comics. While there was a fairly large marketing campaign, I doubt they realized just how celebrated these figures would become.

ACTION FIGURES

The first wave of figures had characters like Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Hawkman, the Joker, Lex Luthor, Brianiac and the Penguin.  Two more waves were released, bringing the line to a total of 33 figures.  One of the primary reasons the Super Powers Collection became so successful was that the molds were very good. These figures actually looked like the characters in the comics. That may sound like a no-brainer in the age of DC Direct and McFarlane Toys, but keep in mind prior to the Super Powers Collection adherence to characters likeness wasn’t exactly a priority. Another reason for the line’s success was the inclusion of popular heroes and some relatively unknown characters (I mean, who really demanded a Tyr figure anyway?). This mixture proved to be popular with comic book fans and kids alike. Finally, some people will argue that the “Power Action” hidden gimmick in each figure was a big selling point. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but hey, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, right?

The Doctor Fate action figure was released as part of Wave 2 in 1985. This figure was really the first tangible piece of Doctor Fate merchandise, outside of his comic book appearances. To this day, I still think his helmet looks phenomenal!  Check out the Super Powers Collection Doctor Fate action figure below!

Below-Left is a picture of the Super Powers Collection Doctor Fate still on the card. This is the Canadian version, which I’ve seen advertised recently on the card for as much as $369 in near-mint condition.  Below-Right is the file card found on the back of the packaging explaining more about Doctor Fate.

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Each of the Super Powers figures had a hidden gimmick, referred to as “Power Action”. In Doctor Fate’s case it was a “Power Action Mystic Spell Cast”. By squeezing his legs together, his arms would move up and down. I suppose this was to simulate Doctor Fate casting one of his trademark Ankh Bolts. While the gimmick was nice (especially since it didn’t disrupt the appearance of the figure), it really wasn’t necessary to the character.

To see the “Power Action Mystic Spell Cast” in action, check out the Super Powers review site done by Cool Toy Review. Go to the bottom of the page and roll over the photo to see Doctor Fate in action.

MINI-COMICS

The first two waves of Super Powers action figures each came with a mini-comic book starring that particular character. These comics were 4.5 inches by 2.75 inches, and had 13 pages of story.

Not much information exists about who the writers and artists were for these mini-comics.  Paul Kupperberg (writer of the full-sized DC Super Powers mini-series from 1985 and 1986) had this to say about Kenner’s Super Powers Collection mini-comics, “I wrote only one of the Kenner minis, for Steppenwolf (#13). Alas, I have no real memory of having done it. Art looks to be Jose Delbo. The rest were probably written by the likes of Jack Harris, Rozakis, and the like. Wish I could remember more about them: don’t even recall who the project editor was…probably Barry Marx, who worked under Joe Orlando in Special Projects.“  Special thanks to The Aquaman Shrine for the quote!

Doctor Fate had his own mini-comic in which he battled the brainwashed Superman and Martian Manhunter.  The mini-comics served to introduce the characters to new readers, as well as to promote other action figures in the line. While both Superman and Martian Manhunter co-starred in Doctor Fate’s mini-comic, they also had figures of their own in the Super Powers line. In the same vein, Doctor Fate appeared in the mini-comics of Steppenwolf, Kalibak, Desaad, and the Parademons.

Here is the Doctor Fate Super Powers Collection mini-comic in its entirety:

For more Superman Super Powers coverage, be sure to check out Michael’s blog today, FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE.  For more on Martian Manhunter’s Super Powers activities, be sure to check out Frank’s IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU blog today.

I remember at the time being very confused by Doctor Fate’s mini-comic and his appearance in the full-sized 1985 DC Super Powers mini-series.  In both stories, Doctor Fate (who was from Earth-2) was interacting freely with characters from Earth-1.  This made no sense to my youthful continuity-laden brain.  While I knew there were rare crossovers between the two Earths, it would have been worth mentioning if the good Doctor had indeed crossed the multiverse.  The truth behind Doctor Fate’s presence would become apparent five months later when Crisis on Infinite Earths began to wrap up.  The multiverse was destroyed, leaving one unified Earth in which Doctor Fate coexisted with all the other DC characters.   However, for those five months I was one confused kid.

Doctor Fate also appeared in the Paul Kupperberg written Steppenwolf mini-comic.  I have to say that I found it interesting that the mystical guy is the one who reparied the computer problem.  Unusual.  For more on Red Tornado’s contribution to the Super Powers Collection, check out Doug’s Doom Patrol blog today, MY GREATEST ADVENTURE 80. Below are a few Doctor Fate-centric pages from the Steppenwolf mini-comic:

In the Kalibak mini-comic, Doctor Fate does some trippy mojo and creates demonic illusions of Superman and Red Tornado in order to scare off Kalibak.  Just a reminder, for more Superman Super Powers action check out FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE; for more Red Tornado Super Powers action check out Doug’s Doom Patrol blog today, MY GREATEST ADVENTURE 80.  Below are a few Doctor Fate-centric pages from the Kalibak mini-comic:

In the Desaad mini-comic we get to watch Doctor Fate get his butt handed to him.  Don’t worry, he eventually gets rescued by Green Arrow and Robin.  For more Green Arrow Super Powers coverage, be sure to check out Adama’s blog today, DISPATCHES FROM THE ARROW CAVE.  Head on over to Tommy’s BAT-BLOG today for more on Batman & Robin’s activities in the Super Powers Collection.  Below are a few Doctor Fate-centric pages from the Desaad mini-comic:

For Doctor Fate’s involvement in the Parademons mini-comic, check out FIRESTORM FAN today for all the details.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Doctor Fate comic tribute without showing some Ankh Bolts!!!

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UNPRODUCED BLUE DEVIL AND SHOCKWAVE SUPER POWERS FIGURES

Many people don’t realize this, but there were additionally planned, yet unproduced action figures for the Super Powers Collection. Turns out that Kenner was working on several figures for release after the third wave. You can read all about it, see presentation artwork, and mock-up figures by clicking here.

Two of the unproduced figures were Blue Devil and Shockwave (a Blue Devil villain). While we don’t know when they were hoping to release them, we do know the Shockwave figure got fairly far along in the manufacturing process.  A prototype for the Shockwave figure was found by a collector and can be seen below.  The detail is amazing on this prototype!

Below is a custom mock-up of what Blue Devil’s Super Powers action figure could have looked like.  Nicely done by Jason Geyer. It makes me sad these figures never came to be.  They would have been a revered part of my childhood.

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CRISIS ON EARTH-BLOG  **UPDATED**

As mentioned, fourteen different blogs (**UPDATE** fifteen) have teamed-up today to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Super Powers Collection. While I’m featuring Doctor Fate and Blue Devil here on my site, you can visit these other character-specific blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite characters today. Be sure to check out:

• Rob (the blogger who inspired most of us to start our own superhero blogs) rolls out the pomp and circumstance for the King of the Seven Seas over at The Aquaman Shrine. Also, thanks to Rob for the excellent “Crisis on Earth-Blog” logo!  **UPDATE** Rob followed up a couple days later with an additional post on the Super Powers Give-A-Show projector.
• Frank investigates J’onn J’onzz, the Manhunter from Mars, at Idol-Head of Diabolu. **UPDATE** Frank followed up with four additional posts.  (1) Doctor Fate mini-comic, (2) Mantis mini-comic, (3) Martian Manhunter Super Powers action figure, and (4) Super Powers #1 Martian Manhunter biography.
• Tommy applies his detective skills to the Batman universe of characters over at the Bat-Blog.  Also, special thanks to Tommy for the fantastic “Super Powers 25th Anniversary” logo!  **UPDATE** Tommy did eight separate Super Powers related posts. (1) Super Powers 25th Batman & Robin Wallpapers, (2) Batman-related spin-off products, (3) The Penguin action figure and mini-comic, (4) The Joker action figure and mini-comic, (5) Batman, Robin and Riddler toys, comics and vehicles, (6) Super Powers Batman-related cup holders, (7) a post with links to all the other participating blogs, and (8) Super Powers action figure and vehicle original production art.
• The Clowny Princess brings us a different view at her blog dedicated to the Clown Prince of Crime, Love Dat Joker.
• Kelson types the fastest blog alive and covers the Flash over at Speed Force.
• Running side-by-side with Kelson is Dixon’s Flash blog over at Crimson Lighting.  **UPDATE** Dixon followed up with four additional posts. (1) Super Powers Flash action figure, (2) Super Powers TV commercial with Flash, (3) Super Powers #2 comic book cover, and (4) complete Super Powers Flash mini-comic.
• Frank explores the figures and mini-comics that might have been for Justice League Detroit.  **UPDATE** Frank has followed up with two additional posts, one on the Super Amigos Vibe mini-comic and the other on the Super Amigos Vixen mini-comic.
• Luke provides the rundown on the winged wonder, Hawkman, over at the cleverly named blog Being Carter Hall.  **UPDATE** Luke followed up with another post on Super Powers Puffy Stickers.
• Doug puts a new spin on the adventures of Red Tornado today over at his Doom Patrol blog, My Greatest Adventure 80.
• Adama keeps Green Arrow’s aim true over at Dispatches from the Arrow Cave.
• Michael will be providing up, up and away coverage today of Superman over at the Fortress of Baileytude.
• Frank tackles as many Super Powers mini-comics today as humanly possible over at his blog called … nurgh … **UPDATE** Frank managed to get through all the mini-comics!  Starting with #1-8, then #9-16, and finally #17-23.
• Finally, today I’ll be tackling Firestorm’s Super Powers antics over at my other blog, Firestorm Fan.
• **UPDATE** A surprising fifteenth entry appeared by Michael over at The Legion Omnicom covering the Tyr Super Powers action figure from the Legion of Super-heroes.  Thanks for joining in Michael!

While the following blogs are not participating in today’s crossover, I’d like to thank them for their support.  For various reasons, they were unable to join us today but have been very supportive of the project.  Thanks!

• Ryan over at Green Lantern Spotlight
• **UPDATE** Rick was kind enough to promote our blog crossover on Plastic Man Platitudes and Mail it to Team-up
• **UPDATE** Bubba Shelby was also kind enough to promote our blog crossover on his site Toyriffic.  In September, Bubba Shelby did a post on the Super Powers Parademon action figure.
• **UPDATE** Matt over at No Cure for Comics and PopCultureShock discussed the crossover and even included a Super Powers TV commercial!
• **UPDATE** Reis over at About.com Guide to Action Figures talked about our blog crossover.

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CONCLUSION

What a great series of action figures!  For those of us who owned some back in the day, we’ll never forget the magic of these toys.  My thanks to all the bloggers involved today in this crossover event!  Happy Birthday Super Powers Collection!

I got my Blue Devil DC Direct action figure a couple weeks ago, but this is the first chance I’ve had to write about it.  The figure looks great!  Below you’ve got a picture of the Blue Devil packaging.  This figure is part of the History of the DC Universe series of figures, all based upon George Perez artwork.  While Perez is a master artist, it would have been nice if the figure had been based on the Paris Cullins drawings.  Oh well, I guess I should just be happy that we got a new Blue Devil figure at all.

The next picture is Blue Devil out of the package.  Of course I took him out of the package.  I’m not a collector of toys, I’m a guy who wants to play with his toys.  The details and colors on this figure are really great; the horns, the earring, the devil design on the outfit, the goatee, etc.  I especially love the trident.  They did a really good job getting the trident’s shape correct.  The only disappointing aspect of the figure are the red eyes.  While I’m sure Blue Devil had red eyes at some point or another, his eyes were a normal white for 99.9% of his appearances.

Finally, the back of the package had little blurbs on each figure in the series.  Below is the blurb about Blue Devil:

You should be able to find the DC Direct Blue Devil figure in your local comic shop.

We’ve got an incredibly rare opportunity today to show a never-before-published Blue Devil piece, and witness behind-the-scenes in the development of a comic book.  Gary Cohn, co-creator and co-writer of DC’s Blue Devil, recently unearthed his original sketched thumbnails for Blue Devil #1 (June 1984).  These were thumbnails he drew himself as they plotted the first issue.  Gary was kind enough to send scans of these thumbnails for ONCE UPON A GEEK readers to enjoy!  Thanks Gary!

If you are familiar with Blue Devil #1, then you’ll be able to tell these twelve thumbnails encapsulate nearly the entire story from that issue.  Click the images below to enlarge.

To demonstrate how thumbnails can be used, I’ve selected a couple sketched pages to compare to the final product. Below are the third and fourth pages from the first sheet above.  I’ve also transcribed some of Gary’s handwriting in the thumbnails.

Below is the same page, but in its final form as drawn by Paris Cullins.  You can see the concepts stay the same, even if the panels and dialogue change.

Here is the thumbnail for the next page.  I LOVE the direction given to the artist to draw a “Ditko Weird World”.  This of course is referencing the great artist Steve Ditko, famous for his work on Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.

Below you can see how the final page played out.   Again, the concepts stay the same, even if the panels and dialogue change.

Now you see how rough thumbnails can translate into your favorite comics.  Additionally, we got to examine a never-before-seen crucial step in the creation of Blue Devil. My sincerest thanks to Gary Cohn for supplying us with scans of these wonderful breakdowns!

For more information from Gary Cohn about Blue Devil, be sure to check out the audio interview he and Dan Mishkin gave to ONCE UPON A GEEK a while back.  Click here to hear that interview.

I had plans for today, but I’m still reeling from the amazing Father’s Day gift I received.  Go back and look at yesterday’s post again.  It’s still the awesome!

So today will be nice and easy.  Check out this really cool Kid Devil/Red Devil (from Teen Titans) original sketch by artist Scott Redding.  He did a really nice job.  My thanks to Scott for giving me permission to reprint the drawing here.  You can visit Scott’s website by clicking here.

Thanks once again to everyone that stopped by during BLUE DEVIL WEEK here at Once Upon a Geek. Based upon feedback I’ve received, quite a few people have enjoyed the Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn interview.  I’m thrilled to hear that!  Keep your comments coming!

There were a couple images I’ve presented previously that I couldn’t resist including again.  First up is an advertisement for Blue Devil #1 that ran in DC comics in the month of June 1984.  I simply love this shot!

Next up is an advertisement from 1986 promoting the Blue Devil/Firestorm crossover.

I ran the scan above of this ad a few months back.  Well… I was amazed when Frank over at …nurgh… ran the same image last week, but with a much better resolution.  Click here to see the amazingly clear copy of this advertisement.

Thanks again to all the visitors to BLUE DEVIL WEEK!  With FLASH WEEK, AQUAMAN WEEK, FIRESTORM FAN, and BLUE DEVIL WEEK all behind me, I’m only got one left to cover of my top five favorite superheroes – Doctor Fate.  It will probably be a while, but I”ll get around to it.

BLUE DEVIL WEEK concludes here at ONCE UPON A GEEK…

Today we’ve got a very special treat – the first creator interview from ONCE UPON A GEEK!  Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn, creators of the DC comic book characters Blue Devil and Amethyst Princess of Gemworld, were kind enough to spend some time with Ravenface and I discussing their creations.

Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn both have been professional writers for nearly 30 years.  Their writing credits go on for miles, whether writing as a team or independently.  They are probably best known together for creating Blue Devil and Amethyst Princess of Gemworld, but they have also written a great deal on their own.  Just to name a few items… Dan wrote the Wonder Woman comic from 1982 through 1985, and more recently published a children’s book entitled The Forest King: Woodlark’s Shadow;  Gary wrote Shi for Crusade Comics and the Masters of the Universe action figure mini-comics.

Dan and Gary are true professionals and a joy to talk with.  We truly appreciate how generous they were with their time.  They indulged all our fanboy questions and explained a lot of the inner-workings of the comic book industry.   We talked about the characters, artists, the writing process, creator rights, proposed action figures, crossovers, and much more! I believe any comic book reader, even if you aren’t a fan of Blue Devil or Amethyst, would genuinely enjoy this interview.

Dan and Gary did a fantastic interview about Blue Devil for Back Issue magazine two years ago. In that interview they discussed things such as: how they came together as a writing team; what inspired them to create Blue Devil; and what was it like working with artist Paris Cullins. It’s the holy grail of Blue Devil interviews, so we did not re-tread those same questions here. If you haven’t read that excellent interview, issue #21 of Back Issue is available as a digital download from TwoMorrows Publishing.  Normally the digital download would cost you about $3, but they are running a special right now and this particular issue is FREE in PDF format. Go check it out!

During our interview we reference two different Amethyst-related works of art.  Here are links to both of those:

• Early Amethyst art by Ernie Colon
• Superman and Batman: World’s Funnest comic page by Ty Templeton featuring Gemworld

Our interview with Dan and Gary lasted an astonishing one hour and forty-one minutes (101 minutes).   You may play the interview right here on the ONCE UPON A GEEK site with the handy-dandy player below! I apologize for not offering the interview in text format, but transcribing an interview that long would have taken months.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alternatively, you may download the file and listen to it on an MP3 player or your computer. You may download the interview by right-clicking here, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (48.5 MB).

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the interview.  If you are in the Michigan area, please try to attend the Kids Read Comics event in Chelsea, Michigan on June 12-13.  Dan has been heavily involved with this event and it sounds really special.  You can read more about the Kids Read Comics event on their website.

This will do it for BLUE DEVIL WEEK!  Thanks to everyone for reading!   Long live Blue Devil and Amethyst!

BLUE DEVIL WEEK continues here at Once Upon a Geek! Today we’ll be spotlighting some of my favorite comic book covers related to Blue Devil. Also, be sure to come back tomorrow for a 90-minute audio interview with the creators of Blue Devil and Amethyst, Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn!

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the early Blue Devil issues were really the best.  That’s why the selection of covers below is really heavy on the early Blue Devil issues.

Here is the cover to Blue Devil #1.  Paris Cullins did a great job laying out this cover.  You’ve got the heroic pose in the foreground, the background telling the story, and the film strip at the bottom with the supporting cast.  Well done!  A real classic!

I can’t explain it, but there is something magical about issue #2 comic covers from the 1970s & 1980s.  I’m not just talking about Blue Devil, but almost any issue #2 from the 70s/80s.  I feel the same way about the covers of Firestorm #2, New Teen Titans #2, West Coast Avengers #2, and so on.  Back then issue #1 was usually self-contained, so issue #2 was almost like a sequel. I’m a sucker for sequels, so maybe that’s part of it.  Anyone else feel this way?  Regardless, another great cover by Paris!  Blue Devil’s facial expression is really cool.  He looks really tough.   This is also the start of snarky caption boxes on the cover.  We’ll see a few more as the series progresses.

It was nice that Blue Devil was placed so firmly in the DC universe early on.  You can see the guest stars listed on the cover below and Zatanna featured prominently.  Paris’ rendition of Zatanna is still the definitive version in my mind.  I also like the shadows playing across the characters on this one.  Better watch out Danny for Nebiros and the snarky caption box!

I always love seeing Blue Devil fly into action with his trident!  It was a very unusual way for a hero to get around back then.  Another great Paris Cullins cover (also featuring Zatanna), but what really puts this cover over the top is the snarky caption box.  “And just for good measure — A Special Guest Star: THE MEXICAN ARMY!“  LOL!

Issue #6 is where the humor of Blue Devil really hit its stride.  The cover does a phenomenal job reflecting that.  I love the use of the word balloon on the cover.  By 1984, word balloons on covers were fairly unusual.  They were best used for humor (or villains so over-the-top it was funny).   Paris did an awesome job with Blue Devil’s body language and all the background detail work.  One of my absolute favorites!

I’ve displayed issue #7’s cover here before, but it’s worth showing again.  Again, the humor was firing on all cylinders at this point. This is where the Trickster begins to play a reoccurring role in Blue Devil’s life.  Paris did this cover, even though he was no longer the regular artist on the interiors at this point.  My favorite bit is again the snarky caption box, “… and a 1959 Pink Cadillac in PERFECT CONDITION!“  I find that hilarious!  I can understand how difficult it would be to get a 1959 Pink Cadillac in mint condition in real life, but in a comic?!?!  Too funny!

Probably my favorite Trickster comic cover ever!  Paris has a way of drawing dynamic scenes, yet they have a slight cartoonish look about them.  Mishkin & Cohn’s idea for a bank robbery in mid-air — Genius!  This issue is a laugh riot.  You should read it, and then read it again.

First appearance of Kid Devil (a.k.a. Red Devil), and a wonderful spoof of Robin’s first appearance.  Blue Devil’s embarrassment is wonderful.

Fantastic drawing of Marla!  Paris really nailed the look of her struggling to keep these two apart.  And another hilarious snarky caption box!

Blue Devil + Firestorm?  What else could an Irredeemable Shag ask for?!?!  Great cover!  I love the shadowing on this piece, and Firestorm’s got Kirby dots!  KIRBY DOTS!  Hooray!

All these Blue Devil action figures are adorable!  Super fun cover and really nice perspective.

The Blue Devil Summer Fun Annual #1 is where it all came together.  Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn brought the humor and the adventure, while Paris Cullins brought his amazing artistry.  This comic is phenomenal!  Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. If you own it already, go re-read it.  It’s witty, fun, and full of action.  The best single issue of Blue Devil!

Here is Blue Devil from his JLA days, but before his awful second costume. I liked Wojtkiewicz’s style.  It was somewhat cartoonish, like Paris Cullins’ style.

This Shadowpact issue is where they really started to develop Blue Devil.

This Shadowpact cover is just awesome.  Blue Devil looks smaller than usual, but is cranking out so much power.  Very nice!

I like this Justiniano cover of Blue Devil battling Etrigan.  During the Shadowpact series they built a rivalry between these two demon characters.

That’s all the covers for now.  Tomorrow wraps up BLUE DEVIL WEEK with a 90-minute audio interview with the creators of Blue Devil and Amethyst, Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn! See you then!

BLUE DEVIL WEEK continues here at Once Upon a Geek! Today we’ll be spotlighting places Blue Devil has turned up outside of comic books. Don’t forget, on Friday we’ll feature an exclusive ONCE UPON A GEEK interview with the creators of Blue Devil!

Animation

Blue Devil made a few cameos in the Justice League Unlimited animated series, including the episode “Dark Heart” in which he had a non-speaking appearance along with most of the league. He had a line in the episode “Destroyer” in which he yelled for everyone to get to the Javelins.  Those minor appearances led Blue Devil to a lead role in the comic book Justice League Unlimited #25.  In that issue, Blue Devil struggled with his role as a hero because the people he rescued were frightened by his appearance.

Action Figures

Justice League Unlimited

The first Blue Devil action figure was produced as part of the Justice League Unlimited toy line in 2007 (seen below). This figure is 4.5 inches tall (5 inches if you count the horns).  While he doesn’t look exactly like a Paris Cullins drawing, it’s a pretty good representation of the original Blue Devil design (admittedly with an “animated series” look to him).  You’ve got the trident, the goatee, the earring, the pointy ears, the flared shoulders and collar, the blue and yellow colors look great, and the devil design around the belt is there.  The horns aren’t exactly right and he’s got a tail for some reason, however, those can be overlooked.  I was just happy to see a Blue Devil figure produced!

DC Direct

There is another Blue Devil figure due out July 22, 2009 from DC Direct (see below).  This figure will stand 6.5 inches tall and is patterned from George Perez’s drawings in the classic 1986 History of the DC Universe comic book.  I’m not entirely thrilled with the face on this prototype figure. My hope is that the final figure’s face will look slightly more like the comic character.

Unproduced Super Powers Figures

Believe it or not, Kenner was developing Blue Devil and Shockwave action figures slated for the Super Powers collection back in the mid-1980s.  Unfortunately, the line was canceled before these figures could be produced.  You can read all about it, see presentation artwork, and mock-up figures by clicking here.  For information specific to the unproduced Blue Devil figure click here.  For information specific to the unproduced Shockwave figure click here.

You really gotta check out those unproduced Super Powers figures.  They look so friggin’ cool!  I would’ve loved these figures as a child.  It also goes to show how popular Blue Devil was during the mid-1980s.

Games/Trading Card

Heroclix

Here is a Blue Devil HeroClix game piece from WizKids. HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game in which players construct teams of heroes and villains to play out a battle turn-by-turn on a grid map. Blue Devil came in three different ranks: Rookie #43, Experienced #44, and Veteran #45 (shown here).  While the Blue Devil figure looks the same for each rank, the Rookie and Experienced feature Blue Devil on an elevated plane (to represent the use of his trident when flying).  The Blue Devil HeroClix are from the “Collateral Damage” set produced in 2006. The Rookie and Experienced ranks are considered to be “uncommon”, while the Veteran rank is considered to be “rare” (meaning somewhat difficult for collectors to obtain).  The Rookie is worth 50 points, the Experienced is worth 76 points, and the Rare is worth 100 points (showing that Blue Devil became more powerful later in his career).  If all that is meaningless to you, don’t worry. The cool thing is they made a Blue Devil game piece and used his costume from Shadowpact.  I love the trident and the flames!

VS Trading Card System

There were two Blue Devil cards from the “VS System” collectible card game produced by Upper Deck. In the game, players build and play a deck of VS System cards in an attempt to win a game against their opponent.

The first card is “Blue Devil: Dan Cassidy” and is #DCR-045 from the “Infinite Crisis” set produced in 2006. His attack rating is 4, his defensive rating is 2, and he has a casting cost of 2.  When activated you lose 4 endurance, however, when Blue Devil leaves play you gain 6 endurance.  The quote on the card is, “Lately, all Big Blue does with his powers is throw drunks like me out of the Oblivion.“  Phil Noto did the art.

The second card is “Blue Devil: Big Blue” and is #DCR-046 from the same set.  His attack rating is 10, his defensive rating is 10, and he has a casting cost of 5.  When activated you lose 4 endurance, however, when Blue Devil leaves play you gain 8 endurance.  The quote on the card is, “Our heavy hitter used to be a stuntman, but a magical accident turned him big, mean, and blue.“  Great art by Alex Horley!

Now, if all the attack, defense, and casting cost jargon is meaningless, don’t sweat it. Just be happy they included Blue Devil in this popular card game.

Mayfair RPG

Role-playing statistics for Blue Devil were published by Mayfair Games in 1993 for the DC Universe Who’s Who Volume 3 role-playing companion. Mayfair’s supplements featured role-playing statistics for each character, tips to role-playing the character (such as personality and subplots), and a complete list of comic book appearances for the character.  These were designed as companion pieces to DC’s Who’s Who loose-leaf edition published around the same time.

Below you will find the front-side and back-side of the Mayfair Who’s Who Blue Devil entry. If you are interested in reading the text, click the image for a larger version.

DC Trading Card

This final Blue Devil piece comes from the 1991/1992 DC Comics trading card set produced by Impel Marketing. Blue Devil is #37 in the series and the art was done by artists Paris Cullins and Robert Campanella. If you are interested in reading the text, click the image for a larger version.

That’ll do it for Blue Devil appearances outside of the comics.  Be sure to come back tomorrow where we’ll look at some favorite Blue Devil covers.  Also, don’t forget that on Friday we’ll have the very first ONCE UPON A GEEK creator interview featuring Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn!

BLUE DEVIL WEEK continues here at Once Upon a Geek! Today we’ll be spotlighting some of my favorite stories and supporting characters from Blue Devil. Don’t forget, on Friday we’ll feature an exclusive ONCE UPON A GEEK interview with the creators of Blue Devil!

Great Stories

The earliest Blue Devil stories are without a doubt the best.  I could die a happy man if DC were to collect: the Blue Devil Preview comic (published in The Fury of Firestorm #24), Blue Devil issues #1-9, and the Blue Devil Summer Fun Annual #1.  These comics really form the foundation for the Blue Devil mythos and nearly all of them feature gorgeous artwork by Paris Cullins.  The stories feature action, drama, and a healthy dose of humor.  Here you meet Dan Cassidy and follow his transition from Hollywood stuntman to reluctant superhero.  You also get to see mainstream DC Universe characters such as: Zatanna, Superman, Elongated Man, Phantom Stranger, Etrigan, Metallo, and the Trickster.  You even get some original characters in these stories, including: Shockwave, Bolt, Nebiros, and Gopher Bloomberg (who would go on to become the Teen Titan Red Devil).  If you’ve never read these issues, do yourself a favor and pick them up.  For less than $14, you can purchase all 11 of these comics right now from Mile High Comics (before shipping).

Another great Blue Devil story is the four-issue mini-series JLA: Black Baptism (2001).  In this story the JLA must stop the rampage of a mob of demons to protect the Sentinels of Magic.  This series prominently features Faust and Blue Devil, and was probably the best portrayal of Dan Cassidy since the original series had been canceled.  There really wasn’t much humor in this tale, but it was still a fine story.  This is another one you can pick up cheap online at Mile High Comics – all four issues for about $5 (before shipping).

Finally, Blue Devil’s recent return to stardom in Day of Vengeance and Shadowpact is worth mentioning. Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges really fleshed out the character for the first time in nearly 20 years.  Blue Devil starts out in the series as a bouncer for an interdimensional magic-users bar.  You then follow his journey as he learns more about the deal he made with the demon Neron, and that it’s the man that makes the hero (not the powers). You can pick up trade paperbacks of these great issues from your local comic book shop.  Be sure to look for or special order: Day of Vengeance; Shadowpact vol 1: The Pentacle Plot; Shadowpact vol 2: Cursed; Shadowpact vol 3 – Darkness and Light; and finally, Shadowpact: The Burning Age.

Great Supporting Characters

I was planning to write up information on each of my favorite supporting characters.  However, I simply don’t have the time and other folks have done it better than I could.  So I’ve listed my favorite supporting characters and have provided links so you can read more about each.  Nearly all of these links go to Justin’s Honest-to-Goodness Blue Devil Page.

• Wayne Tarrant
• Norm Paxton
• The Trickster
• Nebiros
• Smitty & Rojek
• Sharon Scott
• Marla Bloom
• Eddie “Gopher” Bloomberg  (a.k.a. Kid Devil/Red Devil)
• Shockwave
• Bolt
• Cain & Abel of the House of Weirdness – Yes, the same Cain and Abel from House of Mystery/Secrets
• The Blue Devil suit and Trident – Not exactly a supporting character, but critical to the stories

Don’t forget, on Friday be sure to catch the very first ONCE UPON A GEEK creator interview with Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn!