Posted By Dan Greenfield on Aug 5, 2024 | 1 comment

PART 2 of a new, daily feature on August’s Super Powers variant cover line-up…

Throughout August, DC Comics will be publishing eight variant covers in honor of the 40th anniversary of Kenner’s Super Powers line of action figures, vehicles and playsets. Artists Jason “ToyOtter” Geyer and Alex Saviuk combined forces to create covers that homage the packaging, with the kicker being that none of the figures shown were actually made — though they should have been. (Geyer did the figures and the packaging; Saviuk, who was similarly involved in the original Super Powers line, did the “Style Guide” art.)

Our hope is that McFarlane Toys — which has revived Super Powers — will pick up this baton and actually make the figures. (And they’re not saying no. By coincidence, they’ve already made the Gold Superman that’s in the variant set.)

Since we can’t get enough of this whole project, we’re featuring Jason Geyer’s development art for each cover, every day for eight days, along with the final versions — backs and fronts. (His commentary is adapted from Facebook posts he’s done.) We’ll be publishing them in the order they will be released by DC.

Next up? POISON IVY (Gotham City Sirens #1, due Aug. 7):

“Batman needs someone to fight, right? And who better than the very colorful, very toyetic Poison Ivy!” Jason said. “Not gonna lie — I was ecstatic to find out we were going to have three female figures in the assortment of eight, when the original Super Powers line only had ONE. (Also: modern Super Powers line.)

“It’s also funny to see some people call this her “1960s costume” when it had gone unchanged well into the 1990s! But I guess with Batman: The Animated Series simplifying all that detail (designed by Lynne Naylor) and the Batman & Robin movie doing… something, fans got into the mindset that her costume is ever-changing.

“In closing, I’d like to say that after sculpting this figure I never want to see leaves ever again. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.”

Thanks, Jason!

I remember when Poison Ivy was more or less a “forgotten villain.” She made a big splash in the mid-’60s, then more or less vanished until the ’80s, so I can completely understand why she wasn’t on any toymakers’ radar at the time. I would love to see McFarlane do this version of Ivy, but if they add more women to the roster, I expect they would produce a more modern style. I think she’d sell because she’s an A-Lister now, but I fear this OG version may remain an “If only” figure. Then again, McFarlane is doing a Clock King in its DC Multiverse line, so what do I know?

NEXT: Nightwing. Click here.

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MORE

— McFARLANE TOYS on DC’s SUPER POWERS Covers: ‘YOU NEVER KNOW.’ Click here.

— The Brilliantly Clever Vision of the SHIRTLESS BATMAN SUPER POWERS Variant. Click here.