Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham (Star Comics)

Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham
and Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham
Star Comics
1983 & 1985 - 1987

These days I have to admit I don't really like my comics on the "heavy" side. I'm not into life changing events, stories that hit too close to home or in general drama laden issues which span across multiple books in expansive cross-over stories. Instead, I find myself more so leaning towards lighthearted, silly nature ones such as...

Peter Porker began his legacy in the one-shot Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham by Marvel Comics in November of 1983. Satire was the name of the game, and fans caught on in a big way.

Rather than continue direct publication of the title, Marvel handed it over to its sister company, Star Comics - Known for its stories geared more so towards a younger audience - To continue the adventures of Peter Porker in the pages of Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham.

Issue number one launched in in May of 1985 and with it came eight more issues, one following every other month.

With issue number nine, Star Comics reverted to a monthly series, but oddly stopped doing so with issue number twelve.

The series once again reverted back to being published every other month up until it's final issue, number seventeen which landed on comic stands in September of 1987.

The adventures of Peter Porker didn't end with the series. The character continued to make appearances here and there in titles such as What The..., Ultimate Civil War and even teamed up with Spider-Man himself.

Unfortunately for toy collectors, Spider-Ham remained out of toy isles until just recently. In 2018 Dorbz produced a Walgreens exclusive version.

Sadly, if you're not a Dorbz collector the figurine can leave a lot to be desired. Needless to say I'm still crossing my fingers for a full fledged and fully articulated Marvel Universe / Legends figure. Wouldn't that be a cool build a figure incentive for a series? I'm crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.

NOTE: This post was written long in advance before the Marvel Legends figure came to fruition.

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Madballs (Star Comics / Marvel Comics)

Madballs
Star Comics / Marvel Comics
1986 - 1988

Who would have thought grotesque rubber balls would become icons of the 80's and spawn not only a (very difficult to find) toy line, but also a cartoon and comic book series? The series followed in the footsteps of Topps' Garbage Pail Kids and Wacky Packages. By this we mean went straight for the disgusting (awesome) niche.

This translated well into the realm of comic books where each character could be utilized to limitless potential - And Star Comics did just that...for ten issues.

Technically the series began as a three issue mini series. However, Star (Marvel) deemed it popular enough to continue for (at least) another seven issues. You'll notice with issue nine and ten that Marvel Comics resumed publishing. This is because in 1988 the company dissolved the Star Comics label and resumed publishing some of the more popular titles under the Marvel banner.

Fans of the series should also look to Marvel UK who published one annual.

Madballs
Lion Forge Comics
2016

As is the case with most 80's properties, an attempt was made to cash in on nostalgia when Lion Forge Comics produced an all new series in 2016. This didn't last long though and was cancelled after just four issues.

Well, that wraps up this year's Free Comic Book month salute. We'll see you next week where we return to the world of toys. What will it be? Meh....Probably something Star Wars related.

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Thundercats (Star Comics)

Thundercats
Star Comics
1985 - 1988

Thunder...

Thunder...

Thundercats. Ho!

Was it two "thunders" and a Thundercats, or three of them and then Thundercats? Getting too old to remember.

Thundercats burst onto the animated scene in 1985 and stood proudly holding its own against popular shows such as G.I. Joe, Transformers and He-Man to become an iconic cartoon, toy line and yes, even a comic books series.

Marvel Comics produced twenty-four issues of the series under its Star Comics banner. The series initially ran as a bi-monthly title (for the first eight issues) and then shifted to a monthly title.

Unfortunately you won't find any "big" names in the comic industry behind the title. Writers Ford Gilmore and John Lyman as well as artists Brett Booth, Joe Prado Al Vey and Eric Nguyen remain relatively unknown in the world of comics.

Fans looking for even more Marvel related Thundercats stories should turn their attention to the Marvel UK publications which ran for a whopping one hundred twenty-nine issues between 1987 and 1991. Marvel UK also produced several seasonal specials, trade paperbacks and hardcover annuals.

Though Thundercats went dormant for some time thereafter, by 2002 the Thundarians were back in the limelight via DC's Wildstorm banner which churned out several mini-series until 2004. However, it's worth noting none of these stories are considered cannon due to the numerous inconsistencies found within them.

Panini Comics, owners of Marvel UK would once again begin publishing Thundercats stories in 2012. These issues focused on the 2011 iterations of the characters for the very short lived animated reboot. Much like the cartoon, the comic series didn't last long either (eleven issues).

You'll notice with issues twenty-two through twenty-four that Marvel Comics assumed publishing the title. This is because in 1988 the company dissolved the Star Comics label and resumed publishing some of the more popular titles under the Marvel banner.

Thundercats can still be found periodically in print form - The most recent being the 2016 crossover with He-Man from DC Comics. Of course fans still wait for the long announced never seeming to be coming live action film.

In closing, there has been a fantastic fan made trailer for a Thundercats movie floating around for several years. I'm sure many of you have seen it already. If you haven't take a minute to check it out below.

I have to admit - I'd see this film if it were real.

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Masters of the Universe (Star Comics)

Masters of the Universe
Star Comics
1986 - 1988

Star Comics doesn't often times get the love that it deserves from the comic book community. It was a great subdivision of Marvel Comics which focused mainly on delivering titles to kids - Often times based on the latest and greatest animated cartoon/action figure line. As such, pretty much every title developed in the 80's featured a handful of issues before kids and the brand were off to something new. This often times didn't leave a lot of room for deep character building or massive story arcs, but it did however scratch that itch for kids in between the hours that the shows weren't airing.

Masters of the Universe was a thirteen issue series produced between 1986 and 1988. Because the original action figures had miniature comics packaged in with them (originally produced by DC Comics and later by Mattel directly), many fans consider this particular series to be volume 2.

The scripts for the majority of the series were penned by Mike Carlin (issues 1 - 8) with writer George Caragonne taking the helm for the final 3rd of the title (issues 9 - 13). As for the artists, many names were attached to the project such as (but not limited to); Ron Wilson, Dennis Janke and Danny Bulanadi.

Side Note - We love how issue thirteen showcases Skeletor on the cover based on (but not identical to) his film adaptation garb.

 In November of 1987, Star Comics incorporated a movie adaptation of the film which was released in theaters in August of that same year. Star took many liberties with the story, first and foremost shrinking it down to just fifty pages. They then changed certain events, and altered the ending which included Man-At-Arms returning from the lower level of Grayskull with an American flag and NASA flag dated July 10, 2221 - Eluding that the inhabitants of Eternia first came from the USA.

Many fans argure that the comic adaptation of the movie is far superior to the movie itself. Though personally we enjoy both, and still to this day have a guilty pleasure of watching the movie.

Also notable to the story was that the artwork for the characters was not totally based on the movie. In fact, only Gwildor, Blade and Beast Man were depicted as their film renditions. All the other characters were based on their Filmation look.

Sadly for fans, Star Comics stopped producing Masters of the Universe comics in 1988. Though there have been a handful of He-Man related titles that have trickled out in the industry since then, unfortunately it hasn't been many - The most recent being DC Comic's 2012/2013 digital print of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Join us next time when we take a look at Flaming Carrot Comics!

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Star Wars: Ewoks (Kenner)

Somewhat of a continuation of our prior post is today's post, Ewoks. Much like the Droids series, this particular cartoon/figure/comic book series seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye.


In a continued effort from Lucasfilm to re-spark interest in Star Wars, an animated series based on the Ewoks was produced for Saturday morning Cartoons. While it was much more popular than the Droids cartoon, and even managed to go on to a second series of episodes (for a total of 26 episodes), it just wasn't enough to keep the dwindling flame for Star Wars burning in a generation that was quickly growing up.

Kenner produced six figures for the line, but due to poor sales ceased production almost immediately. Each figure came packed in with a gold coin, which remains the most valuable piece of each figure.

An interesting thing to note about the Ewok and Droids series is that while the Droids cartoon only lasted one season, it spawned more figures than the Ewoks series which ran for two seasons.

If you compare the figures that were produced in the Ewok line to the actual cartoon, you will note that there was certainly room to expand on the series as several of the main characters had yet to be produced. Why Kenner didn't focus their efforts on the clearly more popular show is a mystery to most people.

Lucasfilm once again was able to get Star Comics to produce a series of comics based on the show. While these too lasted longer than the Droids series, the books were cancelled after fourteen issues.


As is the case with the Droids figures, while the Ewoks figures hold a good value on the secondary market, they are not as highly sought after by collectors as other Star Wars lines.

The series ran for 14 issues between 1985 and 1986. The series stayed relatively confined to its own "world", crossing over only once in issue number ten with issue number 4 of the Droids comic series, which was also published by Star Comics.

Despite being two very different series Droid and Ewoks had several similarities. They both had an action figure line. They both had a comic book series, and both shows have never been released in a complete series on any format, but are available in incomplete compilations on both VHS and DVD.

The series has its following, to be sure, and fans have asked repeatedly for Lucasfilm to produce a completed series on DVD. To date those requests have gone ignored. Much like the anti-cherished Holiday Special, we will probably never see this series as a whole unless someone is offering a bootleg or originally taped versions from the 80's.

This wraps up our month long celebration of 35 years of Star Wars, but join us this Friday, June 1, 2012 where we have another special announcement, and don't forget to join us next Monday for our look at Toy Story 2 (Thinkway Toys)!

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Star Wars: Droids (Kenner)

It’s the 35th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope! Yes, all those years ago, back in 1977, George Lucas made movie history with his sci-fi masterpiece that has since gone on to influence decades of movie makers, and of course dominate the toy isle year after year with more toys ever imaginable. Though, it has had its share of rocky paths leading towards a fate unknown...

In 1985 the Star Wars well seemed all but pumped dry. The Power of the Force line was struggling to find sales in the toy isle, and for all intensive purposes, the days of Star Wars were over.

Despite his initial lack of success with television (in the form of the Holiday Special), Lucas cut a deal to produce two television series - One of which was Droids: The Adventures of C-3PO and R2-D2. While back then the series didn't fall into any particular timeline of the Star Wars universe, today it is noted that it falls in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Though personally, we see a lot of discrepancies with this suggestion - though the show does contain a lot of references that were later carried over to the Prequels.

While the show may have not wowed fans young and old, it was enough of a boost in interest for Kenner to produce a new series of toys. Twelve figures were produced for what was initially to be a first series (of at least two).

Each figure came packed in a bright and beautiful package with a gold coin. Much like the original Power of the Force line which had silver coins packaged in with each figure, the coins remain the most valuable piece in the collection.




An interesting play by Kenner was to release the A-Wing Pilot in the line. It was interesting because no such character had any presence in the series, so it made little sense to produce him for the line. The figure was also released in the original Power of the Force line. This raises the question of what series this figure was initially intended for.

We didn't think that Boba Fett fit into the line either until reader Chris Pederson wrote in to tell us, "Boba Fett was in the first story arc. We even saw his racer. He captured Vlix, Sise and Tigg Fromm and was going to bring them to Jabba The Hutt." Thanks for the info, Chris!


Kenner also produced a handful of vehicles from the show. What makes fans lean more towards the A-Wing pilot being intended for the Droids line is that an A-Wing fighter was also produced. No such vehicle was produced when the figure was released with the Power of the Force line.




Ratings for the show were poor (at best), and after only one season (or 13 episodes), the series was cancelled.


To help push the series, Lucasfilm was able to get a contract with Star Comics, Marvel Comics more kid oriented label, to produce a series of comics. They however performed just as poorly on the market as the animated series did, and were cancelled after eight issues.

The most notable issues from this series are numbers 6-8 which contain a retelling of A New Hope from the perspective of the droids. Yes, it is the same exact story you've seen and read time and time again, but to see it from a different perspective is somewhat exciting to fans. Issue four also contained a cross over into the Ewoks comics (issue 10).

Despite many fans request, Lucasfilm has yet to release a complete series on any format of the animated series. There are however compilations of the series on VHS and DVD which contain various episodes.

The toys, while not as highly sought after by fans as other vintage Star Wars line, still fetch a fair amount on the secondary market. The most valuable piece known to be in existence is the one and only version of a carded Vex which was mocked up for a potential series 2. We don't know who the owner is, or if he/she would ever sell, but we can guarantee the price would be far more than any of us here at The Toy Box could ever afford.

Join us Monday as we conclude our Star Wars 35th anniversary celebration with our look at Ewoks!

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