For crying out loud Rich, why are you still writing about the Super Friends figures?! Seriously! It’s over! McFarlane Toys is not going to spend another dime on all new tooling just for a few characters especially just before their DC license deal is over.

As I wrote about in my previous editorial, Solomon Grundy, Gorilla Grodd, Scarecrow, Giganta, Hawkman and Samurai would indeed complete the character lineup of Hanna-Barbera’s iconic 1978 season Challenge of the Superfriends.

These 16 episodes consisting of two segments each are remembered most fondly by the fandom. Besides altering the brand to consolidate Super Friends into one word, Challenge of the Superfriends was very different in tone from previous seasons for one very distinct reason. This season famously banded together, from remote galaxies, thirteen of the most sinister villains of all time. The Legion of Doom was a collected team of classic DC Comics nemesis counterpart characters to the Justice League of America.

McFarlane Toys marketed this action figure lineup, consisting of a total of 34 figures, including repeated use of characters as variant versions, simply as Super Friends. Although not branded specifically as Challenge of the Superfriends, it is absolutely evident that the goal for collectors was to complete the character lineup specific to that memorable season featuring that particular cast of iconic DC Comics superheroes including newly created heroes. Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, Samurai, The Wonder Twins and their space monkey Gleek, would become fan favorites in their own right. And of course… THIRTEEN OF THE MOST SINISTER VILLAINS OF ALL TIME!!!

To the great frustration of fans and figure completionists, there seems to be no hope that McFarlane Toys will invest in new tooling to complete the Legion of Doom with Gorilla Grodd, Solomon Grundy, Giganta and Scarecrow. The Justice League of America is woefully inadequate without the presence of original character Samurai and the regal wing-span of DC’s Hawkman as designed by Toth.

But stop for a moment. Pick up any one of your McFarlane Toys brand Super Friends figures. Look at the art on the back of the card. Look at the back of all of the cards. This is not the art of Alex Toth. This is the style guide art perfected by the great José Luis Garcia Lopez. This is the art that inspired the re-design for the final season, the final iteration, the final form of the Hanna-Barbera Super Friends series.

Not only was this final season, re-titled, re-branded, and re-marketed as The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, this final season was completely visually re-designed to emulate the DC style guide art of José Luis Garcia Lopez. The art of Garcia Lopez, even to this day, is most instantly recognized, and has been associated with almost every piece of DC Comics merchandise for decades. The Garcia Lopez art style is most notably associated with the iconic line of 4.5 inch 1/15 scale Super Powers action figures produced between 1984 and 1986 by Kenner. McFarlane Toys has also continued this Kenner line copying almost every aesthetic aspect of the vintage figures down to the card art of the classic original favorites.

McFarlane has covered the iconic Alex Toth designs in 6 inch or 1/12 scale adding extra Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman and Robin, even Lex Luthor as variants leaving nothing but crumbs supposedly for Mattel. But the crumbs McFarlane has left behind just happen to feature the iconic and memorable art of José Luis Garcia Lopez.

Hanna-Barbera started making changes the previous season beginning with the title change to Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show. New superhero characters El Dorado and the grand introduction of Firestorm were added to the JLA roster with only subtle changes to the Alex Toth designs. Wonder Woman was animated with the W symbol on her costume instead of the eagle design. The W design continued into her total Garcia Lopez re-design for the following finale season.

Although not a visual change, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show marked the inspired casting of Adam West, as the voice of Batman replacing the familiar voice of Olan Soule who would go on to voice the character of Professor Martin Stein.

But of course, most notably, this is the season that introduced the great new threat to the Super Friends. Darkseid along with his son Kalibak, his chief acolyte DeSaad, and the denizen foot soldiers of Apokolips, The Parademons… or rather, “Paradrones”, as they are referred to in the series. This name change from “demons“ to “drones“ was in deference to Broadcast Standards and Practices of the time.

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians featured the exciting introduction of fan favorite Cyborg in its premier episode Seeds of Doom”.

Certainly the most dramatic and striking re-design was the robotic version of Brainiac which could easily be the biggest hit of the line if Mattel were to take it on. Even though Brainiac’s metal body was depicted as flat gray, and Cyborg’s metallic costume was painted white, Mattel could actually give the fans vac-metal variants of both Brainiac and Cyborg. Vac-metal paint is something that seems beyond the reach for McFarlane Toys. Giving Brainiac and Cyborg the vintage vac-metal treatment, that seemed to be no problem back in the 1980s, may very well create a loyalty and devotion amongst the DC collector community toward Mattel that would even rival the loyalty and devotion of the Parademons to Darkseid.

There were many odd villain teams like The Royal Flush Gang in which the Joker was unmasked as being the secret identity of gang leader Ace. McFarlane Toys, in their final wave, actually did include guest hero The Atom, and guest villain The Joker from his one and only appearance in the Wild Cards episode of The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians. Bizarro versions of Wonder Woman, Cyborg and Firestorm appear in an episode that included Mr. Mxyzptlk and a unique re-design of Bizarro himself.

With the McFarlane Toys exclusion of core members of the Toth era Super Friends and Legion of Doom, plus the great Jack Kirby characters of Apokolips, there are many other interesting characters Mattel can utilize to expand the Super Friends universe that would be very attractive for old and new fans alike. There were guest heroes like Green Arrow, Plastic Man and Hawkgirl from earlier seasons. There were guest villains like Penguin, Felix Faust, and Mirror Master.

Other variant versions of our heroes and villains from any number of past episodes can also be incorporated into a new line for Mattel. Other episodes included versions of Frankenstein and even Dracula who managed to turn Superman and the Wonder Twins into vampires. So many fun possibilities. So many interesting variant and unique character designs untapped by McFarlane Toys could be a great Challenge of the Super Friends for Mattel.

The biggest trepidation I would understand Mattel having, would be repeating what McFarlane has already done with the lead characters. The Trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman has already been exhausted, at least with the Toth designs. Robin, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Black Vulcan, The Wonder Twins and Apache Chief have already been done. Even Gleek and Mr. Mxyzptlk have already been done. Nine out of the thirteen Legion of Doom members have already been done. A few variants have already been done. Mostly of Batman and Superman. But Mattel does not have to repeat the designs of Alex Toth. McFarlane Toys has already done that as did DC Direct two decades earlier with their beautifully sculpted hero/villain two-packs. But the José Luis Garcia Lopez Super Powers Galactic Guardians designs would be all new, fertile ground to produce the uniquely detailed and more muscular versions of the core character figures that connect seamlessly with the legacy of the Super Friends.

Let me know what you think of my suggested list for future waves centered on Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, and of course, GRUNDY, GIGANTA AND SCARECROW!

Yes, I am still upset that McFarlane didn’t do these. And I would still love to own a Toth version of Hawkman or at least a Garcia Lopez version with a swappable Toth head sculpt.

As epic and memorable as the 1978 Challenge of the Superfriends season was, the Super Friends and especially the Super Powers Team still have a lot to offer the eternal DC fandom.

Wave 1

• Superman (Garcia Lopez)
• Wonder Woman (Garcia Lopez)
• Darkseid
• Kalibak
• DeSaad
• Paradrones

Wave 2

• Cyborg
• Firestorm
• El Dorado
• Rima The Jungle Girl
• Lex Luthor (Power Suit)
• Brainiac (Robotic Vac-Metal)

Wave 3

• Samurai
• Green Arrow
• Mirror Master
• Flash (Garcia Lopez) Hawkgirl
• Hawkman (Garcia Lopez and Toth head swap)

Wave 4

• Batman (Garcia Lopez)
• Robin (Garcia Lopez)
• Bizarro (Garcia Lopez)
• Scarecrow (Garcia Lopez and Toth head swap)
• Penguin
• Felix Faust

Wave 5

• Gorilla Grodd
• Solomon Grundy
• Giganta
• Aquaman (Garcia Lopez)
• Green Lantern (Garcia Lopez)
• Batman (Garcia Lopez Unmasked “Fear”)