Comics to Toys

Comics, like many other forms of popular culture have often been the source that inspired toy makers to produce toys, statues, other collectibles, and action figures based on the likeness of their 2D counterparts. Sometimes, this transfer has been elegant, sometimes, it has been unpleasant.

Moreover, toys have also ventured into the world of comics, becoming the source of new storylines, that launched new series such as Sectaurs and the Micronauts. As much as G.I. Joe has been tied with comics and toys for decades, the first comic strip and comic book characters were often given life as three dimensional puppets we call toys and action figures. This gaze that the toy gives us transform what can seem like a static and fixed perspective into something more that can then serve back as a major influence in the comics.

For example, you may have heard the infamous affair with the Secret War Iron man action figure from the 1980s that had been rendered with a nose, prompting then Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Shooter to mandate that illustrators match the look of the toy in the comics.

But there are more positives stories of cross-promotion and development. At the same time over at DC Comics, the Super Powers action figure line introduced a whole generation to DC's Justice League and Fourth World saga. For many kids, their first introduction to Iron Man and Darkseid was in the toy aisle, when it was not on television.

Action figures and toys based on comics allowed comic readers to expand the stories they read in books further in their backyards with their siblings, cousins, and neighbours. Play, it is known, expands the imagination and immerses a person in a make-believe reality that can be as encompassing as a good book. The action figure thus serves as a vector that helps kids and older ones to develop their imagination and creative skills.

But play can be cheap. Once you own a Spider-man and a Venom action figure, you can create as many adventures about the two that will never see the light of day in the comics. You can even use your photography skills to create your personal comics chronicling the adventures of your favourite comic characters.

These toys and statues are often a mean to capture an impression from a cartoonist about a character or to provide a solid reference to an illustrator working on his first Spawn comic. We encourage you to explore the various articles and reviews of action figures who originated from comics in the articles on the right of this column.

ComicBookBin covers DC Comics, Marvel, G.I. Joe and more. G.I. Joe is unique in comics as it was created as a comic strip first, far away from the company that would cast the first toys based on comics decades later. G.I. Joe A Real American Hero was created with comics and toys in mind by a comic publisher, a toy company, and a cartoonist, better-known as Larry Hama. This successful line is a clear example of the rich symbiosis that can exist between toys and comics.

Hervé St-Louis, March 24, 2021.