I Have the (Captain) Power!

March 1988

Visionaries #3

It’s Captain Power! …Who has got to have one of the most generic hero-type names out there! Don’t get me wrong – despite the fact that the name lacked originality (which, of course, I never realized back in the day), Captain Power was actually pretty awesome! You see, the toys (well, the ships and the Power On Platform) worked like a video game light gun – they could interact with certain parts of the TV show, and you could either “hit” or “be hit” by the enemy fighters, which would trigger a reaction in the toys!

I had (well, still have – stay tuned for a future installment of CBA IRL) the Power On Platform with Captain Power (which I won from a local TV station!), and fondly remember watching this show every Saturday morning, and shooting at the bad guys’ ships whenever they came on!

Unfortunately, the show only lasted one season, but an entire second season was already scripted at the time of cancellation. I guess it was mostly because parents’ groups criticized the show for being too violent and just being an excuse to sell toys (why do parents always have to ruin all the fun?).

However, in looking up info for this post, I discovered that the entire series is now available on DVD! I might just need to pick that up and relive a bit of my childhood…

 

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Konami – For All Your Gaming Needs!

March 1988

Visionaries #3

Sorry the alignment’s not great on this one, but my scanner isn’t big enough to do two pages together, and this was the best I could do. Anyway, here’s Konami – producer of some of the biggest video game hits!

You may be wondering why there’s a Goonies II game when there was never a Goonies I. It turns out that there was… but only in Japan. So when Konami made the sequel to that game, it was still called “Goonies II” in all markets, despite the fact that most people never even knew about its predecessor.

 

Do you enjoy reading Comic Book Ads? If so, please consider supporting me by clicking here for my Amazon link – I’ll get a percentage from everything you order! Thanks!

Christmas Star

March 1988

Visionaries #3

Sorry to do two ’80s ads in a row, but I wanted to do the Christmas ads during the Christmas season, and these are what I had available.

Wow, prices sure jumped in the course of only a few years! In last week’s ad from 1985, cover price was 60¢ per issue and the subscription price was 42¢. Only three years later, We’ve got a cover price of $1.00 and subscription price of 75¢!

Well, it’s still a bargain compared to prices these days…

Thanksgiving Rocks (or Pebbles)!

March 1988

Visionaries #3

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This is the only food-related ad I currently have from the ’80s, so let’s be thankful for Fruity Pebbles and for the entertaining maze they’re giving us in this ad!

Lime flavor was just introduced to Fruity Pebbles in 1987, which is why they’re making a big deal about it here. And even though “Crocodile Dundee” was released in 1986, it looks like they’re still trying to cash in on its popularity.

Now That’s MY Kinda Body Building!

March 1988

Visionaries #3

I’ve never really been into model building, but always thought it was kind of cool in theory. However, I get the feeling that it isn’t exactly the best way to pick up chicks…

Just look at how enthralled those girls are! That model-building boy is an absolute stud!

 

Do you enjoy reading Comic Book Ads? If so, please consider supporting me by clicking here for my Amazon link – I’ll get a percentage from everything you order! Thanks!

Pop(ple) Till You Drop?

March 1988

Visionaries #3

Who out there remembers Popples? They were like the less exciting, plush version of Transformers: they could transform from a cute creature into… a ball!

Despite my current teasing, I actually did think they were pretty cool back in the day. If I remember correctly, I had a purple one, and my cousin had a basketball one (though the blue one in this ad with the guitar and the pierced ear looks pretty badass – in retrospect, I wish I’d had that one!).

So, I see that the name of the company that made Popples was “Those Characters from Cleveland” – while I concede that it’s certainly a descriptive company name, not exactly the catchiest company name.

 

I Know Colors! I’m a Musical Genius!

March 1988

Visionaries #3

I find this ad in this comic kind of odd in that the ad’s intended audience seems much younger than the comic’s intended audience. I’d say this kid is – what? – maybe three? Whereas I’d say the low end of this comic’s audience is maybe seven.

Anyway, here are two Muppets-themed keyboards – a regular Muppets keyboard for regular kids, and a Muppet Babies keyboard for baby kids!

ALF – On TV and Now in Comics!

March 1988

Visionaries #3

I don’t really know a whole lot about ALF, so I don’t really have much to say about this. As a kid, I wasn’t allowed to watch anything with a laugh track/laughing studio audience (yeah, I know – everyone’s got their own childhood trauma), so I never actually saw it back in the day.

Apparently this comic ran 50 issues, which means it actually ran about the same length as the show (4 season) – not bad for a TV spinoff comic!

Genesis’ Big Brother – Video Gaming Milestone!

March 1988

Visionaries #3

I’m finally able to use my scanner again – yay!!! Oh, ’80s, how I’ve missed you! So to celebrate, here’s my favorite ad from my newly scanned comic – the Sega Master System! I wasn’t really aware of this system during its heyday, but am more familiar with it now, and it’s actually a pretty cool system! Back when the NES ruled home gaming, the Master System actually had more powerful hardware, but NES had Mario, so eventually the NES’ game library is what allowed the NES to triumph over the Master System… in America, anyway. It turns out that in Europe, it actually surpassed the NES by quite a bit! And in Brazil, it’s the best-selling game system of all time, with compatible systems still being produced!

One thing that I think is pretty cool about the Sega Master System is that games came in two formats: Mega Cartridges and Sega Cards. The cartridges are pretty standard, but the cards were the size of a credit card – they couldn’t hold nearly as much data as cartridges, but they were substantially cheaper, so you could build your game collection without breaking the bank!

However, the part about this system that I think is the most impressive is the 3D glasses (SegaScope – sold separately, of course). Considering that it was released in the mid-’80s, the 3D is pretty amazing! I know that the Vectrex also had 3D around this time, but other than that, the next one I can think of is the 3DS – a full 25 years later!

EDIT: While originally writing this, somehow the Virtual Boy completely slipped my mind (Sorry, Virtual Boy, it doesn’t mean I don’t love you!) – so that would make it more like 10 years until the next 3D gaming system. Were there any between the Master System and Virtual Boy that I’m forgetting about? If so, let me know in the comments!