To tie in with each wave of the
figures, a DC comics mini-series was produced for the separate waves,
each mini-series centering on the figures spotlighted in the corresponding
wave and each being released a year apart.
The first two series consisted of six issues each. The first was plotted
by Jack Kirby, written by Joey Cavalieri, and drawn by Adrian Gonzales.
The last series was only four issues and was written by Kupperberg and
drawn by Carmine Infantino and inked by Pablo Marcos. It is somewhat amazing
that such artistic giants were brought in for what amounted to fast and
easy advertising. As the story goes, these were almost considered rewards
for their years of service to Kirby and Infantino, an easy way for them
to get some cash. The stories took place outside of DC continuity.
Not only was each mini-series used to highlight specific characters, but
the ships and playsets from each wave were used extensively too. The Tower
of Darkness in particular gets a heavy workout in the last series, probably
leaving many kids looking for the corresponding playset, as it was pictured
on the back of the third wave cards. The third series also ends with an
obvious lead-in to a fourth series, which just wasn't in the cards. It
is unknown as of yet if any work had been started on this planned fourth
series.
In addition to the regular comic books above,
the first two series of Super Powers were packaged with mini-comics. Telling
the story behind all of the Super Powers toys (much like the Super Friends
cartoon), these comics highlight every single hero, villain, and vehicle
made during their run. The rarest one to find is the Steppenwolf comic.
Steppenwolf was the mail-in figure for the end run of the first series,
and as such was only put on a second series card for very limited distribution,
before being released on a non-comic third series card.
 
 
Well, this little gem was found as part of one
of the knock-off lines, lending credence to the theory that comics were
made for the third series, just not included for whatever reason. It is
so far unknown what other unpublished comics may be lurking out there.
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