Usually when scratching around for a toy line that I feel deserves to be updated, I have some type of nostalgic connection to the property. Either it’s one that I bought as a kid and would love seeing fresh, modern, fully articulated take on, or it’s something I watched or read in some media form like comic or cartoon, but never actually had the original figures. I don’t necessarily need nostalgic connection to things for it to tweak my interest, because I’m a firm believer that what is “cool” is not dictated by nostalgia or connection. So because of that, today’s column falls under neither of those previous criteria. I never had any of the Crystar figures, and I’ve never read the Marvel Comic that was released in cooperation with the toy line. In fact, my only awareness of the concept as a kid was from toy catalogues and ads inside other comics. I don’t even remember seeing the comic itself on a spinner rack. Crystar was just a crystalline figure and a name that floated somewhere in the back of my mind.
Flash forward a few decades and Crystar is a footnote in the landslide of toys and comics that have come since. But once you take a look at the property you can see how butt-smacking awesome a brand new Crystar line would be.
In the ’80s there were comics for almost all the major property. Having that cross-market synergy was just how it was done back then, something we’ve (sadly) lost in the years since. Most of the comics existed in their own world that occupied that specific toy’s universe. Crystar was different in that it was created by Marvel to exist within the Marvel Universe but to also have a toy line to accompany it. With guest stars like Nightcrawler and Dr. strange Crystar is a full-fledged Marvel character.
The toys were put out by Remco, who also produced Sgt. Rock and Warlord toys for DC and Mighty Crusaders figures for Archie Comics, which I’m thinking will be a future Update this! article, so stay tuned for that. It was one of those eras where everything got a toy. Literally. Everything and everyone had a toy.
Regardless of any rich history or story or background, Just examining the property from a pure toy standpoint, the concept at its core would make some great looking figures. It’s essentially crystalline good guys and lava-forged bad guys: nothing dull about that. While these effects were achieved fairly simplistically back then, just think about what today’s figures might look like. Especially if special attention was shown to the paint jobs on the lava figures. And we’ve had plenty of clear or partially clear action figures that have shown just how dynamic a character like Crystar would look if executed correctly.
The original line consisted of only 7 figures, so a brand new Crystar line that was faithful to the just updating the original figures wouldn’t have to be a large one. You have Crystar, Feldspar Warbow and the good wizard Ogeode on the side of good, and Moltar (Crystar’s brother), Magma Man and Zardeth on the side of evil. Magma Man is that all-important army-builder, so you can build a lava-creature army to fight Crystar and his see-through companions. There are plenty of characters from the comic that could be mined, plus an opportunity to expand the cast of characters and create brand new threats.
Even if a full toy line isn’t feasible, a standalone Crystar figure would be super cool to have to accompany the Marvel Legends line. A Crystar/Moltar two pack would be even better, so we could get the two main characters in one shot. Yeah, I know, stuff like that doesn’t seem to happen, but it’s nice to dream about impossible things once in a while.
I’m almost positive the rights to Crystar are tied up somehow, much like the rights to Rom, but regardless, a new Crystar line in some form would be an instant purchase for me, and that’s based on absolutely previous connection to the story or character. Someone update this!
