Space Ghost enjoys the distinction of being one of the few non-Marvel or DC superheroes created in the 1960s that has enjoyed an enduring popularity to this day. Brought to TV screens everywhere by Hanna-Barbera, Space Ghost was a staple of Saturday morning cartoons well into the early 1980s. For a generation of superhero fans, he occupies a place in the heroic pantheon right alongside the likes of Batman and Spider-Man, and it’s pretty cool of Mezco to release him as part of their One:12 Collective line. He feels like a pretty left-field pick for the line at first thought, but he actually ended up being a completely solid release. Let’s take a look!
To be honest, I had serious second thoughts about picking up Space Ghost. While I did love the show when I was a kid, I haven’t really given the character a second thought since then. Even when he was resurrected as a talk show host, I barely paid notice apart from acknowledging, “Oh yeah, that’s Space Ghost.” But seeing the packaging brought back all kinds of memories and warm fuzzies. The bright yellow with the red text demands your attention, and the character and figure itself really does have one of the best designs outside of Batman.
For a character I had basically written off as being “minor,” I’m blown away by the attention Mezco paid Space Ghost. He comes with a slew of accessories, one of which is a full-blown poseable action figure in its own right. Seeing it all laid out when the box flap is opened is pretty awesome, and any second thoughts I was having about the purchase were at least put on pause, if not eradicated.
As a kid, Space Ghost got a pass from me for being close enough in design to Batman to make him “cool.” The cowl and the cape were the essential aspects, but the colors bugged me. Now, as an adult, I find the white and yellow dominant colors so visually arresting, and Mezco captured these colors in Space Ghost’s soft-goods costume wonderfully. The white spandex clings to his build effectively, and I was worried (and curious) about how they were going to approach his feet. Since he wears no boots, I couldn’t envision how the spandex was going to cover his feet like pajamas. Fortunately, Mezco achieved the “no boot” effect in a clever way by attaching a sole to the bottoms of his spandex-ed feet, allowing him to stand effectively. It works and looks cool enough, and it gives me hope for the upcoming PX Spider-Man release.
Space Ghost comes with two head sculpts to choose from: a standard, relaxed expression and a more stern expression for when stuff is getting real in space. I like both but will probably display him with the standard head in a more traditional “superhero” pose on my shelf. As for his articulation, he sports all the standard Mezco articulation points. It’s easy to get him into dynamic poses, and the cape’s wiring makes it super easy to pose as well. I love Mezco’s approach to capes, and this is one of the best ones yet, just in terms of ease of posing. I love it.
For accessories, he comes with six different blast effects. I guess I forgot that Space Ghost packs some serious blasting power because I was downright shocked when I saw all the options for his weaponry, and I cannot remember what they all are, but every single one is pretty darn cool. Some are a bit heavy, though, so some clever posing is necessary to prevent his arms from “wilting” as he fires his blasts. He also comes with the standard Mezco flight stand and three extra sets of hands, all in different grip positions (pointing, “flight,” and open grip).
But his key accessory is Blip, a member of his crew from the 1960s cartoon. Along with teenage sidekicks Jace and Jan, Blip helped Space Ghost foil evil plots all across the cosmos. While Blip was cute on the cartoon, the figure has a sort of “Eddie Munster” quality to him, mainly due to his head sculpt and paint apps. I am blown away that he’s included here at all, and he makes for an excellent sidekick on the shelf. He packs almost all the articulation you’d expect from a Hasbro Marvel Legends figure. All he’s really missing is wrist articulation and an ab joint, but otherwise Blip is completely awesome. Mezco could have just as easily included a static statue for Blip, but a fully poseable action figure? So cool.
The white and yellow really do pop, too. Hasbro’s Moon Knight’s white seemed bright to me before I posed him next to Space Ghost, and, as you can see, Space Ghost is downright radiant.
Space Ghost is one of the more impressive released I’ve picked up this year, mainly because I expected so little and received so much. You definitely get your money’s worth here, and the figure just looks so good posed on display in a collection. I’d really consider snagging one if you can.
Only wait list spots are available if buying direct from Mezco, and he’s sold out at Big Bad Toy Store, but you may have some luck if you carefully watch Amazon.
