PopCult Rudy Panucci on Pop Culture

The Sea Ghost Enters The Realm of MEGO

The PopCult Toybox

sea-ghost-4We have a cool new entry into the world of ReMEGO action figures–The Sea Ghost.

MEGO action figures were eight-inch tall colorful dynamos that ran kids’ imaginations wild in the 1970s. MEGO held the rights to both Marvel and DC, as well as dozens of other properties like CHiPs, Tarzan, Conan, The Dukes of Hazzard and even Happy Days and The Waltons. While the company shut down in the 1980s, in recent years the “ReMEGO” movement has sprung up, with new companies producing figures reminiscent of the scale and scope of classic MEGO.

One of the coolest things about the “ReMEGO” movement, is that there are so many companies making MEGO-style figures that, not only are we getting treated to a wide variety of different characters, but also the competition between the companies means that they’re all doing their best to improve their quality. Most ReMEGO figures are worlds beyond the quality of the original MEGO line.

604082_10151488718657354_725451009_nNEMO Toys is releasing a ton of great action figures based on the work of Jay Piscopo, a comic book writer/artist who has a refreshing, clean style of storytelling. His writing is upbeat and adventurous, and his art is crisp, not unlike that of Bruce Timm or Joe Staton. The latest NEMO Toys release is The Sea Ghost, one of Piscopo’s creations who spun out of his work on the Capt’n Eli all-ages graphic novel series.

The Sea Ghost is sort of a tribute to both Aquaman and Space Ghost at the same time. He’s an original super hero character, but is definitely grounded in the classic comic book style of the fun super hero comics of the 1960s. The book and the character are a lot of fun.

The Sea Ghost figures are in the country and ready to ship!
The Sea Ghost figures are in the country and ready to ship!

His action figure is particularly cool, because not only does the figure accurately replicate the terrific design of The Sea Ghost’s costume, but the figure is designed in conjunction with Doc Mego (Paul Clarke), and that guarantees a very high-quality, detailed action figure. You can order The Sea Ghost from The Capt’n Eli website. You’ll need to scroll down past the Capt’n Eli’s Root Beer (or stop and order some, I hear it’s really good), but you’ll find The Sea Ghost in both action figure and comic book form.

The Sea Ghost even has cool package art.
The Sea Ghost even has cool package art.

The Sea Ghost is not the first action figure from Nemo Toys. In the past, Nemo Toys has released several cool ReMEGO figures of original characters as well as some re-imagined Golden Age characters. Their previous figures, also designed with Doc Mego, are on sale right now, for a very affordable fifteen bucks at the aforementioned website. The Sea Ghost is full-priced, at $20, which is still a bargain, since comparable ReMEGO figures sell for at least five or ten dollars more.

It’s great to see a smaller company producing such high-quality figures and comics. Check out this trailer for The Sea Ghost…

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