We haven’t exactly kept it a secret that we’re into Captain Action, and not only the current action figure sets and the upcoming Codename Action mini-series from Dynamite. No, our interest spans the whole history of the character and his supporting players, including Action Boy.

Now, you probably know that the phenomenon of the sidekick began with Batman’s Robin, the Boy Wonder. And you probably know that Robin’s popularity spawned a whole slew of superhero sidekicks – from Captain America’s Bucky to the Human Torch’s Toro to the Flash’s Kid Flash. But did you know that Captain Action, the superhero that could be dressed as other superheroes, also had a sidekick? It was Action Boy – the sidekick that could be dressed as other sidekicks.

Introduced in 1967, Action Boy was 9″ of dark haired, rosy cheeked, all-American-boy athleticism. And though he could only be transformed into three other super-sidekicks, he came with plenty of marvelous accessories that still guaranteed hours of fun. And, according to Michael Eury’s Captain Action – the Original Super-Hero Action Figure (which has a permanent place on our bookshelves), Action Boy’s brilliantly designed outfits were of a much higher quality than those of the Captain’s.

The first-issue Action Boy came in a red and blue jumpsuit with a pair of ever-fashionable black briefs, as well as dark blue beret, a rubber belt and black boots. He also came with a knife, a boomerang and his trusty pet panther, as well as a Yellow Mini-comic. The second (and final)-issue Action Boy was released in 1968, touted as “the bold adventurer.”

And he was rather snazzy. In addition to a Yellow Mini-comic, a silver and blue costume, silver boots and a space helmet, this Boy even came with gloves and a ray gun! And the costumes, though few, were equally marvelous. Action Boy could be dressed as either Aqualad, Superboy, or, naturally, Robin.

The Aqualad attire consisted of a Facemask, a Swordfish Spear (though it could actually spear any type of fish), a Seahorse Knife, a Shell Axe and, best of all, a faithful pet Octopus, Octo. As Superboy, Action Boy came with some really incredible accessories – such as an Interspacial Language Translator (a silver, blue and yellow shoulder harness with a mouthpiece), an archaic-looking Telepathic Thought Scrambler and a Superchem Lab outfitted with everything any young scientist could ever need – a Bunsen burner, computer, etc. As Robin, the Boy Wonder, Action Boy had access to gadgets such as two potentially deadly Batarangs with a green launcher, a winged Bat Grenade, and two outstanding Climbing Grips. Each of the 1967 boxed costumes also came with a Yellow Mini-comic.

As you can imagine, it’s very difficult to find Action Boy, with all his various accoutrements intact, today. But it’s fun searching, so let the Action begin