Can Mer-Man trace his ancestry back to Jupiter?

The similarities are startling! But it seems to be true. Mer-Man, a MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE action-figure, appears to have characteristics similar to Colossus Rex, THE OUTER SPACE MEN "Giant from Jupiter." Mer-Man made a name for himself as one of Skeletor's most trusted henchmen. Sworn enemy of He-Man and answering only to Skeletor and Beast Man, Mer-Man appears to be the King of a race of amphibious humanoids. These creatures seem to inhabit some or all of the oceans present on the planet of Eternia. Mer-man is characterized by his green, scaly skin and distinctive head fins that may also function as ears. Mattel originally released Mer-Man as part of the first series of their MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE collection in 1981-82. Execs at Mattel could not be reached for comment on the origins of Mer-Man. But the likeness to Colossus Rex is unmistakeable.

In recent years, Mer-Man has experienced a reincarnation of sorts. In 2008, Mattel contracted the amazing artists from Four Horsemen Studios to sculpt Mer-Man for their all-new MOTU CLASSICS line. The new characters "Real Name" is Squidish Rex. Apparently, their similarities have come to include their names. This new figures bio reads, "Ruler of the undersea realms of Eternia, Mer-Man was forced to serve in the armies of Skeletor after his kingdom was destroyed in a battle with rival ocean clans. His allegiance with Skeletor brings him to the surface world more often then he would like. Lurking deep beneath the Sea of Rakash, Mer-Man awaits the evil call to arms of Skeletor!"

For OUTER SPACE MEN fans, it is certainly comforting to see descendants of their mighty Jovian warrior still alive and kicking-butt today. Just as invulnerable to attack and invincible in battle as ever!

Don't forget, you can see Colossus Rex fight the enemies of Earth in the epic Graphic Novel, THE OUTER SPACE MEN!

Tom Hanks to star as MAJOR MATT MASON.

According to Variety, Tom Hanks, has agreed to star in a live action feature film based on the 1960's icon Major Matt Mason - Mattel's Man in Space. Graham Yost has been hired to write the screenplay. Yost has history with both sci-fi(Mission to Mars) and action-adventure(Speed.) He also has a working relationship with Hanks(Band of Brothers and From Earth to the Moon.)

Major Matt was an attempt by Mattel to capitalize on NASA's race to the moon. Major Matt and his astronaut buddies were stationed on the moon and were modeled after images seen in aviation periodicals. This toy line was hugely successful for Mattel and inspired Mel Birnkrant, then working for Colorforms, to create THE OUTER SPACE MEN. Ulitmately, space toys all suffered the same fate when Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon in '69. When no man-eating aliens devoured the unsuspecting astronauts. And the Apollo 11 missioned was deemed a monumental success, space toys were declared dead. That is, until Luke Skywalker blew up the Death Star in '77.

With Hollywood interest in retro toys being adapted into films, what does this mean for THE OSM? If Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is able to match the success of its predessor and GI Joe goes box office Boffo, will THE OUTER SPACE MEN be next? Let's speculate as to the format and casting of a big-budget OSM film. I'm thinking about a combination of CGI and live acting. Dolph Lundgren to play Venusian Commander Comet? Last year's Hulk proved that a total CGI character can carry a film. Is this what the Jovian Giant Colossus Rex will become? What about a "motion capture" technique? Ala Andy Serkis(LOTR and King Kong.)

Forget about Stretch Armstong or Etch-a-Sketch films! Contact your local Congressman, and demand that the next retro toy movie adaptation be THE OUTER SPACE MEN!