Big Jim’s P.A.C.K.: When Mattel Brought Big Jim into the World of Marvel

At first glance, this small booklet looks like a simple promotional giveaway. In fact, it is one of the most interesting documents from the P.A.C.K. era, because it brings Big Jim fully into the world of the American comic book. Copyrighted 1975 by Mattel and produced in New York by Marvel Comics Group, this 20-page one-shot was created to support the commercial launch of the Wolf P.A.C.K. for the 1976 season. The main story runs for fourteen pages, drawn by John Buscema and inked by Joe Sinnott, two major Marvel artists; the writer, however, is not credited.

One point is worth clarifying: Jack Kirby is closely associated with the Wolf P.A.C.K., but he did not draw this comic story. Mattel commissioned Kirby to produce the dramatic illustrations used on the packaging of the first P.A.C.K. characters, while the comic itself was drawn by Buscema and Sinnott.

As for distribution, all available evidence indicates that this particular booklet was intended for the U.S. market: it is in English, carries a Mattel USA copyright and was printed in the United States. No reliable evidence has surfaced of a translated or specifically European edition. The P.A.C.K. concept itself, however, did appear outside the United States through advertising and related promotional material.

For collectors, the most accurate dating is therefore copyright 1975 / distributed in connection with the 1976 product line, rather than simply “1976”. Collector sources also indicate that copies were included with certain Big Jim Wolf P.A.C.K. Commander figures.

The story finally gives the new team a genuine mythology. Big Jim, now known as Commander, brings together Doctor Steel, The Whip, Warpath and a character still referred to simply as Torpedo — the future Torpedo Fist. Together they form the P.A.C.K., an acronym for Professional Agents / Crime Killers, and share the distinctive marks of the “wolf pack”: a wolf-head tattoo on the hand and boots that leave wolf-track footprints. Their mission pits them against Zorak, Ruler of the Underworld, a criminal scientist whose monstrous double identity would become one of the main selling points of the Double Trouble figure. The mysterious Professor Rolf, who leads the team in the comic, was never produced as a toy.

What makes the booklet especially interesting to collectors is the way the comic story and the Mattel catalogue merge into a single promotional object. Between action sequences, readers are introduced to the Howler, the LazerVette, the Double Trouble Adventure Sets, as well as the Double Trouble Big Jim and Double Trouble Zorak figures. The centre pages even present different disguises — photographer/secret agent, construction worker/gunner, policeman/S.W.A.T. officer and miner — designed to multiply the number of possible play scenarios. The comic therefore does more than advertise individual toys: it shows children how each new product can become the starting point for another episode of the story.

A few details also reveal that the booklet was produced while the range was still evolving. Torpedo does not yet have his final name, and his appearance differs from the figure eventually sold in stores. Zorak’s comic-book design also differs from the final toy. For fans, these discrepancies make the booklet particularly valuable, as it preserves a snapshot of Mattel’s creative process during development.

A Comic Designed to Sell an Entire World

One of the most revealing aspects of Big Jim’s P.A.C.K. is the way the comic turns the toy line itself into part of the story. Mattel was no longer simply promoting another Big Jim figure: the child was encouraged to build an entire P.A.C.K. universe around him.

The advertising pages are carefully integrated into the booklet. The Howler appears before the story even begins, while the LazerVette, the Double Trouble Adventure Sets and the confrontation between Double Trouble Big Jim and Zorak reinforce the products introduced through the adventure. Costumes, vehicles and special mechanisms are presented not merely as accessories, but as tools needed to create new missions.

The comic is also fascinating because it captures the range while it was still evolving. Torpedo had not yet received his final “Torpedo Fist” name and appearance, while elements such as the Blitz Rig differ from the products that ultimately reached the stores. Even Zorak’s comic-book costume does not perfectly match the finished action figure. For collectors, these differences provide a rare glimpse of Mattel’s development process before the 1976 range was completely finalized.

The most effective idea was the use of the Double Trouble feature itself. The mechanical transformation of the toys becomes part of the fiction: Zorak’s changing face expresses his monstrous nature, while Big Jim’s second expression turns him into a fighter ready for action. The toy’s gimmick is therefore no longer just demonstrated in an advertisement — it becomes part of the character.

Seen from this perspective, the booklet is almost a play guide disguised as a comic book. Each new figure adds a specialist to the team, each vehicle creates another type of mission, and every costume offers a new identity for Big Jim. Mattel was selling something larger than individual toys: it was giving children the pieces from which they could construct their own continuing P.A.C.K. adventures.

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