Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light was originally a range of action figures from Hasbro, released in 1987. This action figure range was promoted by two different media, telling the stories of the characters. The better known of the two was a half hour animated television series made by Sunbow Productions in the same year, but there was also a comic book series issued by Star Comics and then continued briefly under the Marvel Banner.
The toy-line was unfortunately not a big success, which led to both the series and the comic being cancelled after a very short run. The comic lasted only 6 issues, and was cancelled halfway through a four-part story-line The animated series lasted one season of 13 episodes, and was not picked up for a second, possibly because all Sunbow cartoons came to an end after The Transformers Season 4 three-parter ("The Rebirth") and G.I. Joe: The Movie, when Sunbow lost its contract and did not get it renewed.
Visionaries is the only Hasbro property to be produced by Sunbow on their own, without the aid of Marvel Productions. Sunbow also used TMS Entertainment, in Japan for the overseas animation work for this show.
Despite all of this if you ask any Toy Collector or people born late 70s early 80s Im pretty confident theyll recall the Visionaries : Knights of the Magical Light. So lets take a more detailed look into each of these areas.
The toy-line was unfortunately not a big success, which led to both the series and the comic being cancelled after a very short run. The comic lasted only 6 issues, and was cancelled halfway through a four-part story-line The animated series lasted one season of 13 episodes, and was not picked up for a second, possibly because all Sunbow cartoons came to an end after The Transformers Season 4 three-parter ("The Rebirth") and G.I. Joe: The Movie, when Sunbow lost its contract and did not get it renewed.
Visionaries is the only Hasbro property to be produced by Sunbow on their own, without the aid of Marvel Productions. Sunbow also used TMS Entertainment, in Japan for the overseas animation work for this show.
Despite all of this if you ask any Toy Collector or people born late 70s early 80s Im pretty confident theyll recall the Visionaries : Knights of the Magical Light. So lets take a more detailed look into each of these areas.
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IntroIt is a time when Magic is more powerful than Science,
and only those who control the magic, control destiny. ...They are the Visionaries. Visionaries, knights of the magical light, Visionaries, with magical powers they fight. Powers of mind and strength, skill and speed, Powers to accomplish the greatest of deeds. Visionaries, knights of the magical light. |
The story was set on the planet Prysmos, an advanced society where all electronics had failed and the people were forced to rely on the old magics. The Visionaries consist of two groups of knights — the Spectral Knights and the Darkling Lords. They are both called to for a competition by the wizard Merklynn. After surviving traps, dangerous creatures, and each other, the survivors on both sides are rewarded. Everyone of them is given a different animal totem which appears on the front of their armor, which they can turn into. The animals are selected by Merklynn based on their personalities.
Some knights have staffs with them, and these are told to dip them into an energy well. They become magical, each given a different power. They activate these by reciting a special verse. Any staff-wielding knight can activate any staff, as long as he casts the spell properly. In one episode, Darkstorm made use of Leoric's staff, while in another, Cryotek used three different power staffs; his own, and those of Witterquick and Cindarr. In the comics, the staffs could be used as many times as needed, without any need to recharge them, but in the cartoon, only one use was permitted before they needed to return to Iron Mountain to recharge them - which caused a lot of tension, particularly on the part of Darkstorm.
The knights without staffs can infuse vehicles with magical powers, such as the Dagger Assault vehicle's magical dungeon (Darkling Lords). Unlike the power staffs, however, there is no limit on vehicle usage. Also, the spells given for the vehicles on the boxes of the toys were never used in either the comics or the series. In the comics, the female knights had shields which worked the same way as the staffs, but in the TV series they did not, and in "The Power Of The Wise", Virulina was seen piloting the Sky Claw. Galadria was also seen in "Horn Of Unicorn, Claw Of Dragon" doing some repair/maintenance work on the Capture Chariot. Any vehicle-driving knight can drive any vehicle, and both Feryl and Ectar have been seen operating the Dagger Assault.
When the Darkling Lords first discovered the vehicles, Darkstorm wanted the honour of piloting the Sky Claw himself, but it didn't work; he explained "the engine works but the magic avoids me!" Reekon's response was, "it appears that any Visionary can pilot a vehicle, but Mortdredd and I are your only knights who can breathe magic into the metal." In the case of the Dagger Assault, driven by Reekon, things are more confusing, as in some episodes it is not clear who is driving, or, if it is indeed Reekon, where he is driving it from. Normally, he drives it from one of the two frontal compartments, but in "Feryl Steps Out", he is in the Dagger Dart while Darkstorm and Virulina are in the frontal compartments, and stranger still is "The Power Of The Wise" in which Darkstorm and Cravex are in those two sections while it is Lexor in the Dagger Dart.
Some knights have staffs with them, and these are told to dip them into an energy well. They become magical, each given a different power. They activate these by reciting a special verse. Any staff-wielding knight can activate any staff, as long as he casts the spell properly. In one episode, Darkstorm made use of Leoric's staff, while in another, Cryotek used three different power staffs; his own, and those of Witterquick and Cindarr. In the comics, the staffs could be used as many times as needed, without any need to recharge them, but in the cartoon, only one use was permitted before they needed to return to Iron Mountain to recharge them - which caused a lot of tension, particularly on the part of Darkstorm.
The knights without staffs can infuse vehicles with magical powers, such as the Dagger Assault vehicle's magical dungeon (Darkling Lords). Unlike the power staffs, however, there is no limit on vehicle usage. Also, the spells given for the vehicles on the boxes of the toys were never used in either the comics or the series. In the comics, the female knights had shields which worked the same way as the staffs, but in the TV series they did not, and in "The Power Of The Wise", Virulina was seen piloting the Sky Claw. Galadria was also seen in "Horn Of Unicorn, Claw Of Dragon" doing some repair/maintenance work on the Capture Chariot. Any vehicle-driving knight can drive any vehicle, and both Feryl and Ectar have been seen operating the Dagger Assault.
When the Darkling Lords first discovered the vehicles, Darkstorm wanted the honour of piloting the Sky Claw himself, but it didn't work; he explained "the engine works but the magic avoids me!" Reekon's response was, "it appears that any Visionary can pilot a vehicle, but Mortdredd and I are your only knights who can breathe magic into the metal." In the case of the Dagger Assault, driven by Reekon, things are more confusing, as in some episodes it is not clear who is driving, or, if it is indeed Reekon, where he is driving it from. Normally, he drives it from one of the two frontal compartments, but in "Feryl Steps Out", he is in the Dagger Dart while Darkstorm and Virulina are in the frontal compartments, and stranger still is "The Power Of The Wise" in which Darkstorm and Cravex are in those two sections while it is Lexor in the Dagger Dart.
