Visionaries, the 1987 animated series

Visionaries, the 1987 animated series

Visionaries (Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light) is a sci-fi multimedia franchise that consisted of a short-lived toy line of action figures and vehicles produced by Hasbro and an animated television series by Sunbow Productions that aired for a season of thirteen episodes in 1987. Star Comics released a Bimonthly comic series that ran for six issues from November 1987 to September 1988. The animated series was the first Hasbro property to be produced by Sunbow without the help of Marvel Productions and used Japanese studio TMS Entertainment for animation work. abroad.

IDW Publishing released a five-issue crossover comic mini-series featuring characters from the series and Transformers from January to May 2018

History

The story is set on the fictional planet of Prysmos, a futuristic society in which all technology and complex machinery suddenly ceases to function and its citizens are forced to rely on ancient magic to survive. This happens when the planet's three suns align and their combined radiation emissions deactivate all technology on the planet, similar to an electromagnetic pulse effect. Titular Visionaries are knights who are divided into two factions: the heroic Spectral Knights and the evil Darkling Lords. Visionaries wishing to gain the use of magic are invited to a competition by the wizard Merklynn. After surviving traps, dangerous creatures and each other, survivors are rewarded with unique animal totems affixed to their armor; these talismans are based on the individual attributes of the bearers allowing them to transform into their specific creatures.

Some of the knights are given enchanted sticks with various magical powers which are activated by its keeper reciting a special verse. They could only be used once before they had to be reintegrated into the animated series, but they had unlimited use in the comic series. Characters who could not use these weapons instead had the power to infuse vehicles with magical powers, whose spells were printed on the official toy packaging but never used in either the comics or the animated series. In the Star Comics series, female characters were given shields that functioned in the same way as male characters' powerful staffs.

Characters

Spectral Knights

Led by Leoric, the Spectral Knights are magic users who use magic for good; are the protagonists of the series.

Leoric - Leader of the Spectral Knights and prince of the fictional city of New Valarak. In the first issue of the 1987 Star comic series, he was named mayor of the city during the age of science. He possesses the Lion totem and his staff of power confers the Power of Wisdom. He is the only Spectral Knight to have a mustache and his main opponent is Darkstorm.
Magic power: Wisdom - "Whispered secrets of a shattered age, I summon you: renew this essay!"

Hectar - Lieutenant of Leoric for matters relating to the city of New Valarak. Before the Great Cataclysm, he was a police detective in the city of Valarak, often confronting a master thief named Reekon, who later becomes a Dark Lord and his main opponent. He owns the Fox totem. He has no power stick but is one of the horsemen capable of powering vehicles. His favorite primary vehicle is the Lancer Cycle. In the comic, this contained the power of protection.
Magic power: protection - “Protect this profession from everyone. Reflect, deviate, lay down and fall! "

Feryl - The youngest of the Spectral Knights. Like Ectar and Leoric, he lives in New Valarak. He owns the Wolf totem. He does not have powerful personnel but does have an additional ability to activate vehicles. His primary vehicle is the Capture Chariot, which possessed the power of fire in the Marvel comic series. His main opponent is Mortdredd.
Magic power: Fire - "Draw the breath of the stars and burn the skies with fiery scars!"

Cryotek - The oldest of the group. He is from the northern frozen kingdom of Northalia. He possesses the bear totem and his staff confers the power of force. His main opponent among the Darkling Lords is Cindarr, with whom he is hinted at having a backstory in the first episode of the animated series. He has been shown to have a romantic relationship with Galadria.
Magic power: Come on - "Three suns aligned, pour out their light and fill the archer's bow with power!"

Witterquick - Prince of an unnamed city in the south, possesses the cheetah totem and his mighty staff bestows the power of lightning speed. Although Ectar is Leoric's second in command of matters relating to the city of New Valarak, it is Witterquick who issues the orders and keeps the others in line if Leoric is absent. If necessary, Witterquick is the most ready to bend the rules for the greater good.
Magic power: Speed ​​of Light - "Dress these feet in the lashing storm, make these legs quick, I am sailing on land!"

Arzon - Deontologist by nature, Arzon possesses the Eagle totem and his staff of power imparts the Power of Knowledge. He is one of the younger Spectral Knights and can be quite fiery, upbeat and eager to help despite the danger.
Magic power: Knowledge - “You are looking for a whim, a thought and more. Wake up my mind; your will will be done! "

Galadria - The only woman among the Spectral Knights, originally from Androsia. She owns the Dolphin totem. Galadria is Cryotek's love interest. Unmanned, he is capable of driving vehicles. In the comic, she possessed a shield which was subsequently imbued with the healing power. Her main opponent is Virulina.
Magic power: healing - “With the warmth of my heart, I feel your pain. Grant me the power, your wounds to heal! "

Dark Lords

Led by Darkstorm, the Darkling Lords use their powers for selfish purposes and are the antagonists of the series.

Darkstorm - The leader of the Dark Lords. Even before he received his totem powers, he commanded the allegiance of Reekon and Mortdredd. He secures the allegiance of the other members of his group when he finds them trapped in a trap while searching the Merklynn shrine, causing them to swear allegiance in exchange for their release. He carries the clam totem and his staff of power holds the power of decay. He also had a secondary power to reverse his spell. His main opponent is Leoric.
Magic power: decadence - “For what creeps in, for what crawls, for what doesn't; let everything that grows shrink and rot! "
Reversal of decay - "Power of rot, obscure the truth, what was once old bring back to youth!"

Reekon - A career thief during the Age of Science, Reekon serves Darkstorm for mercenary reasons. For his stealth and betrayal, Merklynn bestows upon him the Lizard totem. During both the Age of Science and the Age of Magic, Reekon finds himself engaged in a battle of wits against Ectar. They have professional rivalry and mutual respect for each other. Reekon has no power personnel but has the ability to power vehicles. His primary vehicle is the Dagger Assault, which features a containment cell that acts as a Magic Extractor.
Magic power: Magic extractor - “Shake the meat, bare the bone. On this field, let pain be sown! "
Mortdredd Darkstorm's most loyal servant and an unrepentant sycophant who owns the Beetle totem pole. He has no power personnel, but he is the pilot of the Sky Claw, an airborne assault vehicle. His main opponent is Feryl, as both are loyal to their respective leaders.
Magic power: Flight - “Wings of steel will ride the breeze. They invade the air, the earth, the seas! "

Cindarr - Formerly a construction worker during the Age of Science, Cindarr is the eldest of the group and his main opponent is Cryotek. He is considered the slowest of the Dark Lords mentally, although he occasionally shows kindness towards others (mainly small animals) which exasperates his fellow Dark Lords, which shows Cindarr not as evil, but following the oath he made. to Darkstorm. Cindar carries the Gorilla totem and his staff of power invokes the Power of Destruction.
Magic power: Destruction - “By the hand of nature, by craftsmanship, by art; what once was one now flies to pieces! "

Cravex - The most irascible of the Dark Lords, Cravex carries the totem pole of the phylot (a flying predator resembling a Prysmosian pterodactyl) and his mighty staff invokes the power of fear.
Magic power: Fear - “Oh wells full of fog, dark, damp, unclear; touch everything that is in front of me with frozen fear! "

Lexor He possesses the totem of the Armadillo and his staff of power offers the power of invulnerability. Lexor is generally considered a liar and a coward. His mighty staff is often used to defend against Cryotek's Force staff.
Magic power: Invulnerability - “Arrows turn, swords rebel; that nothing can pierce this mortal shell! "

Virulin Prior to Age of Magic, Virulina was a journalist and was seen on a poster modeling dresses in a shop window during a flashback scene. She is the only female Darkling Lord and possesses the Shark totem. Her main opponent is Galadria. Not owned by a staff, she is capable of driving vehicles. In the comic, she possessed a shield imbued with the power of disease.
Magic power: Sickness - "Wind of sickness, vile sickness, overthrow my enemy with sickness outrage!"

Episodes

01 "The era of magic begins"September 20, 1987
When technology fails on the planet Prysmos, an Age of Magic begins. As the world plunges into chaos, the Knights of Prysmos embark on a mission to conquer Iron Mountain, drawn by the promise of magical powers from the wizard Merklynn. But only fourteen succeed and it soon becomes clear that many of them joined in the pursuit of personal gain.

02 "The dark hand of betrayal"September 27, 1987
Darkstorm and his fellow Darkling Lords, aided by magical vehicles, trap Leoric and his followers one by one. Imprisoned in Darkstorm's castle dungeon and stripped of their weapons, Leoric and his followers appear to be in a desperate situation. Soon, however, Leoric realizes they must unite and calls them Spectral Knights.

03 "Quest for the Dragon's Eye"October 4, 1987
After escaping Castle Darkstorm and acquiring their own magical vehicles, the Spectral Knights capture the Darkling Lords and put them to work in a factory. Shortly thereafter, however, the Dark Lords escape and ambush the Spectral Knights, who are making their way to Merklynn's shrine to recharge their power. But, in exchange for more magic, they must bring the Eye of the Dragon to Merklynn.

04 "The price of freedom"November 8, 1987
The Darkling Lords encounter a city whose inhabitants are reluctant to give up their Age of Technology lifestyle. Lured by Darkstorm's promise to give them human slaves to replace the robots that used to do all the work in the city, people infiltrate New Valarak and enslave the Spectral Knights. But the Spectral Knights find an ally in a woman who feels that freedom at the expense of others is wrong.

05 "Feryl goes out"October 11, 1987
Dejected after getting into trouble during a battle with the pirates, Feryl leaves the Spectral Knights. Darkstorm tries to turn the situation to his advantage and, after an initial attempt to enlist Feryl in the Dark Lords fails, lures Leoric into a trap into thinking that Feryl's life is in danger. But Feryl soon finds out what happened and follows the Dark Lords to Castle Darkstorm.

06 "Lion hunt"October 18, 1987
The Dark Lords seek the help of an old witch, who gives them a potion that will trap Leoric in her animal form. Unable to return to human form, Leoric soon finds himself attacked by the Dark Lords, a group of superstitious villagers and even his fellow Spectral Knights, who believe he has been killed. When the Spectral Knights discover the truth, they face a race against time to restore their leader to normal.

07 "The overthrow of Merklynn"October 25, 1987
Tired of continually having to respond to Merklynn, Darkstorm deposes the wizard and takes control of Iron Mountain. But he quickly becomes overconfident and unleashes a spell that sets off a series of violent cataclysms. Believing that Prysmos will be destroyed unless the spell can be broken, the Dark Lords are forced to seek out Merklynn and free him from the wizarding prison where Darkstorm banished him.

08 "The power of the wise"November 1, 1987
The Spectral Knights fear that they are rapidly aging by the power of Darkstorm's staff, and when Merklynn refuses to help them, they set out in search of a magical spring whose waters have healing properties. During the search, Leoric falls victim to Darkstorm's staff and, to ensure that he cannot be restored to his true age, the Dark Lords destroy the source. But experience teaches Leoric that there is more to old age than to being weak and weak.

09 "Unicorn horn, drag clawo "November 15, 1987
A magical plague strikes Prysmos, leaving the Visionaries on both sides close to death. Their only hope of survival is a spell, the key ingredients of which are a unicorn's horn and a dragon's claw. Witterquick and Arzon must team up with Lexor and Cindarr and set out in search of these ingredients, but can they complete their mission without taking their own life?

10 "The path of the three wizards"November 22, 1987
Merklynn sends the Spectral Knights to the Anarchy Zone to rally three rogue mages, but as soon as they complete their mission, the Dark Lords ambush them. Releasing one of the wizards as a diversion, the Spectral Knights return to Iron Mountain, where Merklynn sends one of the wizards to the wizarding prison and proves that the second wizard is innocent. The Spectral Knights then return to the Anarchy Zone to win back the remaining wizard, who is heading to the Lost Sanctuary with the Dark Lords.

11 "Honor among thieves"November 29, 1987
Merklynn gives the Spectral Knights a magical crystal that warns them of imminent danger. But Darkstorm soon discovers that the crystal can be neutralized by an enemy wearing a "Cloak of Concealment". After Reekon infiltrates New Valarak and steals the crystal, Ectar and Arzon are forced into a dangerous trick to get him back.

12 "Squared sorcery"December 6, 1987
Cryotek is captured by the Dark Lords, who try to remove his totem power. Instead, he ends up with Cravex's Totem in addition to him and starts acting weird as the two totems battle for control. Learning what happened, the Spectral Knights and Dark Lords reluctantly put their differences aside until he is found and Cravex's totem can be removed from him.

13 "Dawn of the Sun Imps"December 13, 1987
Learning that a grave imprisoning six mischievous goblins has been discovered, Merklynn sends the Visionaries to bury it again. But Lexor tricks Cindarr into freeing the creatures, which continue to devastate both factions. The Spectral Knights and the Dark Lords are forced to work together to win back the goblins and bring them back to their grave.

Technical data

Original title Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light
Original language English
Country United States
Author Flint Tell
Regia Yoshi Mikamoto
Executive producer Joe Bacal, Yutaka Fujioka, Tom Griffin
Music Thomas Chase Jones, Steve Rucker
Studio Hasbro, Sunbow Entertainment, TMS Entertainment
Network Syndication
1st TV 20 September - 13 December 1987
Episodes 13 (complete)
Relationship 4:3
Episode duration 22 min
Gender action, adventure, science fantasy, superheroes

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visionaries:_Knights_of_the_Magical_Light