Back in May, I brought up the story on how popular media outlets that cover the toys & collectibles trade were no longer getting advance notice from DC Direct on store releases like action figures, statues and other such items. Gone were the days for action figure fans like myself to get an appropriate heads up on product delays (still waiting for Series 1 of Blackest Night figures, by the way) and when items would possibly move up in the schedule. This has been an invaluable tool for me when keeping a monthly budget on the collectibles that are on my radar. And you know, it’s especially useful when the holidays are approaching.
As I said, in May we raised the question of why the consumers and media were cut out of the process. Attempts to reach DC management only yielded the suggestion that the then-brand new DC blog, The Source, was the destination for general news items, but to date I can’t recall an instance where DC Direct was ever covered there. Having allowed a full weather season to pass, Newsarama attempted to readdress the matter directly with DC, but were unable to get an official statement on the lack of DC Direct communication.
So where does this leave us, the readers and consumers? Well, one possibility depends on your relationship with your local book book provider. As they continue to get the Direct Channel newsletter, your vendor can share that with you at their discretion. The newsletter, among other things, lays out what is hitting stores over a three- to four-week stretch. Otherwise, maybe make friends with someone at Diamond??
Elsewhere…
In the last DC solicitations, the one we DO receive as a media outlet, the closest thing to new action figures was an expanded array of repainted, previously available figures featuring the A-list of the Batman Family. Under the banner DC ORIGINS SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURE TWO-PACKS, I can tell you that I myself already own 6 of the 8 figures pictured, the modern Batman and Joker being the exception because I have several other versions of these two and have put the cap on the more contemporary offerings. I’m morbidly curious to see if something like this is on tap for the Superman Family, mainly to see which characters and figured would get reused, but I can assure you that it would be as likely a PASS as this first “DC Origins” wave is for me.
Which takes us to what DC Direct is still coming up short on, and the fact that they now have a competitor who is making surprisingly great strides getting never-before-seen characters in the stores, and by stores I mean juggernauts like Target and Walmart. I hate to say “it’s not a popularity contest,” but maybe it is. Consider some points in regards to Mattel catching up to DC Direct, or in some cases surpassing them:
a) Mattel got to the All-Star Squadron (Commander Steel) before DCD did, and DCD has been around over ten years.
b) By next year, Mattel will have begun the Doom Patrol and the Metal Men, which DCD has yet to ever do.
c) Mattel has TWO Gigantas (one in the Justice League Unlimited line, one in DC Universe Classics — a build-a-figure); DCD has none.
d) Despite TWO terrific Jack Kirby-inspired waves by DC Direct, Mattel will have made more New Gods than DCD. True story: Mattel has made Mr. Miracle, Lightray, Barda, Darseid, Desaad, Kalibak, Mantis, Forager, a Parademon, and Steppenwolf in DC Universe Classics, not to mention a JLU Lashina. DCD has made one New God that Mattel hasn’t: Metron. They have no Mantis, Forager, Parademon, Steppenwolf, Lashina, or Desaad.
e) Mattel has the Wonder Twins (albeit REALLY hard to find), and will have Samurai, Black Vulcan and Apache Chief in JLU. DCD has never done a single one of the Hanna-Barbera Super Friends originals.
f) Two words: Killer. Moth.
While it is nothing but good for the consumer to have two distinct manufacturers available to produce DC-based action figures, I can’t help but find it odd that the company around for over a decade is the one with so much catching up to do. So, readers and collectors, who is leading the pack in terms of DC Comics action figures?
Special thanks to Troy Brownfield for his insights…
October 15th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Mattel? You’re really not trying to say that Mattel does a better job than DC Direct are you? Sure, I’ll grant you that the figures they manage to get out are better sculpted and articulated than DCD, but they have MASSIVE problems with distribution.
DC Direct is listed in Previews. I can either add a set to my order, or just wait for it to show up at my LCS and I’m pretty confident that I’m going to get it. In fact, I’ve never not gotten something I pre-ordered.
Mattel on the other hand is a very different story. When I see that they have a new set, I generally go online and order it. In fact, if I want to have ANY chance of actually getting a full set I HAVE to go online and order it. Even then, I have no idea if it will ever actually show up.
Case in point, DC Universe Wave 9. I ordered this online when it was first solicited. The place I ordered from NEVER received their order from Mattel. I found out about it two weeks after it had supposedly gone on sale. I go to twenty or so Target’s, Wal-Marts, etc… and don’t find a single one of the figures. Those stores are still full of back stock of waves 6. Finally I get to a mini-con and manage to buy PART of the wave at scalper prices.
If this was just a problem with one wave, ok, mistakes happen, but things like this happen all the time with Mattel. And don’t even get me started on the Wal-Mart exclusive waves.
By the by, I live in southern California. If I don’t have a chance at finding the figures here, where there are dozens of stores within driving distance to check, what chance does someone in a more rural area have when he only has a single Wal-Mart?
So no. I don’t see Mattel as competition for DC Direct. You can’t compete if you can’t get your product to your customers.
DC Direct may not have many figures that I want, but when they do, I know I can get them.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Herofan has a point. I’m a huge fan of the Mattel line (about half of my rather meager collection is from Mattel), but most of those I bought on eBay because they weren’t available at any local outlets. If and when the local stores here, whether they be regular waves or Wal-Mart, Target, or Toys R Us exclusives, they typically don’t show up until MONTHS after Mattel says they’ve been released. Wave 9 only showed up locally in the last week of September.
And I think it’s a little unfair to say that “I can’t help but find it odd that the company around for over a decade is the one with so much catching up to do.” Which is older, DC Direct or Mattel? DC Direct may have decided to go back to the well too often with doing the same characters over and over again in different styles, but Mattel should have the capital to take more chances than DCD does.
And I think the bottom line is that Mattel should have at least the same amount of presence in stores that the Marvel lines do (that’s Hasbro, right?), but they just don’t.
October 19th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Okay, I’m going to put this here not because it fits right along with what Flow is saying (it does) or because any regular readers will see it (they probably won’t), but because I’m hoping Flow sees it and writes another post on it:
The DC Direct History of the DCU has officially jumped the shark.
DC’s solicitations for January 2010 hit earlier today, and along with all the comics were the solicits for the next four action figures in DCD’s “History of the DC Universe” line: Silver Age Captain Atom, Silver Age Martian Manhunter, Superman as Nightwing and Kobra.
What’s wrong with these choices? Nothing, unless you want the character in the line based on the book to ACTUALLY APPEAR IN THE BOOK!
Out of the four, only the Silver Age Captain Atom actually appears as advertised in History of the DC Universe. The Martian Manhunter does appear at least four times in the second volume, but as the heavy-browed alien most of us came to love in the 80s incarnations of the JLA and not the bald green guy DC Direct is releasing. Nightwing and Kobra do not appear in either volume at all.
On the other hand, a Kryptonian calling himself Nightwing is appearing in the Superman titles, and Kobra currently has a miniseries co-named for him, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Of course I shouldn’t be surprised. After doing a little checking, I see that neither Ocean Master or the version of Braniac they’re selling as part of the third wave of the line appeared in History of the DC Universe either. And the Martian Manhunter released in the “First Appearances” line isn’t actually the Silver Age J’onn, which would make sense, but the leather fetish costume that J’onn wore most recently before his death.
These aren’t bad figures; they definitely appear to be of the high standards DC Direct usually has. I just think that figures that appear in a line based on a comic book should actually appear in the comic book that the line is based on.
And the inclusion of Nightwing just boggles the mind. Between Crisis on Infinite Earths, History of the DC Universe, Justice League of America, Teen Titans, Brave and the Bold and everything else he’s done, Perez has practically made it his personal mission to draw every character in the DC Universe. So why give us a Superman variant that, from everything I can tell, Perez has NEVER DRAWN.
Therefore, I’m going to list off the figures that DC Direct should put in the History of the DC Universe line. These are figures that are either unlikely to appear in any other lines for one reason or another.
Arion, Sorcerer of Atlantis
The Shining Knight or The Silent Knight
The Black Pirate
Bat Lash, Scalphunter or Cinnamon
Jor-El and Lara-El
Hitler (vol. 1, page 37)
Crimson Avenger
Firebrand, Liberty Belle, Amazing Man or Robotman
Blackhawk
The Newsboy Legion
Deadman
Doom Patrol 2.0 Robotman
Atomic Knight
Amethyst (there may be some rights issues with this one)
Halo or Geo-Force (green and gold uniform)
Gypsy, Steel, Vibe or Zatanna (he did design her 80s look)
Anyone from Infinity Inc, but especially Skyman (yes, Skyman)
The Phantom Stranger
Wonder Woman with battle gear
Jonah Hex (from the 80s sci-fi series)
Blok, Sensor Girl, Wildfire or Polar Boy
That’s nearly 50 characters who either don’t have a figure at all, or only have one or two older ones. Those are just the ones I think would be interesting, and all of them appear in History of the DC Universe more than Nightwing or Kobra.
So what’s the story, DC Direct? You can’t be running out of ideas already. There are some great designs there that have never been represented by DC Direct, but are being passed over for a guy in a black bodysuit.
Sigh. I’m going to lie down now.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
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