I’ll admit I’ve been remiss in covering this, but Mattel’s DC toy lines are in trouble. Young Justice’s 4″ and 6″ lines have been cancelled; JLU ends this year. But what about the DC Universe 6″ lines? To quote the Magic 8-Ball, “Outlook not so good.”
It’s all covered thoroughly in an excellent editorial by NoisyDvl5, which I highly recommend you read. The story is mostly told in two question and answer sessions. Here’s the first, on the Mattycollector forums, by “Matty Justice League” (your guess is as good as mine as to who the hell on the Mattel staff that is):
As I’m going through this, my guess is that there are many questions on this topics. Additionally, we did make an official announcement. For more details, this is what I’m going to say (and point future posts to this one):
DC Universe is going away after 2012 and there’ll be one more wave of 4. In 2013, we’ll be relaunching our 6″ with complimentary [sic] offerings on Matty and at Mass. You guys will be able to complete your collection and I hope you’ll like what we are doing. We’ve taken lessons from DC Universe and Legacy. Overall, we need to adjust to retailers, consumers and what’s selling in volumes that can be supported.
As far as the character that we showed but haven’t released, most of them have been tooled so we’ll be looking for a way to release them in one form or another. However, I can’t 100% guarantee that.
The questions here are obvious:
- What will this 2013 “relaunch” entail? Wasn’t DC All Stars supposed to be the relaunch?
- What does “complementary” offerings on Mattycollector and at mass retail mean? I would guess Club Infinite Earths and the odd TRU exclusive respectively.
- Regarding “selling in volumes that can be supported” – I have a hunch that if Club Infinite Earths can’t even muster up the numbers for MOTUC – which are already fairly low – the problem here really may not be Mattel.
And that’s exactly what Noisy gets into later in the editorial:
I’m not going to excuse Mattel, but I have to wonder how much better off we’d be if DC could successfully market its secondary characters; if DC had been able to position itself as Marvel has. Remember, in the toy world, it’s all about units moved. If Mattel could sell more DC figures, the figures would presumably be better. I am frustrated with Mattel, but I’m really frustrated with DC Comics. DC’s inability to market itself is what has brought about the Relaunch in the comics. DC’s inability to market itself is why Mattel has been reduced to selling figures online, directly to consumers while Hasbro is pumping out two scales of comic-based merchandise for Marvel.
I think this is the crux of it. For all of Mattel’s mismanagement of DCUC – and there’s no question the quality control and distribution issues were terrible – the biggest problem was that outside of the core of the Justice League, there just aren’t many DC characters who have a lot of fans. I’m not going to bother with the argument that kids don’t know who the lesser DC characters are (though that’s true, of course); what’s more significant is that more collectors in the 18-49 segment want a Constrictor or U.S. Agent than any of the Metal Men. And I include myself in that list. I often wondered, when reading a review of a DCUC figure, how many of those reviewers had any idea who the character was before they were announced as a DCUC figure? Speaking for myself, I knew the core JLA and the Bat-characters and that was about it. I did a lot of catching up and bought a lot of trade paperbacks – trades that I’m now thinking of selling off.
I tried to keep up my excitement about DCUC, but after a while I quickly realized I was spending money on characters I didn’t know anything about and didn’t care to learn about (especially when DC kept changing their damned origins every other month anyway). Pretty soon I was down to just collecting Batman-related figures, and now I’m barely doing even that. If I could cancel my Club Infinite Earths sub, I would.
When I was a kid, I spent about two years as a big Marvel fan, and I think that mirrors the experience of many my age. I did try to get into Batman when the 1989 movie came out, but the Batman comics – still deep in the post-Dark Knight Returns grim’n’gritty era and obsessed with continuity – were inaccessible to eleven-year-old Poe.
I hate to say it, but I still think DC is Pepsi to Marvel’s Coca-Cola. Yes, DC has Batman and Superman – well, really just Batman – but Marvel is still winning the war, so to speak. And Mattel’s DC action figure lines are to be the latest casualties.
Nuker
DCUC!!! Ssssoooooo many warped kneeeees!! Why, Mattel, do you insist on posing the figures in the package?!?!?
It almost sucks to collect toys now compared to when I was a kid……….almost 🙂
And yeah poster Eric is right! Ocean Warrior Aquaman over Hook Handed/Bearded Aquaman?!?! WTF Mattel??!!
I’ll tell why this line is failing: lack of majestically bearded heroes.
Bearded Aquaman might just be the guy to save this line! XD
T-bone
Wait. Does this mean that the Cargo-Pants YJ Superboy I was gonna use to custom a Max Lord is cancelled? Crud.
I wonder if, in actuality, Marvel's B-listers really are that much more popular than DC's on a story level. While I agree that Marvel has a much more popular mid-list than DC (it's interesting to see DC try to up the visibility for their midlist characters like Firestrom with the reboot), I'm not sure if — as the example goes — there were fans clamoring for a Constrictor figure over the Metal Men just because he's that much a compelling characters.
When it comes to that example, there is, of course, the nostalgia factor. What with Constrictor being a rare Secret Wars entry back in the 80's.
But when all is said and done, I'm wondering if Marvel characters — while more expensive to mold — are simply more toyetic, more visually interesting and varied. As previously mentioned, DCUC had gotten to the point where it was mostly new heads slapped on one of five bodies. Marvel, on the other hand, has a huge stable of characters with unique visual elements — Ghost Rider's leather bike getup, Wolverine's claws and ridiculous mask and boots, etc. There are just fewer "vanilla unitard" guys in Marvel's universe. I mean, as much crap as the Superfriends wave got, I picked-up Samurai because his ridiculous tunic offered some visual variety in my DCUC display (I'm a cherry-picker). I've got Captain Boomerang, even though I'm not a huge fan of the Flash Rogues. I've got Magog, even though he's seen limited use in the comics. Azrael Batman, despite comics-inaccurate design and the fact that I loathe his character (as I was supposed to).
It got to the point where I'd often kitbashed or customed figures for myself before the official DCUC figure came out, and because everything was built on the same few bodies, I often gave serious thought to whether or not I "needed" the official version of the character, or whether my custom worked just fine.
wilyjeff
I doubt that the difference between Hasbro's Marvel sales and Mattel's DC sales can be significantly attributable to differences in character popularity. After all, don't forget that Marvel Legends has been defunct for several years until recently, due to, at that point, a thin selection of new characters as well as the usual distribution/sculpt/paint issues that collectors are always complaining about– the exact same issues which have afflicted DCUC. If anything, we should be surprised that it's lasted this long. If Infinite Heroes were executed with the same quality as Hasbro's offerings, I have no doubt that it would still be around today. Mattel, unfortunately, did not have Hasbro's decades of experience in producing and marketing line after line of 3.75" figures which appeal to both kids and collectors.
Brad
Well, DC is doing everything it can to be Marvel by relaunching all of their titles and doing away with any sort of discernible continuity, but in the end it doesn’t matter. Comics are dying.
“The Avengers” and “TDR” will both make a ton of money, but it won’t drive folks into their local comic book shops. Film and TV are the future for these characters and these properties. Print, whether its release-day digital or not, is a dead medium.
I appreciated DCUC quite a bit, but they were pricey. I got the Manhunter From Mars for a couple of bucks on clearance at Walmart, and he’s pretty magnificent looking. But, I never would’ve paid twenty or twelve dollars for hun.
Mattel’s mismanaged all of its properties outside of Barbie and Hot Wheels. They’ve treated MOTU and DCU much the way Disney treated “John Carter,” and now fans and consumers will suffer greatly for it.
I can only imagine the imminent Web-based explosion when MOTUC is finally cancelled. Dear Lord, I can’t wait to be a witness to that catastrophe of epic proportions.
Kevin
DC Comics just blows, that's the problem. I was happy collecting super articulated Batman figures before DCUC. Then I bought the Red Tornado wave and decided it would be my first and last.
After not being able to ever get the Walmart exclusive Joker I gave up on ever buying any more figures from this line.
Eric
Yeah, their problem was that they were only making the weird crap they wanted to make, and they refused to spend the money needed to make more wanted figures. For example: Ocean Warrior Aquaman. Why the hell was this made, but not hook-hand/Beard Aquaman? Because Ocean Warrior Aquaman costs nothing to make. It's also why they released Jemm (who the hell is this guy) over a White Martian or Classic OMAC over army-builder modern OMAC.
35% of these figures are literally the same buck with a new head popped on it. Eventually people get bored.
Nemo Durant
Why are people so threatened by the notion that DC has characters they don’t “know”?
Your on the internet dude, you can look up Jemm, Son of Saturn up if you wanted to.
Poe Ghostal
I don't think they feel "threatened" – they just don't want them.
George
updated on Facebook from Matty.
BubbaShelby
How can you put any blame on DC? Brave and the Bold and Young Justice were/are GREAT and exposed everyone to tons of excellent characters well designed and written. But Mattel made toys that fall far below industry standards, or were aimed at mentally challenged three year olds while at the same time turning off collectors by chopping up great designs with useless garnbage: Brave and the Bold toys would have sold like hotcakes to EVERYONE if they were exactly the same sans hex-holes. Hex -holes?!?!? REALLY?!?!?! Please fire the guy who came up with that idea!
Shit QC, the real (not perceived – there's a distinction) impossibility of completing most waves (while getting waves specifically designed to be completed due to included BAF parts – which in turn ran up the price of an individual piece if you were just a cherry picker) and again – sub-engineered product compared to almost everything on the shelf – led to this. DCUC had a good run, yes, but the future of Mattel/DC product beyond Batman/Superman/movie stuff is dim indeed.
Oh yeah, and Mattel's hard-on for their crappy online sales sites/business models designed solely to cut their expenses and up their profit – NOT to cater to collectors – let's get that straight – did nothing to help.
The ONLY thing that has made Mattel money on these properties and had any of them last or exist at all is DC's CHARACTERS and the DESIGNS of Timm or the Four Horsemen of the B&B and YJ stuff. NOT Mattel's business practices or quality or availability.
George
I dont't buy the whole DC isn't marketed enough. I still think its their sub-par action figure making skills. When Infinite Heroes were out, we all knew they were crap even with just the Superman and Batman push of the characters the line failed, it failed not because there was no cartoon to to support it, or because there wasn't a anchor leading the wave, or because of distribution; but because the figures sucked. Case in point Green Lanterns 3 1/4 line. Everyone knows you have to spend money to make money in business. Do you remember when DCUC came out and there was spotty QC and all everyone just said it will be fine they just need to get better is a young brand with time it will get better? well guess what it never did it often got worst. Marvel Universe figures sucked bad at first and they were releasing random obscure characters left and right (I mean really Claw?) and they manage to overcome when the figures got better, they kept adding on to it more articulation better sculpts/paint apps. They repacked the popular characters and short packed the underwhelming characters and they succeeded. Mattel only went backwards. I mean I understand outside of Batman DC seems to be unpopular with the masses, but releasing character widely and relatively dead even to comic book fans (ie. Kamandi) with not story and a half written bio on card will not get sold no mater if it comes packaged in a batman package. The fact that they never changed their sculpts even though they had the resources too do so, might have scared away any of their casual buyers too.
Mortimer McMire
Damn Mattel…..Damn them to HELL.
I wanted a full 6" Young Justice team, and now……..
Bunch of useless idiots.
plannedbanter
I think it's both the fault of DC, as licensor, and Mattel, as a manufacturer. A lot of collectors are hyped (me included) for the return of Marvel Legends figures because that was one of the last big toy crazes and Hasbro's made a pretty favorable impression with recent product, like some of the GI Joe Pursuit of Cobra/30th Anniversary figures, that some of the reputation for their previous Marvel efforts has worn off. Mattel's coming off of a line that started out strong but started having repeated QC and public relations disasters all the way back from wave 5, the first Wal-Mart exclusive series. After other fiascos (Gentleman Ghost, cancelling online orders of Wave 9, inconsistent distribution of several waves, breaking joints) I think the line actually ended up dethroning MOTU 200X as the most stressful line I've ever collected at retail; at least when I found Evil-lyn, I didn't have to worry about her ankle snapping like with Robin in Wave 16. The line got to be so exhausting to collect that I actually enjoyed it when they made figures I didn't want as it gave me a break from when 3 waves would come out at once. Mattel's issues (and behavior) with DCUC and other lines put things at a critical juncture where I think a lot of people are on the verge of walking away and a gigantic gap in releases is the perfect chance for people to do so, especially since they came off from one in 2011.
DC is trying to get a similar market share to what Marvel's got as they had three separate successfully received films based on their properties released in 2011. Comic success isn't necessarily what they're aiming for but the New 52 was a way to draw attention to themselves in a big way and that's the angle they're going to want from their licensed product as well. They probably want contemporary looks for the characters in order to support the DC "brand" but WB rushed everyone into trying to imitate the multi-platform success that Marvel's had too quickly so you end up with a bunch of half-communicated ideas like Flashpoint Action League coming long after anyone even remembers the story existing. Mattel's trying to keep the momentum they have from DCUC around but it's probably not easy when you're struggling with no knowledge of what characters are popular enough to sell now in a "new" universe. They're in this weird place where they paid for a brand name but one that took a violent transition; they're halfway between making product for an upcoming Saturday Morning Cartoon, like Secret Saturdays for example, that could misfire and paying for the license to work with a well-established stable of characters that have an installed fanbase.
It's possible WB thinks Mattel is fine with focusing on Dark Knight Rises product this year but collectors can be fickle and a release gap can stifle a popular line. Look at Hasbro: the TRU ML 2-packs were some of the best figures they'd made under the license at that point but they lingered from a combination of TRU's high prices and waning interest. I didn't even pick up most of them and Legends has been more responsible than any other line for keeping me in this hobby. While those were dormant, Hasbro focused on making product for Marvel Movies and then relaunched Marvel Legends with the most excitement it has had since MODOK was revealed to be the wave 15 BAF.
I really think Mattel is a victim of DC's inconsistent corporate mandates where you're seeing "New 52" Superman being at a mass market retail line while ancillary products like school folders feature George Perez art from the 80's on them. They're still in the early stages of selling these designs as the "looks" for the characters to people while Mattel is left hanging on to find out which characters would sell as toys; that's why DC Direct has been putting out so much Arkham City/Asylum product as it's a popular property that isn't affected by the reboot in any way.
I think Mattel is going to wait and see what happens this year; DC wasn't even 100% behind the reboot as there was a "backdoor" plot element in Flashpoint that provides an out if the new universe tanked. It's an interesting (and bizarre) time in DC's corporate history, one where they have oddball things like cartoons starring characters that either aren't in the comics anymore (Aqualad, Plastic Man, most of the Milestone characters) or are in ones that aren't for kids (Animal Man).
Newton Gimmick
This.
Mattel has dropped the ball with DC's lines across the board in many respects, though.
The distribution, QC and price put me out of the line years ago. I've picked up the odd guy here or there, but I gave up on trying to complete anything with any sort of regularity because of those issues. Mattel generally didn't care.
They also missed the boat on all sorts of DC lines. Why didn't they do some spiffy Brave & The Bold tie-in figures? Why did the make the Brave & The Bold toys so terrible? You know, back when that show was super popular and could have drove kids to DCUC!? But instead of any crossover, they just missed the opportunity.
Instead they launch a GL line in conjuntion with the movie. Which sounds good on paper, but was a total disaster when there was a huge glut of crappy movie toys already coming… Not to mention a lackluster movie. I actually blame the GL Classics for the "death" of DCUC. Those lines were the first DCUC I ever saw get massively clearanced and it backed up DCUC everywhere. No wonder stores didn't want to order more of the product and obscure characters.
Hopefully they take some time away and make a logical relaunch of all their DC stuff when it makes sense and they've recharged their batteries a bit.
Poe Ghostal
Well, the New 52 have been selling pretty well. If the concept can gain traction, and WB will actually allow the stuff that's doing well to grow without strangling it just because it's taking a bit of time, then I think DCUC could return in grand style, just like Marvel Legends is now. But it'll take patience, which DC/WB does not seem to have in any quantity.
plannedbanter
Brave & the Bold was a huge wasted opportunity outside of the Action League product which was neat but not really what I was looking to collect.
At this point I wonder if Mattel is peeling back the comic figure retail presence because they're trying to get collectors to focus on a movie line. Green Lantern being a terrible movie that was kind of unpopular with its fanbase probably didn't help but it really boils down to how those figures were terrible and overpriced. Most fans didn't like Rise of Cobra but the toyline was a smashing success (with good reason: it was pretty awesome for the most part).
I can't blame Mattel for making GL Classics despite recognizing my bias of being excited for the figures. Green Lantern is probably the most popular property at DC next to Batman and they were likely drooling over all the cash that the Blackest Night figures were making for DC Direct. That second series lingered on the pegs though in my area they were accompanied by plenty of Wave 14 (I'm looking at you Kamandi) all the way until they were blown out at $4.75.
I think a smart tactic for Mattel would be to have 2 DC subscriptions of 6 months a piece, one for the first half of the year and one for the second. One could have older characters like the Metal Men while the other would have the modern ones like Larfleeze. That's the biggest problem facing Club Infinite Earths is a lot of fans don't want to have both flavors of DC continuity as the fanbase is really fractured. For example, I'm on board for almost anything excluding weird 1-issue Batman and Superman variants but I get off at Flashpoint and New 52 since I find the designs unappealing.
jestergoblin
I still have absolutely no idea what Mattel was thinking when they made the Flashpoint Action League wave. Sure, a handful of the figures like Cyborg and "Citizen Cold" fit in fine but releasing a line six months after an event occurred (and was no longer even in continuity?!) for a toy line directed at children honestly baffles me completely.
I love the smaller scale and got out of the 6-inch game as soon as DC Universe started. But this isn't just a problem facing this line – this is a huge issue facing ALL of Mattel's DC lines.
plannedbanter
I think they were hoping for some sort of 1-2 punch of getting kids to buy Action League because they like Action League and getting collectors to buy because they're completists. Judging by how this wave is clogging up local Wal-Marts, their efforts seem to be less than successful.
Extra paranoid speculation: it was a testing ground to see how well Flashpoint designs would do as mass market toys as Mattel might have considered putting some in the main line.
The Flash III
Well put. DC is a mess and WB simply has no idea what they're doing when it comes to managing comic properties and marketing them to fans. It always seems like DC is one step behind Marvel, waiting to see what they're doing, then copying it. Unfortunately, what works for Marvel isn't practical for DC. Since the announcement of DCnU, everything in regards to the toyline has been botched and no one seems to have any idea what figure goes where or when. As DCUC is the only line I collect, it's sad to see it mismanaged from all angles the way it has. Oh well, at least the announced sub figures were all good, so we have at least 2012 to look forward to.
misterbigbo
Poe, will you please copy and paste this article (with some minor edits) at next year’s announcement of the death of MOTUC? Oughta be at about the same time. . .
Poe Ghostal
You think the character choices will end MOTUC? But what would you do differently? If I understand you correctly, you're just waiting for the last of the major 1980s characters (Ram-Man, Mekaneck) to be made, and then you're done.
Would you rather Mattel have just remade every character from the 1980s line and called it a day? Is there anything that would keep you interested? More 4H-created characters, perhaps? I'm honestly curious, because you're sort of the definition of a casual MOTUC collector.
Misterbigbo
Honestly, I'm pretty sure I'm done this month. TP He-Man was the last one I was looking forward to, and maybe Draego-Man, but I won't be near a computer around Monday's sale window, and might miss both. Not sure how enthusiastic I will be to try and hunt them down on the secondary market.
Your assessment of me as a casual fan is dead on, and I think I represent a goodly-sized portion of the community that follows trends. We lapped up the 25th GI Joes until we didn't, and apparently are now sick of DCUC. All the other reasons aside, and I think they are very valid (QC, character selection, DC's interference or apathy), an important factor might just be waning interest. To paraphrase, show me a beautiful toy sculpted by the FHM, and I'll show you a nerd tired of collecting it. These lines just have shelf lives when they are aimed at such small target markets.
As for MOTUC, I wouldn't have done anything differently in selecting characters, at least from a business perspective. As a fan I wish more 80s MOTU came out before I got tired of dealing with Matty and QC and price. But I have indeed grown tired. The few dozen figs I have save four languish in baggies until my son is old enough for them, and there isn't a thing to be done to get me to buy more. The iron isn't hot anymore, and my few dollars are leaning elsewhere.
ridureyu
"the problem here really may not be Mattel."
Yeah, I kind of agree with this. I'm still seeing that pharoah dude clogging shelves, along with other more-than-unknowns. DC toys just don't sell very well if they aren't one of about five characters. Among collectors, sure, but Wal-Mart has to pander to a much wider audience.
Diego Sanches
well, I don't think a toyline with 20 waves plus multipacks and spin offs can be called a failure.
I don't know much about distribution problems because I live in Brazil and I had to import almost every toy I have, but I agree with Poe about DC not knowing how to market its own characters.
They tried to do it with Batman The Brave and the Bold, a really funny cartoon for both kids and nostalgic adults, packed with C-list characters that showed up being great, but they cancelled it. Nice move DC.
ero
I get awfully tired of people bitching about the Super Friends wave when I HAPPILY bought a lot of D-list characters whom I'd never heard of. Get over yourselves. They were a handful of characters in a collection of hundreds.
DCUC was an excellent toyline that exposed me to lots of cool characters. Killer Moth and Blue Beetle II continue to be two of my favorites from the line, and as a non-comics fan, they were characters I'd never heard of before. The character selection was great, the approach was fun and the sculpts were awesome. It lasted for 20 Waves, during which we saw 2-packs, exclusives, box sets and spin-off lines. It had QC problems and was hard to find, but even Mighty Star Wars can be fraught with broken limbs and bad paint (TVC Yoda) and distribution issues (how's that Bespin Han you never found treating you?).
I wish the collecting community could just enjoy things sometimes instead of getting up in arms about anything and everything.
Braystreet
D-List isn't the same as intrinsically bad, I hope you know, a lot of D-List characters are fan favorites and good characters that just never got the opportunity to take off a big way. The Super Powers wave figures were characters that were intrinsically bad and the minority weren't even actually DC universe characters. It's the equivalent of the last gasps of the Star Wars line being muscle-bound wrestlers wearing dead skunks as hats and calling themselves clones of Daniel Boone. There's no less hatred for Sinestro Corps Batman than there is the Super Powers wave, because it's the same thing. They all have no place.
Poe Ghostal
You picked up on something I meant to mention: if DCUC ends in 2012, it did have a good run – even a very good run, as action figure lines go. Every major DC superhero was made (including, finally, Martian Manhunter), and a ton of villains too.
Obviously there are holes, but I don't think there are any glaring holes.
Andy Bentley
http://thefwoosh.com/2011/08/we-have-a-crisis-on-…
The now infamous hardcore DC fan request post by Vee Bee of The Fwoosh. This is what we hope for.
Team completion is the #1 request.
I think the best effort by DC do feature their obscure characters is Batman: Brave and the Bold. However, Mattel marketed this toy line for tiny tots rather than 34 year old DC fans who appreciate the nod to the Ten Eyed Man and Gentleman Ghost
Pete
To be fair, though, team completion is the big problem Hasbro has with their ML line, too.
racevedo
In 2008, DCUC was 11.88. They are now $20. Mattel's greed is what killed this line, think nothing else.
TSR
And GI Joe is now $10.99 each at Target. Toy prices, in general, are awful.
Poe Ghostal
And again, I think this all ties in more to the oil/Chinese labor costs than corporate greed. It's true collectors are a segment that will pay more for their addictions, but I'm skeptical that's the main thing driving the prices. It's just not what I've heard from my industry friends.
And heaven knows, if Internet comments and forum threads are any indication, collectors refuse to buy things they believe are overpriced. Or at least, that's what they say that on the Internet…what they do in the comfort of their own local store is unknown to us.
Braystreet
The "Complementary Offerings at Mass" are most likely the Superman movie figures. I don't think that the line will be exclusively six inch, however, so it will most likely be broken up into a major four inch launch and a minor six inch launch much like the Green Lantern figures.
It's important to remember that Mattel thinks anything that is stated to be six inches tall fits in with DCUC, regardless of how tall they actually are.
Monkey boy
So exactly who’s responsible for the character slots in DCUC? Mattel or DC? Why did we get a bunch of super friends i’d never heard of at retail and then slapped with poison ivy as a subscription only figure? Why was half of batman’s rogues gallery relegated to scalper bait Walmart exclusive waves? There’s a lot of blame to go around, but I still think Matty needs to own a good chunk of it.
Valo487
I sold off my DCUC figures a while back. I know what you’re saying about DC, I always explained it to friends that Batman is my favorite character but I preferred Marvel overall. My reason for giving up on DCUC was purely Mattel related however, the price kept going up and the QC never changed, and the straw that broke the camel’s back for me was Sinestro. They finally put out a Sinestro thats the correct height, at triple the cost with a worthless Hal Jordan and a couple of constructs, with never an acknowledgement that they screwed up in the first place. Every time I was in TRU I’d see that pack and know I needed a correct Sinestro, but I could never bring myself to buy it. I just didn’t want it enough to pay what they were asking. That was when I realized I was done. I just didn’t enjoy the line anymore, and Mattel made it very easy to walk away. The Superfriends wave and the asinine MSRP on the Crime Syndicate box set only served to reinforce my opinion.