Here’s your bi-monthly Ask Mattel roundup. I’ll update it with any more that pop up.
Interesting tidbits:
Kastor: With the next Matty Collector DCUC 2 pack coming in only a few weeks, are there any hints about the third 2 pack for the line? A guy and a girl? Hero and Villain? A theme to the pack?
Matty: The next pack will be two villains!
That’s cool. Here’s hoping for two Flash foes–maybe Heat Wave and Mirror Master? (more…)
1.) While you can’t provide any specific numbers, can you give any sense of how much more widely available the next Walmart-exclusive wave of DCUC will be than Wave 5 (if at all)?
It is up to Wal-Mart to announce those numbers. (more…)
Out of the blue, GeekGirlDiva of Entertainment Earth has informed me that the Lex Luthor/Supergirl DCUC 2-pack is back up for sale. If you’re going to order one, please do me and PGPoA a massive solid by using this link. Thanks!
For those who don’t remember, this set is scheduled to include the DCSH Lex Luthor in his battle suit and the blue Supergirl, as well as possibly an extra accessory.
While there are plenty of extra-large villains for Mattel to choose from as Build-a-Figures, there are far fewer super-sized heroes. One of those few, though, is Atom Smasher. Created in 1983 by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway, Atom Smasher gained popularity as a founding member of DC’s current version of the Justice Society of America (as opposed to the Justice League). While the Justice League gets all the press and features high-profile heroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the Justice Society has carved out its own niche in the DC Universe. (more…)
So far, I’ve had a lot of luck with Mattel producing the characters I’ve most wanted in DCUC: Robin in his current costume, Deathstroke, Despero, Deadshot, the Joker. I think the only one they haven’t announced so far is the black-and-gray, black bat symbol, pouch belt Batman. So given my luck in this area, I thought I’d officially announce my newest most-wanted DCUC figure: Red Robin.
Admittedly, there’s a bit of a problem here–Red Robin doesn’t really have a definitive identity–not yet, anyway. He originated in Alex Ross’s Kingdom Come graphic novel as a future version of Dick Grayson. More recently, he was introduced to the mainstream DC universe when the resurrected Jason Todd (who really needs to be put back in the cold, cold ground) took on the identity during Countdown. Finally, a minor Batman villain named The General took on the persona in the pages of DC’s late Robin series.
Starting in June, a new ongoing Red Robin series will debut, and while the identity of the latest RR hasn’t been revealed, all signs point to it being Tim Drake. While I love Tim Drake as Robin, I’d be fine with a permanent change to Red Robin. It would make an excellent addition to the Bat family.
The most appealing thing about Red Robin is the suit. It’s a good grown-up version of the Robin outfit, adding touches of Batman’s look while retaining its uniqueness. I’ll admit that’s basically why I want to see the figure immortalized in DCUC form, assuming DC is willing to commit to putting Tim Drake’s bio on the packaging.
How awesome would a DCUC Red Robin be? Customizer Lesternessman created one for an AFI contest last year, and I think the result speaks for itself.
Corey Tincher reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Ocean Warrior Aquaman figure. Excerpt: “This is just an ugly costume, and they matched it quite well, meaning it’s an ugly figure too.”
Poe Ghostal reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Ocean Warrior Aquaman figure. Excerpt: “… because of the odd way Aquaman is hunched in the package, my Aquaman’s head was completely locked in a looking up” position.”
Poe Ghostal reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Booster Gold (modern variant) figure. Excerpt: “… one of the best-looking DCUC figures to date.” (more…)
For some reason, DC Comics has an abundance of iconic characters they have no idea what to do with. So they subject them to reboot after retcon after reboot, never giving them a chance to build a full-fledged character and mythology before they’re off in another direction again. Hawkman is probably the best (worst?) example, but even the likes of Wonder Woman have found themselves subjected to major reboots.
In 1986, in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths (which would set DC on a course of obsessive preoccupation with continuity for more than twenty years, a process that’s still ongoing), Aquaman got a well-received four-issue limited series written by Neal Pozner and illustrated by Craig Hamilton. Hamilton’s distinctive redesign of Aquaman’s outfit, featuring a much more logical (if less iconic) color scheme of blacks, blues and whites, only lasts as long as the series’ brief run. However, it has remained a fan-favorite since, and now Mattel has given this version of Aquaman (which they’re calling “Ocean Warrior” Aquaman) his first-ever action figure. (more…)
Marvel Comics fans have often made fun of DC Comics’s abundance of sidekicks and “kid” versions of characters. There’s a simple reason for the differing traditions, though. In the early days of superhero comics in the 1940s, child sidekicks were believed to be both a way to help kids identify with the situations and the comics as well as give them a role model (Robin’s early appearances in Batman comics featured numerous lectures about moral behavior).
It was also a simpler time, when the audience of superhero comics was entirely adolescent children. Sidekicks made sense from a business standpoint, and the simple nature of the stories–busting gangsters and petty thugs, rather than world-devouring demigods–made having a sidekick less like reckless child endangerment and more like plain old adventure. (more…)