San Diego Comic-Con DC Direct Pics

I stopped by the DC booth today to see what was new with DC Direct.   I got a chuckle out of an irate fan who was demanding to see Jim Fletcher, DC Direct’s Design Director.  I guess he didn’t know he was ranting at Georg Brewer, VP Design, and the guy who ultimately calls the shots.

Hal Jordan Exclusive – DCD had 2 of these sets on display, but the figures were on sale at Grafitti Design’s booth.  I didn’t even try to pick these up, because it would require hitting them up each day of the Con.  I’m not sure if Hal’s been in all these colors yet in the comics, but each figure sports both a Green ring on his right hand, and the respective other color ring on his left.  I must have been too afraid to take a close-up of the Yellow Lantern version.

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San Diego Comic-Con Mattel DC Universe Classics and MOTU Classics Pics

After a one and a half hour wait in Mattel’s exclusives line, I gave up and went to take some pictures.  Shout out to TheFwoosh.com’s Bam Bam, who held the spot in line for almost all of Preview Night before throwing in the white towel – it was clear we wouldn’t get to make any purchases there tonight.

In any case, we got to make a quick pass through Mattel.

DC Universe Classics – Production figures for Wave 9 were on hand.  Chemo has bubble effects added.  This wave looks really clean.  Also, 2-ups for the Joker and Power Girl.  The Joker will come with the Joker Fish accessory (unfortunately obscured in my pic).

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Toyfare Running Second DC Universe Classics Fan Poll

Catching up on some back news, now that I’ve got regular net access back again.  Toyfare is running a second fan poll for DC Universe Classics, featuring Captain Marvel Jr. (how would they name him on the package – “Shazam Junior”?), Geo-Force, Libra, Raven, Toy Man, and Uncle Sam.  The big hitters for me are Raven of Teen Titans and Toyman from the Legion of Doom.

I’m going to have to think pretty hard about this, because I don’t think we’ve had any word on of the other members of the first fan poll, which ran last year at this time and yielded The Question as the winner, due in DC Universe Classics wave 11.  I think that poll had a bit of a stronger list of characters, at least based on what I read in DC, so I was hoping that we’d get more of them.  Huntress and Catman are two biggies for me.

DCU FAN POLL: ROUND TWO

Mattel’s taking it to the fans once again with another fan choice poll, allowing you to choose the next DC Universe Classics figure

Get ready for yet another election. Don’t worry, this one won’t involve smear campaigns, newspaper articles or those annoying commercials. This time you’re voting for something really important, an action figure sculpted by the Four Horsemen.

The masterminds behind the red-hot DC Universe Classics action figures want your opinion on who should join a line that already includes an eclectic mix of DC heroes and villains from Batman and Robin to Atom Smasher and The Question the winner of the last fan choice poll from ToyFare #133. The figure will pop up in plastic in the Fall of 2010 for the series’ 15th wave. So, check out the following six nominees, then make your voice heard

DCU FAN POLL: ROUND TWO

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CAPTAIN MARVEL JR.

You’ve already got your Captain Marvel and your Black Adam, so why not round out the male side of the Marvel Family ignoring Osiris and the Wizard of course with Freddie Freeman here, the young crippled lad who could speak Captain Marvel’s name and ride the magic lightning. Freddie’s gone through some changes since first donning the blue duds, including a brief period of calling himself CM3 cause if he said his own name, he’d turn off his powers, duh and, more significantly, becoming the new Captain Marvel in the pages of Judd Winick’s The Trials of Shazam.

GEO-FORCE

Created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo, Prince Brion Markov here has been a member of the Justice League of America, but is probably more known for being a member of many incarnations of the Outsiders, starting with the original team from Batman and the Outsiders. Since his creation in 1983 this brother of Teen Titan betrayer Terra shares similar abilities as his earth-moving sister at least now he does, has gone through quite a few changes, most obviously from his original green and yellow costume to his current brown and orange version. Currently starring in The Outsiders, Geo-Force has gone through a resurgence in popularity of the past few years and was completely awesome kicking Deathstroke’s ass in DC Universe Last Will and Testament.

LIBRA

Obscure until last year, Libra played a pretty big role in Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis miniseries along with all the tie-ins that went along with it. We’re still trying to fit all the pieces of Final Crisis together in our heads, but Libra cut a pretty intimidating swath through the villain community. Not only did Libra have Lex Luthor working for him, but he also iced the Martian Manhunter with fire, of course. We don’t want to spoil anything but, we cheered when Lexy shot Libra and explained he was actually the Anti-Life Equation. Oops, spoiler He’s also not Barry Allen like we all thought

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RAVEN

A figure of Raven would get us one step closer to having a full team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s New Teen Titans. We’ve already got Kid Flash, Cyborg, Starfire and Robin well, there’s a Tim Drake Robin and a Dick Grayson Nightwing. Aside from everyone’s favorite brooding hooded mystic, you’d only need Wonder Girl Donna Troy and Beast Boy to round things out. Not too shabby. Plus, just imagine how much fun the Horsemen would have with that hood and cape Won’t someone please think of the Horsemen

TOYMAN

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the DCUC team really likes “Super Friends,” so it’s no surprise they went with this cartoon-inspired jester-like incarnation of the Superman villain for your voting pleasure. This Toyman would also continue the trend of including “Challenge of the Super Friends” Legion of Doom members in the line. Solomon Grundy, Sinestro, Black Manta, Giganta, Riddler, Captain Cold and Gorilla Grodd have already made the cut, so that just leaves Toyman, Cheeta, Scarecrow and Bizarro. Do your part and bring these long-lost fiends together again

UNCLE SAM

Aside from being the living embodiment of the raddest country on Earth that’d be us, the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of Uncle Sam lived on a world called Earth-X populated by the acquired-by-DC Quality Comics characters. What made this world different? The Nazis won WWII Since continuity’s been rewritten a time or ten since then, Sam has a simpler origin now and leads the Freedom Fighters: A group made up of most

via DCU FAN POLL: ROUND TWO : TOYS.

AFP’s Ask Matty Round-Up for 7/1/9

This will be the last Ask Matty before San Diego Comic-Con, and it’s a double-sized edition. Mattel will resume taking our questions in August. Now, buckle up and have fun!

1. What are the DC comics that you’re reading? How do they influence what you want to see in the various DC toy lines?

From Toy Guru:

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Pretty much everything DC puts out these days is required reading! On a personal note, I really enjoy the current Green Lantern and Flash Rebirth storylines. Booster Gold, Legion of Superheroes, Batman, the War that Time Forgot and Action Comics are also favorites.

The current DC Archives collection hardbacks have been a fantastic way to re-read some classic stories like the Batman Annuals and the Roots of Swamp Thing. Highly recommended! Kamandi and anything by Jack Kirby is also a favorite of mine.

Favorite characters definitely have a way of influencing both Mattel, DC Comics, Warner Brothers and the Four Horsemen as we decide each year who makes the cut in each line!

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DC Direct Blackest Night – Georg Brewer Interview – IGN.com

A couple of weeks ago, IGN.com revealed the DC Direct exclusive for San Diego Comic-Con – a set of five Hal Jordan action figures, in not just his own Green Lantern costume, but in the costumes of four other Lantern Corps (Red, Orange, Yellow, and Blue) as well.

Yesterday IGN.com got another scoop as they published an interview with Georg Brewer, the VP of Creative for DC Direct.  In it, George reveals four upcoming waves of DCD’s Blackest Night figure line.  Excerpt below.

IGN Comics: How far in advance did you plan, design and sculpt these figures to make it out during the event? Is it a major challenge to coordinate something like this between the comics division and DC Direct, particularly given that toys/statues need more lead time and comics have a much shorter turnaround?

Brewer: Yes and yes! Everyone saw early on that Blackest Night was going to be huge, and as I mentioned getting everyone on board and excited to have the toy line up and running during the event was a real opportunity for us all. Given the time needed for figures this is no easy feat. When we can actually pull it off it is a great bit of synergy that adds even more to the overall comic event experience. However, to do so means we all have to work closely together, and really push each of our development schedules so product can be ready when needed, and in some cases (like with the Black Lanterns) we even hold back or tease some of the visuals so as not to hinder the excitement of finding them in the story as it unfolds.

IGN Comics: Can you give us the technical specs for these figures – size, articulation, MSRP and any other noteworthy features?

Brewer: Sure!

DC Direct Blackest Night (credit: IGN.com)
DC Direct Blackest Night (credit: IGN.com)

Wave #1

  • Black Lantern Earth-2 Superman 6.5″
  • Alpha Lantern Boodika with removable face plate 6.75″
  • Blue Lantern Saint Walker with power battery 7.5″
  • Atrocitus with power battery 7.25″

Wave #2

  • Black Lantern Martian Manhunter 7″
  • Green Lantern John Stewart with power battery 6.75″
  • Indigo with Power battery 7″
  • Kryb with removable back cage that stores 2 alien children 7″

Wave #3

  • Black Lantern Aquaman 6.75″
  • Green Lantern Arisia with power battery 6.5″
  • Star Sapphire with power battery 6.625″
  • Larfleeze The Orange Lantern with Glomulus and power battery 7″ GLOMULUS is 2.375″

Wave #4

  • Black Lantern Firestorm 6.75″ to top of head (helmet increases height)
  • Green Lantern Kyle Raynor with power battery 6.75″
  • Black Hand with Batman skull 6.75″
  • Wonder Woman 6.625″ to top of head (hair increases height)

Later waves are in the planning stages.

via IGN: DC Direct Discusses Blackest Night Plans.

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