Okay, I’ll admit it. I killed DC Universe Classics at retail. To some of you — the younglings — this may come as a shock. How could your dear uncle Anthill claim responsibility for ending one of the most beloved action figure lines of our time? I do, for I must. To others among you, it is no surprise; in spite of our fellowship, you knew in the end I would betray our great cause. When I began down this path years ago I didn’t, I couldn’t, know the temptations that lay before me. I was in it for the heroes, for the villains, for the classics, man! And yet, in the end, I strayed from that path, following a strange new muse that in the end offered only the destruction of that which I held most dear. For what brightly-colored bauble did I sell my soul, you ask? What unbreakable plastic bargain did I make with the demon known only as… Matty? Well, I will tell you, my friends. Better yet, I will show you…
I know, I know. I should have had the children removed from the room! Take them from me! Take them from my shame!
It was the monstrous two-headed hydra known as Waves 17 and 18 that laid waste to DCUC at retail. It came unexpectedly, a broadside after the well-received Bane wave. The line had never seemed stronger, but to the seasoned eye, the rot had already set in. While the Super Powers version of the Paradmon had innocuously slipped in during wave 8, (and Super Powers Mantis in the following wave), it was the inclusion of the much-maligned Cyclotron that truly showed the problem: Super Powers nostalgia had tainted the Universe.
It was no secret that both brand manager Scott Neitlich and sculptors the Four Horsemen loved the unconventional characters Kenner saw fit to pepper the original Super Powers line with, but fans of DC Universe Classics had a hard time understanding their inclusion in the new line. Who was asking for Cyclotron? Nobody, that’s who.
Tyr arrived in wave 14 followed by seriously tricked-out Golden Pharaoh. It was clear fans were now expected to take one for the Kenner fetishists, but at one figure a wave, the doses were moderate. Then came the beast, first in the form of the “Rainbow Lantern” wave. An entire series of story-specific repaints based on characters dressed in goofy costumes worn for one issue was poison to the base, and collectors recoiled. Matty claimed it was the fan’s idea and the fans… well, they said otherwise. It was uncomfortable.
If Wave 17 was an undeserved slap on the snout, then wave 18 was a bullet in the back of the head. A harsh assessment? Perhaps, but in an assortment made up of two out-of-left-field characters no one had asked for, (Bronze Tiger and Toyman), a Captain Boomerang in a costume everybody hated, and four Super Powers figures, it’s hard to look at this as anything but shootin’ old Yeller out behind the barn.
Wave 18 tanked and tanked hard. With pegs still chock full of the unwanted wave 17, the Super Powers figures had nowhere to go. They sat in piles at the bottom of retailer’s shelves, as undesirable as the mismatched electronic Hulk fists and Lego sets with the minifigures ripped out. To this day, I can still find Bronze Tiger and Samurai at my local Toys R Us — at $19 and change, no less! While we can all agree that Toys R Us is pretty pig-headed when it comes to reducing their merchandise, it’s also indicative of the impact these two waves (and the Green Lantern movie figures, naturally) had on retailers that they remain so desperate to recoup their losses. And what’s my part in this, you ask? What am I guilty of?
I wanted them. God help me, I wanted them all!
Okay, not the Rainbow Lanterns — those figures sucked. But I was all in for the Super Powers figures. It didn’t matter that I had no personal attachment to Apache Chief or Black Lightning, nor was I worried their inclusion meant someone else’s favorite character would never be made — I wanted them because, ultimately, I got greedy. My toy collecting philosophy has always been the more, the merrier. It’s why I have so many X-Men figures — I’ve never been a fan of the team, but my Marvel shelves seem incomplete without Nightcrawler, Colossus, Cyclops, and the rest. I’m far from a completist; I just like a lot of people at the party!
Unfortunately, all parties have a maximum capacity, and my open-door policy encouraged DC to completely surpass theirs at retail. In retrospect, I’m merely an accomplice; it was Mattel’s hubris in thinking the line could carry such niche figures while the company held back fan-demanded characters like Poison Ivy and Ra’s al Ghul that was its true undoing. After a series of aborted restarts, Mattel all but gave up. Thanks to the mishandling of the line at retail, the DC brand has never quite recovered its top-shelf status, with its offerings playing second fiddle to Marvel’s movie leftovers.
Ultimately, in spite of how it happened, it’s wrong to begrudge these guys their existence — after all, who doesn’t want to exist in three dimensions? The Super Powers figures are innocent or, at least, less guilty. Cut them some slack, will ya?
Jason R Mink is the Man in the Anthill!
U make me laugh,man.
LMAO at last pic.
@demoncat4~ ok. Alright. The fact is regardless of origin, I love the work Mattel did with Superpowers characters. They as you say,were not unwanted.lol Definitely not “A”-list or “big guns”. The Arcane, Esoteric,Individual,Obscure, and Unusual is my “D”-list wheel house.
Yes,even Golden Pharaoh & CYCLOTRON,
whom you are confusing with Tyr. GP&Cyclotron are exclusive characters created for the toy line. As I previously posted Tyr is a DC comics supervillain of The Legion of Superheroes,created in 1973. More than 10 years before Superpowers was created.
But, it’s all toys to me, so it’s all good. Peace ~
g.l.ric kage. the reason black vulcan got made both for the show and the toyline is because black lightnings creator has it in his contract that he gets a royalty if black lighting is done in other media or toy. and hb did not want to pay him for the super friends . mattel on the other hand can do black lighting just have to pay a royalty. tyr was just like golden pharoh made to pat out the line by kenner. even if he was created by dave cockrun and based on the mystical norse god of the same name. he still to some dc fans a crazy not real liked character.
Oh yeah BTW,demoncat4~ Here’s a Reality bomb: All fictional characters are “made up.” Did you know that Black Vulcan was created or “made up” because the rights to Black Lighting couldn’t be secured for the Superfriends cartoon?
Also Tyr IS a fictional supervillain in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Superboy Vol. 1, #197 (September 1973), and was created by Dave Cockrum. His name is taken from Týr, the one-handed Norse god of war.
OY! yo! I LOVE GOLDEN PHARAOH. Hey!
Hasby- it’s all good, dude! I will just add to what R.Jackson posted by stating, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” It’s art and art is subjective. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. I like Golden Age,Silver Age.. and what Geoff Johns did with the Blackest Night,stuff too. When they did the rainbow KRYPTONITE? No! So I was prepared to not like rainbow lanterns, however,IMO the idea of an Emotional Spectrum was genius and the backstory told adding to Alan More’s work I found most impressive! As a kid it never dawned on me as to why G.L.Abin Sur was piloting a ship(power rings are capable of intergalactic flight) even though I’ve seen on tv, read in Comics G.L.Jordan’s origin numerous times! This puts new depth of story to an old favored classic. IMHO
However,since FLASHpoint changed DcU reality into the Nu52 even the niche 9 corps are part of classic history gone by. No.I’m not a fan of the Nu52.
As all can probably tell from my screen name,I am a G.L.fan.(the”Kage” is homage to Marvel’s Powerman) which leads to the 6 humans whom are Green Lanterns. I am counting Golden Age G.L. Alan Scott. I do like the idea of an “off-screen” corp. In a fiction that supports a Multiverse there’s room for all ideas. In the classic and ongoing timeline /reality the Green Lantern corps are space policemen. I’m proud of DC for adding a much needed rep. Guy is an agitator and I love him for it. JLI will always be a favorite. Kyle is the kid w/ imagination. John the military vet w/American color, now a flawed controversial hero of another color. Simon Baz. As I see it the power ring of will is like the Force or the Matrix; not everyone can use it,not everyone uses it well or exactly the same way and their are a select few whose skills are exceptional. Pardon the length of my two cents.
I’ll never understand the complaints about figures like Golden Pharoah and Cyclotron. First of all, they both look fantastic. Second, these are exactly the kind of figures that should be welcomed by people that are constantly complaining about the million variants of Batman and Superman and Wolverine that flood lines . . . they are unique, have a history with DC and their toy lines, and spark the imagination. Plus, they were designed by Jack Kirby for the Super Powers line – seems weird to me that people would have such hate for something so unique with such a cool and weird history.
I get the complaints about the Rainbow Lantern wave, but again . . . all together with Nekron and the many Lanterns that we got before and after, it’s one of the most impressive sub-sets of any toy line ever. I don’t really like them that much personally, but having them all together is pretty cool in the depth that they went with character selection.
And the Bronze Tiger and Boomerang hate is just plain crazy to me when I see a crazy number of people demanding a Vixen figure. An orange jumpsuited female figure vs. one with A TIGER FOR A HEAD!!!??? Come on! There’s no f—ing contest! Ha!
But seriously, for every person who hates Bronze Tiger, there’s an equal number that would have hated Vixen (who’ll we’ll probably get in the sub anyway if it goes through). That’s just personal preference . . . there are a ton of figures that could have been in the line that aren’t that would get the same reactions one way or the other.
And, while I would have preferred the classic Booomer-butt costume, we still got another Flash Rogue and/or a member of the Suicide Squad. What’s to complain about? I say better him in his new costume than to have not gotten him at all.
actully apache chief. el dorado and black vulcan were not unwanted for they were suppose to be be part of the super powers line . mattel big goof was they had to go for things like golden pharoh and tyre just made up characters. plus also that green lantern wave really normaly is what dccollectibles does when they do figures . the retail wave really should not have started following some comic stories like blackest night unless as a sub set . other wise one should at least be happy mattel did show they were willing to do almost any dc character in plastic besides the big guns.
Ric – Rainbow Lantern hate over here because it cheapens the power ring, IMO.
It’s like Batman Inc. A great idea can be ruined when it gets run into the ground. Bruce Wayne as Batman? Awesome! 15 different “Batmen”? Weak, confusing and unnecessary.
I grew up reading Silver Age comics, so Hal Jordan as Green Lantern? Great! Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner? Why? I mean, what do you call them? GL 2, 3 and 4? Call them by their real names? Or call them “black Green Lantern”, “ginger Green Lantern” and “that black haired kid Green Lantern”?
With that in mind, 9 different Lantern Corps? That’s 8 too many for my liking. I like the idea of a Green Lantern Corp you never see, Hal on Earth and Sinestro having the only yellow power ring in existence. The power ring is special then. It’s not too common place. I get the feeling that, in the DC Universe, people might be more concerned about the average person on the street concealing a power ring than a gun. The power ring is stale now, thanks to the “war of light” and yet another GL on Earth that we didn’t need (Simon Baz).
Sure, some people love having 9 different Corps. Do many of us don’t. The power ring is now no more special than a revolver. Nor is the cowl, for that matter.
Rainbow Lanterns are a niche action figure line and by no means “Classics” as they just recently showed up in DC. Mattel should have continued GL Classics and left the 9 Corps out of DCUC. But that would makes sense and Matty is allergic to logic.
Just my 2 cents. 😉
Yo! Oy! I love BRONZE TIGER! Hey! What’s with all the hate for the prism Lanterns? Dc direct also made characters from the “Blackest Night” story arc! The multi hues of emotion and culture were needed and I applaud their inclusion. AntiMonitor APACHE CHIEF, SuperPowers and ALL! HUZZAH!! don’t be a hater, y’all. Put the Red lantern batteries down, take off the red rings of rage and slowly step away. As the man in clown makeup said, “WHY SOOO SERIOUS?!!!… :-D. Man,this really was a good article. Sensational pictures! BTW:everyone on this thread is among The Guilty Parties for the murder of DCUC. I did so by buying them all? Yet it was the 20th wave that made me consider cherry picking! The wave of the death knell itself;Nekkron! However,This was Mattel’s masterplan. Remember, the DCU got rebranded into the NEW 52! YOU didn’t think that they had this all planned out? In advance?
The “Blame” for the end of DCUC goes squarely on mattycollector, not on any wave of DCUC, Young Justice, or DC/Batman Unlimited. They simply didn’t want any comparable line at retail to interfere with their subscription program. After all, who would pay 30+ for a single figure you DO want from Matty + about 11 other figures you may or may not want, when you can go to Wally-World and buy ONLY the figures you want for around 18 (less if you hit during the holiday markdowns or catch a good add-match).
The Superfriends wave sold very well here in Northern NJ and NY area. I know for a fact they always sold out for a few months.
This was a wave that needed to come out as many of us over the age of 30 started reading comics in the first place because of The Superfriends and if they say no they are just trying to look cool for the hip kids.
Wave 17 did not kill the line in any way, like someone said earlier the line was coming to a end around wave 14.
I will agrue Wakkos first misconception point about timing. It wasn’t the release of 17 and 18 that killed DCUC….it was merely their announcement.
Good article though sir.
Toyman and Apache Chief were constants in my DCUC top 10 for years. How likely is it that Mattel perceived demand for the SUPERFRIENDS wave based on the smashing success of the Wonder Twins and Gleek at SDCC? As well as the presence of and response for Toyman in the 2nd Toyfare Fan Choice Poll? (Captain Marvel, Jr., Geo-Force, Libra, Raven, Toyman, and Uncle Sam – Raven, Toyman, and Capt. Marvel Jr. were the top three vote-getters, IIRC.) IMO, the “deth of teh lien” began with the Darkseid wave. That is when I began cherry-picking in earnest. I never bothered building Darkseid, Ultra Humanite, nor STRIPE. Also, I will concede that I would have preferred to have Rainbow Corps leaders in wave 17 more than deputies. For the most part, I bought what I liked and passed on what I didn’t. I don’t feel guilty at all about loving those Superfriends characters. Now, the Superpowers stuff on the other hand 😛
Blame Geoff Jones, Dan Didio, and Jim Lee. It was suck up to Geoff in wave 17. The Super Powers line was okay but, Vixen coulda been in that wave. she was highly featured on the package and never done. Batman Batman Batman also to blame. I think I have sold off all of wave 16 except Bane. thatvsays something doesn’t it.
This is probably one of my favorite of your editorials. It’s a pity that your admission of guilt means I have to destroy you.
I’m with Dr. Pym. I think 17 and 18 ruined DCUC.
They could still sell DCUC in stores. They just don’t want to as they can charge over $30 online per figure and they were only going for half that in stores. 17 and 18 were sabotage waves to justify all online sales.
I too bought a Toyman. And a Captain Boomerang. The costume didn’t bother me. I did think he looked suspiciously like Seth Green, though.
These figures looked great, but really…they, along with other choices made along the way, really did destroy the line.
It’s a shame. Black Mask, Ivy, Ra’s, these could have replaced the Rainbow Lanterns in that wave and then other characters of lesser renown could have got other spots. Same with demanded characters like Luthor in a suit (how easy would that have been?) Luthor in an accurate SP suit (look at the Orange Lantern Luthor!) and other Superman villains…put these together in a “power wave” and have the CnC be Doomsday…that would have been a HUGE seller. Alas, it was not to be. I fear the sub will not get picked up, and we’re going to see the end of DCUC style figures from Matty.
I don’t understand the Bronze Tiger and Captain Boomerang hate. Those were two I waited for from the beginning.
I for one was extremely happy to see Samurai, Black Vulcan, El Dorado and Apache Chief. I loved those characters when I was younger. I see nothing wrong with releasing them. Also, the Toyman. I wish they would’ve left out Bronze Tiger and Captain Boomerang and put Rima to finish off the Superfriends cartoon and Vixen.
Yes to both points but, A. While not actually part of the Kenner line, Black Vulcan, El Dorado, and Apache Chief are lumped in with the Super Powers characters due to their association with the Saturday morning cartoon. They are considered “honorary members” by collectors in general and that’s good enough for me. B. From the article:” …it was Mattel’s hubris in thinking the line could carry such niche figures while the company held back fan-demanded characters like Poison Ivy and Ra’s al Ghul that was its true undoing.” So yes, the problems began earlier than the waves cited, but the same issue applies: niche characters offered in place of what retailed wanted, which was BATMAN 24/7.
Thanks for reading!
Miconception #1: that Black Vulcan, El Dorado, and Apache Chief have anything to do with Super Powers (they do not). Misconception #2: that Waves 17 and 18 killed DCUC. They didn’t. The announcement of the end of the line happened just as wave 18 was hitting retail. The blame actually begins back around waves 14 and 15.