EDIT: Okay, we know it has been a long time, but we wanted to share a couple of new pictures with those that have seen this article before and introduce the Retrospective to those that might have missed it before.
So the Four Horsemen DC line will be sunsetting at the end of the year, and while I am still sad about that, it is good to take a moment to celebrate what we do have. It seems like it is really fashionable for some to hate on this line now that it is coming to an end, but whatever, if that is how some people want to spend their spare time on the internet, well, it is not anything new. A few weeks back, Toy Guru and the DC team at Mattel asked me if I would take a new “full line” picture like I had been doing during the retail years. I was able to put everyone from the DC Infinite series that I had at the time to take this picture, so here is the Matty Collector group, complete save from Damien Wayne Robin. 
Well, it didn’t seem right to take a full picture with just a few character missing, so I got a chance to take a new, full shot with all of the unique characters and important variants. Now, that meant that I would incorporate some of the upcoming figures in their prototype form, so it was really cool bring able to have those included. Guys like Mr. Myxy and Damien are important to the collection, I have to say that I much prefer the upcoming Super Powers Superman and Wonder Woman figures over those that have come int he past. So, here is the collection at the end of all things (at least for now). It does not include EVERY figure (I just don’t have the place to stage that) so there are some paint variants left out, but this is pretty much everything, so enjoy! 8 years of awesome, this line will certainly be missed. 
END UPDATE. Oh man. Oh man, I really did not want to do this. I mean I really, REALLY did not want to do this. Even though you know that some things are a certainty in life, it is common to not really grapple with those unwanted turns of reality until you absolutely have to. Especially when it comes to writing a eulogy, er, I mean, retrospective. Yeah, I know this is an article about a toy line so calling it a eulogy seems like implementing a little drama just for the sake of doing so, but toy line or no, it can be really difficult to say goodbye to a friend, especially when you have been through so much. I realize that we have had about six months to consider the reality of DC Universe Classics coming to a close, and in all that time I could have cobbled together a “broadcast ready” obituary written in advance like so many media outlets do for state dignitaries or frail celebrities, but I just could not bring myself to do it. I know a part of it was obvious in that I did not really want to admit that the line that I have been with since before it was actually a line was running out of time, but I think an equal share of reason goes to the fact that I just did not know how I would feel six months ago when the time had finally come. Yeah, I know, we will still be getting Mattel six inch DC action figures sculpted by the Four Horsemen through various other executions, but the grandpappy of all DC Collector lines will formally bid adieu with the release of Series 20. Putting those last few figures on the shelf ushers in a new age, but it also means we have to say farewell to the Classics. I will just put it out there that this article had the potential to be huge. I mean, not just thorough, but gratuitous. When I started thinking about the line and all of the memories that I keep, there are a lot. Most of them are good, and are about the toys themselves, but there are also the requisite struggles, online wars and love fests, politics, armchair line managing and so on. Through all that though, looking back in hindsight helps me remember that collecting action figures is my hobby and I love it very much, so despite the struggles (no line is without them), I am ultimately at peace and very satisfied with what DCUC has brought us over its four year run. Sure, I am a fan boy and I always want more and I am still a little raw that the line is ending (or perhaps transitioning) when there is still a lot of work to be done, but ultimately it fair to consider what we have rather than what we don’t. I have always been a glass half full kind of guy. Even as I write this, I feel pretty unfocused. Trying to lay out the line’s entire history, as well as my own personal memories and involvement is a large task. I know the things that stand out in my memory, but just talking to a few people about laying this all out reminds me that every collector’s experience with an action figure line is unique and instead of going grandiose and try to account for EVERYTHING, I think that ultimately I have to go smaller. I think I have always been more comfortable being anecdotal rather than a meticulous historian, so I think that just sharing some pieces here and there is more appropriate. At the very least, maybe I can touch on some things that make for important memories for me and those will spark you to recall your own personal thoughts about some of the particulars of the line. But even still, where to begin? How to organize such large breadth of reveals, convention news, collector reaction and so on can be painstaking and has the potential to get ridiculously tangential if you are not careful. So here it is, as straight forward as I can make it – I have some memories about the line overall but since the accompanying pictures are much more organized I think that just saying a couple of things about each picture will help focus the flow and hopefully make for an enjoyable read. Luckily, I have some help from my friends and much of the Fwoosh staff will also be chiming in to share some thoughts and stories about the line. So, are you ready? Here goes. DC Universe Classics was a line that was not thrust upon the collector community “cold”. When Mattel originally secured the DC license they were restricted characters that belonged to the Superman and Batman family. Right away the leapt into the universe of the latter and since they already had the uncompromisingly talented Four Horsemen working on their Masters of the Universe offerings, the ground work for the future was already being laid with the Batman line, even if we did not realize it at the time. It is funny, thinking about the history of any line makes me think about the history of the Fwoosh itself. The site started off primarily as a place to discuss and display customs and chat about “super poseable” action figures. Well, that was well and good for Marvel fans right from the get go, but for those of us that love the DCU, the days before about 2006 were quiet times. Prodigy, DisThunder, some other fine DC stalwarts and I tried to make conversation about DC Direct offerings and what figures from the Batman line were “collector friendly”; but most of the topics were devoted to wishing for DC figures that could match the detail and articulation of our Marvel figures and how we could cobble our own together with parts from any line we could think of. And so it went for a long time. I remember the first DC wish list I put together with names that seemed so impossible at the time for Mattel to make – Green Arrow, Captain Cold, Aquaman, and of course, the Blue Beetle. For guys like that, I would still be waiting, but 2006 would start to bring some progress.
Progress came in the form of DC Superheroes. Yeah, even though that line would be limited to the Super Bats families, seeing those first figures on display at SDCC 2005 was like a dream come true. Finally, the Horsemen would be getting a chance to flex their sculpting muscles on DC characters that were aimed directly at the collector community. I think I stared at that first Superman on the Daily Planet roof top base (shame those bases never happened) for three weeks straight. It took some time to get rolling, but by early 2006 we were getting figures of DC characters with fantastic sculpts and great articulation for the first time. It is a wonder that I still have so many of them displayed in my collection and how they have held up so well. Sure, DCUC would bring even better improvement to some of them, but guys like Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Clayface, Mongul, etc still stand out. Many collectors started to get excited about the possibilities and the DC forum here at the Fwoosh started to grow more and more each day. Ubiquitous comments about how Batman and Darkseid were great were constantly tempered by longing for an entire universe of possibilities. Lots of us held out hope while others remained grounded that we would have some amazing Batman and Superman characters, but nothing more since Mattel did not have the rights to hit guys even as crucial as the Flash, GL and Wonder Woman. But so it went, and we trudged on. As 2006 came to a close we were all searching for our Lex Luthors and Darkseids and Monguls, but we were already in Toy Fair mode, just hoping that there would be some news that would come along that we might get some expansion. Looking back on it now, this was the one of the toughest times I have ever had as a collector because it was right about the end of that year when I got a little tip-off. Well, not little. I had heard that the deal we had all been dreaming of was now done: Mattel had the rights to the DC Universe. I really did not know what to think at first as my mind raced for several weeks straight, but I knew that it was true given the source and I had some names to back it up. Yup, somehow, someway Orion, Metamorpho and Red Tornado would all have a hand in launching the next chapter in DC action figures. I was so giddy I could hardly contain myself. I was praying for a Toy Fair reveal, a reveal that did not happen. Sitting on that for a good seven months was torturous, but fortunately in early 2007 a shadowy picture of the outline of what appeared to be Red Tornado was given to the online community. Speculation kicked into overdrive and the DC forum had no idea what it was about to become. “I think it is Red Tornado!” “No, it can’t be! Mattel does not have the rights!” On and on it went until finally, SDCC 2007 came and it was confirmed to a tense but electrified meeting room in downtown San Diego – DC Universe Classics – with entire universe (well, almost) was going to happen and we would be getting Collect and Connect (build a figures) figures for the oversized guys. Full blown looks at Penguin, Etrigan, Classic Detective Batman and Red Tornado, Metamorpho and Orion were presented and there were many a Fwoosh crashes that July. Plus a peek at some very recognizable chests – yup, series two would feature Aquaman, Black Manta, Firestorm, Harley and Superman Blue. From there on out, it was all history. So, here is your DC Universe Classics collection, completely with supporting lines like Batman Legacy and Green Lantern Classics, with some thoughts about each of the series. Putting it all out like this still makes me gape at the sheer volume of toys that we have gotten, and I can tell you that assembling them all for a feature like this drives home just how expansive my DC collection has become.
Series 1 was supposed to hit in early 2008, but everyone knew that Mattel would try to get the figures out in time for the 2007 holiday rush. I don’t remember exactly when the first pictures were posted online, but I know that I had my set in my grubby paws on December 27th 2007. I did not even have to look that up, I noted the date at the time and I have never forgotten it. I was never a huge DC Direct collector, I just got the figures that I could not do without since the articulation was always very lacking in my opinion, so I was holding my very first ever Etrigan and Metamorpho figures, along with the best versions of the rest of them, for the first time. I was hooked before the line even hit, but now I was in it for the long haul and I made the commitment that this would be the first toy line ever that I would be a 100% completist with, and I held through. Metamorpho (or Rex Mason as they had to call him) was not the biggest character they could have chosen for their first C&C, but he is certainly impressive of sculpt and I had my Orion figure. For a long time fan of the Fourth World, that was huge.
I remember that when series 2 was supposed to hit retail, a lot of fans were nervous about being able to find the series due to a lingering glut of series one. Now, that isn’t to say that the supply of series one didn’t eventually burn off, but series two entered the market amongst a touch angst. While I very much enjoyed series one, the second series really started to hit home on some of those big heavy-hitters that were previously off limits. Aquaman was a huge deal for me and while the chatter online would have you believe that the classic version was produced in smaller numbers than the modern, I think that he was just that much more demanded so he went fast. As it stands, he is still one of my favorite figures in the line. Firestorm had a bit a story as well, and I remember when the first Ronnie Raymond head was shown, most fans were put off my the screaming expression. Luckily the Horsemen still had time to put together a great new head in time for production and the rest was history. Series two also brought our first big C&C figure in Gorilla Grodd, complete with monkey brain, um, thingees.
Series 3 actually came along in fairly timely fashion. Even though I was a great fan of Aquaman in series two, series three was going to bring me Hal Jordan (at last) and a pitch perfect Deathstroke. Sure, it was great to get Nightwing, Robin and Solomon Grundy, but man alive, I could not believe I was getting Slade in such quick and such perfect fashion. To this day, several years later, I still have a figure of him right at my desk; he really represents what this line is all about to me. Now, I know we are all feeling a bit a fatigue for all things Green Lantern related, and the Hal Jordan sculpt has seen near countless iterations since series three, but he was also a dream to get. Sinestro, in both his forms, brought the most discussion though and an error in production made him very, very undersized. I am not sure if anyone was satisfied with either the standard or Corps version, but Mattel promised to make it right at one point. It took some time, but it eventually paid off.
After series three there was a bit of release lull before series four hit the market. Thankfully, we had a certain largish comic convention in southern California that would feature our first ever DCUC exclusive: Lobo. Yup, the Main Man himself had long been a hot button character. See, for the longest time, DC did not want to see Lobo in a toy line on retail shelves thanks to his less than savory attitude and history. It spanned across all of the Mattel lines, but they finally got him in plastic in the form of SDCC 2008 exclusive. The design was based off of the upcoming Despero base, so many fans found him to be a bit too tall, but Lobo being the big badass that he is, I don’t think anyone was willing to tell him to his face. Oh, DAWG included.
Like I said, series 4 was met with a bit of delay and the hubbub from comic con had started to die down before the series hit shelves. I remember when Wonder Woman was shown at NY Toy Fair earlier in the year, I was really afraid that she would not come through production just right and that it would be an absolute crime if the first lady of the DCU wasn’t just right. Fortunately, all was good in the universe. This was also the first wave where we got our first taste of multiple variants, and really, Ares was the only figure that did not feature some variation. In fact, Batman Beyond (do I dare speak the name?) and Cyborg saw variations that were featured in the now-defunct Kay Bee toy store. Captain Atom brought the first Charleton love, but some quality issues started to seep in as well, and that caused some ruckus. But nothing could have prepared us for what was coming next…
Yup, series 5 was here, kinda. I know in the past year we have seen the Rainbow Lanterns and Superfriends, but I don’t think there has been a series since five that was hammered over and over again with fan dissatisfaction. It wasn’t due to the character selection, the Riddler, Aton, Black Lightning (modern), Eradicator, Amazo and Metallo were all solid choices, but the way there were released caused fan boy vitriol like never yet seen in this line. See, while series four had a couple of figures that were a retailer exclusive, series five was DCUC’s first foray into a full-blown retailer exclusive. Yeah… Wal-Mart gets what Wal-Mart wants, and they knew that DCUC was a bona-fide and they wanted their own exclusive piece of the pie. The problem was, they low-balled the demand of this collector line and the fans gave them the what-for for it. Indeed, this series was harder to find than Ray Palmer himself in micro form and fans from all over the world expressed their dissatisfaction. To Mattel’s credit, they heard the cries and series five was rereleased on Matty Collector some time later, but lessons were learned on all fronts, and the next time the Wal had their own series, numbers were closer to being correct with demand.
Before the next series hit, Toys R Us had a few two-packs that were exclusive to their shelves, mostly in the form of rereleased DC Superheroes figures, but we also got a few new characters. The standout sets featured a Hal Jordan (certainly not the last time we saw him) in his original uniform and an exclusive Abin Sur. The real treat for me though was the Lightray and Orion pack. Lightray! Heck yes! I could not believe he was getting a spot in the line and he came with a new and improved Orion whose helmet was now removable. I knew I wanted (still want) as many Fourth World characters as possible in this line, and this really started getting the Kirby love percolating.
Finally, series 6 closed out the first year of DCUC and after the series five madness, it was a bit of return to normalcy. I loved seeing this series come to shelves for a lot of reasons. Hawkman was probably one of the best figures released in the line so far (and much demanded), and Killer Moth (!) showed us that there was really not any character that was completely off-limits in terms of obscurity. Mr. Miracle and the one-shot Dr. Impossible were also released and I love how Scott had a little clip on the back of his belt to hold his Mother Box. Kalibak was the C&C and probably my favorite offering, but I LOVED that Shazam was making his debut. The main reason was because he was Cornboy’s (of the Four Horsemen) favorite character and he was finally getting him. I love it when I hear stories about how favorite characters were coming in the line, and I knew I would be getting my turn soon.
In the first Fwoosh Staff thought, Ibentmyman-thing chimes in with a letter written directly to the line. We will continue the history on the next page, right after the break. Dear DCUC, It’s been a long time since that first time our eyes locked across a crowded wal-mart. We started out from two different worlds…me, a normal guy from some normal Earth in a normal universe living a normal life, you from a variety of different Earths in a vast multiverse full of spandex, super powers and aliens. Sure, when I first saw you I wasn’t immediately enthralled. I didn’t want another toyline. My hands were full trying to juggle too many other toylines, and I just didn’t think I could fit you in. Don’t get me wrong, I thought you looked fine, and you had great character, but we were in two different places. Hell, you were going by a slightly different name. But I kept thinking about you. Every time I went back to wal-mart, I walked past you. I tried not to look, but I couldn’t help myself. It was like being knee deep in some opium-induced fugue, unable to stop myself while filled with self-loathing. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. Not another line. But then I did. It was total impulse. I told myself I’d stop at one. Just one. I had to know. And don’t think yourself innocent in all this. The way you teased me, the way you provocatively posed in those packages. No. This wasn’t just me. You’re every bit to blame. When I took you out of your package, that first one that first time, and took liberties with you…well, that was the end, wasn’t it? Yeah. That was where it all started. I should have known. I know how weak I can be. See, I’m a man that indulges his appetites. You know what they say: you only live once. Well, on my earth that’s true. On yours you die and come back and then die again only to be brought back by editorial edict and then you’re rebooted so you never died in the first place. It’s a complicated love. But it was ours. And it was like licking fire. I had tasted that sweet sweet nectar of a fully poseable DC action figure. I wanted more. And what I want, I must possess. But I had been through it before…and it never ended well. These things always end. It’s inevitable, I guess. Toylines are such fickle things; flighty, plastic, with occasional stuck crotches. Entropy would claim this one too. But I held on. I kept the embers burning while others gave up. Because none of the others had treated me like this. Nobody else did what you did. You did the freaky stuff…you know…where it counted. Oh, sure, there’s always going to be a problem that pops up here and there, a little spat, you’d be hard to find sometimes, others I’d find you but you’d have mismatched legs, but yeah, you were the one that got me a Killer Moth. You brought a little Jemm into my life. I’ve got Earth 3 Luthor because of you. Yeah…that was hot. And the Hex. Can’t forget about the Hex. I told myself it made the inevitable worth it. But now the inevitable’s arrived, sooner than I thought. I wish I could be angry. I wish I could be bitter, as bitter as you seem to want me to be, but I can’t. We had some good times, kid. We gave it a real good go. And even though we won’t be the way we were–I’ll be older and wiser, you’ll be more expensive and only come once a month—this isn’t really a goodbye. Not for good. But it feels like it. Change is a death. But I think there’s a small part of both of us that will think back on how things were with fondness. I know I will. I would hope you would too. You’ve left little pieces of yourself behind or me to remember you by. I’m going to hold on to them. I’m going to keep them stored on a shelf or in a plastic box. And I’ll pull them out occasionally, and think about our time together. So I won’t say goodbye, DCUC. I’ll just mourn the death of something good, and cling to the scraps of hope that the one that takes your place can fill that void you’ve left. Because I’ve still got needs, DCUC. And they won’t end just because you left. Warmest regards, Benty. A fan.
Well, DCUC was pretty much hitting on all cylinders heading into the second year. Since the line had sparked success at retail, Mattel started to bring other executions to the line. Matty Collector was announced the previous July and DCUC got a regular release avenue right from the get go in the form of collector two-packs. Since these would be online exclusives, the need for “mom and kid” recognition was not as important here as it was with the main line. I personally feel that the packs got progressively better as they went on, even though the execution itself was not deemed successful enough to carry over past one year. The first set included modern takes on Starfire and Adam Strange, which, due to a previous storyline was a viable pack. The reaction to the versions (and the overall reception to Starfire’s execution) was met with lukewarm response and the second pack, featuring the classic Ultraman and Alex Luthor, caused collectors to be impressed with the obscurity, but at the same time left many questioning the demand. Either way, the sets really picked up with the Color of Fear set which included Sinestro Corps members Romat-Ru and Karu-Sil, and then closed out with my personal favorite pairing of B’wana Beast and Animal Man. I adore both of those characters but they were also executed very well. I mean, how can you not love figures of Animal Man and B’wana Beast? I personally think that if the latter two sets would have been released first, the line would have carried over into another year. It would take quite a bit of time until Matty-exclusive DCUC product would return, but starting in 2012 the site will be our saving grace.
Okay, so there are A LOT of reasons why 2009 was my favorite year overall for DCUC, but the main reason for this came in series 7 in the form of the best figure of my most favorite comic character of all time: the Blue Beetle. Yeah, selfishly speaking, he was the number one thing I needed DCUC to accomplish when the line was announced. The back half of 2007 was a stressful time for because although DCUC had been announced at Comic Con, it was also rumored that the Charleton stable (notably Blue Beetle, Captain Atom and the Question) was included in the deal. Well, fortunately that all changed in early 2008 and my waiting game began. I was thrilled that Captain Atom was being released in series four, but he still taunted me, I needed my Ted Kord figure. Well, one my best memories from the entire line came in the form of a completely innocent email sent to me just a few days before Comic Con. Toy Guru was nice enough to give The Fwoosh a sneak peek what was going to be offered for show at SDCC 2008 and it came in the form of a picture of Ted’s backside. I remember opening that email at work and shouting with joy in my office. I know, lame. But I had been waiting for this figure my entire life and he was finally coming in early 2009. Series seven was the first series of 2009, but also the first series where the release pattern moved from five figures to seven. I don’t think anyone complained about this (at least not for very long) because the community was ready for as many new figures as possible as quickly as we could get them. Ted’s hetero life-mate Booster Gold also featured in the series, along with robot companion Skeets and even a hidden Mister Mind. Barry Allen Flashed showed that Mattel was set on staggering the release of the heavy-hitters in order to help keep the line fresh and he was accompanied by the only version of Wally West we have gotten so far, Kid Flash. Oh, and just to make sure Barry didn’t get too cocky, the first Rogue was also released in form of Captain Cold. Is it awesome or weird (or both?) of me to vow to own every version of Captain Cold ever created in action figure form? I love him. The JLA and Titans were expanding but so were my beloved New Gods with Miracle wife Big Barda and the Justice Society FINALLY got kick-started with the release of the Atom Smasher Collect & Connect. This was really the first C&C where many fans started to demand an increase in stature, something that remains to this day. I still think this might be my favorite assortment of DCUC even to this day, or at the very least in the top three. There have been some standout assortments (many more than lackluster) but for my personal character selection, this one hit on so many notes. I supposed having a hard time picking a favorite assortment is a good problem to have. I will say this though, series seven was the cement that made me realize that I was probably collecting my favorite line of my adult life. Yeah, Ted Kord and Krew are pretty major.
If Atom Smasher quietly ushered in the JSA to DCUC, series 8 opened the floodgates. Heck yes! Don’t get me wrong, I love the Justice League, but if you are talking about my favorite superhero super team, you better believe that this collector’s preferences were brought to you by the letter “S”, not the letter “L”. Doctors Fate, Mr. Terrific and, arguably, Commander Steel and Hawkgirl all took angry loner Atom Smasher and built an instant team around him. Now, I would be remiss in saying that I am both relieved that Jay Garrick is FINALLY coming onto the scene early this year and also annoyed that there are still, even to this day, some very notable JSA members still missing completely. However, I can keep what I have and what I don’t as two separate issues and I am thrilled with JSA we have been able to assemble thus far and series eight started the deluge in high fashion. Oh, did I mention that the first real DCUC army builder was also a part of this series? Yup, the Parademon saw both his classic and Super Powers forms added to the mix and I think I currently own about ten of each. Vigilante and Gentleman FREAKIN’ Ghost gave us a couple of bona-fide universe builders and Giganta was the first (and to this day the ONLY) female C&C. Now, she is still a bit of a sensitive subject as many in the online community were never able to complete her as there seemed to be a run on Gentleman Ghost figures, but she still remains one of the standouts of the line.
In what was quickly becoming an annual tradition, summer brought a series release gap and it was fortunately filled with some other executions. The Public Enemies movie brought us a couple of series of stylized six inch figures, but I cheat the Silver Banshee, Icicle, Major Force and Brimstone into my DCUC collection, at least until we get more classic versions (if ever at this point). But DCUC proper was not taking a break and we did get a couple of two packs to tide us over. A Silver Age Brainiac accompanied a Heat-Vision Superman and the DCSH Clayface saw a rerelease with a, um, dirty? Batman. Many had hoped that the Clayface figure would feature newly articulated arms, but to no avail. I was just happy I finally had a Brainiac I could take with me to the tennis courts. I prefer him over the robot version and he was certainly benign enough to make sure that we had clean palettes for the biggest controversy in the history of the line. Yeah, San Diego was about to explode.
It comes with a certain amount of irony that a (mostly) comic-based DC action figure line was almost destroyed (at least in fans’ heads) by the Wonder Twins. Well, more accurately, their pet monkey Gleek. Yeah, the first “SDCC only” feature of an exclusive nearly killed the internets when everyone found out that Gleek could not be gotten anywhere but on the floor of convention center during SDCC 2009. For what seemed like a lot of outspoken people not caring about Gleek, A LOT of people were aggravated. He sold out quickly each day during the convention and did not even make it all the way until Sunday, so he might just be the most popular figure in the entire line. I kid. Kind of. We were fortunate to be able to work with Mattel to give away a small portion of Gleeks on the site after the show, but even that seemed to cause more hate than anything. Though time has passed and healed some of the proactive wounds, the mere mention of the name Gleek can still get people hot and bothered… are you feeling that way yet? As it though, Mattel learned a bit of a lesson in exclusivity and the Wonder Twins packaging remains some of the coolest in the entire line. Was this made a bigger deal than what it actually was? It might be a good topic to revisit now that it is a slightly removed piece of history.
Just before the next series of figures was released, the first DCUC five-pack (exclusive to Wal-Mart) trickled out in the summer. It was pretty heavy hitter-laden and while it was called the Gotham City five-pack, it featured its share of Metropolis residents in the first “standard” Superman for the line as well as the notable Bronze Age Lex Luthor, complete with popped collar. This remains the Lex that I display to this day as I am a fan of his mad scientist history, and this kind of lends itself to that. Also featured was a black and gray Batman with the oval logo and a purple DCSH Catwoman repaint and more classic repaint of Two-Face. While the Catwoman figure has never done anything for me, Two-Face was most certainly a warranted variant and we have actually been able to build a modern and classic Gotham rogues gallery throughout the line.
Around the end of August 2009 we were finally back to getting more regular series releases and boy was it worth the wait, series 9 was about as fanboy-melting awesome as a superhero action figure wave can get. If any overall series competes with seven in terms of my affection it is nine (and possibly twelve). I mean come on – Green Arrow was demanded from day one and he later won the Fwoosh best DCUC figure poll, something that I think we would still compete for top dog within, and he should not be without his best girl Black Canary so she was included as well (though with limited articulation). As far as superhero couples go, Dinah and Ollie are probably my favorite of all time so getting them together was a pairing second only to Beetle and Booster. The thing is, they were not even my favorite releases of the series! Wildcat! Yeah, I must have a thing for Teds in the DCU because Ted Grant is my second favorite DC character and do adore my (black costume) figure of him. He and Alan Scott and Jay Garrick are so important to the DCU and my personal display that I was thrilled to have him be the first of the other “Big Three” to be released. Oh but there was more awesomeness to be had. Yeah, Deadshot was there too – can you believe it? I still can’t and he has been drawing my eye in my display for over two years now. The Fourth World was not forgotten in this series either and I was afraid that maybe the classic Mantis would be forgotten in lieu of the Super Powers robot, but there was room for both. Guardian as a real curve ball for me personally but since it had been a long time since the release of Etrigan, it was good to get more Kirby love that was not directly associated with Apokolips or New Genesis. Did I mention Black Adam? Cornboy, I am sorry, and I love ya, but Black Adam is so much cooler than Captain Marvel and you guys gave him the scowl to prove it. Oh, and Chemo, in either is bubbly or non-bubbly state remains the most unique C&C the line has seen. Looking back at it now, right around series nine or so the line had been ramping up in terms of selection, articulation and quality and nine may have been the peak. Sure, there have been some great waves since then, but nine had just about everything going for it.
It’s a good thing it did too, because anxiety started running high with series 10 (with surprise C&C Imperiex), our second Wal-Mart wave. At first it was pretty much full-blown panic that we would be repeating the series five debacle, but after a bit of delay, we learned that the order numbers were properly adjusted and series ten was much, much easier to find than series five. It’s a good thing too as I did not want go hunting high and low for the eternally awesome Robotman (with removable skull cap!) and my beloved Power Girl. I know that there were many that took issue with PeeGee but she still remains my overall favorite female in the line. Beastboy was included to bolster the ranks of both the Titans and the Doom Patrol, but both of those teams still stand as sorely lacking when it comes to completion. What do I have to do to get a Mento, Elasti-Girl and Chief figures? Forager continued the Fourth World trend (something I wish would have continued for the entirety of the line) and I was starting to get worried for him as it seemed as though the New Gods were sharing time with a Super Powers theme, but since he was absent from the latter, it was certainly good to get him. Getting the brown Man-Bat was more a relief than anything since he was first shown way before DCUC had even started and the black costume Batman was good for the Morrison JLA fans. Joker was really something else though, and I say that because I really do think he is one of those perfect figures in the line, at least from an aesthetic point of view. It had been a LONG time since Mattel had given us the Clown Prince of Crime and that old Batman line figure was very undersized. I realize that the new figure was a tribute to his Super Powers appearance, but he has such a classic Joker look about him Plus, he had the Laughing Fish. Seriously. That still remains as the coolest accessory in the line. Yeah, seriously. Don’t make me say it a third time.
Series 11 snuck into 2009 just in time and looking back it you can see that it was really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the sheer volume of Green Lantern offerings we would eventually see in DCUC. However, that said, I think it is still probably the BEST single dose series of GL figures we have gotten from Mattel. Hal and Abin stood alone for a long time in the Lantern display so the fact that we got some reinforcements was welcome. I have to admit, after series seven through ten, it was going to be really hard to impress me in terms of offerings in a wave, but eleven remained very solid. Even though I am more of a Guy fan when it comes to my Lanterns, John Stewart is always welcome to my parties and though an argument can be made for his classic look, I still really love his head sculpt. Continuing the theme of “famous couples” in the line, Katma Tui accompanied John and sadly to this day, she remains the only female GL released under the DCUC banner. A new form of Cyborg Superman was appropriately released in his Sinestro Corps look and Shark was welcome surprise for another accompanying GL villain. Deadman pulled double duty (and ushered in the “skinny buck” era) and the Question ran away with the first ever fan choice poll and earned his spot in series eleven. I am sucker for Kilowog so I love that he turned out so well and so massive and even though we have gotten several Lantern figures since then, he remains my favorite DCUC GL. The best part of this series though is that, in my opinion, the best figure of the entire line was released in the form of classic Steppenwolf. Yep, from head to toe, detail, articulation and accessories, Darkseid’s uncle is the crowning achievement of the line and everything clicked perfectly. Sure, there was the impressive SP version too, but the classic look is how most of us take our Steppy and he is gorgeous. The Blue Beetle will always be my favorite figure in the line, but Steppenwolf is a very close second and by far the best overall figure. Thank High Father that we got him in the New Gods era of DCUC.
And now we come to our second contribution from the Fwoosh staff, this time from canonball. He offers a take about the power a line like DCUC can have over you and how it impacts more than just your hobby. We will continue on to 2010 after the jump to page three. DC Universe Classics had all the ingredients for a successful action figure line: a strong stable of characters to draw from, world-class sculptors in the Four Horsemen, a major toy company producing it, and across-the-board availability in every major retailer. It also had a few defining traits that drive obsessive-compulsive collectors, such as myself, completely insane: variants, spotty distribution at times, and the dreaded store-exclusive wave. One of these exclusive waves, the first Walmart-exclusive wave to be exact, pushed my sanity to the brink, and I loved every minute of it. When wave 5 fist started to hit, the Walmarts in my area were in no apparent hurry to start stocking the line, but that didn’t stop me from making nightly treks out to all the local stores in search of it. After a few weeks and over 500 miles put on my car from JUST Walmart trips, I was getting frustrated and was looking for an alternative. As if by magic, a new web store popped up offering the wave at just a little bit over the retail cost. Desperation kicked common sense right out of bed and I, along with several other board members, fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Turns out, this web store was allegedly put together by none other than Matt Mason. And no – I never got my figures, but I did get my money back thanks to help from my local police and my credit card company. So when THAT didn’t work out, I turned to the Fwoosh community for help, and thanks to the graciousness of three different members, I was able to cobble together a set of wave 5 and build my Metallo. I don’t think I have ever worked so hard to complete a wave of figures, before or since. And I definitely haven’t had to speak with the police about my toys since then, either. Lines like DCUC can do so much to bring a community of collectors together, and that’s what I’ll miss most about it. It was a line that fostered an active community among fans all over the world and I can look at the figures on my shelf and be reminded of the relationships I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy that these figures made possible. So bon voyage, DCUC. It’ll be a while before we see the likes of you again.
Are you still with me? Good! You are a trooper. The rapid fire of wave releases continued right on into 2010, and I had the first part of series 12 on my shelf before the close of January. I that I said that I feel that 2009 was the best year overall for DCUC, but 2010 was certainly a worthy runner-up. The start and close of the year were the real strong points too (as far as overall series go) and we got the start of a great sister-line in Green Lantern Classics, but more on that in a moment. I still hold series twelve in high esteem for its great diversity. My two favorite teams/sub-groups got some great support in Dr. Mid-Nite and Spectre (with glow in the dark variant) for the JSA and Desaad and Mr. Apokolips himself, Darkseid. Now, glow in the dark figures are certainly fun, but I was really hoping that one of the variant slots in the series would have gone to a modern Dr. Mid-Nite so we could have both versions. I love me some Charles, but I am a great fan of the modern JSA as well so Pieter still stands as a void in my collection. The variant I was very glad for was the white costume edition of Mary Marvel since she is most certainly part of my JLI team display. I like my Marvels in diversified colors, so Mary goes well in the middle (or she would if Freddy was ever made) for the red, white and blue. Darkseid is still a figure I am really torn with, I think his sculpt is absolutely flawless and the fact the his Killing Glove was included makes me giddy in ways I cannot even describe, but I still think he is a bit too tall for the character. I know, I am pretty sure he has been portrayed as massive in media before, but I was hoping he would be a little closer to the DC Superheroes height. It is tinged with sadness though that Darkseid and Desaad were the last two New Gods entrants in the line, but I know I have Metron finally coming in my subscription. I have to say that the villains in the series in Copperhead and Eclipso were actually surprises for me, but I think the former has personality in his sculpt for days, so I really dig him. My standout favorite figure in the series though goes to our first EVER figure of a member of the Metal Men: Iron. Yeah, I have always been a fan of the Metal Men, but I don’t think I was prepared for just how cool they would look as Four Horsemen action figures. His coloring turned out to be just perfect and I love how he is pitted with dents and dings; plus, he has a wrecking ball and [working] wrench attachment. That is plastic joy and though he would be joined by two of his cohorts as the line progressed through the year, the fact that the Metal Men are still not complete should be one of the primary objectives of the Club IE. Make it happen, Mattel!
Series 13 arrived in due course in the spring of 2010 after a little brouhaha about the release of some leaked photos that made their way onto several sites and forums. This happens from time to time (it would happen again later in the line) and since companies don’t look too fondly on leaked images, it can sometime be tense as it is happening. But everyone trudged on and the wave was properly debuted in due course. I have to admit that from a character selection standpoint, series thirteen was probably my least favorite of 2010. That is not to say that it wasn’t a strong wave, but I just did not have the same personal attachment to the characters as I did with the other waves. Blue Devil and Negative Man were certainly the standouts for me, the detail and overall coolness factor certainly surpassed anything I thought was possible. I love it when little “Easter Eggs” are inserted into lines and the fact that the phasing Negative Man variant had a hidden skull under his face plate was just fantastic. Connor Kent, Wonder Girl and Trigon helped to flesh out the Titans, but I have admitted in the past that the Titans are not my favorite group in the DCU, but bolstering their ranks was long overdue (even if it did include an ugly Superboy costume). It was the final three figures in the wave that caused the most conversation though, both for good and ill. See, I am a Blue Beetle fan and when I say Blue Beetle, I mean Ted Kord. I don’t often get up on my fan boy soapbox for a lot things relating to topics like this (it is futile) but I harbor a (perhaps unfair) good deal of resentment for the character of Jaime Reyes. My Beetle died so this guy could take over? Nut to that. He isn’t even handled well in the books that I have read and his personality is nowhere near as good as Ted’s character. End rant. I can recognize a good figure when I see one though and the Blue Beetle III figure is one of the best in line. He is completely unique in terms of sculpt and has a ton of detail. Plus, he has double knee and elbow joints, a first for the line at the time. I know a few people that have no interest in DCUC as a line, but they bought this figure. The last two figures were a bit more dubious in terms of their discussion. First, Cheetah was one of the variant figures and while the classic Pricilla figure came through well, the modern Barbara Minerva had to have a late-in-the-game alteration in the form of a painted on pair of pants and halter top. Now, we never got an official reason why this was done but it was speculated that retailers did not want what could be mistaken as a “naked” cheetah woman on their pegs. Overall I think the aesthetic of the figure was greatly hurt by this, but it is hard to fight Wal-Mart. The good news is that some of us were able to procure a version of the figure as it was originally intended to be released as a few got out before the production change. Finally, there was Cyclotron. Yep, a character that was invented for the Super Powers line got into the DCUC line. To say that there were strong reactions from both the proponents and opponents would be an understatement. I really do think this figure caused some burst blood vessels in the eyes and brains of some collectors. I was fairly indifferent to the release of the character, but I have to say that, in the end, he actually turned out to be a pretty nice figure.
So, can you guess what comes next? Yep! It’s that summer lull that, by this time, was an established tradition. The next two series would come out basically right on top of each other, but it would be about five or six months before that was going to happen. In previous fashion, Mattel passed the gap time with a variety of releases, mostly retailer exclusives, that would continue on for the rest of the year. Like previous years, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us got some exclusive two packs that were a variety of new releases, rereleases and repaints. The Kryptonite Chaos (with Battle Suit Lex and Supergirl), Fates Intertwined (Hawkgirl and Gentleman Ghost) and Power Struggle (Superman and Parasite) were all straight rereleases that featured some demanded characters. Gentleman Ghost was certainly at the top of the list, but unfortunately, with him also should go Giganta and the C&C parts needed by many to complete the grande girl were not included. The Dynamic Due set had a more modern take on Batman (with a gratuitously yellow belt) and a close-but-no-cigar Tim Drake original Robin suit. I think the Undersea Assault set fared much better, especially with the Super Friends-accurate Black Manta. The paint used on this guy had a velvety texture that works great for a wetsuit feel. The final two-pack came later in the year, but it featured a very demanded figure: a Sinestro (classic) at a more accurate height! Yeah, his arms were a little short, but at least he could literally look down on Hal Jordan now (who saw ANOTHER release, this time with Super Friends-esque pupils).
New on the scene this year was a quartet of repaints exclusive to Toys R Us that offered some heavy hitters in alternate costumes. The first to arrive was Batman (of course) with a modern color scheme, but a classic capsule utility belt. A modern/shiny Hal Jordan (there he is again!) and shiny Barry Allen came next with Nightwing in his questionably fashionable Renegade suit. I was not really expecting these four figures to be as successful as they were, but it seems that they all struck a chord with collectors. Nightwing was certainly a legitimate variant, and modern Hal had been demanded for a long time so I could see those doing well. I suppose Batman is Batman and he is going to sell, but I was still not convinced about the Flash. That is until I realized that he could be fudged to be a stand in for the MIA Wally West version of the Flash. Oh, Wally Flash is still missing by the way…
So, what is summer without the SDCC exclusive, right? Well, this time around the figure choice was a lot less controversial and it appeared that Mattel had learned their lesson about show exclusive offerings and that made Plastic Man a pretty well-regarded success. Sure, he had a suitcase form that you could only get at the show, but most fans just wanted their Plas, and he was available on Matty Collector after the show with all the bells and whistles (except for the aforementioned suit case). I know there were grumbling about the colors of the “stretchy” arms, but overall, I think Plastic Man is one of the nicest figures in the entire line. They saved him for the show so they could do him justice and all of the interchangeable parts and pitch-perfect facial expression makes it worth it. Plas is one of the most dynamic characters in the DCU and Matty did him justice.
The second Wal-Mart 5-pack also hit in the late summer, but this time (as with a lot of things) it had a Green Lantern theme. All I know is that I was finally able to get my favorite of the Earthling GLs in Guy Gardner. Guy is JLI and despite his large noggin, the JLI was my first real League so he got top billing from me. Tomar-Re was another great classic GL addition, but I was not overly keen on the rest of the set, truth be told. Sure, a graying Hal (he’s baaa-aaack!), Mosaic John and GL Sinestro were all viable variants (and Mosaic John was the only way Samuron was going to complete his Cosmic Odyssey) but with so many other unique GLs just a head swap away, I was personally hoping for more of that in this set.
After the convention season died down everyone was expecting a return to the normal late year release schedule and the quick fire deluge did hold true, but this is where I am going to get a bit liberal with my chronology. See, series 14 was due to be the next Wal-Mart exclusive wave and while it did make it out, it seems the big Wal decided to hold back the stock to hit closer to the holiday rush. The delay actually made it so fourteen was available to most people AFTER fifteen had already started to hit. We will acknowledge that bit of history, but for the sake of organization, I am going to talk about series fourteen first. I was actually kind of surprised when I started seeing the reaction to this wave online since the verdict was pretty split. I was in love with the character selection here, but some just did not feel it. That is cool, not every wave can be for everyone, but I had a blast with it. Getting another Metal Man in Gold was very welcome for me, and while I didn’t care for him quite as much as Iron, the duo looked great together. Obsidian would further build up my JSA display, as would Hourman, but I just KNOW that had this not been a WM wave, Rex would have had a variant in the form of his son so I could have the two Hourmen I love so well. I am still holding out hope for Rick in some form and a two pack with his wife LIBERTY BELLE would be perfect for me. Alan Scott helped further the Big Three of the JSA too and while it was universally lauded for getting him to us, the odd expression choice caused most collectors to raise an eyebrow. Tyr came along to show his support for both the Super Powers and Legion of Superheroes corners and Zatanna made JLA displays across the globe 100% hotter with her release. The figure that really made an impression on me this series though was Kamandi. Sure, from a visual aspect, he just a kid in cutoff jean shorts, but from a character standpoint he is one of my all-time favorites. I NEVER would have thought that Mattel would release him and the fact they did requires my undying gratitude. Kamandi. Wow. Freakin’ Kamandi! The Ultra-Humanite rounded out the series as the C&C and made Grodd cry giant gorilla tears in jealousy of his articulation.
Hitting most locales prior to the Ultra-Humanite wave was series 15 and the collective “sigh heard ‘round the world” was breathed in overdue relief. I am pretty positive that there was a population of collectors that were convinced that we would never get our DCUC Martian Manhunter figure; he was most certainly the longest-held hostage of all the major players and line ending before the release of J’onn have a legit history in the world of toys (I am looking at you, Mini-Mates). The good news was that he was finally here and the great news was that we got TWO versions of him. The Standard issue came to look great with your JLA and the Martian version with pointy head and blade hand can be sad on Mars. DCUC has a tradition of releasing an affiliated character or enemy with a heavy hitter and since J’onn is known more for his “den father” role with JLA, Jemm, Son of Saturn was chosen to give us a little red to counterbalance all of that Martian green. Raven arrived as the second Fan Choice winner (stacked vote!) and OMAC fulfilled a dream two series in a row of getting a Kirby character I never thought I would have the chance to own. Validus was also the second LoSH character in consecutive series to be released, but it was starting to get more and more obvious that we kind of needed some actual Legionnaires to beat up on him and Tyr. I am personally a fan of the original Ted Knight Starman so I was pleased to add him to my JSA display, but I really don’t give much of a care towards his son Jack. Fortunately for his fans, he was also released as about the most elaborate “variant” in the line yet. The funny thing about another Super Powers character getting released in this series is that he was actually not the most decried figure in the offering. Nope, Golden Pharaoh may be loved by children of the 80s, hated by comic snobs the world over, but he still did not cause the most ruckus (and he is actually a very, VERY nice figure). That honor was reserved for what many considered (at the time, that may have changed by today) to be the most put-upon figure in the entire line: Sinestro Corps Batman. He’s a one-paneler and his looks from book to figure don’t even match up. Yep, that figure exists and I own him, but he is one of the biggest head-scratchers for me. I get the intent in crossing Batman with GL, but it just did not strike a chord.
Late December brought the first assortment of the first real companion line to DCUC – Green Lantern Classics series 1. While the line was only intended to go a couple of series, I think that there was a lot of untapped potential in that execution. Sure, many were feeling the GL fatigue by this point (and that would come to the fore early in 2011), but viable comic characters are viable comic characters and I was actually hoping that we could continue to supplement our Corps of Many Colors in this sister line. But, the offerings that we did get were a pretty good mix of old and new. By and large I would say that the first series was more successful than the second, but I have some standouts from both, even though overall they were not as good as they could have been. The C&C of Arkillo is probably my favorite figure from the first group and he is one of a handful of new GL-related characters that I really enjoy. Plus, Kilowog needs someone to fight. Even though Black Hand was pretty modern in terms of take, he got the Cadillac treatment with double joints and an incredibly detailed sculpt. Black Lantern Abin Sur was just kind of “there” for me (even though he looked more like Amon Sur) but he got some double joints, and I have amassed a small army of Manhunter robots because, let’s face it – no on escapes the Manhunters. To go along with Arkillo, the Sinetro Corps really got the main boost in this series and the Mongul I repaint into Mongul II in his Corps look was an expensive way to do it, but the Low to Maash swappable parts method was the right way to do it. Collectors had been clamoring for years to get figures that have this ability and since so many of the various Corps have so many members that are only a few simple swaps away, this was a great move. I think I prefer the Maash version of the figure, but you can bet I have both of them appropriately displayed on my shelf. Kyle Rayner lead the charge for the GLs in this series and despite having a badass sword construct, the choice in costume did not ring true for several in the online community.
The final entry into 2010, series 16, is kind of a controversial inclusion for that year’s list. See, very few people had their mitts on the assortment before the end of the year (I think I had mine with less than a week to spare) and most retailers did not even really start stocking them until late January of 2011. But for the sake accuracy, series sixteen was technically a 2010 wave. I know I am probably in the minority here, but for me this wave was all about two figures: Mercury and Jonah Hex. Another Metal Men member and Sexy Hexy are tailor made for my tastes and they still stand as two of my favorite figures released in 2010. Of course, I realize the both incarnations of Robin were probably the most important figures in the wave, but that’s how I roll. Not to say that I am not a big fan of the Robin figures, they are certainly very, very nice, but I have been very lucky with mine. Those Boy Wonders have some fragile ankles. The Creeper kind of served as the this-guy-has-been-rumored-for-years figure and while he takes advantage of some great articulation, his construction was pretty limited and many did not care for the head sculpt. A new Bane and the Azrael version of Batman had both been long-demanded and both turned out to be beautiful figures, but both also had issues (Bane was a little too tall and Azbats had upside-down arm fins). The classic Riddler also added to the Batman theme, but I found him to be pretty well flawless and I like him much better than the Ed Nygma we saw way back in series five. Like I said before, series twelve and sixteen provided strong bookends to what I consider to be the second best year of DCUC.
And we go on! Here we have our final Fwoosh staffer submission, this time from DC forum original, DisThunder. He always has a pretty straight forward approach, so enjoy. The last year of DCUC will be covered after the page turn. So, 20 waves. Wow. It’s almost incomprehensible, the little line that could went from a few recycled Bat-villains to 20 full waves of the entire universe, 4 spin-off series, and more boxed set than you can shake a big stick at. The sheer scope of it all- the highs, the lows, the sheer scale of it…it’s a little difficult to find the right words to aptly describe it. I settled on some that are often used to describe big events, positive and negative– usually both, and call DCUC a line that was simply history-making. There’s just no way around how impressive that really is, when you look at it. In the modern era of action figure collecting, no one is even in Mattel’s league anymore, just on volume alone. And they certainly fulfilled their mission directive here; there’s scarcely a corner left in the DCU that they didn’t touch on. Truly, this is one of those lines that we’ll still be talking about 20 years from now, just like it’s spiritual ancestor. What will be really interesting to see is just how we look back on it. For example, right now I look back on this line like some tragic symphony; beautiful in its movements, carrying with great momentum… but broken into discord in its final moments. This past year was billed as a “cruise control” year going in, where DCUC was going to maintain its momentum, and save it’s major plays for 2012. Instead, this year became a turning point of sorts, where expectations set years past were blown- not necessarily in a good way. With its parent license in a state of revamp and change, DCUC seemed to flounder in the wake of said change. When word initially started rumbling about DCUC’s ending, I think it was assumed this was just re-branding, but with the year rounding out with very little idea of what was coming next, it was clear that the line we knew was truly over, and now only time will tell if there’s still a chance for it to regain footing and strive forward under a new banner. It’s definitely an uncertain future, and not at all what I expected to end 2011 looking on toward. I suspect though, more likely is that we’ll will look back on DCUC much like we look back on Toy Biz Legends, SOTA’s Street Fighter or, well, Super Powers itself. In truth, most toy lines end in disarray, rarely with the “out with a bang” that we usually associate with a successful conclusion. I think it’ll be easy to overlook this lines’ gaffes and mistakes through the distortion of time. And, simply put, even if the best of circumstances await us, I sincerely doubt we will ever see another DC line with the scope, quality and quantity of this one.
Well, welcome to the final stretch. Even starting to write about the last year of the line is very sad to me. DCUC could be a harsh mistress at times, but for 95% of its run, I was head over heels in love. The only thing that can make me love an action figure line more is when it combines forces with the other toy line of my dreams. Yes, DC and Masters of the Universe had been teaming up since early 2010, but most of the “versus” two-packs hit the shelves in 2011. I have to say though, with most of the sets, MOTU was the clear winner in terms of offering up something new. In fact, there was only one figure (She-Ra) that was a fairly straight rerelease. DCUC on the other hand was pretty much the opposite, from Superman to Lex Luthor to Hawkman, to GL to Supergirl – they were all straight-up releases. However, Aquaman (who was half of my favorite set alongside Mer-Man) was given a new release of the hard to find series two figure, but this time with a slightly metallic paint deco. Bizarro (companion of Battle Armor Faker) was also offered in a previously unreleased scheme that was more classic than any prior Mattel release. Unfortunately, the execution was killed off (mostly by way too many Skeletor/Lex sets lingering to this day) and it is a sad thing because it looks as though we might have gotten that long-lost modern Red Tornado that was never released in series one. The first series set of 2011 was actually not a DCUC proper series at all rather; it was Green Lantern Classics series 2. I suppose the best word I can use to describe this wave is unusual. We got more great swappable figures, this time featuring GLs Medphyll and Naut Ke Loi and then also Red Lanterns Skallox and an original character designed by the Horsemen and named by Geoff Johns – Nite-Lik (after Toy Guru himself, Scott Neitlich). The latter was unusual because this was the first time that a character native to this line was introduced. Now, we have been hearing from the beginning that Nite-Lik is supposed to show up as an in-canon character in a DC comic, but that has not happened yet. Another thing that made this series unusual was the fact that it featured the very first “mini figure” three pack. B’dg, Despotellis and Dex Starr all got their turn in the line thanks to this configuration. I personally loved the idea, but there were some outspoken folks that thought these three did not warrant the ever-growing price tag. The final strange turn was that the series included a preview figure from the Green Lantern movie in the form of G’hu. Now, that is something that was not odd in and of itself, but you could not complete the Stel Collect & Connect without him. As you can imagine, that did not sit well with some. Star Sapphire and the Ion incarnation of Sodam Yat completed the series in modern form. As I said before, I was actually hoping this line would continue (despite the deluge of GL product) to get to some other Lantern characters, but we already know some them will be showing up in the new All-Stars line as well as the subscription.
Series 17 hit in the spring and I guess that there is no other way to put it – it was pretty much universally hailed as the darkest spot in the entire DCUC run. I count myself amongst the population as none of the character selection, save perhaps for the C&C Anti-Monitor, came close to being anywhere on my radar. That is not to say that there weren’t some great figures, I actually really enjoy the Blue Lantern Flash, Indigo Atom and Sinestro Corps Scarecrow as figures, but I was really hoping they were going to cover all of the different corps with unique characters. Sure, I love the Atom, but I had a classic version of Ray, so give me Indigo-1. Same for Barry, I wanted Saint Walker. Lex is a perfect Orange Lantern, but Larfleeze is who I wanted to see (fortunately he is coming in All-Stars series 1). I see what Mattel was trying to do here, I really do, but handling a collector line requires that you walk a tight balance and I think this was just a misstep. Perhaps it was the inclusion of Black AND White Hal Jordan (would it be the last time we see him?) in lieu of a Red Lantern, like Mera, that but it over the top. I am still the undying optimist so I can say that at least I got some good actual lanterns in this wave, especially the Star Sapphire battery that was included with Wonder Woman.
But the emotional rollercoaster continued right into the summer and with the release of series 18. Yeah, it was the Super Friends wave. I think I am one of only about 10 people that did not have a strong reaction to this wave. People loved it or abhorred it. The Super Friends cartoon was before my time so I don’t really have any emotional attachment to the characters, but from the C&C Apache Chief on through Samurai, Black Vulcan and El Dorado, I thought them all to be well-executed figures. Sure, Bronze Tiger was my favorite figure of the series by about a hundred miles, but I have to tell you that I actually like the Super Friends figures more than Captain Boomerang. The thing is, I LOVE the Flash Rogues. Love them. But at the risk of sounding like an old codger, I wanted CLASSIC Captain Boomerang. Digger has a gaudy costume with an obvious boorang thing, not a skull cap and a trench coat, it just doesn’t work as well for Boomerbutt for me. Plus, is that Seth Green’s likeness I see creeping into his mug? I kind of hope not. At the end of the day, would have much preferred to see more JSA or New Gods rather than the Super Friends, but that is just a personal preference and I am glad that the fans of the show got to finally see some of their favorite characters realized in plastic.
Matty would make me wait a bit for my beloved JSA wave, but summer is the traditional pause time, so the final year of DCUC needed not be an exception. San Diego did offer up the usual exclusive, but this time it was for one of the most unusual characters just barely back in the DCU. Swamp Thing had been hanging out in the Vertigo universe for several years and was thus not part of the agreement with Mattel. Well, the Brightest Day story line brought many things for good or ill to the DCU, but getting Swampy back in the proper place was most certainly one of the good things. I can remember way back at SDCC, 2007 or 2008 whilst interviewing the Four Horsemen when Chris Dahlberg revealed that Swamp Thing was squarely at the top of his “want to do” list for the line. It took some time, but I am thrilled that he finally got the chance. The sculpt turned out absolutely beautiful, and while that opinion was held by most, Mattel’s choice for the height (very tall) and the new endoskeleton articulation was rather split in the collector community. I think it was a interesting idea, but the articulation was made a bit limited and time will tell if the “skin” will hold up. Oh, and in true Con fashion the Un-Men, Ophidean and Cranius were for SDCC 2011 attendees only.
The summer two-packs also continued albeit in lesser number this time around with the Mightiest Mortals and Mad Love sets. While the Mightiest Mortals featured reissues of both Shazam and Black Adam, the Mad Love set offered offered up another figure in the Sinestro’s line of “making it up for past errors” and a highly demanded variant. The first came in the form of Harley Quinn finally offered without the “blueberry” highlights in her face, something that had been plaguing collection shelves since series two. The other figure was the standard Joker from series ten, this time repainted in a tuxedo to look much like the way he had been portrayed by Alex Ross in the past. I think it was originally intended to release the Joker in the Toys R Us All-Stars assortment, but I am glad that did not pan out as the Mad Love set was a much more interesting release. To add to this theme the set was packaged out to recreate the famous “Ross” pose of Harley and Mista J. I love the thought behind this simple yet effective packaging and I even bought a second set to leave mint on card, something that I rarely do.
Another painful part about the last year of DCUC is that we got the most interesting Wal-Mart five-pack yet in the form of an instant Crime Syndicate of Amerika. I mean, I have never been a huge fan of the Syndicate (I have enjoyed some stories in the past, but they were never standouts to me) but I loved this set from the moment I clapped eyes on it and let me tell you, Owlman had a major part in that. Now, I know, usually box sets offer a standout figure over the rest, but he ranks as one of the best DCUC figures ever, so the Horsemen had him going on. There was some talk about the possible mixing of eras within the set since Johnny Quick and Power Ring had a more classic feel to them while Owlman, Super Woman and Ultra Man were certainly modern, but I have to admit that while I was up in arms about that at first, it doesn’t bother me in the least now. And yeah, my Ultra Man has a blue neck and is not one of the corrected versions, but I probably would have never noticed without the watchful eye of the internet. But the Syndicate set will continue to pay off, even in the new year. Yeah, this set gives purpose (for me) to the Flash Point Plastic Man and All-Stars series two Evil Supergirl figures. I would normally not have much, if anything, to do with variants like that, but now I will make them both from Earth-3 and set them with these guys. Yeah, the set is that good. 
Now we are ready for the next DCUC series, right? Not yet! Yep, just like they did for all things Green Lantern before, Mattel now turned their eye to Batman (he has a movie you might have heard about coming this summer) and they delivered the first two series of the Batman Legacy line. Now, this took on a more diverse form than its GL counterpart as we have gotten single figures and two-pack with source material from comics, movies and video games. For the purpose of this article we will focus on the comic singles, but as the line continues on into 2012 figures from all formats will trudge on. The first series featured a Golden Age Joker, “Super Powers” Mr. Freeze and really pissed-off modern Batman figure. Now, while most of these figures were repurposed and swapped out parts with some repainting, I think most of the figures found an audience. I was under the belief that the series ten Joker had the perfect head sculpt, but this new one was just as on-par perfect when it comes to representing an era. I mean, that figure leapt right out of a Dick Sprang cover and he is pissed that Batman got the Gotham papers to call attention to his “boner” (comic aficionados will know what I am talking about). Mr. Freeze as a nice call-out to the SP fans but I guess I never really understood the color scheme for that incarnation. Now, while I liked series one, series two was REALLY where it was at and the reason was simple: Catman. Yes! Thomas Blake has been the toast of Secret Six fans everywhere thanks to Gail Simone and Catman had been at the top of several Fwoosh Top Tens over time, especially after the release of his hetero lifemate Deadshot. He even got his claws and turned up boot toes. They could have seriously put him in a series with Maxie Zeus and a George Clooney and I would have still loved it, but instead we got my preferred version of Batgirl (Barbara in patent leather) and a great E-2 Batman that loses the whole “I’m the GODDAMNED Batman” motif. The fact that I have a Batman that I can put with my JSA makes me very happy and if you were fortunate enough to grab this figure at K-Mart, you got a little Bat-Mite to go along with him.
Now, I realize that both of the previous DCUC waves had pretty strong themes to them and I am usually one to kind of forsake that idea in the interest of more diversity, but I was willing to gladly accept the theme of series 19. Yeah, I know, when it is something you like you will always make an exception and maaaaaaaan do I love the JSA. I was honestly a little surprised that it took as long as it did to get STRIPE as a Collect & Connect in the line since he seemed like such a demanded and obvious choice. Well, timing is everything and since STRIPE could use several pieces from the previous Stel C&C it was finally time for Pat. And of course, Pat does not go without his step-daughter Courtney so we go a continuation of the Starman legacy as well as a chapter in the Star-Spangled Kid (though we are still sorely lacking Sylvester) history. Getting a Hawkman to go with the JSA was also very welcome and though there was a scare that he would not include his cowled head, Mattel came through for us. Keeping the Golden Age representation alive we finally got our Al Pratt Atom and while he was a little too tall for exact scale he was shorter than most of the the standard DCUC figures; Sandman also joined the JSA display in his suit costume and was another one of the the relief figures since it seemed as though he could have been ready to go for a long time. Kobra (or Lord Naga as he had to be called) represented the villainous side in the wave and from a quality and sculpt perspective, he was probably the best of the whole wave. Now, I was very happy to get a nice spread of Golden Age and modern JSA team member in the wave and while he was a well-done figure, Magog would not have been my first choice to include for modern representation. Oh, I still opine for my Liberty Belle, or my Rick Tyler or Doctor Mid-Nite II and the Golden Age still requires Mr. Terrific, Johnny Thunder & Thunderbolt, Sylvester Pemberton and Ma. Plus, a lot more. I know we are finally getting Jay Garrick in the new subscription, but I really hope that much more the JSA will still make an appearance in 2012.
At long last, in October we saw the release of the much anticipated Legion of Superheroes 12-pack. Yeah, you read that number correctly. Roll call! Saturn Girl! Cosmic Boy! Lightning Lad! Superboy! Brainiac 5! Timberwolf! Karate Kid! Wildfire! Ultra Boy! Chameleon Boy! Matter Eater Lad! Colossal Boy! Proty! Pretty damned impressive. I know I am not alone in the fact that I have never been the biggest Legion fan in the world, but this set certainly made me one. Just getting an execution like this across and with such style and panache in everything from the gold-plated flight ring to the amazing package is a wonderment in this day and age. Plus, it sold out in less than three hours! A bona-fide hit? Yeah, I would say so. While Mattel has been cagey about the possibility of future twelve packs, but I really hope they give it some serious consideration. Be it LOSH round two or another team (like the JSA), I think this is a fantastic execution that is very befitting of a line so grandiose in scope. I can easily attest that this set was one of the overall highlights of the entire line for me and I think kudos to everyone from the Horsemen to the teams at Mattel are in order for this. Long Live the Legion!
So now we come to it, the last series of DC Universe Classics. I know it might be fitting for the line to bow out at such a round number like series 20, but I really thought that this line would end like most others and not with a planned finish. Seinfeld went out planned and on top, but I still want more, and I think I always will. Luckily, there is hope, but more on that in a minute. I suppose that the final series had a bit of a Brightest Day theme to it with some of the character choice, but it doesn’t seem as strong as the previous three waves. The Arrows, both Green and Red are represented with a modern Ollie and JLA pre-arm fall-off Roy. A heightened Sinestro, this time sporting his Corps uniform along with a White Lantern Flash provided requisite GL representation. The White Lantern Flash choice raised more than a few eyebrows in terms of selection and many collectors thought it was a bit of a cop-out and easy figure not really befitting the line. Hawk, Dove and Reverse Flash were where it was at for me though in terms of characters, and while I would have preferred Don Hall to Dawn Granger, she turned out to be a very nice figure. The Collect & Connect was Nekron, and while (for some reason) the majority of fans voted for him to be the C&C, they certainly did not vote for him to come without his scythe. The iconic weapon was dropped from the assortment at some point, but we have not heard an exact reason for this yet. While I did enjoy many figures in this final assortment more than I thought I would, I can’t help but look back and wish that the final series of DCUC would have been more of a “bang.” Then again, as this chapter of DC action figure history comes to a close, we turn the page on the future and we will see if teams like the Metal Men, Doom Patrol, JSA and Freedom Fighters will get their due.
So there it is: DCUC from Orion to Reverse Flash and everything in between. I know I have been fighting hard to not make this a crying love letter to the line, but I am not afraid to admit that this line is probably my most favorite ever (with MOTUC clawing for the spot at the moment). Was it a perfect line? No, but that does not exist as far as I am concerned and I can readily admit that I can drown out all of the buzz and chatter and look at my shelves and be very happy with the quantity and diversity I see. New Gods! JSA! The Blue Beetle! Metal Men! Jonah Hex! Legion! The list goes on and while there is still a lot left to do, I am going to keep my optimism up for what the future could possibly hold. Mattel is at a crossroads and collectors are waiting to see the right choices will be made. I am praying that they are and that we will see more of our favorite classic and iconic characters in the future.
Dear DCUC, I have been in love with you from the day that we first met and while we have had some ups and downs, like any relationship worth having, the good out weighs the less than good. I have a breadth of characters in a consistent style and scale that I have been wanting my entire life and when I look at this, I cannot help but smile. Yep, the entire run of DC Universe Classics (and only DCUC proper) presented in order from end to end:
More so, here is the entire Mattel DC Universe that started in 2006 and continues to this day and includes the big daddy as well as the accompanying compatible lines:
Wow, impressive, ain’t it? While there will not be another DCUC “Class of” photo in the future, hopefully the All-Star line and Club Infinite Earths will supply us with the more characters to continue to build our universe. I am the eternal optimist, so I will hold out hope and I think that various retail and online executions can bring us more characters if Mattel stays creative. There is much to do, much to do and I while I suppose I will NEVER be 100% satisfied with anything less than all of the DCU, I want to continue to build this collection as it has been one of, if not THE highlight of my collecting history. So I want to thank Scott and Bill at Mattel, along with their teams, of course the Four Horsemen and my fellow collectors. DCUC will stick with all of us that were there for it in some way or another and while I am going to say farewell to the proper line, I know that the future will be bright and there will be some great surprises in store for us as we move into 2012 and beyond. Thanks so much for reading! Additional Links
Yes, this is a great compilation with pictures of the Greatest Action Figure Line of All-Time. Thanks, VeeBee, for bringing all of this together.
I would hope that someday you could put together pictures of our heroes in their groups like The JSA, The JLA, villain groups, The Marvel Family group, the Charlton Heroes (without Nightshade, geeesh.), Gotham City players, and some of the other groupings. Probably not, but just a suggestion.
I always wanted DCUC to add SANDMAN and SANDY, and Kirby’s MANHUNTER. Guess we all have our “wants-that-we-didn’t-get” group.
Always amazing to see what we did get, instead of just focusing on what we didn’t. Thanks for that, VeeBee.
And love the updated pic. I wish I’d been there to see you sweating through that set-up yet again. In fact, Toyguru should now release three more ‘final’ final figures, if for no other reason to get you to do it once more. 😀
Damn! Thanks for all the great pics. What a great line.
Damn good article
Man! It took me three days to read this! Not 72 hours mind you but ya know three intervals spaced over three days! But seriously kudos on this massive and loving retrospect for this line. You reminded me that the simple feat alone of having one massive in scale and synergistically designed line of our beloved DCU is worthy pratt ignition. The fact that this gap in our fanboy lives finally gets filled in this complete a manner astonished me especially in this day and age. I am also personally shamed by those massive group shots because I probably only have a 5th of all the figures you have. I like you certainly hope this line continues to have legs after it’s departure. If the JLU line can keep going after it’s “official” cancelation, then I hope DCUC/All Stars can do the same.
Wow, what a fantastic article! I have the vast majority of this collection myself, and you’re right, it’s one of the most incredible action figure lines of all time. I tend to believe that the decision to end DCUC was not so much Mattel’s decision, but DC’s, in light of their “New 52”, about which I have nothing good to say. I just hope Club Infinite Earths and All-Stars can keep going until the DC Comics Universe gets itself sorted out from this mess. The only part of your article that I will disagree with is that the double-jointed articulation of select figures such as Robin and Creeper was a sort of “Cadillac” treatment. I hate it. It’s pointless, it cuts up the figure more than it needs to be, and it looks godawful. One of the things I like about DCUC is a considerable level of consistency, and this too is ruined by this feature. It absolutely killed Creeper, who is too tall and too thin as a result. I pray we never see this happen again. The highlight of that wave for me was definitely the Riddler, and the highlights of this year were definitely the Crime Syndicate and the Legion (may we see more of them). Sincere thanks for an amazing article!
Great article. Nice job!
I say that I enjoyed DCUC very much, and even though the line is ending, I personally got nearly every DC character I ever wanted in super-poseable 6-inch scale. After getting all the big guns (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, GL, etc.) and a ton of other personal favorite 2nd and even 3rd tier characters (Plastice Man, Ted Kord Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Blue Devil, Captain Atom, etc.) there were really only 2 characters left that I really, really, really wanted and that was Hawk & Dove. So, I couldn’t be happier with the final Wave of DCUC. There are still other figures that I would love to have (most notably the rest of the Doom Patrol) but I really can’t complain, since the characters at the very top of my want list made it in right under the wire. So, for me, DCUC was a huge win all the way around. Hopefully it will continue on in some form in the “All-Star” line.
nicely done could not have put it better over how mattel deserves praise for making since super powers one of the greatest dcu toy line ever almost like super powers rereleased in bigger size but expanded. for still can not get over having not only swamp thing but some of the metal men and doom patrol and also with bronze tiger and boom a rang my own plastic suicide squad. hope mattel dc club keeps up with what they started as retail will be the big guns.
Damn, that’s a LOT of figures – how many total are there?
And how many actual Hal Jordan figures did they do?
Kind of funny when you think that they only did two in the JLU line (one was that special giveaway only)….