I’ve been hooked on the Four Horsemen’s take on the DC Universe since they first started in 2006. Eight series, 20 waves and two years of DC Universe Club Infinite Earths subs later, I can still fill a yellow tablet (one of those long deals) with a wish list of characters that still need to be made — The Flash Rogues take up one column alone.
So now as we approach what is easily becoming my least favorite time of my action figure calendar — the panic-inducing wait to see if we’ll get another subscription in 2014 ironically calculated via the Doomsday-Meter-of-Doom — I figured I’d try to convince some of you fence-sitters about all the awesome available options left.
In the spirit of Fantasy Football, I figured I’d do my own draft of DC Universe characters that would make for a championship 2014 and first quarter 2015. And like any draft, prepare for some shocks and surprising selections. In lieu of QBs, WRs, TE, etc., I opted to choose one from some of the more popular corners of the DC.
Round 1: Grant Morrison’s JLA
Top prospects: Aztek, Connor Hawke Green Arrow, Prometheus, The General, and Zauriel
Scouting report: Hook Hand Aquaman leaves Kyle Rayner’s JLA look as the last heavy hitter, so now we can turn to more supporting characters in the JLA ranks. Any choice is a good one as either would be a strong addition to a JLA display.
Draft selection: With limited sub space, villains who can take on hero teams are ideal and the JLA hasn’t gotten a lot of villains specific to that team, and, with apologies to The General, Prometheus just looks cooler. Pack the figure with his nightstick, his cosmic key on a chain (ala The Phantom Stranger), and a removable helmet and we’re all set to whip up on our JLA.
Round 2: Justice Society of America
Top prospects: Johnny Thunder (with Thunderbolt), Mr. Terrific, The Shade, Star-Spangled Kid, and The Wizard
Scouting report: Arguably the last two most requested Golden Age Justice Society members battle out with a latecomer to the ranks and two longtime villains and Injustice Society foes.
Draft selection: Loathe as I am to see that infernal suit body used for another sub figure, it makes perfect sense for Johnny, who would require nothing more than a new head and a bow-tie. Leaving all the extra effort for a translucent Thunderbolt accessory/pack-in, provided we can miraculously reach Tier 2.
Round 3: JSA
Top prospects: Dr. Mid-Nite III, Hawkgirl, Hourman II (Rick Tyler), Jakeem Thunder and Sand
Scouting report: Despite around 10 members already made, the David Goyer/James Robinson/Geoff Johns revitalization of the JSA is in need of more of the core members. Here’s a chance to bolster their ranks.
Draft selection: Rick is another relatively simple figure for Mattel to crank out and can largely use the DCUC 16 Hourman as a perfectly acceptable base with the biggest tooling work going to the gauntlets. Hooray for smart part reuse!
Round 4: Batman villains
Top prospects: Blockbuster, Firefly, KGBeast, Mad Hatter, and Ventriloquist with Mr. Scarface
Scouting report: It’s amazing we’re able to get this deep into Batman villains, but only one can join the ranks of the latest DCIE addition.
Draft selection: While KGBeast would look cooler and Firefly could be a fun figure, Blockbuster not only gives Batman someone else to fight, he has the benefit of display versatility thanks to stints in the Suicide Squad and the Secret Society of Super Villains.
Round 5: Flash Rogues
Top prospects: Dr. Alchemy, Heat Wave, Trickster, Pied Piper, and Weather Wizard
Scouting report: The fastest man alive has to contend with another Rogue coming to DCIE.
Draft selection: It’d be too easy to rattle off another five Rogues proving how valuable the sub would be in filling that gap. Dr. Alchemy would be the most intriguing to see in figure form, but Weather Wizard requires the least amount of work to still make correctly.
Round 6: Freedom Fighters
Top prospects: Black Condor, Firebrand, Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, and Ray
Scouting report: The DCIE ’13 sub opened a new can of worms with Uncle Sam and Doll Man and sparked demand for more team members to join them.
Draft selection: Engineering his cape setup could be more difficult for customizers, making Black Condor an attractive option, but Toy Guru keeps dropping Human Bomb’s names in possible figures so he seems as close as we can possible get to a sub surefire option.
Round 7: Legion of Superheroes
Top prospects: Dawnstar, Duo Damsel, Dream Girl, Lightning Lass, and Phantom Girl
Scouting report: The LOSH box set greatly touched on an underdeveloped section of the DCU, but neglected to diversify the team much beyond Saturn Girl, so a female Legionnaire is essential.
Draft selection: We’ve already seen the Hawkman body get used on more than one occasion and the Hawkwoman body is ready and waiting and Dawnstar would definitely stand out on any Legion shelf.
Round 8: Sidekicks
Top prospects: Aqualad, Speedy, Wonder Girl (Cassie), Miss Martian, and Ravager (Rose Wilson)
Scouting report: Two old school Titans matched up with three newer Titans.
Draft selection: The Teen Titans are one of the most fragmented sections of the DCUC with a lineup that doesn’t really match up well with each other, but making a Speedy compatible with the DCUC 16 Robin, Wave 4 Cyborg, Wave 15 Raven, and Wave 13 Wonder Girl would go a long way to forming a decent New Teen Titans squad.
Round 9: Females
Top prospects: Liberty Belle, Mera, Scandal Savage, Talia Al Ghul, and Vixen
Scouting report: Toy Guru said 2014 would have more females and with Fire, Ice, and Huntress off the board so one of these Fwoosh favorites has to emerge as next up on Matty’s to-do list.
Draft selection: Liberty Belle may be second only to Vixen in terms of fan requests. She’s not especially complex costume-wise, and she not only adds an essential member to the modern JSA team, but she could serve as a stand-in for the All-Star Squadron leader if you’re not that picky with the slight differences in the costume.
Round 10: Villains
Top prospects: Chronos, Dr. Light, Dr. Polaris, Felix Faust, and The Shaggy Man
Scouting report: A collection of Silver Age Justice League foes who can harass the JLA separatly or with team members.
Draft selection: The Shaggy Man may require too much tooling, and while a Dr. Polaris figure would be attractive (pardon the pun), Felix Faust is a longtime JLA foe and can tangle with the DCUC’s other magic users.
Round 11: Civilians
Top prospects: Alfred, The Chief (Doom Patrol), Commissioner Gordon, Dr. Magnus, and Lois Lane
Scouting report: Toy Guru said a civilian is slated for a sub spot in 2014. Two complete the core of two fringe teams, while the other three are the only civilians collectors would understand no matter who is selected.
Draft selection: The Chief may be the more complicated of the group, but the addition of his wheelchair paves the way for Oracle — one of the few remaining sub-bait characters that would hook in a majority of collectors for a 2015 sub.
Round 12: Out There
Top prospects: Ambush Bug, Composite Superman, Sgt. Rock, Warlord, and Ultra the Multi-Alien
Scouting report: Every year there’s some widely unexpected character that gets the figure treatment, but this choice could have some collectors happy they signed up.
Draft selection: Composite Superman just for what would sure to be a fun visual, and he also gives us a villain who can take on several opponents at once.
So there you have it fellow Fwooshers. A full 12-rounds or months of potential figures we could see from April 2014 to April 2015.
And those options don’t even cover other heavily demanded figures like Granny Goodness, Shining Knight, Vandal Savage, Vigilante, Geo-Force, and Perez edition Zatanna.
The only thing for sure is we definitely won’t get them unless the sub reaches Tier 1. The deadline is Aug. 19 so there’s still enough time for a last-minute surge. If you’ve enjoyed this line all these many years and have the financial means to do it, let’s rally and get this thing going for another year. Who knows? That fringe character you really, really want may get made next year after all. Here’s where you can sign up.