As a collector who often seeks to complete ongoing collections, I can appreciate what Scott Beatty is going for in his 200-page tome, The DC Comics Action Figure Archive. Indeed, I’ve learned to love the process of archiving things both as a librarian and as an overactive collector who needs to keep things organized lest they ultimately serve as the seeds of my destruction.

The DCCAFA is full of great photographs of toys, cut out arranged in a familiar ‘DK Guide’ style against white backgrounds, with clear labels and brief descriptions that include information about the year of production, the company of origin and accessories that each figure came with. The figures in the book (all, obviously, based on DC Comics characters, so no Spider-Men here), range from companies like the now-defunct Mego, Kenner, and ToyBiz, to Hasbro, DC Direct, and Mattel - all of whom have produced DC toys at some point and get equal time on the pages. This collection of toys displayed next to each other, especially in the vast Batman section, really shows the evolution of the action figure as both collectible and plaything, while the entire book presents the lowly action figure as a not-so-lowly evolving art form and idea that is somehow granted further validity by putting it all in a big, hardcover book. You know, like when you put pin-ups in hardcovers and suddenly they’re ‘art’ and not ‘perverse’.

The discussion of figure making and figure history is minimal as the author presumes a certain level of previous experience with figures on the part of the reader, with the book’s main focus being on the toy photos peppered throughout the columns of descriptions. It serves as a survey of very basic figure information, and an excellent starting point towards completing your own collection. All of the figures are arranged alphabetically throughout, though by character name, and not the series that they appeared in. Most listings are only a few words, with actual pictures appearing for random figures throughout. While I’d love to see every Lex Luthor standing side by side, this is, again, a ’starting point’.

By the definition of the book, ‘action figure’ includes things like Minimates and Pocket Heroes, but omits statues and static things like Heroclix and pewter figurines.

Despite the thoroughness, the book cuts off in the middle of 2007 - which is one of the perils of paper publishing encyclopedic references, especially in a digital age. Mattel’s DC Universe and JLU lines, and DC Direct’s many line, have made significant additions towards this archive in the short time since publication. The pages aren’t arranged in a format that would be especially welcoming towards an updated edition (though there’s a ton of white space on every page) - so don’t expect an ‘every toy ever’ perspective, but so look forward to the pretty pictures. Page 130 seems to omit the DC Superheroes Mongul figure that was released in early 2007. but I’ll allow that it was probably released on the cusp of when the book was being sent to the publishers. Also note that page 140’s ‘The Penguin’ (in the upper right hand corner) has the wrong image attached to it. The pictured Penguin is actually from ‘The New Batman Adventures’, and is very different from the details listed for ‘The Batman’ Penguin. Page 109 misidentifies two of the Killer Crocs listed on the page. So what I’m saying is ‘proceed with caution, but remain delighted’. This is probably the last point that the entirety of the DC action figure world can be encapsulated in a single book this handsomely.

[Please read back here, here and here for previous articles about this year’s Toy Fair, for all of its weirdnesses and delights!]

By now, I’d seen the fancy DC Comics dolls over at the immaculate (but welcoming) Tonner booth, but I had other DC figures in mind - and I knew that they could be found at the showrooms of DC Direct and Mattel.

DC Direct is Time-Warner’s in-house DC Comics merchandising group and toy company. DCD makes action figures, prop replicas, statues, Minimates and other great comic items, all aided by the benefit of having original reference materials and current comic artists at their immediate disposal. They are, after all, the source. They’re responsible for a large number of artist-specific and story-specific action figures, which number over 60 each year, created in (unnumbered) limited editions. While you won’t usually find a DC Direct action figure at your Toys ‘R’ Us, you can find them in comic shops and mall entertainment shops, usually at a price of around $15 per figure. They’re a great company if you want the newest bad guy from a recent and major story arc, but they don’t normally address figures like ‘the most iconic Batman’ in a 6” scale. They will, however, give you a Batman drawn by every notable Batman artist in the past 30 years.

Walking the line between ‘action figures’ and ‘dolls’ is the 13” figure line. These feature large, articulated bodies in cloth costumes, and unlike the small figures, these DO successfully capture characters at their most iconic and recognizable, often also accessorizing them with a bevy of weapons, removable parts and packaging them in a beautiful window box. Past offerings in this size have included over a dozen characters, including Batman, Superman, Robin, Catwoman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Captain Marvel, Lex Luthor, Two Face and more. Future offerings include The Joker, Harley Quinn, Green Arrow and Bizarro - but the only new announcement for this line during Toy Fair was a re-release of the original, rare Green Lantern figure, which has reached over $300 on eBay since it was released. This new edition will have a slightly different costume, as well as four interchangeable heads, including the basic Hal Jordan mug - with notable GLs Abin Sur and Tomar Re, as well as new fish-headed GL NautKeLoi, rounding out the variety. Sure, these figures are a little too big to fit in next to your 1/6th Sideshow toys, but they’re still fine enough to pass muster as their own thing.

A Wonder Woman figure has been on the drawing board for this line for over two years, with one undecided factor being whether or not she’ll have rooted hair, like a Barbie, or have sculpted hair. I put in my vote for sculpted hair as I spoke to a designer, and everyone else in the showroom chimed in and agreed. I’ve seen my niece’s Barbie-fros, and it would be an unbecoming look for a warrior princess. Plus, the appearance and manufacture of the series’ women should be consistent, and all have had sculpted hair thus far.

We will be getting a large Wonder Woman, though, as a Museum Scale statue. The most eye-catching thing in the showroom was this epic piece, with Wonder Woman standing at roughly 18” tall, wielding weapons and clothed in real fabrics. It’s a beautiful work of art, and it will accompany the previously released Superman and Batman Museum Scale statues. It’s not articulated, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a statue.

Next to her was a 1/2 scale (or, 50% smaller than actual size) Joker bust, which was another impressive and alluring (and slightly creepy) item, designed to accompany the previous Batman bust, also done in the same scale. Both feature details that are luminous and eerily human in person, but photography flattens them. Until you can see the statue’s pores shift in the light, it’s hard to communicate the level of detail in these. Batman’s stubble looks real enough to shave. Or caress, depending on just how you feel about stubble and / or Batman.

And then, we come to the regular action figure lines. 2008 will see the last wave of Alex Ross’ Justice line, rounded out with Supergirl, Captain Cold, Toyman and Batgirl. I’m still geeked out about the Jack Kirby New Gods figures, as well as the line of four ‘Showcase’ figures, which pull from the whole history of DC Comics for favorite artists’ works to turn into figures - including the Superman with three alternate, wacky heads that show the effects of red Kryptonite.

Newly-announced in the All-Star line, which pulls images from both ‘All-Star Batman’ and ‘All-Star Superman’ comics. This line will have the first two Frank Quitely designed figures ever created, those being of Superman and a super-powered Lois Lane. Also in the line will be another Batman and Batgirl, drawn by Jim Lee.

Also newly announced is another wave of ‘Secret Files’ figures, comprised of four Bat-villains : Hugo Strange (in a Batman costume, with an optional Batman head), Poison Ivy, Two Face and a tropical Joker from ‘The Killing Joke’. Slight variations of this Joker and Batman will also be released together in a ‘Killing Joke’ box set, along with a copy of the comic of the same name. Summer convention exclusives promise to be further variants of the same.

It’s also worth noting that DCD has announced a Huntress bust for their second series of ‘Women of the DC Universe’ bust series, all designed by Terry Dodson. The first series, all designed by Adam Hughes, ended at the end of 2007 after a dozen great busts - some of which are worth three times the initial sale price. There are also new Ame-Comi figures happening, based on Donna Troy, Poison Ivy, Hawkgirl, and Zatanna - if you’re into that anime thing.

Here’s some news for World of Warcraft fans : we saw the third wave of figures but weren’t permitted to photograph them. They were great, and the line of four has TWO female figures in it - so run out and buy your Blood Elf chick from the first series now! I’m not a WoW kinda guy, but I like warrior women. My complete collection of Xena DVDs agrees with me.

And Minimates fans, nothing new was on display. Rumor has it that these amazing little guys won’t make it past an 8th wave, which breaks my little plastic heart. If you like them as much as I do, make some noise. It’s a great line, it plays well with others, and the character depth is stellar. I mean, AMBUSH BUG.

[Click here for the full DC Direct Gallery in our Community!]

[Click here for the full Mattel Gallery in our Community!]

After we saw DC’s showrooms, we made our way over to Mattel, who hold the other major component of the DC Comics characters licensing. Mattel takes a different approach to making figures than DCD, so there seems to be enough room for both companies to coexist - inasmuch as Mattel DOES go for the most iconic character appearance possible, and uses a broader selection of recognizable characters that fans have asked for, regardless of current appearances within the comics. Mattel also super-articulates their figures so that they’re very posable (wherein DC Direct uses minimal articulation), and use a build-a-figure system where one can build a 6th, bonus figure if you collect all 5 of the basic figures in a set.

These DC Universe Classics didn’t come with many new announcements, but the display of the next dozen 6” characters was exciting. Wave 1 has been on store shelves for a few months now, and Wave 2 will include Aquaman (modern and classic), Red and Blue Superman (from a brief period a few years ago when he changed his costume), Firestorm (modern and classic), Black Manta, and Harley Quinn, and with parts from 5 of these, you can build a huge Gorilla Grodd. Wave 3 will include Nightwing, Robin, Sinestro (modern and classic), Deathstroke (masked and unmasked), and Hal Jordan Green Lantern. Get five of these together and you can make a huge Solomon Grundy. The makeup of future waves was not yet revealed, but Cyborg and Wonder Woman are definitely in the mix, as 2-up sculptures were displayed of them.

I was surprised by the sudden announcement of the ‘DC Universe Infinite Heroes’ line - a collection of small 3.75” figures spanning an unusual and diverse range of characters. While these little guys don’t yet come close to matching the quality of the large figures, they do seem to have appropriately simple sculpts with basic details, about ten points of pivoting articulation, and hearken back to the classic days of collecting from my youth. Their small size will allow for a larger range of characters to be made in a shorter time, and they’ll also be in scale with your Star Wars and GI Joe guys. That Han Solo / Flash smackdown that you’ve been praying for is about to happen. The reaction to the line has been very mixed, but I’m waiting to see the final product before I pass any kind of summary judgment, as most of the items on display were prototypes. No matter what, I’m getting a Bizarro out of it. Some of the other surprising figures in the lineup were Commissioner Gordon, Mirror Master, Thanagarian Warriors, Black Adam, Batwoman, The Question, and Hush - all of whom are usually second-tier characters at best, and don’t often (if ever) appear as figures.

Barbie collectors, note that a new Black Canary and Supergirl Barbies will be coming out, also! These should sit comfortably with the previously released DC Heroine Barbies of Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Harley Quinn. All of which are in my closet. Don’t laugh.

Mattel has also made action figures for the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight. While the ‘Movie Masters’ line is meant to appeal to the adult collector with a fixation on accuracy and display, a secondary line will feature the requisite Batman in a handful of impractical, brightly-colored armors with action features. Hello, Ice Lobster Helicopter Rescue Batman! Despite the recent death of Heath Ledger, the actor who played the Joker in this movie, it’s reported that the action figure in his likeness will still be released at this time. I can’t help but wonder what the initial eBay hysteria will be like.

Finally, the kid-friendly Super Friends line doesn’t seem to have anything new to add to it either, as the most recent figures of Cyborg and Hawkman are just now trickling out onto shelves, with nothing more planned. A vehicle or two is on the way, and a series of plush dolls - but nothing too noteworthy for the collector. Cuddleworthy, yes.

These two companies are surely holding off on a few big reveals until April’s New York Comic Con, since most of the ‘new’ information was already a few weeks old. Here’s my vote for ‘Doom Patrol’ anything.

Stay tuned on Saturday for toys from your favorite non-comic book forms of entertainment - if you’re entertained by Hellboy and Heroes. Which I am.

Is an action figure better if it looks more like a real person when it’s standing still, or is it better when you can position it into a ton of fightin’ action poses? Action figure geeks will debate the point until their fingers are sore and they get called for dinner, but there’s no correct answer. It’s like deciding if their imaginary Canadian girlfriends would be preferable if they were smart OR pretty. Can’t we have both? Or just a little bit of each? At the very least, can we make sure that this next one doesn’t try to stab me?

DC Universe Classics by Mattel answers the call of figure geeks everywhere by finally, at long last, providing collectors with fan favorite characters (instead of a million iterations of Batman and Superman), beautifully sculpted, and stuffed with poseability. Until now, we’ve had the attractive but static figures by DC Direct (owned by DC themselves), and the Batman / Superman centric figures from Mattel. With licensing possibilities opened up for 2008, Mattel now has the rights to do almost any DC character that they want, and they’re re-revolutionizing the superhero figure world. Since Hasbro took over the once-amazing Marvel Legends lines with mediocre results, I’ve very much needed some inspiration to keep on caring - and Mattel has provided it.

The first wave of these figures, due for release in early 2008 but arriving early, includes a classic Batman and The Penguin, along with other characters that the average person with a life wouldn’t recognize : Red Tornado, Etrigan the Demon, and Orion (the latter two being Jack Kirby creations). All five contain pieces of a sixth figure and if you collect them all, you can build Metamorpho, who happens to be one of my favorite characters ever. It’s like getting a figure for free. Even in figure lines as vast as this, the company needs to include one or two very recognizable, anchor figures in each wave, ergo the new Batman.

All of these characters have been made by DC Direct before, and while DC did a pretty good job at creating iconic, statuesque figures, Mattel manages to do that but ALSO make them posable. While some collectors think that these are replacing the older versions entirely, there are enough differences for both versions to remain appealing, and this newer version very much worth collecting.

The line is billed as ‘Classics’ because Mattel’s focus isn’t on the newest appearance of the character, or a very artist-specific vision of the character (which DC Direct has recently placed a strong focus on), but instead they’re going for the most ‘classic’ appearance possible - with the exception of Metamorpho, who is also billed as ‘Rex Mason’ on the figure packaging. This isn’t to be confused as making the character ‘generic’ as possible, but instead ‘iconic’ and ‘timeless’. To these ends, Mattel is releasing two versions of Red Tornado, both with slight costume variations, so as to address two of his most common appearances (and no clear answer as to which one is less common). Mattel has also hinted at another variation among these figures, though they’ve left it a mystery for the fans to discover. It has something to do with a variation of a face, it’s very slight, and it’s not on the Batman figure. This leaves fans to conjecture that it might be an alternate Metamorpho head, or possibly an angry Orion head, though not enough figures have been found just yet to confirm anything.

The very broad array of characters in the first few waves means that we’re probably not going to be able to assemble a basic Justice League for a few years, but the lineup includes some interesting choices : Red and Blue Superman from the late 90s, Aquaman and his archenemy Black Manta, Harley Quinn, Firestorm (both modern and classic versions), Batman sidekicks Nightwing and Robin, Green Lantern (the much desired Hal Jordan version) and his enemy Sinestro, Deathstroke, and finally, two figures that you can assemble from parts included in the other figures : Gorilla Grodd and Solomon Grundy. Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash and Green Arrow, Hawkman and Hawkgirl are all unannounced, but surely somewhere in Mattel’s plans.

Removing these from the packages was very easy, with minimal twist ties, and I didn’t encounter any serious paint problems, nor did any joint stick or break. Quality control gets an A+. These retail about about $12 each, but can also be bought by the case from various online retailers. Be aware that current cases of 6 include two identical Batman figures.

Take a look through the gallery I’ve provided in our Collectors Community for a deeper view into the excellent sculpting and articulation on these figures, and consider me completely psyched. I don’t say this often, but this is the best thing to happen to figures in a long time. While it can’t be said that this is something completely new, the return to a winning formula like this is long past due. Keep it up, Mattel!

The appeal of those sacks of molded-plastic cowboys and indians and soldiers was never their intense level of realism, or that they were satisfyingly chewable, or that you could remorselessly melt them into hideous casualties of war. No, it was that there were SO MANY of them. You could form an army and send it across the pulchritudinous expanse of the back yard, transforming it into an imaginary war-torn, post-apocalyptic landscape, strewn with fallen bodies amid the 20-foot tall dandelions. And heck, if you lost a few to the ravages of the lawn mower in the skirmish, there were always more.

The world of figural toys is replete with iconic heroes and baddies, each one unique in their appearance and powers - but there are also those underappreciated armies of obedient goons or intrepid scientists and expendable soldiers who’ll readily give their life for their cause. And dammit if they don’t look awesome in a display together. Where they don’t have any notable power as individuals, their true power comes from their unending masses - so that’s why you buy fifty of them, when you only really need one Superman.

There’s no better example of the army builder figures than the Star Wars line of toys from Hasbro (and formerly, from Kenner). There’s really no upper limit for how many Imperial Stormtroopers you can own. They exist without personalities, they all look exactly the same, and they’re limitless in quantity. Collecting an enormous mass of them only adds to their play and display value. Anyone who’s played with action figures knows that you jealously protect your favorite character from any and all harm being rained down upon him from enemy combatants, usually by creating wildly unrealistic circumstances (such as hiding them behind your back and shielding them from damage - a strategic move that is often used and never socially acceptable), but when you have an army of Stormtroopers, one delights in chucking them behind the couch after devastating explosions and moving on to the next victim in the pile. Add Ewoks, Battle Droids, Ugnaughts, other Droids, Jawas, Rebel Troopers and Tusken Raiders to the mix, and you have endless armies!

Not only does quantity increase play value, but the quest to find just a few more will always leave you with something to find on the toy shelves when you go hunting. Odds are that there’ll always be a generic troop some somewhere on a shelf.

Other interesting army building figures include DC Direct’s OMAC, which fought the Justice League in mass quantities, Ninja Man-Bat (which is ridiculous unto itself) and the recently released Hydra Soldier from Hasbro’s third Marvel Legends line. HYDRA’s been around since the earlier days of the Marvel Universe and represent some of the more plentiful goons one might hope to face.

Two generic figures that were supposed to fit into an older wave of Marvel Legends were eventually released under Diamond Select’s ‘Marvel Select’ banner, giving us some nasty Brood and Skrulls to fight. These are complimented nicely by the recently released Brood Queen figure, and a previously released (but very hard to find) Super Skrull figure. One might also load up on an army of GI Joe COBRA Vipers, and a good selection of companies have put out a variety of semi-compatible zombies if you want to make a truly terrifying army.

Most collecting seems to focus on collecting varieties on a theme, but us army builders are happy to collect the same thing ad infinitum - and isn’t that the true definition of collecting insanity?

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As far as Rogues Galleries go, Superman’s got a great one. Not only does he have crazy businessman / president Lex Luthor, but he has the mad-scientist monkey Ultra-Humanite, the genocidal alien Darkseid, the robot Brainiac, the imperfect clone Bizarro, and the incorrigible imp from the 5th Dimension - Mr. Mxyzptlk. This variety in enemies has always kept Superman stories exciting and interesting, and these characters have always been used to show Superman’s intellect and compassion alongside his raw power. With a being a powerful as Superman, how do you create stories where he doesn’t just punch holes in people’s faces and inevitably emerge as the victor every time?

Superman’s intellect is never more evident than when he’s dealing with Mr. Mxyzptlk. As a 5th Dimensional being, Mxy is not bound by our simple 3rd Dimensional laws, and as a result, is nigh omnipotent. Mxy can do and create anything he pleases - so fortunately, he’s more mischievous than evil. His only weakness, and you can thank the craziness of the original Superman stories for this, is that making him say or spell his name backwards forces him to return to the 5th Dimension for 90 Earth-days. Luckily for him, he has a hot redhead girlfriend and a goldfish there to greet him.

In the DC Comics universe, Batman had Bat-Mite, and Aquaman had Qwsp - both imps from the 5th Dimension, and both mischievous. The Fantastic Four, over at Marvel Comics, had Impossible Man. It was indirectly suggested by DC that Impy and Mxy were even the same being, simply moving between dimensions to cause havoc. Captain Picard also had the omnipotent and quirky Q, who had very similar personality traits and strange grasp of the alphabet. For us, the 5th Dimension is a place that’s written to exist outside of any consistent comic continuity, its residents often breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging that “yes, we are characters in a comic book that you are reading”, interconnecting all various universes and media with its strange awareness of itself as a form of media. Confused at all yet?

In the fourth season of Lois and Clark, Howie Mandel made a guest appearance as Mr. Mxyzptlk, wearing a costume that was highly reminiscent of Trelane, a character from ‘The Squire of Gothos’ episode of the original Star Trek. Furthermore, Peter David penned a Star Trek : The Next Generation novel that suggested that Trelane was actually Q’s child - thus reinforcing the idea that all of these interdimensional, all-powerful menaces are the same being.

I was reminded of my love of Mr. Mxyzptlk when I opened a pack of Justice League Heroclix and Mxy came tumbling out. How in the world do you create a game piece with unlimited power and make him playable? Well, you severely de-power him and make him more of a nuisance than a threat, it would appear, but aside from this half-inch tall Mxy figure, I realized that I have a noticeable lack of Mxys to display. He’s a severely underappreciated guy. Most of my favorite weirdo bad guys are.

The first time Mxy appeared in figural form was in 1974’s line of 8”, clothed superhero figures by Mego. Because every male figure used the same body, Mxy was inappropriately tall, and stood face to face with Batman and Superman - so while he was the only Superman enemy in the whole line, it still wasn’t a great representation. This figure originally has a smirking face, but DC wasn’t happy with this portrayal of their character, so Mego sculpted a second, open-mouthed face for use on all future figures. Neither of these are among the rarer Mego figures, and both go for about 20 bucks each in fair condition - the smirking version going for slightly more.

Mxy made a reappearance in Mego’s Bend ‘N’ Flex line a year or so later, in his appropriate smaller scale, but made entirely of bendy rubber. Not too many of these figures are still found today in respectable shape, due to the degradation of the paint and materials used to create them. And in 1973, Mr. Mxy made an appearance on a 7-11 Slurpee cup. In 2000, DC Direct made a small plush toy of Mxy’s likeness, a 6” statue of Mxy impishly levitating and glaring, and handed out ‘Say It Backwards - Mr. Mxyzptlk’ mini-buttons for free at conventions.

Still, little respect is paid. He didn’t make an appearance in the Superman Animated Series action figure line, where he made two appearances in the actual show and was voiced by Gilbert Gottfried. He hasn’t been an action figure, and he’s often ignored in the various Superman merchandise that ever-floweth from the hands of Mattel and DC Comics. As a result, it’s not especially difficult to find yourself an encyclopedic collection of Mr. Mxy’s appearances in both comics and merchandise. - except for his first appearance in Superman #30, published in 1944. That’ll run you about 450 bucks. Interestingly, it’s also the first issue where Superman actually flies instead of just jumping around.

In February 2008, Mxy will finally appear in action figure form, in the 5th series of the Ed McGuinness designed Batman / Superman line by DC Direct. Even better, since he’s a figure of little size, he’ll be packed in with a figure of The Joker - another favorite villain of mine.

Everything’s coming up Mxy.

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