Superman: Doomsday

Superman: Doomsday
DC Direct
2007

Pfft....Superman. A guy that doesn't even understand that underwear goes on the inside of your pants. Yeah, that's who we all want to rely on to save us.

On a slow news day in September of 1992, journalists caught wind of a major event in DC Comics history. The comic book publisher would be killing Superman. Yes, the Man of Steel, who had led the company to success after success since June of 1938 would be meeting his demise in a five part story arc set to begin in December.

Unfortunately for those journalists, they weren't familiar with the motif of comics. A character dead today would be alive and well tomorrow, serving as nothing more than another chapter in their fictional life. Such was the case with Superman. The creative team behind the arc never intended for this to be the end of America's boy scout in blue. They were well in development of not only his death, but funeral, reign of the Supermen and return across thirty-seven individual issues spanning multiple titles.

With all eyes on DC Comics, sales of the original death arc skyrocketed, with comic enthusiasts, and average Joe's across the world buying up every issue they could find, quickly inflating the books values on secondary markets. That is until the inevitable return was announced.

Fans of comics know how quickly people who bought long boxes of issue number seventy-five clamored to offload them as quickly as possible, often times losing money on what they had invested. It served as yet another lesson for why people who buy toys or comics for investment purposes often times throw their money at the wrong thing. 

For what it was worth, the story arc was solid, and since its inception has shown time and time again that it has been able to stand the test of time. It's not only had numerous toys based on it, but in 2018 even saw a full fledged animated movie.

Said line below from DC Direct was one of those plastic iterations. Truthfully, I don't really have much more to add to this, so I'll leave it to the pictures.

 Superman

 Lex Luthor & Superman's Robot

 Doomsday

 Solar Suit Superman

Superman Vs. Doomsday

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Superman: New Krypton (DC Direct)

Superman: New Krypton
DC Direct
2010

New Krypton? What was wrong with the old one? Oh...Right...KABOOM!

The story arc of New Krypton revolves around Clark Kent coming to terms with the death of his adoptive Earth father as well as the presence of 100,000 Kryptonians now living on Earth as a result of the Braniac story arc.

Now, let me just stop here a moment. See, this is my biggest problem with comic books these days. How many different books and story arcs do I have to read to keep up? Ridiculous.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

Anyhow...Much as they often do, DC Direct threw out a handful of figures based on the series. Four to be exact. Superman, Braniac, Superwoman and one of the Kryptonians, Mon-El. The world is still waiting for the remaining  99,999 Kryptonian figures to be released. Expect them as an exclusive pack at an upcoming San Diego Comic Con.

 Superman*Superwoman

Braniac*Mon-El

As is the usual case with DC Direct figures, now that the line is over, they are not only difficult to find, but also expensive. Plan on spending anywhere from $60.00 to $75.00 for each one. Mind you, that's if you can find them. They are rather scarce these days.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

52 (DC Direct)

52
DC Direct
2007

Comic book wise, 52 was rather ambitious. It was a series which was published weekly for one year (thus the title, 52) and followed the events right after the Infinite Crisis story arc. The series became so popular that it spawned a full novelization, a full cast audiobook and these toys below. It would also eventually be collected in several volumes of trade paperbacks.

As for the figures, there were five created. The biggest complaint with the line from most collectors is one many have voiced before pertaining to any DC Direct line - The articulation. While there are several points to be found, for the buy in price you just don't get the quality you'll find in most NECA or McFarlane Toys figures. The biggest gripe I've heard pertains to Supernova, a character who can fly, but who's head is not on a ball joint to point his face forward when his body is horizontal.

Animal Man

Batwoman

With that said, you're still going to find a fantastic assortment of figures which would otherwise never be made available through other lines. If anything, it makes for at least an option of this or nothing.

Supernova

Isis

Booster Gold

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Classic Silver Age Superman (DC Direct)

Classic Silver Age Superman
DC Direct
2006

If you're looking for a solid Silver Age Superman line, you need look no further than - Well, Classic Silver Age Superman from DC Direct. The five figure line was released in 2006, and included pretty much every Superman character which comes to mind when you think of the Man of Steel; Lois Lane, Perry white, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor and of course the man himself, Superman were all included. Not only that, but it's one of the few if not only opportunities to get Beppo - AKA, Superman's super monkey.

Superman (and Beppo)*Lois Lane (as Superwoman)

For those of you scratching your head at the Lois Lane figure above, let us give you a little background.

Lois Lane as Superwoman first appeared in Action Comics number 60 (her first appearance by the way). In the issue, Lois dreams she has received super powers by mean of a blood transfusion from Superman. As the years would pass by, Lois would make numerous appearances as Superwoman - Sometimes with the powers real - But only temporarily.

Perry White*Jimmy Olsen

Lex Luthor

These figures capture everything which was Superman of the Silver Age!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Classic Silver Age (DC Direct)

Classic Silver Age
DC Direct
2006

The Silver Age of DC Comics may very well be the most wackiest era of the companies history. It was during this time where characters such as Batman and Superman no longer seemed bound to their roots. A lot of times the stories went off into left field (way far left field), and we got characters such as Streaky the Supercat, and Krypto the Super Dog. Heck, sometimes we got dinosaurs showing up out of nowhere. Let's not forget the time Batman and Robin battled mummies, or Wonder Woman working at Taco Whiz. No rules seemed to apply.

Despite this, classics are classics for a reason, and the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash (and so many others) weathered the storm to maintain their status as some of the most iconic super heroes in comic book history. Thank goodness the 80's were inbound, and many of these characters got redeveloped to bring the DC Universe back in order...For a little while anyway.

In 2006, DC Direct gave the Silver Age a fine salute with its line of multipacks based on the era. Each package included two figures, and in some cases also featured pets - Which is awesome! Where else are you going to get Krpto, Streaky, Batmite and Ace the Bat-Hound? Okay, so you can get them from a couple other lines, but that's not the point.

Superman and Lois Lane

Superboy and Supergirl with Krypto and Streaky

Batman and Robin

Batgirl and The Joker

Catwoman and The Penguin

Bat-Girl and Batwoman with Batmite and Ace the Bat-Hound

Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl

Flash and Kid Flash

Green Arrow and Speedy

There are a few honorable mentions to make note of. The below figures are not part of the Classic Silver Age series, but were advertised on the back of some of the packages. Because these really wouldn't fit in their own post, we've decided to incorporate them here.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl*Aquaman and Aqualad

Shazam! and Billy Batson

Orion and Darkseid*Mister Miracle and Bad Barda with Oberon

Lobo with Cycle

If there's one thing DC does right, it's handle their properties in action figure form. All of these definitely and easily qualify as some of the best they have produced to date.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Smallville (DC Direct)

Smallville
DC Direct
2000 and 2008

Smallville will go down as one of the most critically acclaimed television series based on a super hero (to date). The series debuted with over eight million viewers, and by it's tenth and final season had a fairly consecutive viewing each week of approximately three million homes. During its ten year run, the show won awards from Emmy's to Teen Choice, and even Leo Awards. The show was so popular that it even lead to spin offs in young adult novels and comic books.

Throughout its run, fans sat on the edge of their seats wondering just when Clark Kent would dawn the iconic Superman costume. The series didn't disappoint with its final episode when in the last moments we finally see Superman burst upwards through the sky.

DC Direct helped to build anticipation for the series with its 2000 release of three figures based on the actors and their characters.

 Clark Kent*Lana Lane*Lex Luthor

It's interesting that the series lay dormant until 2008 when DC Direct once again returned to the line to produce a second series. This time the line focused on the superheros which had made iconic cameo appearances throughout the episodes.

 Aquaman*Clark Kent*Cyborg

Green Arrow*Impulse

These figures are by no means scarce these days. Unfortunately for sellers though, what is rare is finding a buyer. It seems that while the television series was a huge success, the figures themselves are a rather large dud on the world of action figures.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (DC Direct)

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
2011
DC Direct

Batman posts seem to always come in pairs of two around here. Not sure why that is.

The Return of Bruce Wayne was a six part story arc which took place in the various Batman related titles in  2010. The story is written by Grant Morrison, and featured six different artists (one for each book).

The story revolves around Bruce Wayne being lost in time after being deposited in the past by Darkseid in the pages of the story Final Crisis. Each story takes Wayne through a different period of time, respectively - Prehistoric, during the period of witch hunts, pirating, the wild west, noir and present time.

Since being published original, the story has been collected into an individual volume which can still be purchased from various book retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

In 2011, DC Direct produced four figures based on the various time frames in which Bruce Wayne visits - High Seas, Prehistoric, Wild West and Witch Hunter. No, you're not going to find your Jokers, Riddlers or Two-Faces here. Everything is Bruce Wayne related - As it should be. If we had one complaint it would be that DC Direct could have, and should have released the remaining two Bruce Wayne figures as depicted in the other two remaining books - Noir and present time.

 Batman: High Seas

 Batman: Prehistoric

 Batman: Wild West

Batman: Witch Hunt

Prices are somewhat all over the map for these figures. A lot of sellers price them for fifty dollars or more, when in reality most people are willing to pay between twenty and forty dollars a piece for them.

Additionally, if you're interested in reading the story arc, you can track down the individual issues fairly cheap. A lot of comic sellers drop these into their dollar boxes - Which is far cheaper than the $16.00 to $20.00 that you'll spend on the collected trade paperback.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (DC Direct)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
DC Direct
2004

We touched on The Dark Knight Returns in our post about the comic series by Frank Miller. In that post we pretty much covered the entire history of the story, so there's really no reason to repeat it all here.

2004 brought with it yet another Batman line from the hot, hot, hot multitude of DC Direct lines. The series features just four figures, but boy oh boy are they good ones. We of course get Batman with that iconic look as seen in the pages of the Frank Miller story. In addition we also get Carrie Kelley as Robin, Joker and Superman.

 Batman

 Robin

 Joker

Superman

Unlike a lot of DC Direct lines, this one isn't going to break the bank should you want to add it to your collection. On the low end, you can grab each figure for $25.00. High end, you can expect to pay about $40.00 each. Granted that's not too cheap, but it's still not terrible as compared to some of the other DC Direct figures which can sell for over a hundred dollars each.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Batman - Dark Victory (DC Direct)

Batman - Dark Victory
DC Direct
2004

Batman: Dark Victory was a thirteen part series (14 if you include the Wizard exclusive #0) by famed comic duo Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. The story is actually a direct sequel to the duos mini series, The Long Halloween. Though not touted as the best story to be produced by Loeb and Sale, it still garners high respect from Batman fans for its re-imaging of Robin's origin into the Batman legend, as well as for bringing closure to many characters introduced in Frank Miller's Batman: Year One.

In 2004, DC Direct produced a series of figures based on the story. Though it was only a handful of characters, they certainly chose some great ones to represent - Commissioner Gordon, The Scarecrow, and of course, Batman and Robin - The latter which also featured The Penguin packed in with him.

Unlike most Batman toys produced by DC Direct at this time, the ones based on Dark Victory aren't going to send you to the bank to request a second mortgage to obtain. The figures fluctuate between $15.00 and $25.00 for mint in the package ones - Not terrible considering some of the other Batman lines have been known to cost you upwards of $300.00 for one figure.

Great figures, and a story that too is great means that Dark Victory is simply awesome all around. Granted if you're going to read to books, you should probably check out The Long Halloween first so that you can get the whole story. Both series are definitely worth your while. 

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Batman: Reborn (DC Direct)

Batman: Reborn
DC Direct
2012

There's a Batman figure for pretty much every iteration you can think of.

Batman: Reborn is a Batman Family crossover series which establishes a new status quo in Gotham City after the events of Battle for the Cowl. The story unfolds in multiple parts; Batgirl Rising, Batman Reborn, The Deep, Elegy, The Grail, Hush Money, Long Shadows and Union - Which take place across multiple Batman  / Batgirl / Robin titles.

As DC Direct was prone to doing, this particular series was showcased in plastic in the confined Batman: Reborn action figure line. It featured four figures in total, and to date remains one of the most highly sought after series of Batman toys.

 Batman: Jason Todd

 Batman: Two-Face

 Batgirl

Azrael

Those looking to collect this series should proceed with the understanding that it isn't going to be cheap. Carded figures sell between $80.00 to 120.00 each - With Batgirl and Batman: Jason Todd being the most expensive out of the four. Occasionally you can find Azrael for as little as $30.00, and Batman: Two-Face for as little as $65.00 (yeah, right...little). However, these finds are few and far between.

You're going to be facing an even tougher challenge for those looking to obtain the figures loose. Azrael is the most common of the bunch, and can easily be found for as little as $15.00 - $20.00. However, the remaining three are incredibly scarce (out of the package). Even then, Batgirl and Batman: Jason Todd will still set you back upwards of $100.00 each.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Batman: Knightfall (DC Direct)

Batman: Knightfall
DC Direct
2006

Three in a row based on the Caped Crusader? We promise to take a break from Batman after this one - Probably not a long one, but a break nonetheless.

Knightfall is hands down one of the greatest Batman stories ever told. Jean Paul Valley's portrayal of Batman as a ruthless vigilante that would go to any means necessary to stop crime (to and include murder) was jaw dropping at times. Then on top of that you also get the heart of the story itself which was Bruce Wayne having his back broken by Bane. The story delivered on so many levels!

Of course to get that whole story, one would need to stick with both monthly Batman titles being published between 1993 and 1994 - Batman and Detective Comics (respectively). The entire story spanned across a trilogy known as Knightfall, Knightquest and KnightsEnd - Or as they are unofficially referred to in their trade paperback collection as, The KnightSaga.

To sum this all up - If you haven't read it, you should.

Somewhat late to the party, but still well received was DC Direct's line of figures based on the trilogy. The biggest shame here is how small the series was. Personally, we would have loved to see a rogue of villains released here. It was the perfect opportunity to incorporate classics such as Penguin, Joker, Riddler and more as they all appeared in the comic series during this particular story.

 Batman - Jean Paul Valley*Nightwing

Bane and Catwoman are the two most highly sought after figures in the series. As such, they can garner between $50.00 and $70.00 each, mint on card. The remaining figures are typically priced between $20.00 and $30.00, but the reality of the matter is that the average going price is around $15.00 for them.

Mask of Tengu Batman*Catwoman*Bane

The entire KnightSaga has not only been collected in trade paperback versions numerous times over, but it's also available in novel format - Written by Dennis O'Neil. For those not into reading, fear not. You can also enjoy the story in audiobook format.

To sum this all up (again) - If you haven't read it, you should...Or at the very least listen to it.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Batman Incorporated (DC Direct)

Batman Incorporated
DC Direct
2010

Batman Incorporated was a group created by Grant Morrison which over time spawned into the title of the same name for the volume one (and two) wave of New 52 comics in 2011. The series focuses on Wayne announcing to the world that he has been funding the Batman program for years, and now looks to expand it globally.

However, for the figures themselves, we need to rewind back to 2010. In the pages of Batman and Robin, Dick Grayson has taken over the mantle of Batman, and Damian Wayne joins his side as Robin. It would be in issue number 16 that the Batman Incorporated team would first be mentioned, and it would be from this that the figures would come to be.

 Batman*Robin

These figures are highly sought after by Batman collectors, and as such you're not going to find them cheap. Robin alone can sell for upwards of $90.00 to $100.00 mint on the card. The regular Batman figure sells for upwards of $45.00. As for the remaining two, they're a little easier on the wallet coming in at around $15.00 to $20.00.

 Batman: Knight*Batman: Man of Bats

Batman Incorporated (Volume 1)
DC Comics
2011

As mentioned above, Batman Incorporated was a series developed for DC Comics New 52 reboot of their universe. The first volume of the title ran for eight issues from January to October 2011, and the second ran for fourteen issues (#0 - 13) between November 2012 and September 2013.

In general, the New 52 comics remind us of the oversaturation of the market that the comics industry experienced in the 90's via Image Comics. Multicovers, multicovers, multicovers. 

Each issue of Batman Incorporated had a minimum of two covers, while other issues had upwards of five. It was quite honestly ridiculous. Collecting a full set of the series is not a task for the faintest of hearts. With issues ranging from $2.99 and up right off the rack, it was a costly venture for comic book completists.

Batman Incorporated (Volume 2)
DC Comics
2012 - 2013

 

Oddly enough, or rather, sadly enough, the initial off the rack buy in price didn't hold its value. The series can be found relatively cheap these days as the books qualify as dime or quarter box fodder for a lot of second hand dealers. The only issues that seem to have gained in value are the sketch covers, but even then they don't tend to go over $15.00 per book.

However, don't let the monetary value of the books deter you from at least reading the series. Multiple covers and over saturation aside, there is a great story arc to be found in the books. We don't want to spoil the series for you, but rest assured, a Batman fan (casual or hardcore) would most likely find value in this series - Just not monetary value.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.