135 thoughts on “Mattel Announces SDCC Exclusive
For DCUC/CIE & No One Cares”

1. Well, I wouldn’t say it ISN’T going to happen. But knowing our luck, when they toss up the thermometer, and not enough people bite, we’ll be downgraded from last years mix of oversized and monthly regular figures and this years one oversized figure and monthly regular figures to bi-monthly regular figures. Here’s a MUCH better choice for a Con-exclusive DCUC figure: the Music Meister! Honestly, with all the money they throw into the tooling for Con figures, it’d be easy to make him in 4H style. plus, like that Starro box set, it could have clips of Neil Patrick Harris’s beautiful singing voice!

   1. I know some folks who might hate a ‘toon figure more than a New52 one, but I’d love a Music Meister!!

      I’m hopeful that they’ll at least dole out whatever CIE they have at the show in some fashion.

2. Well I guess mark me down as someone who cares, at least I am now I know that hood comes off! But in all fairness I’m a pretty big fan of Captain Marvel/Shazam.

   1. I’m a huge Captain Marvel fan! It’s just a shame DC doesn’t use that character anymore. 😛

      1. Love it! Well played.

3. you’ve nailed my sentiments, pretty much.
   I was debating about signing up again, and really considered the BF/Watchmen sub (if only to cherry a few DCIE figs), but eventually decided against it. btw, it should have been up until about 2am our time, last night (5/1), but it was still active about lunchtime. I checked again later this evening and they finally pulled the subs. “unavailable at this time” I think it said before I backed up and refreshed, losing all four subs.

   btw, I’ve seen a couple Wally’s on the ‘bay and….ouch. basic buck body, so all they had to do was nail the head, or even just the ear wings. NOPE. It looks like he missed that turn at Albuquerque right into a wall. DCD Wally may be a bit big for my DCUC shelf, so cherry Barry will keep standing in for his nephew.

   1. I’m not sure about Wally yet.

      I do still love my subs, but Transformers has almost gotten my wallet back from Mattel.

4. Can’t say I’m surprised. The only DC book I’ve been reading up to now was Legion of Superheroes, but it’s currently undergoing the “Disassembled” treatment and will likely be cancelled in lieu of a massive revamp. So whatever slim chance there was of getting a second Legion boxed set has finally gone up in smoke.

   DC will continue to shove the New 52 down our throats until we grin and bear it like obedient fanboys. It’s bad enough that I get stuck with a Geoff Johns Rainbow Lantern creation once or twice per sub as it is.

   Shazam is a character whose appeal rest mostly on nostalgia. Every decade or so they give us a new version of the dude hoping new readers will bite: Be it the Beck version, Newton’s, Thomas & Mandrake’s, Ordway’s, Winick’s, or Johns’ present attempt. Toywise, the character works best in his classic costume because that’s the only thing most people remember about him aside from his trademarked I.D. switch.

   Going by this figure and the Superman movie two-pack, I’ll be saving my money this summer.

   1. I liked Ordway’s, but it was mostly classic. It certainly doesn’t help that Johns Shazam backup is one of my least favorite new 52 changes.

      But, yes, money saved. Can’t beat that!

      1. I think I like the DCnU about as much as you, Noisy, and the “Shazam” backup is about the middle of the pack for me. At least it was. I haven’t read in a few months. I’ve finally given up on everything DC’s currently putting out except Batgirl, which I only continued reading because Gail Simone was unfired from it (and man those fill-in issues were bad). And even “Batigrl” is a bittersweet book for me; on its own merits, divorced from a lifetime of comic reading, it’s a really well done book. But knowing that DC undid 25 years of great character development, including the phenomenal original Birds of Prey run, to make “Batgirl” happen? That sucks.

         1. I think I’m down to Wonder Woman & Supergirl, but I’d have to check my pull list. Supergirl hasn’t been very good of late, so I’ll probably cut it when I go check it.

            The work on the comics may be better than I feel it is because I clearly can’t let go of what we had to lose to get where we are. The new comics had to be phenomenal to make up for it and, to date, they just haven’t been.

            1. I don’t think it’s just your perception. Most of the books haven’t been very good. At first it was just that it seemed like the whole reboot was so haphazardly planned and executed, like not a ton of planning went into it, and now it’s clear that they still haven’t bothered to iron out any of the behind-the-scenes stuff or thought out a real timeline/backstory to anything.

               At least when Marvel launched their “Ultimates” line, they weren’t dumb enough to cancel the regular Marvel titles. And that’s what DCnU feels like to me; “Ultimate” DC, in the same, “Everyone is young and what a 40 year old’s idea of hip is, and they’re all A-holes” kind of way that Marvel’s “Ultimate” books are.

               1. yeah, DC should never have made a full house clean sweep and not given readers any other choice with their nu52 (aside from barely messing with GL and Bat-titles).

                  Instead, they should have followed Marvel’s Ultimate model, with a few “nuDC” titles to (re)launch and taken it from there, or even planned it out like the AoA change up in the 90s, where everything reverts back after 4-6 months.

                  Heck, I made the mistake of being one of the first to reply to a DC Facebook post the other day and saying I no longer had any interest, so that lead to some trolling me and what not as the likes piled up. one guy in particular had nothing better to d than try and argue me, but I wasn’t falling for his bait. The handful that agreed with me were also getting more likes than this guy.

                  I have noticed the displeased are growing in numbers whenever DC/Newsarama/Bleeding Cool/etc make a post about it and the defenders are losing ground.

                  1. Honestly, if I had a multiversity-type book set in the classic DCU with a GOOD writer (Not Johns, but like Pfiefer, Diggle, Simone, Snyder, even Morrison maybe, I would be all over it!!)

                     1. isn’t Morrison the one with the long-delayed “Multiveristy” book almost ready for a solicit date?

                  2. DC did try an Ultimates-like line. It was called All-Stars. All-Star Superman and All-Star Batman were the flagships. I think an All-Star Wonder Woman and Batgirl titles were planned. Morrison and Quitely did a wonderful Superman story. Jim Lee and Frank Miller attempted to reinvent Batman, but it was laughable and always late. The All-Star line failed because they couldn’t get the books out on time- and Frank Miller’s scripts were loaded with ridiculous dialogue.

5. I think I’ll protest this by going out to TRU to buy the shelf-warming “Earth’s Mightiest Mortal’s” two-pack. Black Adam: the best thing associated with the number “52.”

   1. LOL I forgot all about that 2pk even though its right beneath that same Hawkman. LOL

6. I saw this and barfed literally and thank god I made it to the bathroom.

   Shinning Knight w/ Winged Victory, Conner in T and jeans, Wonder girl Cassie, Ms. Martian, Ravager Rose Wilson, a Stephanie Brown 3 pack (Spoiler, Robin, Batgirl), a mort like the bugeyed bandit woulda been better than this.

   So far only the Rockpeople have impressed me and I still gripe no Granita.

   1. Forgot one, she was on the packaging alot. Vixen! Animal auras that connect to her.

      The Fiddler woulda been cool. With swappable parts to make Black Lantern Fiddler

      1. I would so take a Bug-Eyed Bandit.

         Heck, how cool would a big multipack of villains that can’t be sold at retail be???

         I don’t know about the spontaneous vomiting, you might contact a doctor 😉 , but all good choices for more figures!!

   2. wow. that’s the same reaction I had to Ted Kord’s murder. but for a toy? yikes. might be time for a new hobby, if you weren’t already sick with the flu or ebola or something.
      😉

7. Wow, nice to see I can drop by the site and see a bunch of people acting like children. Man, this is what’s ruining it. The self entitled whining and wanting. This action figure made you puke? Really? I mean, c’mon. Tell me that’s not childish whining.

   And the author of the piece saying he honestly thinks “Nothing” is better than this?

   If you don’t like a TOY, then fine. But why is there the perpetual and venomous outrage and overly sensitive ridicule about things?
   No one said you have to like anything, but it’s really sad that so many people can’t be mature enough to do that without childish bashing.

   This stuff used to be fun, but ya’ll have bled that bone dry, haven’t you?

   I know what follows will be a tirade of people blaming the industry and manufactures, but at the end of the day, just look at the way some of us are acting, and try to tell yourself that it’s okay and justified to carry on like that.

   1. 😀 Sometimes it’s really hard not to complain about something when you don’t approve of it, isn’t it?

      Sure, some comments are hyperbole to get a point across, but that’s nothing new or unique to this post, the Internet, or life in general.

      My advice is to not let other fans have any effect on your collecting. Like what you like and be confident and invested enough in it that posts on a message board can’t detract from it. I like all sorts of silly things that people bash.

      As for my own hyperbole, I am more disappointed by new52 Shazam this year than I was last year when nothing was being offered, so yeah, that’s apt.

      Also, there’s at least a thousand happy posts about great toys on my site, might I suggest one of those would be more to your liking? 😉

      1. Darn screen refresh. Beat me to it, Noisy. I apologize for the slightly caustic, tongue in cheek response. You said it much better. I do truly enjoy this site. Dude rubbed me wrong.

         1. Thank you, Dean. We all love this hobby and sometimes that makes emotions run deep. No worries. 🙂

   2. If you don’t like it don’t read it. And don’t bag on Noisy, he has been very positive concerning this line. More positive than sometimes feels appropriate given Matty’s consistent d-baggery. 🙂

      This is a good site, one of the better ones. If Noisy is frustrated with Matty, why is that? Maybe, just maybe, Mattel botched this one; if not for you, fine, but for many of us they did. Go troll somewhere else. I’m sorry you got up on the wrong side up the creepy old fiberglass head’s bed. :0

      And yes, I did just troll you back, internet gangsta that I am. You can call some of us into question, but it urks me that you would go after the peacefully positive and honest Noisy. Wake up, Merica! Pitts off! 😉

      Yes, these are toys, and acting like a child is glorious fun. 🙂

   3. dude, your tone here is just shy of hilarious. noisy is very likely the biggest supporter of dcie/dcss/mattel currently running his own site. your comments reek of a lack of perspective, and moreover, reads like a pre-typed script of what’s wrong with “internet fandom” lacking any touch with reality or insight from a thoughtful reader at all. do the world a favor, unplug from the computer, read a book, have an original thought, then come back to IAT and spend the rest of the year reading the generally well thought-out and well thought of reviews of the TONS of DC figs reviewed here by noisy and vault.

      oh, and double read the reviews on the foxbots, cuz i hear the guy that wrote those is not only wise beyond sagely wisdom, but also hung like a yardarm. 😉

      1. Holy crap I agree with, and even support, what the raven is saying.

         Yeah, Noisy’s site is one of the few that remain steadily positive, but sometimes you have to call a spade a spade. When Noisy does it, you know it means something. His criticism here is of nu52, of course, but also of what it means to the future of CIE, now that this Shazam is under the banner. I mean, people have been pretty consternate by the inclusion of Rainbow lanterns in the sub. But most took comfort in at least knowing that CIE was a safe haven from nu52. So Noisy is right to say everything he says here. The puking stuff is dumb, and I suspect a misuse of “literally,” but whatevs. We all express ourselves differently.

         1. You guys are so sweet. 🙂

      2. If the bulk of you people aren’t adult enough to own up to and admit to your ridiculous behavior and reactions to little plastic men, then you are so far in denial and steeped in entitlement that nothing anyone can say will ever be able to pop your little bubble.

         My god, when will people stop making excuses for themselves?

         No matter what anyone says, or how foolish the reactions are, many of you people will always find a way to justify still be able to throw a tempter tantrums over a toy.
         It’s just sad that this is what most collectors have come to.
         It’s not WHAT you say, it’s HOW you say it.
         And that is tantamount to the fat little boy screaming in wal-mart because he doesn’t get the toy he wants.
         Good luck, Cartman. I’m sure you learned nothing today.

         1. I deem thee troll, Sir Merica. If you can read Noisy’s reasonable response and still state that they are acting like children about toys (and how else should we act about toys, I ask), you are looking to prove your conclusion, rather than draw a conclusion from the proof.

            Mattel has been spending years now making bad decisions, and then blaming the fans when they don’t work out. It makes absolute and perfect sense that it is going to reach a point when people are tired of it and become overly critical themselves. Make no mistake – this is a mess of Mattel’s making.

            Also, the article I read spoke far more about the new DC universe than it did the toy. You might have read a different article and accidentally replied here, but I doubt it. I highly suspect you read the same article I did.

            The only one trying to make excuses and justify their position here is you. That means that either a) you really have it in for toy collectors, making it odd that you are on this site or b) you are a troll. Hence my reached conclusion: Thou are troll.

            Go beat your chest and tear your hair elsewhere, good sir. We have toys to collect, stories to share, and bitchings to make! =)

         2. sometimes it’s what you say… and what you’re saying is dumb.

            that’s sounds like counter-trolling, but the truth is, it’s merely fact. your statements mr merica, if that is your real name, are not congruent with any version of the truth that exists for any of the rest of us. 5 people now have informed you that you’re misguided and undereducated on this topic, yet you’ve created a reality into which fact can not enter. there’s no cause and effect in your reality, no rhyme or reason, there is merely knee jerk response to no corresponding stimulus.

            do you need psychiatric help? seriously, there are hotlines for that kind of thing, please get help. and stay away from schools, they clearly haven’t done you any favors in the past, but that’s no reason to take out your angst on innocent kids.

         3. Imagine this. We’re all together; actually in the same room. I strike up a conversation about how I’m disappointed by the choice of Shazam as the exclusive and how I’m worried about the impact it could have on the line. Others speak up and share their thoughts, many feel similarly. A few of us exchange glances when one of the group dives a little too deep into hyperbole, but we let it pass because we understand that they’re just feeling it a little more deeply. Overall, it’s a great exchange because we can commiserate and feel a little bit better.

            Suddenly, a guy jumps out of his chair. He’s mad; disgusted. He levels his annoyance at the group outright. He’s condescending and self-righteous as he explains his views. He offers no respect or opportunity for discussion about his views, opting instead to dismiss any follow-up discussion before he’s even finished speaking. He also dives into that same hyperbole & exagerrated speech that he’s raging against, but it’s seemingly okay when he does it.

            Now, you tell me, in what world is the guy that jumps up the hero of that story?

            Look, it is absolutely about how you say it. And if you really want to get a point across, this is not how you do it. Your outrage and disgust aren’t coming across as anything but one more temper tantrum. And, I’ll tell you, and please if you listen to anything I have to say today it’s this, a fat kid throwing a temper tantrum about a fat kid throwing a temper tantrum is really just two fat kids throwing temper tantrums. When it comes time for spankings, no one actually cares what the temper tantrums were about.

            And why do the kids have to be fat anyway? What’s that about?

            Look, as much as I appreciate the pageviews & revenue you’re generating for me with this show, if you want to talk more about it, you can e-mail me at submissions@itsalltrue.net and we can continue there. Your negativity isn’t going to make me lose my cool, but I don’t need you stressing out my regulars. They’re good people and they don’t need you being a jerk to them.

            So if you want to continue, shoot me an e-mail and let’s let the kids get back to talking about Shazam.

            1. Bravissimo, Noisy. Well said.

   4. Shut up troll

8. Chalk me up as another uninterested DC collector. It’s been bad enough since DC made the big change (although my wallet appreciates the break from the monthly comic bill). Why, oh why did Mattel feel the need to go and new52 thing up on their end as well?!? My wife will certainly be happy that I can pass on this one, She’s been complaining that my DC shelves are getting too crowded.

   I agree that this move will reflect poorly when it comes time for sub sign-ups. To paraphrase Shakespear, “Alas, poor DCUC! I collected them, good Horatio, a source of infinite entertainment, of most excellent fancy.”

   1. It’s got to be hard to decide what to do in the wake of the New 52. DC is clearly going to want to promote their “bold step forward”, so they would want something like this. The more casual go with the flows will probably enjoy it. Some may even track down the Shazam comic to see if his hood is really that obnoxious!

      But, it’s a comic-com and that means our curmudgeonly bunch will be out in droves, so something classic this way should come, right? Guess not.

      I think that’s the other big disappointment. It feels like the SDCC Exclusive option is out going forward. The New 52 has spread.

   2. I’m wondering if not only was it a push by DC to make it a “DC Infinite Earths” item, not just for the “Signature Collection” label, but also for the BOX packaging? There is no other reason this could not have been marketed under the retail “DC Unlimited” branding.

      Not only is the box a sturdier package, but slightly more noticeable than the retail DCU/MM cardback style. and now that I’ve seen the MOS MM’s, that thing is nearly as wide as it is tall. Meaning that it will require more pegspace in an already crowded toy aisle when most stores are downsizing that area.

9. And so the DCUC line dies with a whimper!

   Does anybody really think the sub is going to go over this year. Based on things I really don’t think they are going to show us a big”WOW” at SDCC.

   They are more interested in pushing Movie Master and Injustice lines.

   Spec

   1. I so want the sub to go through. Even though some of 2013 has been lackluster, I don’t want it to stop.

      But yeah, I just don’t see it getting a third year. It wouldn’t hurt so bad if the retail line wasn’t quickly becoming all Batman & Superman again.

   2. I too have said the lineup for the DCUC “Signature Collection” has already been very hit or miss for 2013 as it is, this Con exclusive will in no way gin up excitement for it.

      And the funny thing is…I saw the Man of Steel Movie Masters at Wal-Mart; I was not impressed.

      So they’re trying to shove the New 52 down our throats, making bad choices with their toys, and don’t even seem to be showing that much enthusiasm regarding the new Superman movie–which ties in to the franchise’s 75th Anniversary, that said–which can be easily noticed by the lackluster showing of toys, and any other promotional material for the film…even the trailer.

      Do we just need Disney to buy out DC for them to show they even care anymore, if the character’s name isn’t Bruce Wayne or Hal Jordan?

      1. I haven’t seen the Movie Masters yet. I’m tempted to snag one to go with the DKR figures, but I don’t know.

         I think that’s the biggest crime for this exclusive – this should’ve been the spot to help sell the subscriptions. Use the larger tooling budget (which honestly appears to not be the case this year) to make something kickass like Doomsday and then let him promote the Signature Series banner (get more figs like this in the sub!)

         But instead Mattel chose to not use the exclusive as a marketing opportunity whatsoever, targeting the complete opposite fan from the ones buying the subs. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

      2. I think the only standouts in the MOS MM’s are going to be Jor-El and Faora because
         A- Russel Crowe
         B- Only chick in the line

         plus the fact JoRuss-el is 1x case, causing the 5x case Superman to pegwarm. this will backlog the w3? w4? Faora to be online exclusive as brick stores won’t want more Supermen gathering dust on their shelves.

         I’m just going by the BBTS case packouts, which are all at least 4x Superman in every case of 8 in the four listed mixes. It’s literally insane how they’re doing this. At least the two Zod figures (“regular” long johns; armor) are getting 2x case.

   3. I wish it would go out with a bang. I know it’s all about money, but why can’t they man-up and give us the goods (I know, money). Give us a big ol’ Doomsday, Granny, Ambush Bug (easy tooling for the Bug), and heaven forbid…a classic Mike Grell inspired Warlord. Please Matty, give us Warlord. And while you are at it make a second Warlord on the MOTUC body. The toy gods shall be praised on that glorious day.

      1. I like your suggestions Dean. They go out yet, not until I get my complete Legion set. We all have to leave happy.

10. In a Superman movie year, I was expecting a Lobo- or Darkseid- or Lead-sized Doomsday.

    Big. Comic. Pre-nu52. Not a sub figure. Not a retail figure. Superman all over the box art.

    Really really expected a giant Doomsday.

    1. That would’ve been so awesome!!

       Honestly, the budget really seems reigned in this year, doesn’t it? Hardly any new parts between the MOTU & DC figures and the packaging isn’t even much to look at.

       It looks like the Superman 2pk and the dancing Batman are the main exclusives and these are the after thoughts.

       1. Yes, the budget is what makes me wonder if Matty’s collector lines are in jeopardy. This is a very skimpy con year considering what Mattel normally puts out. And you are right, Mattel loves to spend money on the con packaging. This year not so much. It troubles me. For all my constructive criticism of Mattel, I don’t want their lines to die.

          I want great figures at a fair price. The price is fair, for me, when it feels like I am getting what I pay for; not dumbed down, high re-use, low QC, obvious grabs at higher-than-industry profit margins. 🙂

          Shazam makes me happy and sad. Happy for the money I save. Sad for the missed opportunity and if he truly represents a bellwether (how fitting) for the line.

11. Hate this decision. I wanted something awesome and they gave us crap. I hate the nu52 and I will never buy anything of that universe. I want the sub to go through for 2014 and I will buy mine when the time comes but if it fails I won’t be broken harted any more. I am over this line and now my collecting of figures has come to an end. I will still have the random MOTUC to buy but with JLU and DCUC being over so will my collecting.

    1. I think you can tell from the site content, that I’m drifting back to Transformers with my toy budget. It’s sad because Mattel could totally have all my money, they’re just increasingly moving away from product I’d buy.

       1. From what I’ve seen of Matty’s SDCC exclusives, the only one I’m remotely interested in is Rokkon/Stonedar. The 60’s Batman sure is neat, but IDK. Boba Fett and Carbonite Han Solo on the other hand…

          1. Boba is where it’s at this year. I hope I can snag one of those…

             I don’t know what I want to do on 60s Batman. I sorta want it all. Otherwise, yeah, just some Rock Lords to add to the back-middle of my MOTU shelves.

          2. Same, though I wouldn’t turn down the Battlestar Gallactica Hot Wheels, and I don’t even buy Hot Wheels.

12. I quite like captain marvel but have no desire to hunt this down

    1. That’s how I feel really. They’ve made a Captain Marvel that I don’t want. A few years ago that was inconceivable!

13. i HATE new 52

    1. I want to like it, but they just don’t do much to help themselves. Even Shazam here – it doesn’t feel like much went into him besides making Billy a jerk and giving him a hood.

14. It’s been a sad past couple of years to be a DC fan, hasn’t it?

    I’d argue that people care quite a deal, because this is the SDCC slot where in the past there’s been a much higher budget for extra tooling, accessories, paint, and interactive packaging. This has none of that. So not only is it a design many of us dislike, it’s being priced as if it has the features of a SDCC item.

    Go read Marvel, kids. Go buy ML, MU or Transformers. It’s gonna be awhile before DC/WB rights the ship

    1. It really has? There are whole forums that are soured due to the changes at DC. It’s sad.

       You are right, people do care about the perceived wasted slot. My title is probably a bit too confrontational. It was born out of going around the net and seeing a lot of condemnation overall, more than normal. They actually had to make an appreciation thread over at the Fwoosh just to parse out the comments. LOL

       And yes, buy plenty of Transformers. I’m taking that to heart…

15. Am I alone in hoping that Geoff Johns gets lured to Hollywood (every writer’s secret dream) and quits DC Comics?

    I don’t know the man, I’ve not read his stuff, but this…unnatural fixation and amazing control he seems to have seems to do nothing but ruin the brand.

    Here’s my thing. As I understand concepts of marketing, DC and Mattel would use the SDCC exclusives to ‘grab’ the casual person, those unaware of their product (the subscriptions)with something ‘cool’and by doing so encourage this person to pony up for a sub, filled with excitement.* Ummmmm errr, this Captain Marvel does not do that.

    Given that crazy lightning bolt on his chest, do I assume the figure has a light in his chest? Maybe even a sound chip? No? It just looks that way because? Well, THERE’S a waste, huh?

    And the hood. WTF is that? I don’t understand ANYTHING about that design! Is the Nu52 all about drawing noodly lines on costumes?

    Now Starro, Starro was wicked cool. I wanted that.

    *Note: Keep in mind, I do understand that SDCC exclusives are like shooting fish in a barrel, it’s ‘preaching to the choir’ and by this point more the bait for the ebay scalpers than actual incentives for the masses.

    1. sadly steve, yes, the entirety of the nu52, and i mean every single aspect of the writing, art, marketing, etc… has been about noodly lines on the costumes. they didn’t talk that way initially, but over time, it has become clear to all parties involved, most especially long time readers and toy fans, that noodly costumes was as far into the creative process as that re-vamp invested. welcome to the noodle52.

       yes, i must say, aside from the obvious “look, he’s ribbed for her pleasure” joke, which is only funny if you don’t stop to think that billy’s 12, this figure has an incredibly little amount of “POW!” to his announcement. he reminds of the time i was all psyched up to attend a dio concert and got to the venue only to discover that he had to cancel due to illness and white lion was now the headline act. (that didn’t really happen, but it would be about the same amount of wha-wha)

       that said, seriously, not only is he ribbed for her pleasure, but he also comes with a big uncut hood… i suppose because he’s greek? i don’t entirely understand that, but the jest is extant. but then, if you want, you can remove the hood for a cleaner look that the ladies just love. :O

       1. Soooo, let me get this straight.

          The Big Red Cheese gets a ‘hoodie’, but it’s not REALLY a hoodie because there’s some pushback on the ‘meaning’ of having a hoodie, but regardless it’s pretty much a teen thing which a retconned Billy would probably be into but Cap is…kind of an adult and not really Billy anyway but…
          LINES ON THE COSTUME!! LOOK LOOK SEE IT’S NOT A SILLY SPANDEX UNITARD IT’S REALISTIC AND LEATHER OR RUBBER OR SOMETHING!!!

          Welp, I guess we know for sure that Captain Marvel isn’t Jewish. HAW!

          Ok, stupid technical point that I really can’t find the right words for. Cappy’s cape has the look of a ‘double cape’, something popular among the English around the late 18th thru the 19th century. Somewhat akin to an Inverness cape. The idea being that in a sudden rain one would flip the shoulder capelet up over one’s head like a hood.

          If that is what Cap does now, then having the hooded head while there is still the capelet showing on the cape is a complete bollox job.

          And besides, Cap always had that kinda cool ‘cape over one shoulder’ thing going on.

          Bah.

       2. I’m not sure why the hood is removable other than that it looks awful and someone at Mattel was like, we gotta get rid of that thing. 🙂

          1. i’m just sad no one thought “noodle52” was funny… i walked away from the keyboard pretty pleased with myself on that one.

             1. *pat pat pat* It’s OK, DR. It was funny. Have a milkshake. 🙂

             2. I thought it was brilliant!

    2. Geoff Johns had a lot of input on the GL movie. That didn’t turn out well.

       And yes, the New 52 is about drawing extraneous lines on costumes. And angst.

16. I love Captain Marvel. The Big red Cheese is one of my favorite DC Characters. I really like the box art for this figure. Even the figure itself is kind of cool. Not the hood part, but the rest looks cool. And yet, I hate that this is under the CIE banner. I assumed that the Club was for classic characters, and the retail line was for the New 52. I think we all assumed that. EVERYONE BUT MATTEL. Well, they finally made a figure that no one wants as a con exclusive, so they did something right. I would probably buy this if he was at retail stores, but not for 30.00 at a con, or on their website. Matty’s handling of their DC licence is one of the reasons I get a sour feeling about collecting lately. And not being able to find ANYTHING at my local stores from any of the toylines I collect….

    1. Isn’t it sad that the figure (sans hood) has some value? It really is like the Hawkman (and heck, Vault has bought Superman, Batman, and will likely snag Wonder Woman).

       You make a good point about price I hadn’t thought about. This guy is no different than the figures at retail. Do we know the price yet? He shouldn’t be any more expensive than a regular figure because there’s no extra value here.

       1. $25 according to Scott in the Matty forums – http://forums.mattycollector.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3441044647/m/9031059918

          1. Thanks, Jim!

          2. Not fair considering it has been a while, but Lobo was $25.00. Look what he came with, and he was oversized. Is Shazam 25 clams simply ’cause he can be?

17. Well…it could have been an “Injustice” figure. Or another Flash variant. Or another GL variant. So it could be worse. (Hey, I’m trying to stay positive here. Wouldn’t want to upset Merica’s fragile view of reality.)
    The figure itself is fine. Not the biggest nu52 fan, but I like that they’re giving Shazam a push. And it’s nice that a different character is getting the variant treatment for once. Now, that hood does look ridiculous in the “loose” pictures, but doesn’t seem as bad in the “packaged” shots. However, if it really does sit up that high in reality, then someone did a wretched job on that thing. Should’ve just made it part of the head-sculpt, ala Skeletor. And I agree that it’s a cheap-shot putting him in the CIE packaging. It’s misleading, and hopefully not representative of where the club is heading.
    The really surprising part of this is that the SDCC exclusive is not Superman related (y’know, what with a major motion picture with tons of Hollywood hype and money behind it out this summer). Folks have been requesting a bigger Doomsday for years. Personally, I would have loved a 3 pak with Zod and his two goons from the classic John Byrne “pocket universe” story. Maybe in a cool “destroyed Metropolis” diorama. The kiddies get Zod’s movie look on the pegs, and the adult collectors get his “Classic” look here. I think when the final word is written on Matty’s treatment of the DC properties, “missed opportunities” is gonna be a pretty well-used phrase.

    1. You know, I am willing to bet that when it gets discussed (and it will, because while Matty doesn’t actually act on what we all say, they DO listen, in some ways) the excuse of the day will be “well, the part that works on SDCC stuff and club stuff is a different compartment from the licensing tie-in and retail people, and they guard their turf fiercely and wouldn’t allow a Superman SDCC product”

       Or some variation on that. We couldn’t do that because. Never mind it’s LOGICAL and all that. SYNERGY

       And just an aside, saw the Superman Movie figures at Walmart the other night. Urg. Blarg. Kinda make the crappy cheapy Iron Man 3 figures look good. Which they aren’t.

       1. the “wouldn’t allow a Superman SDCC product” argument fails when they also reveal a MOS 2pk the same week the retail line hits their street date.

          1. Well, I had no clue, but I suspect the excuse would hold, as MOS figures are not Club IE or whatever DC Heroes exist at retail.

             Bah. Saw more MOS figures at KMart. MOS seems POS to me. 😉

             1. like I said elsewhere in here, JoRuss-el and Faora are going to be the big sellers because Crowe and only chick.

    2. I agree that the figure itself is not bad (except for that hood), but, like most people here, I’m not excited about it. You are right though, it could be worse. For now I’ll probably pass, but we’ll see how I feel in August, I guess.

       Now, if he came with Billy, that would be a different story!

       1. A Billy might have put me over… if he had a classic look.

    3. LOL An Injustice figure!!! Congratulations, sir, that would be worse. I won’t even put those on the checklist.

       Great point about Superman too. How cool would a 4H Superman through the ages pack have been? An FA one to go with the FA Batman. A proper Silver Age/Super Powers versions. And one or two more cool versions I can’t think of.

       That would’ve been awesome.

       1. My brother came up with a great idea…they should have given us DKR Superman to tie in with the MOS movie and the retail line. Much better selection than Shazam. Could have come in a great diorama package and maybe armored up DKR Batman…not Granny or Doomsday but TONS better than Shazam.

          …ohhh the possibilities…Mattel sucks…

18. So will he come with a non-hooded attachment that shows the hood draped back behind him? Honestly, they should have done a second head that had the hood sculpted/pegged into it. Just take a look at Skeletor to see how it should be done.

    I don’t like that it’s branded as a DCIE figure (though I am not collecting them). It should have been DC Unlimited and that’s it. Otherwise, if I was a big Captain Marvel fan I’d pick it up. Since I’m not, this is another item I don’t have to worry about SDCC. Since I couldn’t care less for the rock guys, it looks like I won’t be picking up anything at SDCC (I’ve never been able to get the ML exclusive because Hasbro).

    1. Second heads are something that seemingly scares Mattel. I get it – they’re expensive compared to a less-painted accessory, but so many figures would’ve worked better with a second head instead of a feature like this.

       My SDCC Wishlist is similarly pretty low at this point. I’m still hoping for something cool.

       1. You know, I think the fear of the extra head may be more basic. Think about it. It’s a part the most likely to be eaten by a child. I think the basic DCU figure head is just on the edge of ‘safe to swallow’… um.

          I’m sorry, I know it sounds so dirty, but let’s put that aside, ok? 🙂

          Of course an older child would be responsible, but the image of all those loose heads rolling around in a drawer and Little Brother gets into them thinking they’re candy… Hey, given the world we live in, it’s only natural for Product Safety to be so insanely overprotective.

          1. When MOTUC heads are bigger than all the tiny merchandise that seems to be all the rage in the toy aisles (squinkies, those Hasbro pods, freaking Legos) I don’t think that’s the reason. Unless you were being sarcastic, then just cancel out everything I said.

19. Ack, it breaks me poor heart! Whatever, I’m down for anything classic universe that Mattel will give us in the DCUC/CIE format. I dont believe we’ll ever see a line as extensive and as well made (generally) as DCUC was and I told myself this is it for me. So the longer it goes the better, even with the occassional speed bump like this.

    1. That’s exactly how I feel. Shazam is a speed bump – we’ve still got some reveals left for 2013 and hopefully we can get 2014 to go through (or at least releases for what is shown if not). I need more DC figs.

20. Great article. Something about this figure look a lot like a retail figure shoehorned to be a SDDC exclusive. Also, the hood look ridiculous ( a separate head with a sculpted on hood would have been much better) and they chest symbol seems to be a separate piece, rendering the abs articulation useless since bending him forward would cause the point on the lightning bolt to go right into his abs right? Even the profile pic with the bent leg seem to mysterious not show his chest or the symbol…(or am i looking at it wrong)? Still no Doomsday or Granny or any one of a number of SDCC exclusives that would have fit the criteria of figures like Lobo, Wonder Twins, etc…sigh….

    1. Thanks, da man!

       I think it’s the lack of new parts. The chest logo is an add-on instead of a unique piece and the new 52 detail lines that are on so many other figure’s sculpts are just painted here.

       The logo may be photoshopped on though. It’s hard to tell. That pic of the 60s Catwoman a few weeks ago at AFI had a photoshopped neck. They do weird things at Mattel.

21. This is one ws_toys exclusive that I’ll be passing on.

    1. ws_toys? That sounds familiar. Is that an eBay “store”?

       1. Yeah. Also, a weak attempt at a joke.
          I was saying that people buy more CIE figures from ws_toys than they do from matty.

          Wait… is that a joke? Or is the sub idea and claiming that figures don’t sell at retail the joke? I forget now.

          1. LOL Sad that I was vaguely familiar with the name too. Good PR there, Matty.

             I think the joke is on the DC toy collectors. We had it really good there for awhile. Soon the figures will have fractal techgear again… 😉

22. I visit this site frequently starting a year or so ago and I have never made a comment until now. I’m only a solid 2 or 3 years into collecting DCUC. I honestly was all Marvel until I picked up the Walmart Green Lantern 5 Pack exclusive. I’m way behind still and have been playing catch up ever since. My collection is almost to where I want it but it has some holes that still need to be filled. I know I probably shouldn’t even say this but I enjoy the N52 costumes, I do. I guess being so new I’m a sucker for the new looks…..either way I will probably pick this figure up and just wanted to say I really enjoy the site and enjoy reading the comments of others on the site as well. Unlike Merica who is a hypocrite, I enjoy hearing Good and Bad OPINIONS about new or upcoming figures. What he failed to understand is how passionate we are about collecting. Who cares if its immature, who cares what other people think. If its something we enjoy and something that makes us happy then I’m all for it. Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks and I really enjoy the site and the comments of everyone else. Keep up the good work.

    1. Thanks for the kind words, MLJ!

       More power to you for enjoying the New 52 costumes! While I will occasionally indulge myself complaining about Didio, Johns, or the New 52 in general, I’m never going to tear down another fan for liking something. Truth be told, some of the designs translate really well into cool action figures – I can easily see non-DC fans picking up some of the figures just because they look cool. Even Shazam him, who might look sharp without the hood.

       Thanks for joining in the discussion!

    2. I don’t necessarily think all the new 52 costumes are bad, per se. Some are pretty cool (despite it looking like a Witchblade creation, I think the new Batgirl suit is pretty spiffy), a lot I don’t care for myself. The biggest problem I have with the costumes is that none of them feel like a costume in and of themselves to me. They all feel like they’re a version of a costume. You look at the new Superman design and think, “Oh, it’s superman without the undies, with a different belt and collar, and a lot of panel lines drawn all over him.” You see the classic Superman design and you just think, “Oh, that’s Superman.”

       And far be it from me to label this as a DC thing. Marvel’s guilty of this, too. Take a look at their new Captain America and Thor costumes (or, hell, go back to the 90s with the Cap Armor), or at the entire “Ultimate” universe. And, much like Captain America, there’s a general feeling that in due time, the traditional costume will be restored. The DCnU designs are very much of their time, and I think will age about as well as the aforementioned Cap Armor.

       1. while there are costume updates that are needed, some details of costumes make it work and don’t translate well under certain artists or situations.

          Superman lost the ballet slippered look pretty early and his shield has gone through umpteen variations since 1938, but the basic costume of blue leotard, red cape, shorts, and boots, and yellow belt has stayed true over almost every variation (90s Electric excepted).

          Batman seems to only change up the color palette, earlier due to printing processes, so black became blue, and the grey was lightened up to varying degrees. He’s dropped the shorts (oh my!) several times over the years, but they keep coming back. His Bat-sigil has gone through almost as many variations as Superman’s, too.

          Wonder Woman has gone through as many changes as these two, if not more. It keeps coming back to a standard look, though. Red corset, blue shorts with stars, white-lined boots, tiara, and a bit of stylized breast plate (eagle/WW) and matching belt. and the lasso and bracelets, with the occasional (usually) ceremonial cape.

          Over at Marvel, Thor was still wearing the same outfit after forty-odd years with very few variations. He wore the armor for a while when injured, then Masterson added a mask, and Lord Thor/Reigning and the JMS-era looks were updates I didn’t mind. The new look has even been modified by losing the sleeves, now, so it’s already skewing “back to basics”.

          I think Cap has been influenced by a more military look, starting with Ultimate Cap. The first movie was influenced by the Ultimate look, which I liked, but the Avengers costume never clicked for me. Of course, we’ve had The Captain/USAgent and variations thereof, as well as Cap Armor, which speaks for itself.

          Iron Man has gone through more armor looks than anyone else, even Wasp, esp in the last few years as technology progresses, but he’s usually been recognizable as Iron Man.

          1. I’m usually all for new costumes. I think the costumes are one way that I don’t completely dislike the New 52 – they do seem to translate well to toys after all.

23. To be honest I’m a bit underwhelmed by all of the thus far re eased exclusives from Mattel, sure the rock people look cool and I am excited for them they just don’t get my juices flowing like Marlena or even Vykron did. Maybe I’m alone here….scratch that I’m fairly confident I’m alone here….but I would have loved to have seen the oft whispered Gwildor this year at SDCC. Back on DC though…wtf is up wit t he hood? From the bak it looks great! Then from the front is magically levitating above his head? Who approved that?

24. I don’t buy DCUC and never did, and I haven’t been a big DC collector in…probably close to fifteen years now. But I do love Dial H. Which of course has next to nothing to do with the rest of the DCU.

    I guess I just want people to try Dial H.

25. Is it just me, or does Shazam here look more brown than red?

    Also, as has been previously stated, that hood looks ridiculous when viewed from the front.

    1. Not brown. More of a “Burnt Umber”, if I remember my Crayola giant-pack colors.

       1. is Brick Red still a color?

          1. Sure.

26. Part of me wonders (and this isn’t me being a Matty apologist– Matty’s managed to do plenty to kill my interest in this line and I had pretty much every single figure up to Deputy Lantern wave after which they lost me pretty hard)

    Sorry, tangent… Part of me wonders how much of this is actually DC’s influence. Like does DC have the authority to say “The SDCC figure, if you do one, is going to be Nu52”? Do they have that level of control?

    At any rate, while I’m for sure getting the Rock Warriors, this is an easy pass for me. I MAY have considered it if the hood actually looked right but as is? Passy passy.

    Man, giant Doomsday would have been great. Or giant Granny Goodness. I would have, no exaggeration, dropped $50-60 retail on either without batting an eye. (They could probably charge me $100 retail on Granny and I’d pay it just to complete Team Apokolips.)

    1. i could get behind granny in a more investment-intensive way, if i thought doing so lended better possibilities of getting the female furies… sadly, i don’t think granny nor the furies are exactly a lock for the line, and they’d feel woefully incomplete without the entire roster, don’t you think?

       unlike apparently “most people” i LOVE female action figures. i would happily vag up my action figure sausage fest, if more females got made that were worth owning. i don’t like the uber-anorexic look so many come out with, and the articulation usually isn’t great either. the few examples of doing it right that lurk out there (not even doing it perfect, but simply doing it better than average) i’ve bought in duplicate and triplicate just to have good fodder for other characters later.

       1. DR, you know I would be completely behind a Female Furies line. Thing is, that would require at least a couple of new female bucks be tool’d up to get it right and brother, we both know that is NOT going to happen. Even though as a LONG TERM investment for this and future product lines it would totally pay off.

          Imagine a world where Mattel did the pre-planning, scaling out all the DC characters, working out how many specific body types they would need, and what could be done by swapping parts.

          But no, sorry, that’s just a sick fantasy. What was I thinking? Madness. 🙂

       2. You should check out Shesfantastic.com from the Review Round-Up. He does a female figure review every day over there. It’s awesome!

          I, too, would love the furies. But I think I’m only going to see about a half-dozen or so more new DC Classics figures the way things are trending.

       3. Agreed. Not in any way to sound like a pervert ;), but female figures need to be a little bit sexy. Not lady-of-the-evening-ish, but wholesomely sexy. This has always been a problem for domestic figures. Man, were there ever some ugly female figures when I was a kid. It has improved, but there is still a bit to go. Hot, chick figures for the win. 🙂

          The Horsemen have given us two great hero-archetype body-types with MOTUC and DCUC/IE. They still have yet to perfect their heroine (though Teela and Evil-lyn are closer).

27. Sadly thats the thing. Not a nu52 fan and was hoping for something else. Seen parts of how the characterbwas handled and did not like. Reminded me of Dark Mary Marvel.

    The whole puking mess, sorry on that, just how disgusted I was seeing that we are getting a nu52 shoved down our throats and named as a CIE fig is sickening. Yes I admit to overreacting there.

    So many other great characters to choose from and just get THAT. Glad dropped all mybdc books but MOTU.

    1. Don’t apologize. The only person who had a problem with it was an overly-sensitive jack@$$ who came here for the sole purpose of causing trouble. Never saw them post on this site before and -God willing- hopefully never will again.

    2. A little hyperbole never hurt anybody. No worries. 😉

28. I loved your headline! And I certainly agree with the sentiment.

    I’m curious to see how this will sell. I have not heard much love from adult collectors for New 52 designs, and the adult collector certainly seems to me to be the San Diego Comic Con market.

    From the preview pictures, the figure looks sloppy to me. I’d think the ill-fitting hood was designed for another character, but I can’t think of any other character for whom it’d be appropriate. The chest thing doesn’t look right, either; is that how it’s supposed to look in the comics?

    The CIE line has made some… interesting… choices this year, too. Don’t get me wrong; Monsieur Mallah and the Brain filled me with squee, but the Red Hood in a costume that only appeared once? I can’t imagine that was near the top of many wish lists. I subscribed, but…

    Is it too much to hope that CIE will release some characters (or versions) that haven’t already been done well by DC Direct? Given that Perez Zatanna and Changeling (already done by DC Direct, but poorly) don’t appear to be on their radar, I’m having a hard time imagining myself subscribing again.

    Okay, that’s a bit of a tangent, but remember when DC con exclusives seemed incredibly spot-on? The Wonder Twins, Lobo, Plastic Man, and Swamp Thing were all canny choices. Getting a completely tone-deaf figure is just… bizarre.

    1. We never know exactly how well thing sell, but it seems like Mattel has had trouble moving all their exclusives these last few years. It could be the obscure choices, and Shazam, at least, isn’t that. But yeah, the “must have that” appeal is all but gone from the Mattel SDCC stuff anymore.

       I’m kinda looking forward to the Red Hood for the aesthetic, but yeah, not the best choice for the sub. I hope, years from now, that we can get a good interview with Scott and he’ll be in a position to dish all about his era as brand manager. So many curious things happen…

29. “I try not go negative here at IAT…” I laughed when I read that. Most of your Mattel DC figure reviews always seem to include some hate for the New 52. Have you actully read any of the comics? Were you this mad about the first CRISIS, or when Bary Allan ushered in the Silver Age?

    Listen, I definitely don’t love everything about the New 52 (Tim Drake was only ever Red Robin, writers and editors seemingly unsure of what is and what isn’t part of the new continuity, Superman’s V neck, etc…) but I am open minded enough to admit some of it is really good IMO (Snyder’s Batman, Johns Aquaman). Now, I think this particular figure would be better served as part of the DC Unlimited retail line (and I hope that hood is some sort of camera trickery) but I’m not all that outraged about it either. Just like most fans, I prefer that the IE sub include only pre-52 classic looks for characters, but I don’t really consider this exclusive part of DCIE or that it’s setting a new precedent.

    I hope this post doesn’t seem confrontational. I’m just trying to add to the discussion. At the end of the day were all just toy geeks hanging out talkin’ ’bout toys.

    1. LOL I mean negative about toys. I’ll bitch about comics all day long. I could never run a comic blog! 🙂

       Long time readers of the site know that I read all of the New 52 #1s in a big post with commentary back when it all started. I gave it a massive chance despite my initial distrust. I would’ve liked to see it work, but tossing out all the continuity on it’s ear required a massive surge in quality to compensate it, to make it worth it. And… we just didn’t get that. The comparisons between Crisis & The New 52 have never really held water to me because Crisis really wasn’t that drastic if you look at the stories, the costumes, the tone of the books before and after. There were some big continuity changes for nerds, yeah, but the storytelling won me over on things like the cold, sterile Krypton, putting the GAers back in the GA, retconning Wonder Woman out of the early JLA, etc. And to most folks Pre-Crisis Superman & Post-Crisis Superman are nearly identical. The same is true for so many of the characters.

       New 52, meanwhile, has just been about making things edgy, and so different that you notice. And what’s the storytelling value to that? If that shock value brought you in and you found amazing quality, then okay, maybe I could be won over again. But aside from an admmited few (though I would challenge you on Johns Aquaman – it’s not even the best run on Aquaman), that just hasn’t happened. Most of the books are, this is a strong word, inferior to the books they replaced.

       I love change in comics. I’m all for open-mindedness. Hook Hand Aquaman blew my mind and Kyle Rayner became my GL. Right now, I’m loving most of the Marvel NOW titles, in fact – all because the quality of the books is amazing. The writing is tight and entertaining and I want to read the next one. Hell, Captain America has lived a decade in a twisted Arnim Zola dimension right now and I’m eating that book up. No New 52 title has kept my attention. I’d say the closest has been Wonder Woman for me.

       So, yeah, I don’t have blind fanboy hate for the New 52. I just want to read good comics. I’ve read the first 2-3 of every title searching for good ones, and it just overwhelmingly hasn’t been there for me.

30. TG did say on the Matty forums that just because Billy here is under the banner for SDCC does not mean any N52 figures will be in the subscription. So we shouldn’t worry…for right now anyways. Honestly, the figure is fine, whether it was at retail or at SDCC, I’ll buy it. It could have been worse. It could have been the N52 Darkseid we’re getting. Then people would have really been losing their minds.

    1. That Darkseid is awful. I can at least see this figure is cool, but that Darkseid looks awful.

       I have read his assurances on the forums and his comments make it sound like this is more a retail line exclusive beyond his scope anyway. Just a bummer.

31. Wow! This was a long post/review to read. I’ve never seen so much discussion here over one figure.

    I agree, I’m not happy this DC52 figure is under the CIE banner, but it happened and nothing can change that. I’m not sure who makes these kind of decisions at Mattel, but they goofed big time. Where are their marketing people? All they had to do was say instead of a CIE figure this year we are doing an Unlimited figure. Then there wouldn’t be as much fuss. Sure we would still want a Granny, Doomsday or Shinning Knight with Winged Victory for our CIE, but we wouldn’t be so worried about the future of the line where collectors fear that more DC52 figures will invade the upcoming year.

    Noisy I know you will have to swallow some hurt when you update the DC page to include this figure. Hopefully the three remaining slots for 2013 will give us all something to be happy about. Speaking of updating, you still are missing some pictures on the visual guides. Do you not have these figures to photograph?

    Love this site and will continue to see what happens next in the reviews. Also curious on how high the count on this post goes.

    1. Thanks, Tom!

       I think the only ones I don’t have pictures or can’t photograph is the Tuxed Joker 2pk. I could never find a good-painted set. Many of the others I just haven’t had time to get to with all that’s been going on this year. I’m intentionally leaving off the Injustice/Arkham figures though. I don’t see them as part of the comic line which is what the checklist is for.

       1. I’m right there with you on the Injustice figures. They don’t fit the DCUC aesthetic so I won’t be buying them. Only reason I ever bought G’Hu was because of the BAF part. Which seems to be true for everyone.

32. I still don’t get why Mattel can’t shell out the damned money for new upper thigh parts that don’t have the underwear folds at the upper edge. It should have been Job 1 when the New 52 went all underoos-free. This “could be underwear but could be not” part cheapens every single figure they use it on.

    Anyway, yeah, no interest in this figure. Also, & I fully realize it may seem petty, but the lack of rocker ankles have become a large part of what keeps me from even considering getting back into DCUC. It’s hard when you get used to something and then it’s taken away.

33. I am actually excited to get this new 52 design of SHAZAM
    I may be one of some few
    But I know I’m for sure getting this guy

34. ToyGuru (Scott) is saying on the Matty boards that Nu52 Shazam was meant to “bridge” the two lines – the DCIE club subscription, and the DC Unlimited retail line, which has, up to this point, only produced Nu52 and Injustice characters.

    However, close analysis reveals that this reasoning doesn’t hold up. In fact, the more we consider this rationale, the more we see the fundamental flaws in the logic (more on that below). I’m calling shenanigans – I think this figure was destined for something else and got shoe-horned in, or there’s another rationale that Scott isn’t sharing.

    First, the two most profound flaws in the rationale that this figure serves as a bridge:

    1. If you’re a Nu52 fan, you’re likely disappointed or perhaps even angry that a retail worthy figure is now going to cost you $25 instead of $15.99, and be a pain to obtain. You’re buying all the Nu52 stuff, but wondering why a figure that has less tooling than Hawkman will now be harder to get and cost 60% more. All you get for your efforts and money are a fancy box that doesn’t match the logos or designs of the packages you’ve already bought – and doesn’t even have the same product title.

    2. If you’re a classics fan and DCIE subscription holder, you’re looking at a Nu52 figure taking a slot that ostensibly has a higher tooling budget, and so might have served to feel like a second “exclusive” to the sub.

    Concisely, this not only doesn’t serve to “bridge the two collections,” or connect two collector communities, it actually manages to, quite efficiently, alienate them both.

    Others have surmised that the retail line is actually dead, and they had a leftover tooled figure that retailers don’t want – so they stuck him into this exclusive.

    Or is it that DC stipulated that any exclusive had to follow the current editorial direction, and TG’s rationale about “bridging collectors” is his attempt to polish that turd?

    Either way, I don’t buy it – and I won’t buy it.

    1. *golfclap*

       Good, thoughtful reasoning. Of course that means you and I are haters. 🙂

       But yes, taking what you say at face value, this statement by Scott does have the flavor of spin to it. I kind of lean towards the “cancelled from Retail” theory myself.

       I just don’t get it. As has been stated and inferred by others, the SDCC Exclusives generally have a higher budget and are more interesting, or different. This is just nothing. I mean, you’d think they would at least put a Mylar metallic sticker on the lightning bolt, shove a bright LED in the package and put a little soundchip in so it screams “SHAZAM!!” and the LED flickers off the Mylar and something. But, no.

       OTOH seems Matty is going forward with those ‘Polly Pockets’ He-Man figures, or at least a new two-pack at SDCC. I guess that’s cool and all but…

       You know, they already have a kid’s toy line that’s 15 kinds of awesome called Imaginext. Why not make Masters of the Universe a part of THAT? THERE is how you would get kids all fired up about the toys again. Have you SEEN the Aquaman with robot shark? OUTRAGEOUS! 🙂

       1. Haters gonna hate. 🙂

          BTW, I would love a DCIE Batman: BatB Aquaman. I would call it “The Day I Got the Best Aquaman Figure Ever”.

    2. Never heard of cross promotion? They did the same thing with the Green Lantern Classics line. They included a Green Lantern Movie Masters Figure (G’hu) in the GL Classics line for cross promotion. That’s all it is.

35. What did I miss 🙂
    Lol..just read everything
    So like a lot of you, I feel this was a big miss for Mattel .
    Tg for months told us we were getting a DCIE fig at SDCC… Not nu52 !!!
    Now he says its to bring both of the lines together. If that was the cause he should of make it a 2pk Shazam & the wizard or what ever other nu52 & a classic 2pk…then I would believe what he’s saying.
    Every year lately Tg shots his self in the foot around sign up time with one of the subs their offering.Last year it was MOTUC…..Now he has created more doubt about the DCIE sub then needed…
    Red hood was right on the edge of being a nu52 fig in the sub.
    I want this years sub to make it….Cause the retail lines are all becoming Batman only, just using 2 different titles to get more Batman figs out there.
    My worry is what’s stopping Matty from showing us 4 new classic DCIE figs for the 2014 sub then sneaking in some more nu52 figs later in the year ????

    1. I Actually wish that next months Sub-figure was new52.I prefer the Biker-esque design of Jason to the Grant Morrison Batman&Robin desighn

36. I guess you guys won’t be doing the multi-site sub push for Matty again this year then.

    1. It’ll depend on the effort Mattel puts into it. The first year had a ton of promise while collectors were too busy focusing on the negatives, so we ran with it, talking it up in ways Mattel failed to do. The second year, things seemed a little more uninspired and we focused more on telling Mattel how to do the sub better. Well, we actually did that part both years.

       This year is anybody’s guess.

37. I am currently reading 40 of the New52. I look foreward to the Shazam back-up in Justice League. I like the new take on the character. Hell, I even like the new costume design….hood in all. If you look at the entire story so far as a whole, I’m fairly certain that he’s only had the hood on when he first is given the power. Thats it. Most of the story, he’s in an overcoat to hide the rest of the uniform. I love how the story is progressing. I like how they’ve given Billy Batson an edge. What 15 year old kid wouldnt have a chip on his shoulder being a foster kid bounced around from home to home. It makes sense. I love how they’re Shazam a kid in an adult body. I love all of the Billy and Freddy “on the town” scenes. The lady giving them 20 bucks for saving her and spending it all on food. I love them trying to buy beer. What 15 year old kid wouldnt try and buy beer if they suddenly became an adult. I think its all turning into a good story. To me its not just “they made Billy a dick and a lame hood”. I cant wait to finally get a monthly book of Shazam. I think that they’ve treated Shazam very well in this New52. By giving putting him in as a back-up, they can control the pacing. Giving us a little at a time, even having a couple breaks here and there. I feel that Shazam so far has been a true reboot….just like they’re handling things with Earth2….which I love as well. Have there been some misfires with this New52…hell yes….BUT I DO NOT thing Shazam has been one.

    WITH THAT SAID. This figure is creeyap. There are tons of missed opportunities to put a really nice New52 Shazam figure. His chest should light up. The gold elements on the uniform should be brighter. I dunno how they would duplicate it, but there sometimes looks as if theres some internal lightning crackling around within the boots and bracers. As I’ve said before, I like the hood. BUT the hood is enormous. If anything, he should have come with swapable heads. One with the hood on but much closer to the head. You just cant duplicate a hood on somebodies head without making it out of condom thin plastic. You always end up with something thats way too think and makes the head look huge. I also think that they’re missing a very important part….how about a Billy Batson figure to accompany him.

    I’m not really concerned with what the packaging looks like. I coundnt care less whether its in a sub package. To me, all this Shazam figure proves is that he’s an after thought. It dosent matter if he’s from the 60’s or from 2013….Batman is still evergreen. And Matty has put all their effort into the Batman Con exclusive…and gave little to no thought to comic book aspect of their licence. Shazam was probably going to be a floating addition to one of the future Unlimited waves and Matty just figured they would toss him out there as a con exclusive. They probably thought that Shazam would be a peg warmer at retail and figured they could release what they had and move on. The only problem i have with him being in the sub packaging….is he really isnt a very good representation of what the sub could offer. If you’re needing something to promote the sub…you should put your best foot foreward and come up with something to really dazzle future subscribers. Like the WonderTwins box, the Plastic Man set and the Swamp Thing set. Like those figures or not, they were at least given a modicum of creative thought whether it be the tooling or the packaging. The Shazam con exclusive is just lazy and only proves the point more that Matty dosent really care that much about the rest of the DCU other than Batman AND they have no real confidence in the sub.

    I’m hoping to pick up this figure. I dont care if he’s at retail, in a sub or as a con exclusive. I’m going to display him without the hood on my New52 shelf. I dont speak for anybody. I only speak whats on MY mind and I dont believe in bashing anybody elses opinion they they dont like something I love. I do realize that we are just talking about little plastic men. I’ve come to grips with that years and years ago. They’re just little objects based on something that I’ve loved my whole life. The only problem is that the company that is making them dosent have the same passion about DC that I do. I am a life long DC Comics fan. Not a DC fan from 1965 or a fan from 1995. I love it all.

38. I just find we seem to get less and less each year. I mean they say we speak with our wallets and when we tell Mattel why, they don’t try and fix it they just cancel or take away less from us. Yeah the 1st of the sub was tough only because it was a big surprise to fans that the retail would be done and the left over figs would be available only on line.I was there when I heard that news,my 1st year at sdcc and I’m hearing the end of one of my favorite toy lines at retail. I mean we loss the 1qtr figs this year cause they blame us. But when MOUTC hit an all time low there were videos after videos to save it.. And did they really get less no .. They got a CG,a 2nd sub, almost 2figs a month still,still get there fully tooled figs, there qtr figs and an amazing sdcc 2pk …plus now the road map is reworked to suit the fans. FAIR huh ???
    I plan to get Shazam..but in Aug with other stuff to cut down on shipping.
    I plan on still signing up for 2 DCIE subs just like I’ve been doing from the start.Cause retail is looking more like Batman world, I love the character but when you have your own title Batman Unlimited toy line and still can get most of the slots in the DC UNLIMIED line too..Its time to do some cherry picking there,my comic store and bbts make it easy to do that without having to buy a case and get stuck with figs I might not really want like in the past.
    In 2 months all will be revealed. I just hope we can all come together as fans and keep the sub going.Cause the retail line looks like its done with giving us anything classic anymore and if that’s not reason enough to sign up and keep the DCIE sub going I don’t know what is.

39. I must admit I like it, and I would be tempted to buy it. 😀

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