ToyFare #150 went on sale yesterday (12/9) and among it's pages we saw the world premiere of MOTUC Evil Lyn, some future Wal-Mart exclusives DC 2pks (via ActionFigurePics.Com), and an article on the future of the DC Direct Blackest Night line (be sure to check out the magazine for pictures of Black Lantern Batman and a WIP Arkillo!)
Today we have a Blackest Night double feature! Last week, DC Direct released the second wave of Blackest Night figures hot on the heels of Mattel’s release of the DC Classics Color of Fear two-pack. In this review, we’ll take a look at Kryb and Indigo from DC Direct and then we’ll follow up with a review of Romat Ru and Karu-Sil from Mattel.
Blackest Night is the biggest story in comics right now and we’re only about halfway through the ninety books it runs through. The basic outline is simple: the Green Lantern Corps is now part of a larger mythos with other ringbearers who utilize various emotions that correspond to their particular color of the rainbow. The different colors don’t all get along, but they’re being forced to fight alongside one another against an eighth corps of reanimated dead, the Black Lanterns, that feed on emotion and want to end life as we know it. Creepy, huh? Of course, it’s fantastically more complicated than that and if you’d like to learn more, check out the Blackest Night mini-site at DCComics.com.
Our Blackest Night Double Feature continues with a review the newest DC Classics 2-pack from Mattel, the Color of Fear.
We've talked about lead time before and how for most licensees, they have difficulty getting product to market that is well-timed with the events happening in the comics. The Color of Fear 2pk is meant to tie-in with last year's Sinestro Corps War (that really needed a better name), but that event tied directly into Blackest Night (Blackest Year!) anyway, so all things being the same, this is an opportune time for Mattel to be releasing this 2pk. With both Mattel and DC Direct producing Blackest Night figures it's good to be a Green Lantern fan. If you're unfamiliar with Blackest Night, you can learn more at the Blackest Night mini-site at DCComics.com.
Sometimes as toy collectors, we can look across our displays and, no matter how many toys we have, only see the ones that aren't there. They are the missing figures. The characters toy companies never got around to, never thought were important enough, or worse - the figures companies felt the need to show us at comicon in the "We're Never Gonna Make These" case...
One of the difficult realities of the toy world is lead time. If a toy company sees a property that has potential, they can't really strike when the iron is hot. The production process is simply too complicated and drawn out between conception and retail. By the time the product reaches stores, that potential may be nothing more than a lump of hard coal. So toy companies do what they can to mitigate lead time, and DC Direct is one company that has a unique advantage - they are part of DC Comics and can release action figures during the comic events the toys are appearing in. This time, DC Direct has released the first wave of Blackest Night figures right in the middle of the crossover of the same name. These aren't just action figures, they're little plastic tie-ins.
The recent news from DC editorial is that Blackest Night will never end. I don’t know if you've seen this yet, but apparently this January, the main horde of Blackest Night books and their tie-ins will be taking a break. You know, because they’ve been working hard all year now, they need the rest. But don’t worry readers, because your wallet won't have to go unused. Instead of shipping the core titles and tie-ins, DC is going to resurrect a bunch of cancelled books. That’s right, no book is safe. If you stopped buying Weird Western Tales in 1977 with a complete run, then you better pick up that upcoming Previews. Not only will you not have a complete run if you don’t order it, but you’ll also never get to see how both sides of Jonah Hex’s face will match.
