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.