Wendy's DC Super Heroes

Wendy's DC Super Heroes

Kid's Meal Toys

I couldn't even venture to guess the last time we got a Wendy's kids meal toy that wasn't at least half comprised of cardboard and stickers.  This DC Super Heroes promotion takes us back to days of old in more way than one.  Aside from getting our money's worth in plastic, these figurines are reminiscent of 80s/90s properties we love.  MUSCLE, CUTIES, Monster in My Pocket...sure they are cheap to produce, unpainted minis, but they are so much fun to collect!

The exaggerated, toony sculpt are right up my alley.  Refreshing to see an original take not tied to a horrible movie promotion.  Though, that's probably why I only heard about these through word of mouth.  (Coincidently while reading a retro article on Monster in My Pocket.)

You get three figures per box...three!  Unheard of value there!  Each set is a themed group with six sets to collect.  Well, to be a completist, you would be collecting 24 sets, as each set comes in one of four colors: red, blue, green, and purple.  It is a bit strange having a purple Flash...who do I look like?  Geoff Johns?!

Wendy's did us a solid by not sticking to true the "mystery box" gimmick.  There is a sealed box involved, but there is also a number and color for the set inside on the bottom of the box.  As an added bonus, there are mini trading cards for each figure!

I would like to see this theme return in the future.  The villains are way outnumbered and some DC staples are noticeably absent.  How about a whole Batman promotion to get a good chunk of his rogues gallery in this style?  

I imagine this promotion will carry on through Halloween. Don't sleep on these if you are a DC fan and/or fan of 80s/90s toys.  

Wonder Woman - Dr. Psycho wave

Wonder Woman - Dr. Psycho Wave

DC Multiverse - Mattel

So, Im waaay behind on my Mattel figures.  Now that Mattel is losing the DC license to the likes of Spin Master (WTF?!) and McFarlane (Eh, scale and fagility issues), I'm catching up on some great figures almost as if it they were "in memoriam."  Also, the "Lady Captain Marvel" movie is out now, so I wanted to remind people that the true "Wonder Woman" is one success that Marvel didn't beat DC to at the box office.  Anyway, this mini Wonder Woman wave was shipped with two long-long overdue Superfriends versions of Superman and Aquaman.  Nothing too exiting there, other than Supes finally getting a more powder-blue outfit.  I had to buy them as a set to get these, otherwise I would have passed.

I would have passed on The Dark Knight Strikes Again Wonder Woman as well, because Frank Miller is a one-trick pony and that book is trash...but I needed the Cassie Sandsmark Wonder Girl and Dr. Psycho!  Not that this WW is a bad figure or anything.  I do like that she is an imposing Amazon here, making the best of the larger Masters of the Universe female figure body.  She really does look like she's ready to kick some ass!  Maybe I can convince myself that she is another Amazonian warrior for my army building purposes.

The Cassie Wonder Girl looks to be made similar to the standard DC Universe Classics female buck, which was only terrible when figure proportions were off other places (pinheads, bigheads, small hands.)  The costume is comic accurate in sculpt and color.  The only gripe here is that her lasso is glued to her hip (like previous WW releases) and she comes with no other accessories.  Still, I am glad to have her next to the Donna Troy WG.

The hilariously small collect and connect figure for this wave is longtime WW villain, Dr. Psycho.  Good thing you only needed two figures to build him, but even that is a stretch.  Seriously?  Arms in one pack, everything else in the other?  He should have just been packed with Cassie!  From the waist down, he's one solid piece.  The arms only have articulation at the shoulder.  The head moves, but that's it.  Worth it?  Heck yeah!  You will never get another chance at this bizarre character, so take it while you have the chance!  For all of their inconsistencies, for all their ups and downs, Mattel did deliver a robust DC Universe over the last decade or so.  It's the end of an era, and I don't think I will see another like it again.

DC Comics Trading Cards

DC Comics Trading Cards

Cosmic Cards/Cosmic Teams

Impel - 1992/1993

 

 

Impel's Marvel Universe Series II trading cards was what really introduced me to the larger world of comic books and superheroes growing up.  Classic, colorful heroes on one side and a mini-biography with power stats and trivia questions on the other...sold by the pack at my local grocery store (you know, the ones before Neighborhood Markets or any other chains.). 

 

As I grew up and grew apart from Marvel (damn Spider-clones) I started to lean into the older parts of the DC universe.  I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this series of cards, but up til about a month ago, I had no idea they existed!  The same card company, similar layouts, classic characters... but in DC comics flavor!  I guess they were a little late to the game, and my grocery store didn't carry them.  Thank goodness for Ebay!  I scored a sealed box for about $20 shipped.  36 packs with 12 cards each! 

Now, I do love these cards, but there are some negatives.  Compared to the Marvel cards, they're a bit drab.  I mean, a gray border? Really?  Also there are no Batman, Bat-family (save for Nightwing), or Bat-rogues cards as they were licensed by Topps at the time.  Maybe it was being the older comics company or maybe it was being a couple of card series behind, but for whatever reason, DC made this set a whopping 180 cards! The negative is that you'd be lucky to get one complete set per box where you might get 2 or even 3 with a standard series.





 

The box labels DC Cosmic Cards as the "inaugural series." Ha!  Save for a spin-off the following year with "Cosmic Teams," this could also be labeled the "final series!".  I would have liked these to continue on, mostly to include Batman, but I guess it was not meant to be.  It was fun while it lasted: several hours of tearing open vintage card packs, searching for holograms, sorting, cataloging. Ah, simpler times!

"TWO holograms?!"

Flying Fox

The Flying Fox

Mobile Command Center

Justice League Vehicle/Playset - Mattel

 

Zack Snyder's take on the DC Universe may suck, but at least Batman is scoring some new, wonderful toys out of the deal.  The Flying Fox Mobile Command Center is part vehicle, part playset and, like last year's awesome Batcave playset,  is a Wal-Mart Exclusive.  At $70, it may be a bit pricey for some, but accessories like this are few and far between for the 6-inch line... well worth it in my opinion.  It has some great play features and it's freaking huge!  The only gripes I have is that it was built for the slightly smaller Justice League basics figures, so cramming a Multiverse or DC Universe Classics figure in the cockpit is frustrating.  Also, as cool as some of the features are, I do wish it had some sort of compatibility with the Batmobile.  Trailers and other toys lead us to believe that this acts as a dropship for the Batmobile...oh well.  It's still a great addition to the Batcave arsenal!