SoupOrFishOil

You had me going there for a minute. I still haven't seen Cars 2 (or Monsters University ) but I'll look forward to The Incredibles 2 for sure. I do kind of agree with the people who say they would rather see more original stories than sequels and prequels, but I can make an exception for The Incredibles....

My MM came in the mail on Saturday. I'm glad I ordered him when I did. Now if the Batgirl and Uni-Kitty sets would just arrive.... What people don't care about saving a little money where they can? I mean, even if they aren't going to buy from LEGO often enough to make it worthwhile, it's one of those things that you can easily do just in case....

You are right that there is no way of knowing that other DC characters won't sell sets, but I still think that is more of LEGO's problem than DC's (at least here). If Imaginext can release someone as obscure as Red Tornado or give Green Lantern multiple playsets, why can't LEGO? But I think that you are comparing DC to Marvel a bit much. What Marvel has done transforming Iron Man, Thor, and the rest of the Avengers into pop culture icons is an amazing feat, and they more or less did it on their first try too. DC did wake up late, so now they are walking into the room slowly rather than trying to steal all of Marvel's attention overnight. They did try that with Green Lantern, and...yeah. Besides, unlike Marvel, they don't have their own studio pouring out live-action two movies a year. Everything has to go through WB, and yeah, like you said, they are more wary of taking risks, especially after GL. Before that flopped, they were talking about making Wonder Woman, Flash, and even Hawkman films and hoping to get two out a year. Marvel's popularity was rising astronomically when LEGO's line started, but DC/WB were within a few months of GL's failure and just getting back to the drawing board a fourth time (after Superman Returns wasn't what they were looking for and the fast-tracked Justice League fell through). I don't think that it results so much from a lack of faith in their characters, but more they don't have faith in the public accepting them as well as they have Iron Man and Captain America. Just imagine, "From the makers of Green Lantern comes Aquaman! He's kind of like Thor, but instead of controlling lightning and exploring celestial realms, he lives underwater and talks to fish!" And then there is Wonder Woman who would be under a lot of scrutiny from feminists and be trying to become a success despite women having a bad track record in action movies, especially superhero ones. (Not that Supergirl, Elektra, and Catwoman should decide that. ). Green Lantern is taboo already, and then that leaves Flash who I'd say actually is a difficult character to get right. But hey, they actually are trying by giving him a pilot and then hopefully a TV show and movie. Stan Lee was a very good businessman and back in the 60's he saw potential in the genre that DC wasn't catering to, and created characters like Iron Man and Hulk who, frankly, with their flaws are more interesting and relevant than a guy who is super strong, super fast, and super kind. Superman has grown to become more than that since, as all DC heroes have, because Marvel and DC feed off of each other (competition is a good thing) but he has had to undergo changes, most of which have been divisive (case in point, Man of Steel) whereas Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were smart enough to design characters who could stay relevant with little tweaking because they have very real problems at their cores. So yes, I do think that DC/WB is insecure about bringing their characters to the silver screen, aside from Batman, and they are scared of taking risks because every time they have it has blown up in their face (mostly because, like you said, they do it halfheartedly or just stupidly). DC knows that they want to get back in the game, but what they need to accomplish for that to happen is debatable and I have a feeling we will disagree based on taste as most do: You didn't like Man of Steel, but I did.... And besides, Marvel may be bringing a talking raccoon to the big screen, and I wish all the success for GotG and Ant-Man, but I will not buy that argument until Black Widow, Miss Marvel, Wasp, Squirrel Girl, or whoever gets her own movie. They built up brand recognition and confidence first, and then decided to introduce us to the quirky stuff. But still, they deserve a whole lot of credit for even trying.... From what I understand, it's more Cartoon Network's behavior than DC's. DC has had great cartoons the last few years which focussed on characters other than Batman, namely Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Young Justice, and even TB&TB and BtB tried something different. Again, I recommend reading this article. I think fans who miss Earth's Mightiest Heroes and The Spectacular Spider-Man should give it a look too.

I don't think the problem is "Too much Batman" as much as it is "Not enough anyone else." The solution isn't for Batman's popularity to drop. If that would happen, it wouldn't be until 2017 at the earliest (though it might take a dip next year without a movie or cartoon) with his cinematic team-up with Superman coming out and everyone absolutely hates it and the merchandise rots on the shelves. Then what else would DC have? Batman failing would mean that Superman and Wonder Woman would falter even more so, since they have more to lose, so the line can't shift focus towards them. With the trinity taboo like Green Lantern, who does that leave DC with? Their plan for the cinematic universe seems similar to what their plan with animation has been; make everyone else popular by using Batman as a gateway. That would give LEGO only two options, shift focus towards the Teen Titans, or, more-likely, cancel the DC line. If the "only" two profitable characters become failures overnight and there is little chance that any C- or B-list character will rise in popularity, what else is there to do? No other DC character is in a position to Batman's limelight. You could probably argue that Flash can, but realistically speaking, what are the odds of that? The best case scenario would be that Warner Bros has figured out what to do with Cartoon Network (I recommend reading this) and they have new animated series for Superman, Flash, the Justice League, or whoever in the pipeline and LEGO is going to make sets for them. There are a few other possibilities (Flash's show blowing away all expectations becoming extremely popular with kids, a Justice League toyline without a tie-in, Teen Titans Go sets) but what will probably happen is that we'll have to wait for the DC Cinematic Universe to get off the ground (any day now... ), and that it helps characters like Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, Flash, Hawkman -whoever they include- either become popular on their own or as members of the League. Personally, I'm just hoping that we can get a couple comic-based Superman sets next year, if we can't get any other variety. I wouldn't even mind new Batman sets as long as they have new characters and he doesn't hog the entire line for the fourth year in a row. Maybe the Batcopter was even a test to see if he could sell two C-listers by himself? If so, I like the idea of team-up with Green Arrow against Deathstroke.... And sorry for the rant, I'm not good at being concise.

And it also lacks dark red coloring, seams, gold, smaller lightning bolts, a boxy belt buckle, and the red in the insignia. The face beneath also has yellow-orangey eyebrows, when Grant Gustin is a brunette. I agree that Flash would be a lot better with yellow boots, but the minifigure is definitely comic based. Probably June? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

What makes him an Arrow-verse Flash?

I actually kind of like the idea of Question in purple. Not as much as blue, but better than black or brown I think. I'll have to try that once I get my Steamroller. (Also, I haven't forgotten about that Cass Batgirl figure I promised. I just haven't had a chance to get my setup ready and actually take the picture. I'm really sorry. )

Yeah, Hal has a cool costume, cool powers, and lives in a cool world. If your toy is actually good and gets that across (which I think the Imaginext toys do), then it should sell. And if LEGO does it, it should make a small fortune. I used to think it was WB stopping them from including B- and C-listers and making actual Justice League sets, but the Imaginext stuff makes me wonder if they have more control than they actually let on because they don't want to take "risks." A lot of DC's have some sort of "stink" really, except maybe Flash. It's not LEGO's job to fix it by any means, but one thing that WB does do well with DC characters is exposing children to them, and the LEGO line does not do that justice. Thor 2 didn't get any toys (that I know of) because the first movie's was poorly planned and didn't sell, but we can still get him (in a set that features MODOK, Falcon, and Taskmaster too). Basically, I think we agree, but I just needed to vent. So, my dream DC sets would be anything new right now. Marvel can just keep doing what they are doing, but work on the Spidey stuff a little....

Bad movies don't do well for a character's publicity. And the way the retailers see it, carrying any GL merchandise at the moment is a risk, a risk they aren't so willing to take. Of course the problem is pretty obviously the movie and I think Hal could have recovered if GL:TAS was more popular ( ), but the movie was the biggest and last taste the public had of GL, and most of them didn't care for it, so they aren't going to choose him over Batman or Spider-Man. It is weird that we would get Aquaman before him, and the only theory I have for that is that it is part of WB/DC's recent push for him with the New 52. They want kids to like Aquaman, and the best way to do that is to make him the Batman to Wonder Woman's Superman, I guess. I really do wonder how well that playset has sold; I'd like to see something similar from LEGO. I wish that they would use the license as well as Imaginext does. I'd love to get Hawkman, Brainiac, Black Manta, or really any non-Bat curveball.... A bit off-topic, but I don't think that makes GL a better character than Aquaman, personally.

The movie bombed and the toys from it didn't sell, so retailers are afraid of carrying GL merchandise. It's not the character's fault at all. Still, three years is a ridiculous wait....

Speaking of which, does anyone have a scan of a page showing the minifigure or know where I could find one? I'd like to make a page on Brickimedia for Jimmy.

Storm and a few of the SDCC minifigures have boots too (Phoenix, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Green Arrow), even though the printing doesn't wrap around their legs like WW's. And if the GL we get is the same design as the flashlight from Toy Fair, he'll have them too.

I don't know how much they cost compared to regular parts, but transparent parts are not made out of ABS. I think they are made out of polycarbonate instead, but I'm not sure. Anyway, that would mean that there would be a different molding machine for making trans red studs than solid blue ones. With that in mind, it would cost a lot to start producing a bunch of elements (old or new) in transparent colors for the first time, since it would need a new moulding machine, and those cost money and factory space. They seem to be doing quite a few new parts in trans light blue though in Hero Factory, Chima, and Ultra Agents, so maybe some green could pop up with GL? I don't think that GL will have anything extraordinaire, though. I would be happy with this Chima shield (or something like it) and a melee weapon of some sort, but... ...something like that would be amazing.

I think I replied here when the theme was new. Now that we are three years in, I think I'll share my current list. Marvel: The Fantastic 4 (Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, and Thing), classic Green Goblin, Carnage, Captain Britain, Black Panther, adult Luke Cage (or at least one in a better set ), White Tiger, Ms/Captain Marvel, Silver Surfer, Mysterio, Wasp, Professor X, Jean Grey, a more visually interesting Cyclops, Beast, Angel/Archangel, Colossus, Iceman, Mystique, Sabretooth, Thanos, comic/cartoon Hawkeye, and comic/cartoon Black Widow. DC: Green Lantern Corp (Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kilowog, Katma Tui, and Ch'p would make me more than happy, and then Kyle would be an easy custom with an extra Hal), Green Arrow, Black Canary, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Zatanna, Huntress, the Atom, Supergirl, Superboy, Steel, Shazam/Captain Marvel, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Question, Captain Atom, Raven, Kid Flash, B/W Two-Face, Catwoman (I don't care what costume, but a better face and a mask more like Flash, Wolverine, and Batgirl's), Clayface, Ra's and Talia, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Sinestro, Atrocitus, Star Sapphire (animated, silver age, or New 52, I don't care, just not the pre-reboot one), Brainiac, Bizarro, Giganta, Ares, any of the Rogues, Amanda Waller, Despero, Darkseid...it's disappointing that DC hasn't picked up all. YES!

Not really. It might be a bit harsh, but it is true that most little boys don't like to play with girl action figures, if only because of peer pressure. I was never that way, myself, and I know that plenty other people here weren't either, but it's the sad truth. (Some would argue that it is on the way out though, which I hope so.) I'm just glad that LEGO is releasing more women in this theme and others, like Storm and Batgirl. Ultra Agents and Monster Fighters have also have good diversity for original themes. Saying that kids won't care what Storm looks like is also something I would disagree with though. The mohawk makes quite an impression, and can be a big turn off for people who find it "weird." With shelves full of toys yelling "buy me!" the first impression can be everything. That I do agree with though. I don't care for that look much. But considering how many others do seem to want it, maybe it will be an SDCC exclusive one day? Um...sorry for suggesting it.

Some of the LED lights have started showing up on LEGO.com's US store. No Green Lantern though, just Superman and Catwoman.

Chrome! These minifigures are all amazing. Great work!

I don't like Martian Manhunter's character in the New 52, but I find the J'onn Katar John Carter vibe that his costume has great. I can't wait to get that figure.

I don't know. The tab of plastic between the legs and torso might look sort of funny, but it would fix the side view....

Wait, you weren't talking about the tail mold from Chima? I wouldn't mind a new one though, if they fixed that weird gap.

Yes they are!

I think I'll actually get Bat Strike. It comes with two pairs of the new bat wings for a fairly low plus a few other useful things. It's still not a great deal, but that Ewar promo will help sweeten it a little.

I actually kind of like the Groot figure, but agree that he is much too big. He looks larger than the Sentinel. I'm also worried because it looks like the head and chest are one piece. That would make downsizing very difficult. As for doing Rocket like Gollum, I didn't like that idea at first, but it's not like he would lose much articulation if they kept the head removable. I think that would be okay, but I still like him as an actual minifigure, even if his size isn't too accurate. I only like the Gollum route when it is needed to capture a character's stature.

This image does have a preliminary stamp on it. Maybe they were going to label it as S12, but changed their minds. It's still the Simpsons series' box (or was).

Maybe in brightest day? I think it'll be a few months, because GL isn't on the back of the comics included in the DC sets with everyone else, but I have no idea when exactly. There were a couple numbering gaps between sets in the first DC wave. I don't think that GL will have his own set(s). He could carry them as well as Spider-Man, but retailers are afraid of Hal Jordan, which is probably why we are getting him so late.