Mattel DC Figures

[Niko (protozoalord)]

So then the question becomes “what is a deep cut”?

Main continuity superhero like Sideways, Loose Cannon, or Shade the Changing Man?

Different genre like Amethyst, Warlord, or Jonah Hex?

Outside of the main continuity like Superman: The Dark Side, Batman from Gotham by Gaslight or New 52 Earth 2 Flash?

All valid selections. All head scratchers to the general public and even some comic fans.

Tough question, but first of all: Most A-lister variants usually don't count as deep cuts. Never will. Those can anchor waves, and always have with lines like Marvel Legends. We will get those no matter what.

The definition of deep cut is entirely relative to the possible depth, and how deep a line is. This line is just starting though, and until we have an evergreen line-up of the Justice League mainstays (that is to say, a foundation), EVERYTHING ELSE is a deep cut. At the start, essential B-lister heroes like Firestorm, Power Girl, Blue & Gold, The Atom, etc. are all kind of the go-to deep cuts. Marvel Legends is only able to so comfortably do Spidey and Avengers waves of two A-lister variants and a bunch of random goobers BECAUSE they have built out the foundations for the collections those guys add to.

Once they build the foundation, or if they have an up-front roadmap for the A-listers, that's when we can start getting the trail mix. For my personal sensibilities, I'd have an even thirdsies between nicher villains (Killer Moth, Eclipso, Captain Cold, Psycho-Pirate), main characters of major comic runs more so beloved by the hardcore nerds (Warlord, Death, Amethyst, Tommy Hitman, Animal-Man, Jack Knight), and the final third being that kind of guy you would find in the back of a group shot of a Justice League comic or JLU episode. You know those guys.

Intentionally not factoring in specific "themed" waves, as we don't have any clue what their wave layouts will look like yet. Those would change a lot.

 

[Atomic Knight]

Tough question, but first of all: Most A-lister variants usually don't count as deep cuts. Never will. Those can anchor waves, and always have with lines like Marvel Legends. We will get those no matter what.

The definition of deep cut is entirely relative to the possible depth, and how deep a line is. This line is just starting though, and until we have an evergreen line-up of the Justice League mainstays (that is to say, a foundation), EVERYTHING ELSE is a deep cut. At the start, essential B-lister heroes like Firestorm, Power Girl, Blue & Gold, The Atom, etc. are all kind of the go-to deep cuts. Marvel Legends is only able to so comfortably do Spidey and Avengers waves of two A-lister variants and a bunch of random goobers BECAUSE they have built out the foundations for the collections those guys add to.

Once they build the foundation, or if they have an up-front roadmap for the A-listers, that's when we can start getting the trail mix. For my personal sensibilities, I'd have an even thirdsies between nicher villains (Killer Moth, Eclipso, Captain Cold, Psycho-Pirate), main characters of major comic runs more so beloved by the hardcore nerds (Warlord, Death, Amethyst, Tommy Hitman, Animal-Man, Jack Knight), and the final third being that kind of guy you would find in the back of a group shot of a Justice League comic or JLU episode. You know those guys.

Intentionally not factoring in specific "themed" waves, as we don't have any clue what their wave layouts will look like yet. Those would change a lot.

Agreed. Yet there’s a balancing act at work too. A foundation is critical. But DCUC ran through most of the A and B+ list in 36 months. Some of that was spent chasing Super Powers. Ugh. If they do that again, we may be back to Todd sooner rather than later.

 

[secondwhiteline]

If anything, DCUC did way fewer A and B+ tier figures than you would expect, especially considering they shied away from a lot of stuff that had been in DC Superheroes before it. Counting Batman Beyond, there were only 5 Batmen in the 20 regular waves of the main line - that's NEVER happening again. They were anchoring waves with Hawkgirl or Green Arrow or Mary Marvel, which: also NEVER happening again. There's no way the collector's line isn't going to have a Batman or Superman in every single wave, the way Marvel Legends has a Spider-Man or Iron Man or Wolverine in every comic wave.

The thing is, there are enough Batmen and Supermen to keep a line running forever. Every A-list hero has a million looks. Even the B-tier ones have a ton of designs. There is absolutely no reason this line can't just keep going on and on with sane wave compositions and case packouts.

 

[Atomic Knight]

I’m really not talking about multiples of Batman or Superman. I’m talking about the core members of the Justice League, the Titans, and the top tier of the JSA. None of which should be a stretch to make. But cram all of that into three or four years and you haven’t shot yourself in the foot. You’ve just shot your balls off. If Mattel wants to keep this going for 20 years like Hasbro Marvel Legends, they’re gonna need some balls.

 

[Niko (protozoalord)]

I hate few things more than the 'it's magic, so do whatever' thing. Personal preference. She-Ra's sword polymorphs, so it makes -some- sense in continuity that He-Man's can change as well. I just personally don't like the idea. But I also dislike the idea that 'bigger sword hit better.' It's never been true in real life and so it doesn't really make sense in a magical world either.

Then again, I am known for strong sword opinions and I am very aware of that.

I agree with the idea of "big thing hit better" being stupid.

I grew up with many anime (namely, some mecha anime) where swords just entirely change in size just for the cool factor with 0 explanation, so I'm very used to it. I also adore when magical/mythological weapons are practically living characters in of themselves with some sort of pseudo-sentience and often physical properties that morph depending on situations, with inconsistent descriptions as a result. Gae Bolg, Stormbringer, Vampire Killer, etc.

If we go exclusively for mini-comics lore, the sword should be small and puny and stay that way no matter what. He-Man is just built different, the sword is practically an accessory.

Within more contemporary lore with the Council of Elders turning themselves into the Power of Grayskull or whatever and the sword being a conduit of that power into Adam, I don't mind it morphing in size. I haven't seen much She-Ra media yet, but the Sword of Power also changes the size of Cringer and often its wielder, so it's not too out of the realm of possibilities for it to also change in size. Either way, I'd like this version's default to feel like a natural part of He-Man, and Mondo's is fairly close to the perfect size for that. Size shifting would just be a dumb excuse to make it smaller or larger to emphasize it or He-Man depending on scene and context.

I'm very surface level on He-Man lore and only started deep diving this month (Simultaneously doing bits of mini-comics, Filmation, and MYP at the moment) though, so maybe all these thoughts will change as I get deeper.

Alcala Power Sword is the coolest design though, regardless of size.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

Pixel Dan with a hands on look at MOTU Chronicles...

This may be a good idea of what we’ll see in the DC collector line, at least in terms of style and articulation. Just imagine it is Warlord, or even better Shining Knight and Winged Victory…

The butterflies could use some work, but there's a lot to like here.