This year, DC Comics launched one of the biggest events in comic history. In turn, every one of their releases began at #1. The success of this event was overwhelming, pushing every one of their 52 new titles into (at least) a second pressing. All of this was due to a storyline named "Flashpoint". With more than a dozen titles running monthly, it explained the drastic change to the DC Universe over the course of a month.
Getting to the point, a small run of Flashpoint-based merchandise was released to coincide with the releases of the comics through the mini-series. There were 5 t-shirt designs, and a series of action figures. Although I did not buy all of these figures, judging by their photos, and seeing them all first-hand in comic stores throughout the city, these are some of the best DC Direct figures to date. The attention to small details and unique character traits is incredible. My favorite of the series is Reverse Flash. This isn't the first Zoom figure to be released, but it is one of the first to truly capture his evil nature with his smirk and presence.
That being said, why stop there? The Flashpoint universe had so many unique, distinctive characters to deal with that the possibilities for several more series of action figures seems like the perfect thing to do. I have read on several different sites that they are finished making figures based on the Flashpoint storyline. Why? I would easily spring for several different figures if they released them. With nearly endless options, it wouldn't make sense to leave Flashpoint in the past. Let's take a look.
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Project Superman - Subject 1:
The Man of Steel had taken on quite a different facade for Flashpoint. He was deprived of sunlight nearly his entire life and had various tests and experiments inflicted upon him daily. His skin was pale and white, and his head was shaved on the sides. He didn't do much talking, but when it came to action he kicked some serious ass regardless of his awkward, lanky physique. The changes alone made to Superman should be enough to make a one-time run of figures based on this unique design.
I personally would prefer his original Subject One logo as opposed to the one he sported in the last two issues. Here is a design by Andy Kubert of the first "S" Kal-El is seen wearing in Flashpoint.
Legion of Doom - Plastic Man:
Another surprise in the Flashpoint universe was the presence of Plastic Man. As any reader of my blog knows, I am a huge Plastic Man fan (who is extremely disappointed by his much too brief appearance in Justice League International). One thing about Plastic man merchandise... there isn't enough of it. The best Plas action figure that has ever been released was designed by Alex Ross and came out in the Justice series. A few others came out in the past, but none held a candle to this one.
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| You know, I could never get his arm to bend like that. |
DC Direct needs to take another stab at Plastic Man. His design in the Flashpoint universe was only slightly changed from the original, but made a lasting impression. An updated version of Plas in figure-form would make my entire year, and DCD are the ones capable of bringing his intensity straight from the comic to another dimension.
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| Not yet Eel, I've still got a few things to say. |
Being the virtually endless character that he is, the possibilities are astronomical as to what DCD could do given the freedom to explore the anomaly that is Plastic Man. If I had a choice, I'd do a simple, anatomically correct Plas in the pose above, with a few replaceable parts to alter his appearance, whether it's a new head like the one below, or an arm or two covered in blood.
Plastic Man has received the blunt of everything for years, since most writers do nothing more than turn him into a comedic relief at best. Not only does Plastic Man deserve more than one good action figure, he also needs his own title. Don't make him a goofball. Don't make him a joke. Make him everything he was created to be. The most flexible, fun and potentially dangerous superhero that the DC Universe has ever seen.
Emperor Aquaman - Ocean Master:
Here's another great opportunity for a figure. He has had his own before, but this design, although extremely similar, is arguably much better. It suits the griminess of Flashpoint and really captures his character perfectly. It's the best Orm design to date, in my opinion. Because of the amount of skill and detail that goes into all DCD figures, I would expect this to be one of the best figures of the entire series. His character design is complex but that is one of the better things about him. He wears a flashy costume and still manages to kick so much ass. And besides (spoilers), he had a LOT to do with the disaster that became of the wedding between Aquaman and Wonder Woman.
The Rogues:
Despite their small influence on the events of Flashpoint, several of these villains have yet to get an action figure that does their character justice. They may have played a small part in Flashpoint, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't finally get the spotlight.
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Flashpoint was a huge success. Why not release a successful toy series to go with it?
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