DC DIRECT: REBIRTH - COULD THE RESURRECTION OF DC DIRECT BE PART OF ANOTHER DC COMICS CRISIS?

BREAKING NEWS:

DC DIRECT: REBIRTH - COULD THE RESURRECTION OF DC DIRECT BE PART OF ANOTHER DC COMICS CRISIS?

“I can’t prevent the future. To me, it’s already happening” - Dr. Manhattan

Earlier this month, it was revealed that McFarlane Toys would resurrect DC Direct, and fans worldwide rejoiced (including yours truly)! There is not much information yet, apart from the plan to manage the current remaining stocks, along with revamping some of the fan-favorite lines of figures and statues. We can speculate that the Batman Black and White statue series could make a comeback, as it would give McFarlane Toys another way to pump out even more Batman items, and hope that the Animated Series line is coming back (please, please, please!).

The Voice of Reason (@pzahui) found out about pre-orders for those cancelled items on European stores. EXCITING!

But in the comic book world, it is not uncommon to see characters die, and come back to life later. What if (not related to Marvel) this was all part of a DC Comics event too?

The most recent “crisis”-level event in the comic books was the “REBIRTH” event, where we learned later that all that happened during the previous event (New 52) was because of Dr. Manhattan (yes, the blue naked dude from Watchmen) reshaping reality and changing the past. Heroes that were dead were resurrected, so it’s not too farfetched to think that the same could have happened to DC Direct. DC Comics had already rebranded DC Direct to DC Collectibles in the past, before changing their mind and rebranding it back to DC Direct (kind of like what happened with the New 52…). Is Dr. Manhattan behind all this?

More news at 11:00… Nothing ends, Adrian… Nothing ever ends.

#toyfarce #mcfarlanetoys #dcdirect #new52 #dcrebirth #watchmen #drmanhattan #actionfigures #toys #collectibles #toycollector #toycommunity #toycollection #humor #satire #parody

REVIEW: GAMESTOP EXCLUSIVE DC COLLECTIBLES BATMAN VS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

TOYFARCE REVIEWS:

GAMESTOP EXCLUSIVE DC COLLECTIBLES BATMAN VS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

With the post system being what it is these days during the holiday season, during a global pandemic, I have not received any of the new toys that are in transit, so today, we’ll have a look at older stuff, like the Gamestop Exclusive DC Collectibles (it was still ‘Collectibles’ at the time!) Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures (those pictures were taken in early 2020).

It was first a comic book crossover event, that was actually pretty good (2 sequels have come out since), and DC made an animated movie out of the first story. Those figures have the design of the animated movie.

Here are some packaging shots:

(The 'Robin & Raphaël' box was smashed during transport, so I just opened that one right away to make sure the figures were fine, so no photos of that box. The figures were fine!)

First, let’s check the leaders of their respective families: The Batman and Leonardo.

“Dude, you’re dressed like a bat!”

“You are literally a turtle.”

“Fair enough. Let’s fight crime!”

Now for the rebel of their families: Robin (Damian Wayne) and Raphaël.

“Oh, you put the hood on? Things are getting serious!”

“COME AT US, BRO!”

Then, they paired the tech savvy ones together, with Batgirl coming along with Donatello.

“You got any games on that?”

“Nevermind. Time to fight!”

Michaelangelo, or Mikey, the goofiest of the Ninja Turtles, was somehow paired with Alfred, the serious yet snarky butler. Odd pairing, but it works for me!

“Master Michaelangelo, may I ask you not to use your skateboard inside the manor, please…”

“Come on, I just waxed the floors…”

PS: Alfred has NO CHILL.

Finally, the baddies, Shredder and Ras’al’Ghul came in the same set, which makes a lot of sense.

“Soon, the turtles will be defeated!”

“And the detective will see how much smarter than him I am!”

“What is this thing anyway? Mu-ta-gen?”

Those figures are pretty awesome. I like the fabric they used for the cape, it allows for nice movement and display. The “cell shading” effect on the figures is a nice touch, and makes them look better than other versions of the characters. Some people didn’t like the design of the animated movie and would have prefered it to be closer to the comic book, but they still look awesome on a shelf. Growing up watching the TMNT cartoon and Batman the Animated Series, this was a no-brainer for me anyway.

A great representation, whether you are a fan of the Bat-Family…

… or the Ninja Turtles family!

“Group shot!”

“Now for the best part… PIZZA TIME!"

“Mmmmh… Pizza.”

Bonus: SDCC 2019 Exclusive Mikey as Batman

“I am vengeance, I am the night…”

“I AM MIKEY!”

“Pizza?”

More news at 11:00… COWABUNGA!

#toyfarce #dccollectibles #dccomics #batman #robin #batgirl #alfred #teenagemutantninjaturtles #leonardo #raphael #donatello #michaelangelo #shredder #rasalghul #batmanvstmnt #batmanvsteenagemutantninjaturtles #actionfigures #toys #collectibles #toyreview #toyphotography #toycommunity #toycollector #toycollection #humor #parody

REVIEW: DC DIRECT DCEASED - FIRST AND FINAL WAVE

HALLOWEEN REVIEW:

DC DIRECT DCEASED - FIRST AND FINAL WAVE

First of all, ToyFarce wants to wish you all a happy Halloween!

Here is a bonus review for this day, with figures that arrived just in time for the event! The Zombie versions (aka repaints) of the DC Essentials figure, from the comic book from DC Comics called DCeased, which is pretty much DC’s answer to the critically acclaimed Marvel Zombies comic books, which came out over a decade ago. Here are some packaging shots:

Wait…what is this light?

*suspenseful music and sounds of plastic tearing*

“RRARGH!”

“Oh shit…”

“Err… Mr J. ?”

“Stay away from me, Curry!”

“Bruce, it’s me! What the hell is going on?”

“Why does he ALWAYS have to come back from the dead??”

“RRRAAAARGHHHHH"!” *zombie sounds*

“Nana nana nana nana nana nana nana nana ZOMBIES!”

This is THRILLEEEEEER… THRILLER NIIIIGHT!

More news at 11:00… TRICK OR TREAT!

#toyfarce #dccomics #dcdirect #batman #joker #greenlantern #aquaman #dcessentials #dceased #actionfigures #toys #collectibles #toycollector #toycommunity #toycollection #toyphotography #toyreview #humor #parody

RIP DC DIRECT - 1998-2020

SAD NEWS:

RIP DC DIRECT - 1998-2020

On August 10, 2020, it was announced that DC Direct, the DC Comics in-house toy company, was shut down as part of a massive restructuring from Warner Bros. DC Direct had been producing toys for 22 years, was rebranded DC Collectibles in 2012 before switching back to DC Direct earlier this year. 

Usually, ToyFarce News would make jokes about that, such as "Company that announced mostly repaints for the rest of the year surprisingly shut down", or "Toy manufacturer specialized in Batman and Harley Quinn to stop producing collectibles", but to be honest, we're pretty sad about it.

We know many of you have been collectors of DC Direct products, going back to the first MAD action figures, to the Green Lantern line, the Batman Hush line , the 12inch figures, the Batman Black & White statues, the Animated Series line, etc... and that many of you must be pretty upset about DC Direct shutting down, so we thought we would have some sort of a funeral, a place where we can mourn.

Toy News International posted an article letting us know which product were far enough into production so that they will be released. Here is the article: https://toynewsi.com/10-36987 (we are glad that we can get another wave from those animated series - adventure continues figures, and can't wait for the DCeased figures).

Sorry, folks... We really tried to find an angle where we could say something funny, but we're pretty sure it wouldn't have been welcome right now, as it is 'too soon'. ToyFarce News wishes all the best in all of their future endeavors to all the talented artists and sculptors that were working there, and hope they find a great place to share their talents very soon.

What are your favorite DC Direct/Collectibles products? Let us know in the comments!

We'll be back with jokes next week!

More news at 11:00...

#toyfarcenews #toyfarce #dcdirect #dccollectibles #dccomics #dcuniverse #dc #batman #harleyquinn #actionfigures #statues #warnerbros #shutdown #sad #collectibles #toys #toycollectors #toycollecting #toycommunity #dcactionfigures #superman #flash #wonderwoman #greenlantern #aquaman #joker

#ReleaseTheCancelledToys TRENDING WORLDWIDE AFTER SUCCESS OF #ReleaseTheSnyderCut !!

BREAKING NEWS:

#ReleaseTheCancelledToys TRENDING WORLDWIDE AFTER SUCCESS OF #ReleaseTheSnyderCut !!

2020 has been a really crazy year so far... We nearly had a WW3, Australia caught fire, there was a global pandemic with the Covid-19, murder hornets are invading America, and now, after years of constant harassment, Warner Bros will release the Snyder Cut, the original edit of the Justice League movie by Zack Snyder, which is supposedly going to make the film better. 

The success of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag has inspired many collectors to create their own causes, and here are a few of those to get behind:

To NECA: #ReleaseTheMissingGremlins 

Those figures were shown at the San Diego Comic Con 2013 and were never released. The illusive Series 3 would have included a WB logo gremlin, a molten gremlin, the gremlin leader, Mohawk, with an Uzi, and the fan favorite Greta, the fan favorite female gremlin.

To DC Collectibles: #ReleaseTheJokerMobile 

The vehicle was shown at various comic conventions and announced before being cancelled completely, without an explanation. DC Collectibles would move on to cancel several lines after that, including the DC Icons line, before releasing all the figures announced, the DC Designer Series Lee Bermejo Green Lantern and Lex Luthor figures, the DC Designer series Bombshell line series 3 and Joker/Harley Quinn 2-pack (which would later be announced as single figures, before being cancelled a second time), the Lucha Explosiva figures, and most importantly...

#ReleaseTheDCFilmsFigures 

A figure line for the DC Films was announced, and many figures were displayed at various comic cons. 2 action figures were actually released (BVS Superman and Armored Batman) before DC Collectibles called it a day and cancelled the rest of the line, all at once. Now that the Snyder Cut is going to be released, it might be time to ask for those again!

To Hot Toys: #ReleaseEverythingGoddammit

Hot Toys, the notorious high-end figure manufacturer from Hong Kong, is famous for showing prototypes of figures that they never plan to release. On the picture above are a few of the many figures that were never released. Plenty of figures from various movies, for example:

#ReleaseTheLoneRanger 

The Lone Ranger figure was never released, while his sidekick, Tonto, played by Johnny Depp came out years ago. This means that every collectors and fans of the Lone Ranger movie (and there are dozens of them!) now have a lonely Tonto displayed on their shelf, with no Lone Ranger to hang out with.

#ReleaseTheBatmobiles

The Batmobile from the 1966 series (along with the Cesar Romero Joker figure) were announced in 2014, and were never released, to the chagrin of every Batman collectors worldwide. The Batmobile from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was also announced, before being replaced by the slightly upgraded Justice League version, before both projets were completely forgotten by the Hong Kong toymaker. And it was not the only vehicle/playset that would never see the light of day...

#ReleaseTheMilleniumFalconCockpit

What is the point of making a prototype, displaying it in many conventions, and even making promo pictures of a vehicle/playset, when you have zero plan on ever releasing it, you might ask? Well, you're asking the wrong person. We got nothing. This set would have sold like hot cakes, but Hot Toys decided they didn't like money that day, probably. 

And last, but not least, and even related to the Snyder Cut...

#ReleaseCyborg 

(formerly #WhereIsCyborg)

Hot Toys has shown the prototypes of all the Justice League characters before the movie came out, and then proceeded to release all of them (taking their sweet time for some, as the JL Superman figure came out only a few months ago). All of them, except one. Cyborg was never released. Collectors can have the entire Justice League on their shelf, with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Flash...but the set will never be complete, as Cyborg will always be missing. Let's hope the release of the Snyder Cut makes Hot Toys realize that they forgot one of the members of the Justice League!

What would you like to see #Released ? Is there any cancellation that hurt you more than others? Let us know in the comments!

More news at 11:00...

#toyfarcenews #toyfarce #ReleaseTheCancelledToys #Neca #hottoys #dcdirect #cancelled #releasethem #pls #toys #toycollectors #toycollection #collectibles #trendingworldwide #satire #freshnews

MORE REPAINTS? DC DIRECT TO COLOR BATMAN B&W STATUES!!

BREAKING NEWS:

MORE REPAINTS? DC DIRECT TO COLOR BATMAN B&W STATUES!!

A lot of fans and collectors have expressed their discontent about the announcements from DC Direct (formerly known as DC Collectibles) for the year 2020. A lot of the new action figures announced seemed to be repainted versions previously released ones. ToyFarce News contacted an anonymous insider source to understand more about it, and learn about what the future holds for DC Direct:

ABOUT THE UPCOMING DC ESSENTIALS FIGURES:

"Oh yes, most of the upcoming DC Essentials series are essentially (no pun intended...maybe) repaints, with the next wave having the previously released Batman with a black cowl instead of blue, Superman painted in black instead of the red and blue and with no cape, a transparent Flash instead of painting it, and Nightwing painted red instead of blue. The 3 waves coming after that will be the DCeased Zombie figures, and it will be once again, the previously released DC Essentials figures, but with some blood painted on them, and a different head with the mouth open. Then, we'll release a Justice League set, with 6 of those older DC Essentials figures, but with metallic paint!"

ABOUT THE BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES LINE:

"The upcoming Animated Series figures, "The Adventure Continues" will actually have only a few brand new figures, with half of each wave being older figures, with "shading effects" added to the paint. So we are basically only producing 6 or 8 new figures this year. The rest is all repaints. We are even re-releasing the Holiday Joker with a metallic paint, people will go nuts about it!"

ABOUT FUTURE PLANS:

"Do you remember the DC Artist Alley Uminga Batman statue, that we released in dozens of different colors? Be ready for more of that. Here is a list of upcoming lines:

BATMAN - BLACK & WHITE : RECOLORED STATUE LINE - We have just reached the 100th Batman Black and White statue, with the Todd McFarlane one. The plan for the future is to release all of those again, but this time, in color. We also have plans for a 'Black & White & Yellow' line, with only the bat logo and belt colored in yellow. We might also do variants with metallic paint down the line...

BATMAN - BLACK & WHITE ACTION FIGURES - We have already done series 1, where we recycled the First Appearance figure, the Hush figure and the Designer Series Capullo figure, so why stop there? There are dozens of Batman action figures that we could recycle in black and white. We'll start with the New 52 one (which was repainted 4-5 times already), then the DC Icons ones, the Animated series, etc... Would metallic black and white paint look good on those too? We will find out!

BATMAN - THE ANIMATED SERIES - BLACK & WHITE - We might as well also reissue a few of the Animated series figures in black and white, because why not? Some people might have watched the show on a faulty television set and seen these characters in black and white anyway.

We will also probably announce a few completely new lines, like the "DC Films" or the "Lucha Explosiva" ones that we teased a few years back, but with no intention whatsoever of ever releasing them. We'll just let the anticipation build a little, and then cancel the whole thing, add a new coat of paint on older Batman figures and then release those instead. We have been doing that with the comic books for years: When our current stories are not great, we just release a new trade paperback version of an old story. How many "Batman: Hush" versions are there now?"

It seems like recycling and metallic paint are going to be very present in the future plans of DC Direct! ToyFarce News hopes that the fans and collectors will find something to hold onto in those announcements, or maybe find some comfort in the McFarlane Toys DC Universe line. 

One thing is for sure, we will get more Batman!

More news at 11:00...

#toyfarcenews #toyfarce #dcdirect #dccollectibles #dccomics #batman #superman #flash #batmanblackandwhite #batmantheanimatedseries #blackandwhitestatues #reissue #recycling #repaint #repainting #oldandnew #batmancollectorsclub #batmanactionfigures #batmancollection #freshnews

HELL HAS FROZEN OVER: DC DIRECT BUYS MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES ?!

BREAKING NEWS:

HELL HAS FROZEN OVER:
DC DIRECT BUYS MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES ?!

It has been a crazy week for all the comic book fans. First, Dan Didio, co-publisher of DC Comics was removed from his place by Warner Bros/DC Comics. A few days later, the CEO of Disney (who owns Marvel), Bob Iger stepped down from his position. It didn't take long before rumors started to spread that Warner would try to sell DC Comics, and that Disney and Marvel might take over DC! There is even words about an eventual merging of the Big 2! Imagine Batman and Spider-Man sharing a same multiverse!

But in a plot twist that nobody saw coming, it seems that the legendary line of action figures from Hasbro, the Marvel Legends Series has been bought by DC Direct (formerly known as DC Collectibles)!

DC Direct plans to rename the line 'Marvel Essentials' to go with their 'DC Essentials' line, and plans to sell them without any accessories or extra hands, just like their DC figures. "They are called Essentials, so that is what you really get: barely the essentials to be called an action figure." said a long time DC Direct/Collectibles employee.

Additionally, they might eventually give a try to the Build-a-Figure model with their DC Essentials line, which has always been a ploy to sell people characters that nobody wants if it wasn't for that 'left leg part' from a character that people actually want. Be ready to have more extra heads, legs and torsos to throw in a drawer!

We, at ToyFarce News, sincerely hope that this rumor about a merging is true and hope that DC and Marvel will continue telling stories in comic book form until the end of times (so, in about 7-8 years.)

More news at 11:00...