Ask DC Collectibles: December 19

[JeffSaylor]

Man of Steel, Arrow, New 52 Nightwing, More...

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DC Collectibles is back with another round of fan Q & A. Read on...


Where is the NEW 52 Nightwing Figure? :

No plans for a figure in 2013 but we hear you and will consider a figure for the former teen wonder in future waves.

What can you tell us about Man of Steel figures and statues?:

After seeing that amazing Man of Steel trailer we are even more excited for the movie in summer 2013. So of course DC Collectibles will be joining all the great licensees in producing some nifty movie product. Look out for 2013 Toy Fair and beyond for more announcements as to what types of product (it would be a good guess that Superman is in the mix).

Increase of New 52 6” figures (along with questions about Martian Manhunter, female characters, Nightwing etc.):

We are going deeper into the New 52 starting in 2013. Look for more figures more frequently at the end of the year as we bring out our bad side just a bit. And you never know when a deluxe figure may show up too!

What differences are there between the Justice League 7-pack from individuals?

There are a few differences that make either choice special. The Justice League 7-Pack is a great deal for your wallet and your heart. You can give when you get by helping us support the WeCanBeHeroes.org famine relief initiative. A portion of all proceeds for the 7-Pack go towards this great charity effort. And to make the 7-Pack more unique you get a different head sculpt on Superman than his upcoming individual figure. For the individual figures, Cyborg comes with a sonic gun arm replacement and Wonder Woman’s figure comes with a sword accessory. Great reasons for both purchases!

What artists other than Jim Lee design figures? Burnham? Capullo? Paquette?

DC Collectibles has always been dedicated to the creative interpretation of the comic artist. We love our artist specific action figure lines and continue to celebrate the different artists in our Batman Black and White and Superman The Man of Steel lines. In 2014 be on the lookout for some additional artists besides Jim Lee to get the action figure treatment as well.

Will you continue the Batman Incorporated figure line?

Right now there are no plans to continue since we seem to have met the needs of the majority of fans of the Batman Inc. line. However, we do love our Batman teams so never say never.

Broken record time—Arrow action figures? Are they coming?

We have a great statue coming in 2013 and if the statue garners strong interest we think action figures would be a great addition in the future. For your Arrow figure fix pick up the upcoming Justice League The New 52 Green Arrow action figure or the 3 ¾” Green Arrow Injustice figure both out in early 2013. But to your question, no currnet plans to produce figures based on the TV show.

Will Ame-Comi Mary Marvel ever make its 2013 debut without any decisive delays?

We showed the protptype for Mary Marvel at one of our convention and it got a very warm reception. We hope fans continue to support the Ame-Comi line so that we can produce characters like Mary that might not be as well known. Please tell your friends to check out the Ame-Comi line in 2012 and 2013!

What data sources do you use to determine which products will get made?

We look at how much something has sold in the past (whether a character or type of product) and then we mix in all of the cool upcoming initiatives that DC Entertainment has planned for the upcoming year. We usually plan out a year or two in advance so our crystal ball also helps!

Can we influence decisions on what gets made somehow? Like starting petitions?

We definitely love hearing from our fans! Besides influencing us with your purchasing, we want to hear from you about what we haven’t done for you lately. Petitions aren’t really the best way to get that across but trust us; we read all of the comments on our Facebook page. We want to connect with you so be on the lookout for polls on our Facebook page and don't miss the DC Collectibles panels and booth presence at the major U.S. comic conventions to chat with the team.

What item was the most difficult to prepare for production & distribution?

It is always most challenging when we use materials that aren’t standard for DC Collectibles. Metals and electricity are always particularly challenging due to factory limitations. The products that seems to get hit the hardest because of this are prop replicas. Our Bat-Signal prop is a favorites and we hope to improve the technology so that everyone can have their very one working Signal. Another big casualty to production challenges is the often-discussed Dr. Fate helmet replica. Someday we will get it right and hopefully get the helmet into every fan’s stocking!

How do you decide on pricing? It seems a bit crazy sometimes.

Many different things like factory and material costs, along with shipping and distribution costs go into the price of a collectible. We're looking to standardize our pricing in 2013. For example, we might have just a few tiers of action figure prices including a standard figure, deluxe and mega-deluxe figure (like Darkseid). There will always be retailers who offer their own discounts or sales but the pricing that comes from DC Collectibles will be more consistent going forward.


Source: dccomics.com

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