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Sometimes as toy collectors, we can look acro- Hold up. We’re interrupting our regularly scheduled MRF for a late special edition. I had another article for today. It was for a character that, at the very least, should’ve already had a DC Direct figure or even a JLU figure from Mattel by now. It was a character that’s over sixty years old and though he’s never been a front-liner, he’s always top of mind when you think of Golden Agers. But I decided against running it today. <\/p>\n
I’m not up to championing a “Classic” character right now. I’m not against older characters – we featured Mera in this very article last week. And we’ll likely feature our mystery Golden Age character next week, but I want to do someone “new” today. The way I see it, a brand new character can see a sudden surge in popularity (similar to how Mera, a “classic”, has shot up the ranks since Blackest Night began). I believe that “current level of popularity” should be treated as an “X” factor and weighed against things like “no. of appearances” and “years published” when it comes to deciding toy lineups. But, I know we comic fans can be a fickle readership. For many of us, certain characters become like family and we become less interested in the new and seek the familiar.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
While I have my cherished favorites, I still think there has to be fresh blood now and again. I have to remember to look for new characters to get excited about. And sometimes I find that the new characters can end up more ‘deserving’ (if such a thing actually existed) of an action figure than some of the other tried-and-true “classic” characters. I believe that’s true for our subject today.<\/p>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\nSinestro Corps War and Blackest Night have been a huge success for DC Comics. Geoff Johns is changing the face of the Green Lantern mythos, and he’s doing it without much uprest. That’s impressive. The Sinestro Corps is a hit. Atrocitus, Larfleeze, and Saint Walker seemed to be instant fan favorites. And even if you’re so curmudgeony that you’re convinced we’re just in these rainbow lantern\u2019s fifteen minutes, you have to admit, it’s a fiery hot fifteen minutes.<\/p>\n
With DC Classics working in a few Sinestro Corps characters and DC Direct nearing its announcement of the fifth Blackest Night wave, these characters are getting some fair representation on toy shelves already. Despite the avalanche of BN figures, a big piece is still not on the schedule. Sinestro’s right-hand man: Arkillo. Between DC Direct and Mattel, I have to say that I’d like to see him as a C&C next spring rather a DC Direct release, so this is officially a DC Classics request.<\/p>\n
If you’ve been reading comics longer than I have, you might be thinking, “hey, he’s not a classic! It’s DC Classics<\/em>, Noisy”. And if the title were to be taken literally, I’d be in for some trouble. Luckily, the term “Classics” is merely a marketing banner that invokes “Marvel Legends”. A toy line that put Iron Man and Xorn on my shelf. DC Classics handles the classic\/modern balance similarly. I can equally enjoy DCUC figures of the modern Mr. Terrific and the classic Dr. Fate. Both are front-and-center on my shelf – they’re two of my favorite characters.<\/p>\n Length of publishing time or number of appearances are brought by up champions of older characters. But these are not legitimate qualifiers of importance by themselves. They do play an important role – even in past editions of this article. We’ve asked Mattel for Martian Manhunter (1955), Zebra Batman (1960), Toyman (1943), Swamp Thing (1971), Bruce Wayne (1937), and Mera (1963). But age is no guarantee. While every character has his hardcore fans, there’s not a lot of clamor for every old character. Blue Snowman (1946) and J. Wilbur Wolfingham (1946) don’t exactly have fans chomping at the bit for their plastic enshrinement. They never hit the big time.<\/p>\n But Arkillo, in his three short years, has already gathered a strong fanbase. He’s an instant classic, if you will. Blue Snowman could never claim that. Had there been a DCUC toyline in the Golden Age, she probably wouldn’t have been included. But Arkillo can make the cut right now. The popularity is there and it’s making up for his brief history. But what makes Arkillo’s twenty-some-odd comic appearances memorable? I don’t know. Even I have to admit that he hasn’t done a lot.<\/p>\n Arkillo’s biggest selling point is probably his look. He’s essentially the Sinestro Corps equivalent of Kilowog, a long-time Green Lantern fan-favorite. Like Kilowog, he’s the trainer for new recruits. But if you fail his trials, you’re not a poozer – you’re food. So far, he’s eaten a lot of bad recruits and slow Qwardians. He’s fought Kilowog, but the battle was interrupted before we could see an outcome. He fought Mongul and lost his tongue for his trouble, but he wears it as a necklace, so props for that. Not enough for you? That’s okay. I don’t think it’s a substance issue either. I think Arkillo is propped up by what his fans feel he could be. And I think we’ll see that come to fruition in future issues. Maybe during Blackest Night. Maybe after. That’s not a reason to skip over him if you can strike while the iron is hot.<\/p>\n Arkillo might not be a sacred character from your childhood, but he might end up being one from someone else’s childhood someday. I think we forget that when we focus on our own favorites. If our favorites were less popular, we’d want a bone tossed our way. We should wish the same for others too. Some fans have been waiting on Spectre and Dr. Mid-Nite for half a century. Other have been wanting Cyclotron and Golden Pharoah for a quarter centruy. Still others are waiting on Connor Hawke and Kyle Rayner. And finally, some fans have been waiting ten minutes for Arkillo and Blue Beetle III. It may not feel like it, but all those wait times are equal. Mattel’s not doing this in order. If they were, we’d all have to stand aside for the Scoop Scanlon and Chuck Dawson fans. (Speaking of, where is my Zatara!? The G. Ghost buck is perfect…). <\/P><\/p>\n Anyway, it’s the nature of the beast. Each new fan brings new childhood favorites. DC Classics is the end-all, be-all DC toy line for me. I’m sure there are some wacky, super-articulated, holofigs in the future, but screw that. It’s now or never for me. And that means there needs to be room for everyone’s childhood favorites. If you’re a newer fan, don’t dismiss the old stuff. There’s a wealth of sacred treasures going all the way back to the beginning of comics to be explored (Did you Google Blue Snowman yet?). If you’re an older fan that doesn’t like the legacy\/new stuff – you should try to foster love for your favorite characters without knocking the new ones (I like the crabmask, okay?).<\/P><\/p>\n A full DC Universe shelf will need Mera. It will need Arkillo. And it will need Crimson Avenger too (Doh, I spoiled next week…).<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n
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