I used to be a big DC Direct collector, but with Mattel's entry into the 6 inch DC Comics toy market, my DC Direct purchases have become much rarer of the last couple years. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate what they do put out, and in fact many of the figures on display here at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo looked rather amazing. Maybe it's the shiny lights, or maybe it's just the great sculpts, but I liked what I saw.
I don't have a whole lot to say about many of these figures, so enjoy the pictures as I interject with a comment here and there.
In general I think DC Direct is nailing the Blackest Night line. The figures certainly aren't as articulated as what you would find with DC Universe Classics, but DC Direct is still pumping out wave after wave of extremely detailed figures. The decaying flesh and excruciatingly graphic nature of these characters suits the two big strong points of DC Direct perfectly, their sculpting and painting. They've managed to strike while the grave is fresh as it may be, and get these out while the comics are still popular, whereas any Mattel offerings of the same characters will be a year or two behind. Because of that, I think DC Direct is serving a lot of comics fans well and might be building new customer bases with every release.
I think that Nekron, Deadman, and Batman may be the three strongest sculpts in the line. The hawk family is beautiful too, but these three are absolutely haunting in a way that none of the others are.
Just to fill you in on what all the above group shots are (in case you aren't familiar with DC Direct's upcoming lines), they are 1) History of the DC Universe Series 4, 2) Detective Comics Box Set, 3) Superman: New Krypton Series 3, 4) DC Origins Two Packs, 5) Batman Reborn Series 1, and finally 6) Superman/Batman Supergirl & Superman in a style honoring Michael Turner. None of these really catch my eye, except maybe for History of the DC Universe, which seems like a pretty strong line and great alternative to DC Universe Classics. Plus, Martian Manhunter always gets my attention.
_________
