Cliff Francis Archives - ActionFigurePics.com

Soapbox Sunday: DC’s Deserving – a Guest Post by Cliff Francis

It’s been some time since we’ve heard from Cliff Francis, Publisher Emeritus of Costume Contumely. It took the cancellation of Mattel’s Club Infinite Earths DC subscription to bring him back for this special guest edition of Soapbox Sunday. Read on, as Cliff employs the latest in computer technology to reveal how Mattel could have saved Club Infinite Earths. You can read more from Cliff at Costume Contumely as well as a couple of pieces Cliff has contributed here at AFP. Excelsior!

MattyCollector’s Club Infinite Earths subscription has died, and with it, the entire existence of 6″ DC Universe Classics action figures has been wiped out as if swept away by a crackling, white Crisis wall.

I confess that I feel tremendous schadenfreude over this. Mattel ran this property into the ground from the very beginning and only managed to produce a measly 200-something figures over the span of six years. I have a personal theory that Mattel wanted this line to fail from the start, and was willing to lose money along the way in order to save money in the end by having the line die. But that’s not what this article is about.

This article is about the central problem with Mattel’s 6″ DC line. The fault that engineered the line’s downfall. The “reason for the treason,” if you will. So what is it?

Character selection. Pure and simple.

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DC Universe Classics Wave 18 – a Response by Cliff Francis

After we posted about the much-discussed rumored line-up for DC Universe Classics wave 18, we received this response from Cliff Francis. While I don’t often agree with his point of view, I do often find myself amused with how he tries gets his point across. On this topic, I think he has some interesting ideas. So, give it a read and see what you think!

You can also find Cliff at Costume Contumely, his blog about “Comic Books, Action Figures, and More.”

No news isn’t always good news. The lack of information regarding Mattel’s upcoming plans for the DC Universe Classics line has led to a lot of anticipation, confusion, and anxiety in the collecting community. Knowing that I have a lot of contacts inside the industry, many collectors have naturally approached me to find out if I know what’s going on. To be clear: I don’t have any inside knowledge about the current state of this line. But that in itself merely adds to the mystery since I’m usually kept pretty well in the loop.

The latest rumor dumped in our laps is yet another possible character assortment for wave 18. Not long ago I gave ActionFigurePics my view on the leaked list for wave 17 and I am happy to oblige once more.

I must preface this by saying that this list HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED. However, unlike several other “leaked lists” for wave 18, this one has not been explicity denied by anyone at Mattel or the 4H Studios. Thus, by ommission, we shall operate under the assumption of the list’s veractiy.

So what are we getting?

The Super Friends.

Oh, how I wish they would die.

Continue reading “DC Universe Classics Wave 18 – a Response by Cliff Francis”

DC Universe Classics Wave 17 – a Response by Cliff Francis

After we posted about the much-discussed rumored line-up for DC Universe Classics wave 17, we received this response from Cliff Francis. While I don’t often agree with his point of view, I do often find myself amused with how he tries gets his point across. On this topic, I think he has some interesting ideas. So, give it a read and see what you think!

You can also find Cliff at Costume Contumely, his blog about “Comic Books, Action Figures, and More.”

No Pot Of Gold At The End Of Mattel’s Rainbow

Did you enjoy the DC Universe Classics 6” action figure line by Mattel and the Four Horsemen? Did it take the place in your heart as THE DC Comics action figure line of all time? Did you have fun tracking down new figures and anticipating ones to come? Well I hope you got a lot of satisfaction out of it because it’s over.

Done. Finished.

It comes to and end next spring when Mattel will ship wave 17.

You think I’m joking?

Then clearly you haven’t been paying attention to the recent (as yet unsubstantiated) leak of the character assortment for that wave.

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