After years of planning and several false starts, DC’s Justice League film finally reaches theatres this Friday. Of course as with any blockbuster superhero film, there are the merchandise tie-ins. We have the Mattel figures, which we will be getting a limited restock on this week and the DC Collectibles statues. Every major Justice Leaguer from the film is represented in both lines including Cyborg, Aquaman, The Flash, Batman in his tactical suit, Superman and Wonder Woman. The Justice League toyline from Mattel also features a figure of Steppenwolf which can be put together by buying all 6 of the JL members. Each Mattel Mulitiverse figure features several points of articulation and in certain cases, character appropriate accessories. The Flash figure in particular has been extremely popular, so get that one first if you are so inclined.
Mattel isn’t the only toy company licensing out the Justice League as Funko has their POP line and their Mystery Minis and Plush featuring characters from the film. Hot Toys has also started unveiling their JL figures which won’t be available til next year but still look awesome all the same. The Flash, Aquaman, Batman and Wonder Woman have all been made available for pre-order and look to be a great addition to any Hot Toys collection.
I’ve always been a huge “Justice League of America” fan, so I am definitely interested to see how the film depicts the team. The JL as seen in the film is fairly close to the team from the New 52 iteration of the book with the sole omission of Hal Jordan(that we know of, I haven’t read any spoilers to know whether he or another Green Lantern is or isn’t in the film.) I am curious to know if we’ll see any inklings of additions to the team thru cameos and such. Mera, Aquaman’s wife, is definitely in the film and could be a fun member if they go that route. There is a deep pantheon of characters that DC can mine for future Justice League films if they choose to do so, though my hope is for it to eventually resemble my favorite era of the League- the Satellite Era. What’s funny is that the CW shows have almost a complete set of JL Satellite/Detroit era Leaguers that have appeared over the years. The only characters missing from the CW are Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern and Zatanna which is pretty good overall.
If you’re so inclined after seeing the film this weekend, we are having a Justice League day on Saturday the 18th. There will be a sale on Justice League single issues as well as Justice League graphic novels so come on in and check that out as well. If you need some advice on good JL stories, here’s a couple that I’ve always loved:
Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare– A prequel to Grant Morrison’s acclaimed JLA run, this Mark Waid penned tale finds the cornerstones of the League in a deep state of amnesia, forgetting who they are and even having their powers suppressed- meanwhile, everyone else in the world starts to get super powers. Whose pulling the strings and trying to keep the League at bay? How will they get their powers back? Read it to find out!
JLA: Year One– What happened during the first year the original JLA was together? This 12 issue tale by Mark Waid(again- he did always write a great JLA in my opinion) features the Post-Crisis lineup of the original JLA which replaced Wonder Woman with Black Canary as a founding member and minimized Batman and Superman’s presence on the team due to the alteration of continuity due to the aforementioned Crisis. See how the founding five became a formidable team during their inaugural year which saw betrayal, romance and several serious threats.
JLA by Grant Morrison– After the end of the JLI era, Grant Morrison took over the reins of the JLA and crafted some brilliant stories including the three featured in this book. The Hyperclan- are they really Earth’s new saviors or something more sinister? A fallen angel helps out when other heavenly beings descend to Earth in an attempt to silence him once he learns of their plot to wreak havoc in heaven and Connor Hawke has big shoes to fill as he tries to save the Justice League from the Key- can he be the Green Arrow the team needs?
There’s so many more good JL stories out there as well, which I could go on and on about, but I’m out of space, so see you next time!
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