[Shin Densetsu]

I am disappointed that DCUC is pretty much going away at retail save for the DC Universe wave for later this year and some "collector orientated" stuff for next year at retail(whatever that is...I haven't heard much). In a way I am not surprised this is happening. I mean some of the characters in the line were only known to fans who are heavy into comics. Is that a good thing? Yeah, it is actually, however, I myself would have wanted more A-listers. No I'm not talking more Hal Jordans, goodness that guy was in the line just as much as Batman an Superman were in their OWN DCSH line prior to DCUC!

So what would you have done to save DCUC?

[Jmacq1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shin Densetsu

I am disappointed that DCUC is pretty much going away at retail save for the DC Universe wave for later this year and some "collector orientated" stuff for next year at retail(whatever that is...I haven't heard much). In a way I am not surprised this is happening. I mean some of the characters in the line were only known to fans who are heavy into comics. Is that a good thing? Yeah, it is actually, however, I myself would have wanted more A-listers. No I'm not talking more Hal Jordans, goodness that guy was in the line just as much as Batman an Superman were in their OWN DCSH line prior to DCUC!

So what would you have done to save DCUC?

I'm not sure there was any way short of a drastic price drop to save DCUC.

When you look back on the history, DC Comics characters outside of Batman have always struggled a bit at retail, and simply don't seem to have quite the same marketability as Marvel's characters due to most peoples' most prominent memories of them springing from the uber-cheesy Super Friends cartoon show (don't mistake me, I loved it as a kid, but it's barely watchable as an adult). To many folks, DC's non-Bat heroes seem bland and (as I said above) cheesy compared to characters like the X-Men, Spider-Man, or even most of the Avengers.

Yes, the comics have spent years trying to present DC's characters as having more depth (with varying degrees of success), but it's too little, too late in most peoples' minds.

Are there things I would have done differently in DCUC? Yeah, probably so, but I don't know that they'd save the line. I would've made sure that every "Golden Ager" that came out also had a "modern" variant on-shelves alongside it (so you could build both a "Golden Age" and a "Modern Age" JSA at the same time). I might've throttled back a bit on the more obscure, non-team characters in favor of more villains and supporting characters. I would've been a little quicker about completing some "classic" team line-ups. I understand the need to spread things out, but spread them out too much and you end up in the situation Mattel faces now: Having to complete teams via subscription because the main retail line dried up before they could finish. Can't blame Mattel too much, though...that's a very difficult balance to strike.

Ultimately though, I can't complain much. We got the most successful DC action figure line in history (unless you count DC Direct as a single line), and it's not completely and totally dead yet.

[ToyAddict]

Can't complain too much. . .seems like they were working hard for several years to pump out lots of product. I guess character selection is probably what most killed it. Anything that's still lingering at retail is among the "worst" stuff they made.

--wave 12 Iron -- they should have done the whole Metal Men team, one figure per wave, in consecutive waves

--wave 13 just about everyone

--wave 15 Jemm -- who?

--wave 17 -- it's just not the same without the bosses -- I mean c'mon, Lego doesn't sell a set of just Joker henchmen, they include the Joker; not just Two-Face henchmen, they include Two-Face. Movie Masters Joker Thugs, we have a few Jokers in the line. But to get Orange Lex with no Larfleeze? Indigo Atom with no Indigo-1?

--there are several major figures left to be done, as we all know, but to me there's NO excuse for after 4(?) Batman waves in DCSH, 20 waves of DCUC (plus all the 2packs, 5packs, etc.), and 3 waves of Batman Legacy, that we don't have Huntress!! Not even a blip on the radar! (probably should HAVE Poison Ivy by now too, but at least she's on the way soon)

So in hindsight, maybe a little bit better character selection, and better arrangement in waves of those characters.

[trebleshot]

My method would be simple: transfer the license over to Hasbro.

...but that's assuming I worked for DC/WB and was in charge of who got the license.

If I had to revamp the figures, I would increase the number of unique bucks for more variety, increase the POA for figures that need it due to the character, and work with retailers on distribution and case ratios so that there aren't any weird and/or lopsided retail shortages.

[Tiberius]

Include more accessories.
Better BAF characters.
Actually make this line available at Canadian retailers other than TRU.
Add in a comic.

If they refuse to do any of that?

Lower the price to 9.99

[hrothgars]

Hindsight is 20/20, but:

• Maintain quality and a $16 pricepoint -- No collector buttons, no posters, no stands, if it saves money. Just a figure, an accessory, and a CnC piece.
• Shortpack the fringe characters in each wave -- Most of Wave 13 was dead on arrival. The character mix needed to feature an A-lister or two, and figs like Blue Devil & Cyclotron should have been packed one per every other case, at most. Repeat this pattern in all waves. Make collectors hunt out the obscure figs so they don't choke out inventories. Use these spots in each the case for the highest demand figures.
• Provide thoughtful accessories -- Better planning for alternate heads, or small items like a clear water fist or spear for Aquaman would be much preferred to a non-canonical laser pistol or repainted accessory from a previous figure. Does Kamandi need three guns?
• Coordinate Variants for Members of Teams -- Costumes & variant costumes should have been better coordinated for teams. Try to make a period-accurate team of Teen Titans for example, and you will find that the available figs really don't provide you with the correct options.
• Release waves that feature themes or subgenres into minimum profitable quantities -- Wave 17 should have been released under the Green Lantern Classics brand, and the entire GLC line should have been released in the lower quantities. I thought the themed Super Friends Wave 18 was great, but this too should have been released in a lesser quantity to match anticipated reduced demand.
• Anticipate distribution requirements of retailers -- Understand that pure "Exclusive" waves will only reach as far as the stores market territory leaving a vast geography with no chance at catching a wave at retail. Offer "early release exclusive deals" so retailers can get figs before their competitors, but not forever.
• Use far more care in selecting 2-pack line-ups -- The timing and release of many of the 2-packs to date was a total abortion. Who among us still needed both Captain Marvel & Black Adam in a 2-pack? They had both been released in exactly the same paint and with accessories and CnC pieces in previous waves, for lesser price. If you really want to re-pack figures, there needs to be some real synergy in the line-up.

[CMIII]

Noterity: the waves had characters of little if any noterity. I mean seriously Golden Pharoah and Cycloton, I easisly would have picked so far less Obscure names.

Themes: I also would have set Theme for every wave not just the last 4 and keep a set number of figures perwave 5 or 6 with C&C. Metal Men with Chemo

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebleshot

My method would be simple: transfer the license over to Hasbro.

...but that's assuming I worked for DC/WB and was in charge of who got the license.

If I had to revamp the figures, I would increase the number of unique bucks for more variety, increase the POA for figures that need it due to the character, and work with retailers on distribution and case ratios so that there aren't any weird and/or lopsided retail shortages.

I would not be a huge fan of this. The sculpts would look less than stellar. Seriously, right now they have the Four Horsemen doing the sculpts and I think they're doing a pretty stellar job as do most people who are already collecting DCUC. It's not the fact that Mattel has the property or that the toys suck, it's because it's DC in general. Most casual fans and kids like Marvel more than they like DC. DC is like the WCW Wrestling of Comic Books. I'll bet, I'll just bet that if you gave a kid a choice between a really shitty Wolverine sculpt (and Hasbro has produced a lot of them) vs. a great looking Hal Jordan sculpt from Four Horsemen and they'll still pick Wolverine.

[bmorr]

according to wiki, pharoah only had ONE comics appearance.

[hrothgars]

I too am fine with 4H sculpts & the Matty bucks. I do wish that they would mix up the available bucks more often for scale reasons, but the bucks themselves are fine.

Molded & painted details will always beat painted-only details in my book, and Matty has been inconsistent with this especially as of late to cut down rising costs.

But there really are some awful looking ToyBiz & Hasbro 6-inch figs, often times especially the simpler ones. Iceman & Silver Surfer for example are each pitiful figs.

I personally don't care for mid-hand and mid-foot articulation, and the hips on legends figs are really bad when they get loose. 4H sculpts a more realistic/human pelvis.

Frankly, I'm glad both exist. They both have strengths, but I wouldn't want to see DC's 6-inch figs start to use the same bucks & styling as Legends.

[thechris]

I don't think it could have been saved, it's DC. DC stuff pretty much always fails at retail not always because it puts out crappy products but because it's DC. I'm a huge DC fan, more so than Marvel now that I've matured and have read more comics and gave all lines more of a chance. I collect primarily DC and think the sculpts look great. The problem is that it's DC and there are just way more casual Marvel fans than there are DC fans.

Nobody got excited about any of the new DC movies except Batman. And I'm talking about BEFORE it was at theatres, not after. Yes, GL was a stinkfest and so was Superman Returns, but Marvel just has broader appeal than DC. I think they've made the right choice in making it a collector's subscription line. Batman has decent appeal, but none of the other big 7 do and even putting in one or two Batman's in every way isn't going to save the line and sell Cyclotron and Wondergirl and that would just piss off genuine collectors.

NOW in Club Infinite Earths, we're getting toys we wouldn't necessarily always get like Metron, Black Mask, Starman and Platinum and Tin. Not to mention these are figures that would've been left at on the shelves. You get fans like me who are HARDCORE DC collectors and own EVERY single DCUC figure in the line. I love them, I love the way they look, their articulation to me is just right and I love the characters and the ones that I don't know much about, I love finding out about them but we are few.

DC was rarely available in stores here anyways and even when they ARE like Wave 20 and Legacy, it doesn't really move. Sometimes I think there's only 3 or 4 DC fans in my city because hardly any of the stuff sells, including the GOOD stuff. Yeah, there are maybe a handful of Arkers who do NOT collect DCUC and say that they will if they change over to the Hasbro style. Well come on, one thing I'm big on is consistency and if they started doing totally different looking DC figures, my DCUC collection will be obsolete. There are TONS of DCUC fans who already exist and buy the toys and enjoy them just the way that they are.

I'll summarize, I'm GLAD that this has become a Matty exclusive item even if I have to wait 2 months for this crap because at least I don't have to buy 5 or 6 more Hal Jordan figures to make one oversized figure. At least I'll still get my toys. Yeah it's nice to be able to just go to Walmart and buy them but it's selfish for me to expect them to put that line in the store just for me because that's what it feels like since no one else buys them and let's face it, I'm not going to buy more than one of each figure. Rocket Red, Black Mask, Platinum, come on guys, these were never going to sell in stores even if they had finger, wrist and toe swivels and double jointed gorilla arms and ball jointed legs and it's silly for us to blame Mattel for distribution problems and not giving us good enough sculpts as a reason why these won't sell.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrothgars

I too am fine with 4H sculpts & the Matty bucks. I do wish that they would mix up the available bucks more often for scale reasons, but the bucks themselves are fine.

Molded & painted details will always beat painted-only details in my book, and Matty has been inconsistent with this especially as of late to cut down rising costs.

But there really are some awful looking ToyBiz & Hasbro 6-inch figs, often times especially the simpler ones. Iceman & Silver Surfer for example are each pitiful figs.

I personally don't care for mid-hand and mid-foot articulation, and the hips on legends figs are really bad when they get loose. 4H sculpts a more realistic/human pelvis.

Frankly, I'm glad both exist. They both have strengths, but I wouldn't want to see DC's 6-inch figs start to use the same bucks & styling as Legends.

Yep, I totally agree, man. Also in regards to Cyclotron and those other "shitty" figures. Mattel put these out for fans of DC Super Powers and while I may not have grown up with this or remember these fondly, I was just pleased that I wasn't getting another Hal Jordan figure and good for those people who do like DC Super Powers. There are some fans who couldn't care less about Wave 19 but I was so excited about it. Heck I remember Crazy Jetty saying that he didn't really want anything at all from Wave 19 but wanted more Lantern characters. You get fans of all sorts. Yeah, I'd love to get a Huntress, too but she wouldn't sell any better than say Raven from Teen Titans I wouldn't think and those shelf warm even at Winners at $7.99. At least with the sub, Mattel won't feel like they HAVE to put out a Batman or a Hal Jordan with a MINOR paint redeco just to sell a line which means we'll more likely get FAN CRAVED figures LIKE Larfleeze, Huntress, Johnny Thunder, Fire and Ice and others.

[themadbubbler]

People have touched on some important factors, including character selections and character mixes in each wave. I think the BIGGEST factor in making the line a continued retail success would be price-point, price-point, price-point- not just cost, but also what you get for the money. The prices of DC figures have been climbing. When the first wave of DCUC came out, they were $9.99 many places. Now, DCUC and Batman Legacy figures are pushing $20.00 each at most retailers. You don't get any more for your money, either- Batman Legacy figures do include display stands, but no 'Collect and Connect' figure piece. What's more, the accessories are minimal-to-nothing- almost $20.00 for a Catwoman figure, and you can't include a simple whip? And for DCUC Wave 20- the Nekron figure is split up between 7 figures, not six, and you STILL can't include a scythe? I know plastic prices have gone up, but I feel like Mattel is greedier than Hasbro. Hasbro's new take on Marvel Legends isn't perfect, but I feel like they're doing a better job than Mattel right now.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by themadbubbler

People have touched on some important factors, including character selections and character mixes in each wave. I think the BIGGEST factor in making the line a continued retail success would be price-point, price-point, price-point- not just cost, but also what you get for the money. The prices of DC figures have been climbing. When the first wave of DCUC came out, they were $9.99 many places. Now, DCUC and Batman Legacy figures are pushing $20.00 each at most retailers. You don't get any more for your money, either- Batman Legacy figures do include display stands, but no 'Collect and Connect' figure piece. What's more, the accessories are minimal-to-nothing- almost $20.00 for a Catwoman figure, and you can't include a simple whip? And for DCUC Wave 20- the Nekron figure is split up between 7 figures, not six, and you STILL can't include a scythe? I know plastic prices have gone up, but I feel like Mattel is greedier than Hasbro. Hasbro's new take on Marvel Legends isn't perfect, but I feel like they're doing a better job than Mattel right now.

Yeah, there's some truth to that but I think this is kind of how the process goes. I think Mattel wants to retain the DC contract since it's the best thing to go up against Marvel, but at the same time, they're not convinced their products will do that well anyway so why waste more plastic than they have to? You know the Mad Love two pack apparently didn't sell that well? And it had two VERY popular characters and TONS of accessories and STILL nobody really bought it. I think when you try to sell a highly articulated Batman with 4 kinds of Batarangs and a highly articulated Joker and a highly articulated Harley your three flagship characters and include a buttload of accessories and still nobody bites, that's saying something about your brand and the direction you should go. I don't live in the US, but most people said they had NO problems finding this two pack in stores and I even got one from fellow Arker Ludo who had these two packs aplenty.

[Crazy Jetty]

Great thread, Shinny!

First, you have to look at what killed the line, in order to know how to save it. hrothgars is absolutely right that hindsight is 20/20.

Here's what I believe killed the line.
Poor character selection- this has not effected the line as baddly as some people are saying. But it is a factor. The superfriends wave was a joke, yes. wave 13, while being my favorite one to date, also failed pretty hard. It's easy to say "We need an a-list character every wave." But that's easier said than done. It's very debatable who's an a-lister and who isn't. When Toybiz was at it's height, Captain America, Thor, and Ironman were considered B-List, because they weren't X-Men or Spiderman. Really obscure godaweful X-Force villains had better odds of getting made into toys than Thor, and Cap.
Now we're flooded with them (even before there were movies), and not a Rogue in sight.
And when Wave 13 came out, John Stewart was the best known Green Lantern. (One of the biggest complaints I heard about the casting of Ryan Renolds in the GL movie was "Awe man, they made the only black superhero into a white guy!" Which is just wrong on so many levels)
So, that's easily easier said than done.

Lack of Rogues- DC genuinely does not have as many well known villains as Marvel. When you get passed Batman's gallery, Lex Luthor, and Doomsday (And I believe Sinestro is now extremly close to joining this list), DC villains are either not well known, or thought of as bad jokes (The non-DC fan really doesn't get the joke behind Flash's rogues gallery. Yes, they are lame. But they're the fun kind of lame. Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Mirrormaster, Gorilla Grodd... they're ment to be dopey.
Anyway, DC doesn't have many marketable villains, and most toy companies really don't exploit "evil" characters to begin with.

Price- I agree with Jmacq1:

Quote:

I'm not sure there was any way short of a drastic price drop to save DCUC.

They reached an unsustainable high price, combined with every decreasing quality of plastic.
They dropped the BAF too little, too late. And the prices didn't go down, we didn't get a bump up in accessories, and we got a crappy little mini-poster in it's place. Often with what isn't among the better pieces of art for that character (The ones I got are nothing I care to proudly display)
Mattel's struggle with the best 6" comic figures on the market, as well as Toybiz' and Hasbro's past struggle with ML, really makes me scratch my head as to why Hasbro thought it's a good idea to resurrect that line. The market isn't there for this class of figure, anymore.
Accessories- Some figures got great accessories. Some got none.
Sure, Superman... who cares if he doesn't get an accessory? He really doesn't need one, because he doesn't use any. Batman though is the gadget king. Anytime he doesn't get at least a batarang, it just ain't right. Every GL figure deserved at least one construct. Black Hand is not complete in my mind without Bruce's skull to carry around. And releasing Nekron without his scythe is just...an aweful idea.

And here's the number one reason:
Distribution- Everyone blaims Mattel for this, but really there's only so much they can do. Once it leaves them and heads to retail DCs, it's out of Mattel's hands.
All major retailers now use a computer system that monitors what goes across the registers, and orders automatically. It does not track individual characters, and does not understand there is a difference between "TF Revealers Bumblebee" and "TF Revealers Soundwave." It just sees a transformer cross it, and that there are still 12 more sitting on the shelf, not caring that they're all the same thing, so it does not order until those reach a minimum of 6 (or so).
Every single toyline struggles with this problem. This has been the worst thing to happen to the toy isle since scalpers. And very few employees understand that many toys, this day and age actually have a shelf life, just like produce. This has killed many popular lines that actually could have stood a chance without it, like Transformers Alternators.
And coming from working at walmart, I tell you it takes a virtual act of god to be able to override this system. When a wave comes out, like the Superfriends wave, that just does not sell at all, it's a line killer, because many stock clerks are no longer knowledgable in the areas they work in to handle it appropriately, and even if they were, they wouldn't have the authority to do anything about it.

Limited resources- While I do like the uniform "buck" system (I dispise that term. Just sounds stupid), and feel they used it well and did not limit themselves to it the way Hasbro seems to (IE, they're willing to swap out parts to sculpt in details that aren't 100% nessisary, like the stitching and wringles in Black Hand's costume), they do limit themselves to like, four... maybe five different types, and shoehorn every single one into these types. They don't care it Wonderwoman is smaller than golden age Atom (Or anyone else for that matter)

Club Infinite Earths- Great idea, great in concept. But it's been promoted very poorly. It's obvious that it's a last ditch effort to save DCUC, and was pieced together as best they could. And not only was it promoted very poorly, they also weren't bold enough when trying to inspire people to join.

Here's what Mattel did well with this line:
Themed Waves- Any and every time a wave sold well, it had a strong theme that did not dominate the entire wave. I'm thinking of the Atom Smasher wave, which had a strong Flash theme, and had both Blue Beetle, and Booster Gold (Who always need to be released as a pair), and a few figures that were pretty unrelated.
Anytime the line floundered, is when it was a solid theme all the way through (Rainbow Lanterns, JSA, Superfriends), or when it had no theme at all, and was a total hodgepodge (Sutch as the Ultra Humanite wave). So consistant strong themes that do not dominate the entire wave seems to be the ideal.

Quality- Quality in the sculpt, and quality in their articulation style. DCUC genuinely blows Marvel Legends out of the water, coming up with a superior joint system that gets equal range, without ball joints that kill the appearence of a sculpt. Plus, generally much better paint details, and better quality control over paint masks than Hasbro (All this is true in the earlier to middle waves, before Mattel started cost cutting towards the end).

Innovation- This is really specific. In the Green Lantern Corps line, they came up with a really brilliant idea to move "generic" lanterns. Low/Maash, Naut Ki Loi/Medphille, Nite Lik/Skallax (Probably screwed up a few names), all coming with one common body, and two sets of heads and hands. That really is a genious move, and could have been incorporated into the mainline. Would have been harder to use, but there are some places it could be used. Maybe some Unmasked heroes (Batman, Flash, Jordan?)

Accessories- When Mattel did accessories, they really knocked them out of the park. When they did Lantern constructs, they were fantastic (Katma Tui, John Stewert). Same with the Metal Men.
Unfortunately, those are really about the only instances.

Now, what could be done to save it? Not much, I'm afraid. I think they've done almost all they could, but not as early enough as they should have. I think the CIE Subscription was a good idea, but employed too late. A year ago, maybe even two is when they should have launched it, and heavily cross-promoted it on the retail toys. "Subscribe for exclusive DCU figures, this fall on Matty Collector!" or some such.
They also cut the waves down to just four figures, which I also think is a good idea.

Now, to save DCUC.. like I said, I'm not sure it can be saved so long as retail distribution remains under POS control, and the price remains at almost $20 per figure.

But I would follow along with what they're doing as a baseline, but I'd get more specific.
I would go ahead and try to fill up the rest of this year's CIE subscription with popular characters that don't fully fit in retail. New 52 Aquaman, Red Lantern Mera. And I'd start driving up excitement for NEXT year's Subscription, with polls for the exclusive oversized figure (And maybe a second, mid year normal sized exclusive figure).
I would also cross-promote the club on the retail line. Maybe a "Look what you may have missed out on! Be sure to sign up for our next term so you don't miss any more exciting exclusive figures!"
For the retail line, I would continue with "DC Universe All-Stars" as the banner title.
However, being knocked down to four figures, I would subline each wave. Get rid of Batman Legacy, and place it under the DCAS banner.
Each wave featuring characters related to the headlining character.
Wave 1- with a bright big Justice League logo on it, featuring New 52 JLA figures. Superman, Flash, Wonderwoman, Hawkman.
Wave 2- Green Lantern, with New 52 Hal Jordan, Larfleeze, Saint Walker, Razor (The last two to help tie into the new GL:TAS)
Wave 3- Batman, with New 52 Batman, Penguin, Mad Hatter, and Red Robin.

Basically, like that. I'd also limit each case to four pieces, one of each figure. That's the closest they could get thwarting the POS system.
I would also capticalize on figures that have never been made before, the way Hasbro does with Star Wars. Catman would have been a great place to start.

But, I don't think that can do it.

What the line needs, is a complete makeover, from scratch.
I fully agree aping Hasbro's MU, with DCUC quality and style is the best way to go. But, I'm not sure how well the hip system would work that small. If it does, then by all means, shrink the standard DCUC articulation down to the 3.3/4" scale exactly. If not, the 4".
And if they're going to charge us out the wazzoo, then make it worth the money.
So, here's what I would do.

Scale the core figure down to as small as the structural integrity of the DCUC articulation style will allow.
Package them with meaningful accessories, when the character warrents it (Lanterns with constructs, Batman with an assortment of small gadets). Use the budget from figures who don't need one (Like Superman and Flash) to cover those that do.
Package them with reprints of comics that have meaning to the character, to let kids and collectors know who this dude is (Along with promotional material for DC Comics. DC may do a lot of this in terms of reprints for discount, if they can really promote themselves).
I would keep the CIE, and redirected for the promotion of this line.
Would try to keep a larger wave theme, but still break it up with side figures to have something for people who may not like the theme.

[CMIII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmorr

according to wiki, pharoah only had ONE comics appearance.

thats exactly my point 1 appearence EVER they could have put Huntress, Red Hood, Captain Marvel Jr, Catwoman, Batgirl, Catman, Two Face, Scarecrow, General Zod, Lex Luthor, Poison Ivy, Supergirl, Jay Garrick, Lead, or anyone whos had a title all their own since 1939

Skullock
Katma Tui

Ending the C&C: They should have kept the C&C's going I understand the Oversized but I like the C&C's

[DogFashionDisco]

This was an interesting thread to read, and I have to say that everyone brought up good points. I just wanted to add that there seems to be a serious disconnection between Mattel and the way that inventory is handled. For example, can anyone explain to me why it is a good financial move to take waves of rare figures that never had a suitable amount of time at retail, and to basically scrap them and sell them for less to a discount store? You guys mentioned the pricing, but look at the difference between what a Marshalls would charge compared to Target or Walmart. Obviously Marshalls can barely keep them on the shelves when they are there (assuming kids don't just steal them) at a price point of about $8, but when they sell for $17+ at a regular store it is no wonder that they aren't moving at the pace that Mattel is expecting.

And YES, keep the CnC pieces. That is usually the only incentive that Mattel gave for people to buy less than desirable characters. Seriously, without that piece, why would anyone buy a figure of Kamandi?

[Morzilla]

But there was a DC line that tried to rival the MUs, DC INFINITE HEROES. This line came out along side the 6" line and with a few packs like Jim and about 3 or 4 of Gothams finest. This line had about the same articulation as the JLU line, but it never flourished like its rival [hasbro] and just like that, it disapeared.
It's a real damned shame what happened, I've been looking forward to more waves but now I guess it'll be CIE and ebay for my DC fix.

[Boba Fettuccini]

I would have smothered it at birth to save it the miserable childhood.

[M3T4L V1KING]

I would have smacked it around as a child. It would have thanked me when it was older.

[Shin Densetsu]

I think there should've been a different price point for waves of figures with no C&C, and a smaller blister card for them. For example, did all of us build the C&C's? Did most of you want them?

Maybe a $10 price for figures in a wave with no c&c, and the c&c waves keep their $15 pricepoint.

Also, we had too many repaints and it's sdad that the 2 packs got stuffed with them too. I mean a Batman with a painted rip on his shirt? Come on. Hal Jordan should've stopped being in 2 packs. Hell we didn't need that many Hals after wave 3.

The best thing about the line was consistency, each figure sculpted by the 4H.

[Scythe]

Listen to fan input, they'll make (at-times) impossible demands, but try to fit in into the budget to at least attempt to please most.

Finish off teams that were already started, like the Metal Men.

Distribute to the best of the company's ability.

[thechris]

Yep. Good points here.

[CMIII]

with Accessories I would like to have seen every Lantern (Red - White) have construces and have a Lantern

[Jmacq1]

Just to provide a little counterpoint to some of the suggestions:

Character Selection: Let's be honest...once you get past the "Big 7" (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter) and Robin, then toss in Lex Luthor and the Joker....you've pretty much run out of A-List DC Characters. Maybe you can stretch it to include Green Arrow, but even then, the B-List isn't much deeper. You could practically put every non-obscure DC character into stores in one year if you front-loaded your waves with the "big guns." What do you do then? DC may have a tremendously deep pool of characters, but in terms of individually marketable characters? Not as much. Marvel sidesteps this by focusing on teams instead of individuals (and in the case of Avengers and the X-Men teams with HUGE potential rosters). Though that does bring me to the next point that was hinted at in some of the posts above....

Line Focus: This was undoubtedly and unabashedly an adult collector oriented line, and that's likely part of what hurt it. Adult collectors are a stagnant and diminishing audience. Yes, we're loyal to our brands...to a point. However, in DCUC's desire to target adult collectors, we got a DC line that had a lot of characters and costumes for characters from 20 years ago. The "Super Friends" characters and "Super Powers" nods were great from a nostalgia viewpoing, but a line-killer from a casual buyer viewpoint. I'm not sure if switching things up to "Most modern incarnations/costumes" would have been the answer, but it might have helped to attract at least a FEW kids to the line. I get where they were going with a lot of the choices, I just don't necessarily agree with it.

Accessories: Super hero toys in general always seem to lack for accessories. Either they're just handed off some pointless thing (like giving Wolverine an assault rifle), or maybe if we're lucky they get one character-appropriate accessory (Green Lantern's Power Battery/Lantern). Of course, accessories cost money...which would potentially drive the price of the figures up even higher if suddenly Batman's coming with a utility-belt's worth of stuff and GLs with a handful of constructs apiece.