Did Mattel announce
 

Do you think Damien was planned from the start, Only if the sub might not go through, or no?

My opinion is they had it planned if the Sub was in danger of not happening this one figure will cause a decent spike over the weekend which might bring close to Tier 1

Well, they did have it set up to be made, they knew there was collector interest for that figure, just there wasn't enough interest to sustain the whole line at retail. They'd be kinda stupid AND jerky to have NOT included him in the sub.

And didn't they do something like this the first year of the sub? They had initially revealed like Jay Garrick, Atrocitus, and Starman I think (probably Metron too), and then when reception wasn't overwhelming like a week later they promised Poison Ivy?

So yes I think they had this planned, once the retail line was officially killed they set this up for plan B. And I have the feeling they won't do the subs for 2015 so they figured it's now or never. (That said, I'd bet the sub gets Miss Martian in 2014 as well.)

I have no idea any more. I am so tired of the bullshit answers and the beating around the bush. Mattel needs to either start giving a damn about DCU again or give the license up so a different company that actually cares about quality products can take it over and give us characters that we have yet to receive.

Well this is Larfleeze all over again don't forget he was Planned for the DC All Stars Wave 2 a wave that was cancelled before wave 1 got to the stores.

I really hope they pull out all the Stops this year they want to finish Teams. Would be nice to see the Doom Patrol get completed Vox with Mini Bumblebee, Plastique, Merlyn, maybe even General Zod

if another company were to get the DC license they would start from scratch, giving us the same characters all over again.

if it's Hasbro it'll be the same characters every other series and full series of the same character when movies come out

Nah, Mattel will probably go into a collector-aimed 4" scale line (they're already going to dabble in it next year, we know that). It'll be at retail, start at $9.99 each (remember the good old days when DCSH was $9.99--or less--at retail?) and they'll do it for about 5 years until they cost $15 for a 4" figure.

By then, no adult will be able to afford toys for themselves anymore, so they'll only do kid-aimed stuff. That or people will continue to have fewer children because they can't afford kids, so they'll HAVE TO find something the adults like--we'll be the only market.

You're right, I forgot about the Larfleeze thing!

They probably will finish out the teams/BIG names that haven't been done yet. Vox/Bumblebee yes, Merlyn yes, Superboy (known) and I'd bet Miss Martian to finish Young Justice, Commissioner Gordon, Talia maybe.

I'm also hoping maybe they'll finish the Justice League Unlimited lineup, kinda like they did at the end of that toyline. So maybe Aztec, cowboy Vigilante, Vixen. And a Con exclusive Shining Knight with Victory. Tala, Vandal Savage, Shade, maybe Heat Wave (but that's stretching it) for baddies. And Granny Goodness.

But that's more than the 8 available slots. . .

And personally I'd love to finish out the Freedom Fighters, but they have way too far to go.

the Shining Knight thing would be cool problem will be Victory will be a Need to be there to get.

I'd also like to see a Special Figure line six inch versions of Atom Smasher, Giganta, Apache Chief, Doll Man, and Elasti-Girl

It would be nice to have an Elasti Girl that did not have a glued together arm.

the special figures should be pick and chose off the Sub if you want them you can chose to get them if not then you don't need them. Like if you don't have Apache Chief then why bother getting the 6 inch your not required to get them if your a subscriber they wont cost anymore then a monthly figure

Everyone talks about how kids just aren't into toys anymore...

I think more than half of it has to do with price. Most toylines are currently priced out of the spur of the moment "Mommy mommy I need this!" "Well, okay, sweetie." price range.
Look at the lines that are still doing good... My Little Pony (which typically costs $5-$8 per doll), and TMNT, which is $8 for a pretty decent figure.
Both lines are really good values for what you get. And most importantly, they're priced where they don't hurt the wallet so badly.
As was said, in five years time, MU, and a simular DC scaled line will probably be $15.
Toys are just being priced out of the market.

Plus, they are having to compete with video games and their consoles, which have evolved into an entertainment hub. But, I know you fellas and ladies on here are keeping the collecting torch going.

we need to pass this on to future generations. Two Christmas' ago I gave my baby cousin a Fisher Price Batcave with a Batmobile she can name every hero at 2. The best way to do this is to keep the Figure lines going while I think it would have helped announcing Damien August 1st and this seems like a last ditch effort to keep the Sub going there is nothing on the shelves or online that compares to these in my opinion

It's just that by the time shipping and tax are added, we're approaching $30 per figure. I'm guessing if I subscribe to CIE and do the quarterly shipping, these will cost about $26.50 each. Since I started collecting these back in DCSH at $9 each at Walmart and Big Lots, the price has gone WAY up and my income has not increased at the same rate. Simple economics says I probably can't afford it. I'm guessing there's many in the same boat. And possibly why the line isn't being sustained at retail. (That and, sad to admit it, but Marvel has the mojo going right now; DC's in a slump.)

People do not have the Disposable Income of 3 - 7 years ago. Most of the Waves I bought I picked the figures up on a week except for Closeouts I got Skullok, Nite-Lik, Medaphil, and Naut Kei Loi because Wal Mart Closed them out at 5$ each