DC Collectibles in 2019

In late January, AT&T and WarnerMedia re-organized DC Comics.  This involved a re-structuring of the business unit and a reduction in workforce personnel.  Furthermore, DC Collectibles was moved out of DC Comics and re-assigned to Warner Bros. Consumer Products, the division that handles merchandise (such as toys, apparel, etc.) for all of Warner's intellectual properties.

This is big news, but I think another change that had a bigger impact on DC Collectibles happened back in late 2016.  Basically, VP Kevin Kiniry left the company at the end of the year.  Kiniry often appeared at trade fairs/conventions and in Facebook live videos.  After Kiniry's departure, Creative Director Jim Fletcher has taken a bigger role in representing the company.

Jim Fletcher as "Mera"

The above screenshot is from the Facebook Live Unboxing Video for the movie Aquaman, Mera, and Black Manta statues.  Fletcher wore a long red wig as "Mera" for the occasion.  He's obviously a free-spirited artistic personality, and more power to him.  However, I wonder if his "creative" impulses have gone too far?

Last year, DC Collectibles announced these additions to the Artists Alley line of PVC statues:

(Joe Ledbetter)

(James Groman)

New York Toy Fair 2019 takes place this weekend (02-16 through 02-18).  Here's a sampling of what DC Collectibles has announced:

DC characters as Mexican wrestlers (action figures)

Engines of Chaos Batman and Poison Ivy statues

I enjoy whimsical takes on fan-favorites as much as the next person, but DC Collectibles is a business.  At the end of the day, a business has to make money to justify its existence.  Is there really a market for these styles?

Furthermore, it seems like DC has gone bonkers with making Batman statues.  Batman already had his own B&W line.  The same sculpts are getting re-released as smaller PVC figures.  Then DC decided to make a whole bunch of Dark Nights: Metal statues featuring...Batman.

Ahead of NY Toy Fair 2019, DC also announced a Designer Series Frank Miller Batman statue.

This is the fifth 1/6-scale Batman in the line, not counting the smaller Brian Bolland and Jim Lee statues.  I know there are people who collect only Batman memorabilia, but there's no shortage of Batman statues.  Meanwhile, many others characters remain neglected.

It's gotta be concerning to someone at the company that the only statue a die-hard fan such as myself will probably get is the Cover Girls Huntress by Joelle Jones statue (which was previewed as a sketch, not even an un-painted proto).