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 NEW!
Fabled 4th assortment has finally been added and so has JLA series! Plus
all-new larger pics! Debuting
on the shelves in Late Summer 1996, this new line is the first time a
wide range of Classic DC heroes has hit the market since the Toy
Biz DC HEROES aberration of 1990. This new line is not just a rehash
of older toys, however, as the figures featured this time around are all
updated versions of classic characters, such as Kyle Rayner, Tim Drake,
and the one-handed Orin incarnation of Aquaman. While many
purists, including myself, were leery of this line when it was announced,
due to the extreme poses and inclusion of yet another Batman, it has turned
out to be a pleasant addition to the DC toy stable. Even though the first
assortment contains a measly six figures and no vehicles or playsets,
it also does not feature any multiples of one single character, nor offers
many opportunities for future repaints, a welcome thought for long suffering
Batman fans. The
major gripes with this line are the impossible poses that the figures
are stuck in, the lack of any but the most rudimentary articulation, and
the overdone, anatomically incorrect musculature. Not to mention the rapid
addition of useless variations, such as the Gold
Aquaman. However, in my opinion, the longer you own these figures,
the more they start to grow on you. The one really stupid aspect of the
line is this Fractal Techgear crap. Not only is it useless, it looks downright
foolish. And what use is armor for super powered folk? (I know, I know,
Batman and Robin have no powers; I think Kenner has proven though that
the last thing they need are MORE outfits!) But
even with three assortments already unveiled, and a fourth in the works,
Kenner/Hasbro didn't feel that this line had garnered enough orders to
keep it alive. Even before the 3rd assortment hit shelves, Total Justice
was history. One nice thing that kicked off the the line was one of the
last Kenner mail-away offers for two exclusive Total Justice Superman
and Batman figures. These were remolded Cyber-Link figures from the
defunct Superman:Man of Steel line. The offer was good until April 30th,
1997. Soon after this offer, Hasbro started dealing with exclusives through
its website. Obviously,
this line was no return to the glory days of SUPER
POWERS, and yet, it was nice to have figures such as the Flash
and Aquaman striding the pegs once again. Although DC fan's hopes were
raised with the incredibly diverse lineup in the third assortment, Kenner
decided to cancel the line even before the last assortment shipped. The
fourth assortment, still only in the planning stages when Kenner pulled
the plug, was confirmed as being Blue Beetle, Dr. Polaris, Green Lantern
2, and Flash 2. The TJ coloring book gives an idea of future plans had
the line not been canceled, and a look at what may have been the design
for Supergirl and Oracle.While Kenner was proven right about pulling the plug (four years later and you can still see Despero haunting shelves), in 1998 Hasbro New Ventures and Diamond Distributors re-released a portion of the line as repaints under the banner of JLA, to tie-in with the hot selling comic. Most were only slightly changed from before, and thankfully missing the awful TechGear, but there were a few surprises, such as the short-haired Superman and the Superman Red/Blue figures. The second assortment is where fans really were rewarded, with the introduction of retooled parts, allowing for such characters as Martian Manhunter and Plastic Man. As of this writing, over stocking has once again caused for the line's apparent halt, and Hasbro is searching for a distributor outside of Diamond for the spectacular 4th wave of JLA. Hasbro Collectors Online has finally offered the TJ 4th assortment, and venues such as Toyfare continue to add to the line. Only time will tell if it is finally dead, or will once again rise Lazarus like, as it has so many times before.
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