It's Strange How They Sometimes Know What I'm Thinking

Two and a half weeks ago, I looked back at the DC figures I'd hoped would show up in Heroclix a week ago. With Ragdoll having been made, Sand had moved to the top of the list. Last week, thee folks at Wizkids/NECA started a fan poll to choose a character that will get made in the next DC set, which comes out sometime next summer. They listed 12 characters, and Sand was on the list.

Thus far, he's made it through the first round of voting, where the field was culled to six. The next round has begun, to cut the field to three. I'm thinking he has a good chance, but there are some fairly popular characters he's up against, including Kyle Rayner (as a Blue Lantern *rolls eyes*), Starfire, and Big Barda. Also, Captain Atom and Gentleman Ghost. I get Ghost; he's a spirit who wears a top hat and monocle on an invisible head, but Captain Atom? Ugh.

I'm a bit disappointed, though, as he's the only one of the six who hasn't been been made at least once so far. There were several options along those lines in the original 12 (Kanjor Ro, Thorn, Red Star), but most of those who made it past the first round have been made at least once, if not several times. Hey I wouldn't mind a newer version of Starfire for my Teen Titans team, but I at least have one to use. People who like Sand, or Red Star are out of luck thus far.

Frankly, I'm most concerned that Kyle will end up winning. It isn't that I don't like Kyle Rayner, I do. He was #9 on my Top 10 DC characters list. He's already been made 3 times, you see, including in the DC 75th Anniversary set, which came out last year. Not as Blue Lantern, mind you, but cripes, haven't they made enough freaking Lanterns the last few sets? There weren't any in this recent Superman set, but over the two large sets and four minisets DC's had in the 18 months or so prior, there have been almost 60 figures from the various Lantern corps, counting White and Black Lanterns (that's out of I'd estimate 170 total figures).

I know the Green Lantern franchise is a big deal for DC these last few years, a real mover and shaker, but it starts to get ridiculous after awhile. Give someone else a turn, eh? Hoesntly, while I want Sand to get made, I'd be OK with any of the others. Like I said, I could use Starfire for a Titans team, or a L.E.G.I.O.N. team, though there isn't much point without a Vril Dox. I could put Barda or Captain Atom on a JLI/JLE team. I put my Mister Miracle figure on a JLE team, which I know isn't accurate, but I didn't want the JLI roster to swell out of control and I'd figure commuting to Europe isn't much trouble for a guy with a Boom Tube. And who wouldn't want to use a Gentleman Ghost? He's the classiest ghost of a highwayman around. Hopefully one of them can triumph over the Lanternocracy, if Sanderson Hawkins can't.