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with Georg Brewer of DC Direct
Interview
with: Troy
Brownfield
Fans of fine action figures have become very familiar with
DC Direct. An extension of DC Comics, DC Direct produces figures,
posters, statues, props and other high-end collectibles. Their
wide character selection and constant growth are always the
subject of conversation, particularly in the DC Direct forum
at DC's
Message Boards.
To get
some more inside information, we went straight to the top.
He's the man that's been giving diligent answer-seekers like
Sdcomics, Julius Marx, and The Toy Detective the inside line
for quite some time. He's the VP of Design and Retail Product
Development, Georg Brewer!
THE BIG Q&A
Q1:
What are your title and duties for DC Direct?
A1. VP-Design
and Retail Product Development. Along with Senior Art Director
Ed Bolkus, our group is responsible for the creative development
of the entire DC Direct line of product and packaging. We
work closely members of the DC Direct team including Cheryl
Rubin, VP-Licensing & Merchandising, Syndee Barwick, Director
Product Development, and Christine Napolitano, our production
manager.
Q2: How
did DC Direct get launched? What's its mission statement?
A2. What
is now DC Direct started as collectible products and posters
to support our publishing program. When Paul Levitz, our publisher,
challenged us to get into the action figure market the line
quickly grew and became DC Direct. Our mission statement is
to bring the greatest comics characters to life by providing
authenticity, innovation and quality direct from the source.
Q3: DC
has literally thousands of characters in its library. How
do you go about determining which characters get made into
action figures, and when?
A3. The
entire DC Direct team plans out the product line together
incorporating new ideas from the creative team, input from
fans and retailers, knowledge of upcoming media and publishing
events, marketing plans and business needs.
Q4: Let'
s say, for example, that you decide to produce a Ma Hunkel
Red Tornado figure. Take us through the process of how Ma
Hunkel would go from a drawing on a page to a figure on my
shelf.
A4. This
is a pretty long and involved process. We start with visual
research in our library, followed by creating "control art"
which are turn drawing of the character. From this we create
a quote request that is sent out to or manufacturers to be
priced out. Next come sculpting, painting and then off to
China for tooling and manufacturing. The entire process takes
about a year start to finish and would fill an entire column
with all of the details.
Q5: DC
Direct has made an effort to recognize the sculpting talent
involved by giving credit on the packaging. Please explain
the importance of this step.
A5. It
has always been a goal for us to credit the creative efforts
of the talent involved. Without their hard work and talent
we couldn't do what we do. Credit where credit is due.
Q6: I
quite like the new resealable packages. What motivated you
to go in that direction?
A6. Resealable
packaging has been something that I have worked on off-and-on
for a few years. Knowing that there were a number of collectors
that liked to display their toys in the package I wanted to
give them the option of playing or displaying. It provides
a level of innovation that meets one of our core goals, and
as an experiment I think it worked well. We are still trying
to decide how best to use this tool on future product.
Q7: The
message boards for DC Direct at www.dccomics.com
are furiously active. Some fans have nothing but good things
to say; some are passionate over the tiniest flaws. How helpful
do you find the constant stream of feedback, and are changes
ever made based on what you read on the boards?
A7. Our
team does watch the boards, and any feedback from the fans
is useful. There have been instances where we made "course
corrections" based on their input. One example what a color
"mistake" on the Power Ring figure that was fixed due to fan
response.
Q8: While
the traditional action figures were a more obvious route to
take, some people were surprised by the Pocket Heroes. How
did those come about, and how has the reaction been?
A8. This
idea came up from an internal suggestion to make "tiny versions"
of our characters based on the popularity of other similar
product out there. Creatively we have been vary happy with
the way the line has evolved, and general > reaction has been
good. As with anything new, it takes a while for new things
to catch on. We hope that as more of them get out in the world
demand will continue to grow.
Q9: Though
a lot of fan discussion focuses on the action figures, DC
Direct makes many fine props, posters, and other pieces. How
important are these other segments to the identity of DC Direct
as a whole?
A9. The
action figures do seem to have the most vocal and active fan
base. Statues, props and other categories are very important
to us, in they allow us to reach a number of different consumers,
and a variety of price points. We pride ourselves on a diverse
line of products for a diverse universe of collectors. Who
wouldn't want a life-size Power battery? 
Q10: Have
the PVC sets officially died, or will we see any more in the
future?
A10. We
have no plans right now to continue this line as we did before;
though we are looking at ways to possibly bring it back at
some point in the future.
Q11: Alex
Ross seems to have indicated recently that he'll be doing
more of his single-character portrait posters. Any thoughts
on the character selection, and will he be doing any teams
images based on that series?
A11. Alex
is taking some time to focus on his big new book project,
Liberty and Justice. We have a number of products that will
come out in support of this to keep the Alex Ross fans happy.
After that is done he and I will decide what we do with the
existing series.
Q12: Back
on fan discussion. There are very vocal segments calling for
DC Direct to " finish the teams" ; that is, to add the final
missing character or two that would complete certain team
rosters. The most obvious here would be The New Teen Titans,
The Authority and the Golden Age JSA. Obviously, the opening
of the Superman and Batman licenses had an impact on the 2003
schedule; beyond that, is there a conscious effort in place
to complete those teams for the fans?
A12. As
I have said several times, it is hard in some cases to decide
when a team is really "complete". That said, I sympathize
with the fans' desires, but some characters wouldn't sell
well enough to justify creating an action figure. Never say
never, though - anything is possible.
Q13: DC
Direct seems to be expanding in a slow-but-sure fashion. We'
ve got the " main line" , a line based on Kingdom
Come, and the Super Friends. Is your intent to essentially
reach DC fans at every generational level?
A13. Any
popular incarnation of our characters is open for inclusion
in the line. Our goal is to bring all of the classic versions
the fans want onto their shelves.
Q14: On
the topic of Kingdom Come, that's a line that could potentially
last for hundreds of figures. How much of that plan can we
be privy to?
A14. We
have two waves planned in '03, and if they do as well as we
hope, more will follow.
Q15: Respecting
the Super Friends, the main comment that I hear over and over
is "Where's Apache Chief? What about Samurai?" Once
the main DC-originated characters have been released, do you
intend to tackle those animation-only characters?
A15. If
the line does well, we are likely to expand with other core
DC characters. At this point we do not plan to include the
characters that did not appear in our comics.
Q16: Amazingly
enough, DC Direct has been around for several years without
lines devoted to Batman, Superman or the JLA. Of course, this
has been due to licensing issues. Now, the 2003 schedule is
packed with DC' s Big Guns. How excited are you about that
prospect, and what do you say to the fans that are worried
that the more obscure characters might fall by the wayside?
A16. We
are obviously very excited about being able to play with Superman
and Batman, and there will be a period where we try to play
"catch up." There is an entire universe of related characters
no one has touched that the fans will enjoy. That said, we
still strive to keep a balance in the line by offering a wide
assortment of characters.
Q17: As
you know, many characters have had multiple incarnations.
Any chance that we' ll ever get to see, for example, the Perez
JLA-era Zatanna, the Golden Age Black Canary, or a JLI Black
Canary?
A17. There
is always a chance we will do "alternate" versions where it
makes sense. Did you see the "modern" Black Canary in the
Birds of Prey three-pack? [Editor's Note: Yes, I did. And
yes, I'm getting it.]
Q18. Not
that I' m complaining, but why the Silver Age incarnation
of The Legion? And does that preclude modern versions of the
characters? And as a matter of fact, where are the ladies?
A18. We
made a decision to start with the classic version of the group.
There have been a number of other interpretations, but this
one was around for quite a while. Additionally the similar
nature of the costume designs made it easier for us to produce
the line, knowing it wouldn't be as big a seller as some of
our others groups.
Q19. Multiple
points of articulation vs. the look of the figure. Is it a
compromise?
A19. Always.
For the regular line of figures, after some experimenting,
we have moved to a standard of sorts, averaging 9 to 13 points.
For a line like Kingdom Come, however, what makes these unique
and special is style of Alex's work. We worked very hard to
get the look down, and a more conventional set of articulations
would have detracted from this. We have spent a great deal
of time discussing this and generally decide on a case by
case basis depending on the goals for the piece.
Q20. At
the end of the day, what do you hope fans think of when they
hear the words "DC Direct"?
A20. Quality,
authenticity and some really cool toys.
Q21. Okay,
this is killing me. We've got Blue Beetle, Mr. Miracle, Big
Barda, Oberon, Martian Manhunter, and Power Girl. You're giving
us Batman, Metamorpho, The Flash and Guy Gardner. What do
we have to do for Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Rocket Red, and
Captain Atom?
A21. I
would tell you, but then you would add Ma Hunkle to the list.
Best I can say is keep the faith and watch our site; you never
know who will be next.
We at
Shotgunreviews.com would once more like to thank Mr. Brewer
for answering our questions. Check out www.dccomics.com
for the official DC Direct site and the DC Direct Message
Board, located the DC Universe topics section.
As always,
if you have someone that you'd like to suggest for a Big Question,
let Troy know at psikotyk@aol.com.
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