Your PopCulteer is swamped at the moment, but we do have some time to give you a quick update on Figures Toy Company and their exciting new program to reissue and extend the classic MEGO DC COMICs World’s Greatest Heroes action figure line.

Next week we will bring you reviews of the first four of these entries, which shipped just before Christmas.

But thanks to the Plastic Memory blog, we have some breaking news about what we can look forward to for the rest of the year.   The first wave of FTC’s DC Comics figures include Batman, Robin, The Joker and The Riddler.  Wave Two has also shipped and includes Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson in civilian garb, along with Catwoman and The Joker.  These are all reproductions of the original MEGO figures (although Bruce and Dick were very rare, sold only at Montgomery Ward as a spare head with clothes).

Wave Three is shipping soon and includes Batman and Robin with removable masks, Batgirl and a never-before-seen Alfred figure, done in the style of the MEGO.

Wave Four will be all-new figures, including a modern Batman, The Scarecrow, Ras Al Ghul and Commissioner Jim Gordon. These are characters that MEGO fans have wanted to see for years. Customizers have produced them, but this is the first time they’re being “officially” made into eight-inch action figures.

FTC had already announced that this spring will see the release of their reproductions of The Teen Titans, some of the rarest MEGO figures produced, with Aqualad, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash and Green Arrow’s sidekick, Speedy. Carded sets of these figures can bring thousands of dollars on the collector’s market.

Among the scoops by Plastic Memory is that a second series will include popular post-MEGO Titans, Raven,  Starfire, Cyborg and Nightwing.

Plastic Memory also has scoops on Justice League figures Batman TV Show figures and FTC website exclusives and covers tons of other cool comic book-related toy news. It’s a highly recommended site.

Next week The PopCult Toybox returns with our review of the first wave of FTC Batman figures, plus a look at the new Cast-A-Way Toys/Zica Toys MEGO-style body and the latest news on other eight-inch scale action figures.