Our article on DC's new Smallville figures (see 'DC Direct Will Do Smallville Action Figures') noted that DC announced that its figures would be released to pop culture stores at the same time as they are released in other channels. That brought this reaction from Jerry Ringi of Amazing Fantasy Comics and Cards in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Even DC is kicking the Direct Market in the butt now. We have sold their figures for years... and continue to support them, and now they tell us that the Smallville figures will be released to the mass market on the same date [as they are released to us]. ...[I]t would be nice if we were to get them at least two weeks prior to the mass market release. If not, I'm sure the mass market will get a better discount from DC than we will so they will sell them at a cheaper price than we will.
