How to Select Batman Action Figures

There are few characters so embedded in American culture as Batman. The Caped Crusader first made his appearance in 1939 and has remained one of the most popular superheroes in comic history. Like all superheroes, Batman has an alter-ego. His is named Bruce Wayne. Oddly enough, though, Bruce Wayne is one of the only alter-egos to have also reached celebrity status. Although Batman generally prefers to work alone, he occasionally is teamed up with other superheroes, most notably his sidekick, Robin, but occasionally with members of the Justice League.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Select Batman Action Figures

1. Get to know the Batman characters. From the Dark Knight himself to the Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and even Robin, there are plenty of action figure possibilities for you to select. You can learn more about both well-known and obscure characters by reading books like "Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight" by DK Publishing (see Resources below).

2. Think about whether you want to collect one character only or an entire series. For example, you may be interested in collecting a Batman from every series, or you may want to splurge on the entire Batman Begins line.

3. Use the official DC Comics Batman website (see Resources below) to get the latest information on product releases, including action figures. The site also highlights limited edition Batman figures to give you ideas on how to round out your collection.

4. Turn to action figure sets from other prominent superhero groups to find rare and often-overlooked Batman pieces. Batman characters are included in some Justice League and Teen Titans lines, among others.

5. Understand you'll need time, patience and money to track down some of the older Batman action figures. Items made by the Mego Corporation can be difficult to come by in mint condition. Items in perfect order can be extremely expensive, and even those without a box and with minor flaws can cost more than most brand-new action figures.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're interested in purchasing vintage Batman action figures, select a seller who uses a recognized system to rate his goods. The two systems which are used to rate the quality of vintage Batman goods are the "C" system and the Action Figure Authority (AFA) ratings. The C system assigns a number from one to 10 to each product, with C10 being the most desirable, but extremely rare. The AFA system rates from one to 100, with the vast majority of decent collectibles rating at least AFA 80.

Resources

• The DC Comics Batman webpage