JLA (Kenner) 1998 – 1999
Kenner was on a roll with their many DC Comics branded toy lines, which began back in 1984 with the Super Powers Collection. That DC tradition continued in 1998 with the JLA action figure line. Kenner utilized the body and head sculpts from their previously released Total Justice (1996-1997) line, but with new repaints and less accessories. Kenner went with the “less is more” adage and it actually worked this time. One of the biggest positives from the Total Justice series were the beautiful sculpts, so with no “Fractal Tech Gear”, we finally get to enjoy them! These figures were a shared exclusive between Diamond Distributors and KB Toys. The JLA line lasted four waves, which included 23 standard figures, five 10″ figures and several multipacks & boxed sets. Strangely enough, no accessories were released for the JLA line.
For more information about Kenner’s JLA line, see bottom of page for a complete summary.
JLA: Series One (1998): Basic Assortment
For the debut of their JLA line, Kenner released seven new figures in 1998, which included Batman (Black Cape), Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Huntress and two versions of Superman (Blue & Red).
Batman (Black Cape)
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $5 – $8
Batman (Black Cape)
Accessories: Removable Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Notes: With Batman riding high after several movies during the 90’s and some very successful toy lines, it’s only natural to include him in this toy line. This version of Batman features him with a grey suit and dark colored cape, along with a display stand.
Flash (The)
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $5 – $8
Flash (The)
Accessories: Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: The Flash is known as “The Scarlet Speedster” and alter-ego of Wally West during this timeframe. This figure is a fantastic sculpt with great detail. The figure comes with a red “JLA” Display Stand.
Green Arrow
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $5 – $8
Green Arrow
Accessories: Longbow, Arrows, Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Like other characters in the Total Justice line, Green Arrow is a new iteration of the classic hero. Connor Hawke is the son of the original Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. Arrow comes with a Longbow, Arrows, and display stand.
Green Lantern
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $5 – $8
Green Lantern
Accessories: Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: This Green Lantern is Kyle Raynor and not Hal Jordan. He is a member of the mighty Green Lantern Corp, as well as the Justice League. He comes decked out in his classic costume and colors. Green Lantern comes with a display stand.
Superman (Blue)
Market Value:
Carded $16 – $25
Loose $7 – $11
Superman (Blue)
Accessories: Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Superman Blue is one half of Superman after he was brought back after the “Death of Superman” storyline. The Blue Superman was the more calm side of the two. He comes with a blue display stand.
Superman (Red)
Market Value:
Carded $16 – $25
Loose $7 – $11
Superman (Red)
Accessories: Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Superman Red is one half of Superman after he was brought back after the “Death of Superman” storyline. The Red Superman was the more aggressive side of the two. He comes with a red display stand.
The Huntress
Market Value:
Carded $16 – $25
Loose $7 – $11
The Huntress
Accessories: Removable Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: The Huntress (AKA Helena Bertinelli) turned away from crime when she witnessed her entire family wiped out by a rival mob. She now uses her talents fighting against the criminals of Gotham. Huntress comes with her removable cape and display stand. Another great sculpt hidden by Kenner!
JLA: Series Two (1998): Basic Assortment
Kenner released five more figures for the second wave of their JLA line in 1998. Included in the wave were Aquaman, another Batman figure, Martian Manhunter, Steel and a short haired version of Superman.
Aquaman
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $5 – $8
Aquaman
Accessories: Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: This new version of Aquaman is not even close to the old Super Friends. He comes decked out with a beard, long hair, and a hook on his left hand. He also comes with a display stand.
Dark Knight Batman
Market Value:
Carded $10 – $17
Loose $4 – $7
Dark Knight Batman
Accessories: Removable Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Notes: Kenner gives us yet another version of Batman! This time it’s the Dark Knight Batman, dressed in his more movie accurate costume. Batman comes with his cape and a display stand.
Martian Manhunter
Market Value:
Carded $10 – $17
Loose $4 – $7
Martian Manhunter
Accessories: Removable Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Martian Manhunter (AKA J’onn J’onzz) is an original member of the JLA and as loyal as they come. He comes with his cape and a display stand. This is truly another example of a fantastic sculpt by Kenner.
Steel
Market Value:
Carded $16 – $25
Loose $7 – $11
Steel
Accessories: Removable Cape, Hammer, Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Moderate Difficulty – Takes a little patience
Notes: John Henry Irons forged his armor and adopted the name Steel following Superman’s death. This is Steel’s 2nd figure, following the Man of Steel line. He comes with his cape, hammer and a display stand.
Superman (Short Hair)
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $5 – $8
Superman (Short Hair)
Accessories: Removable Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often with some hunting needed
Notes: This version of Superman captures the Man of Steel’s latest look, to include his new short hair style. He also comes with removable cape and display stand.
JLA: Series Three (1999): Basic Assortment
Kenner/Hasbro released six new figures for the third wave of the JLA line in 1999. Included in this wave were another Batman figure called “Caped Crusader Batman”, Robin, Zauriel, Impulse, Plastic Man and Superboy. This was actually a great wave of figures with some new characters we had not seen before!
Caped Crusader Batman
Market Value:
Carded $10 – $17
Loose $4 – $7
Caped Crusader Batman
Accessories: Removable Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Notes: This version of Batman features him with a more traditional costume, complete with grey bodysuit and blue cape. Batman also comes with his display stand.
Impulse
Market Value:
Carded $10 – $17
Loose $4 – $7
Impulse
Accessories: Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: The premier figure of Impulse from Young Justice makes his debut in this wave, as the 30th century descendant of Barry Allen arrives in our century. He comes with a display stand.
Plastic Man
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $7 – $11
Plastic Man
Accessories: Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Eel O’Brian was a lowlife gangster, but when he was dropped in a vat of acid, he became Plastic Man! This version was very similar to Kenner’s Super Powers version. He also comes with a display stand.
Robin
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $6 – $9
Robin
Accessories: Staff, Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Notes: Robin, the Boy Wonder, is the alter ego of not Dick Grayson, but Tim Drake during this timeframe, who was the third person to don the Robin costume. He comes with a staff, cape and display stand.
Superboy
Market Value:
Carded $10 – $17
Loose $4 – $7
Superboy
Accessories: Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Superboy was engineered to replace Superman after his death using close approximation of Kryptonian DNA. He comes with a display stand.
Zauriel
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $5 – $8
Zauriel
Accessories: Removable Wings, Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Zauriel was a guardian angel for a million years before renouncing immortality for love. Zauriel comes with removable wings and a display stand.
JLA: Series Four (1999): Basic Assortment
Kenner/Hasbro released five more new characters for the fourth and final wave of the JLA line in 1999. Included in the wave were The Atom, Red Tornado, another Batman w/ Blue Cape, Another Superman w/ Cyber Armor and FINALLY a Wonder Woman figure.
Atom (The)
Market Value:
Carded $20 – $30
Loose $9 – $14
Atom (The)
Accessories: Mini Atom Version, Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Notes: This was Kenner’s first version of The Atom, and it has a great design. Atom comes with a miniature version of himself and a display stand.
Batman (Blue Cape)
Market Value:
Carded $12 – $20
Loose $4 – $7
Batman (Blue Cape)
Accessories: Removable Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Notes: This version of Batman features him with a more traditional costume, complete with grey bodysuit and blue cape. Batman also comes with his display stand.
Red Tornado
Market Value:
Carded $14 – $22
Loose $5 – $8
Red Tornado
Accessories: Removable Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Red Tornado was originally created to be a villain, but has been a loyal ally of the JLA ever since. He comes with a removable cape and display stand.
Superman (Cyber Armor)
Market Value:
Carded $14 – $22
Loose $5 – $8
Superman (Cyber Armor)
Accessories: Removable Armor & Cape, Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Moderate Difficulty – Takes a little patience
Notes: This version of Superman captures the Man of Steel’s new look, to include his “Cyber Armor”. He also comes with a removable cape and display stand.
Wonder Woman
Market Value:
Carded $20 – $30
Loose $8 – $12
Wonder Woman
Accessories: Golden Lasso, Display Stand
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: Wonder Woman finally makes her appearance after being left out of the Total Justice line. Born to immortality and raised on the island of Themyscira, Princess Diana won the name Wonder Woman in the legendary contest of champions. The figure comes with her Golden Lasso and a red display stand.
JLA (1998-1999): Multipacks
In addition to the regular 5″ and 10″ figures, Kenner also released several multipacks for their JLA line. This included four sets of collectors figures released through Diamond Distributors, and a few Two-Packs released through Diamond and Warner Brother Retail Stores.
JLA Super Heroes Collection Box Sets (Diamond)
The 1st and 2nd box sets featured a flip up flap on the front to reveal the figures inside, but the 3rd and 4th box sets would see a slight redesign with the removal of that outer flap.
JLA Super Heroes Collection I
Market Value:
Boxed $22 – $32
Loose $14 – $19
JLA Super Heroes Collection I
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: The 1st set of DC Comics Super Heroes Collection figures included: Superman (Blue), Green Lantern, The Huntress, Hologram Batman, and Hologram Flash. Holo Batman & Flash were translucent re-paints of the standard figures.
JLA Super Heroes Collection II
Market Value:
Boxed $30 – $45
Loose $17 – $22
JLA Super Heroes Collection II
Years Released: 1998
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Notes: The 2nd set of DC Comics Super Heroes Collection figures included: Batman, The Flash, Green Arrow, Hologram Superman, and Hologram Green Lantern. Holo Superman & Lantern were translucent re-paints of the standard figures.
JLA Super Heroes Collection III
Market Value:
Boxed $45 – $65
Loose $20 – $30
JLA Super Heroes Collection III
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Notes: The 3rd set of DC Comics Super Heroes Collection figures included: Zauriel, Martian Manhunter, Lex Luthor, Superman, and The Joker. Lex Luthor and Joker being new figures and exclusive to this boxed set.
JLA Super Heroes Collection IV
Market Value:
Boxed $45 – $65
Loose $20 – $30
JLA Super Heroes Collection IV
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Notes: The 4th set of DC Comics Super Heroes Collection figures included: Hologram Aquaman, Hologram Martian Manhunter, Superboy, Robin, and Impulse. Holo Aquaman & Martian Manhunter were translucent re-paints of the standard figures.
Two-Packs
All two-packs were released through Diamond Distributors, and were also made available at Warner Brothers retail store locations.
Superboy vs. King Shark
Market Value:
Boxed $20 – $30
Loose $10 – $15
Superboy vs. King Shark
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
Superman vs. Metallo
Market Value:
Boxed $20 – $30
Loose $10 – $15
Superman vs. Metallo
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
The Flash & Blue Beetle
Market Value:
Boxed $18 – $28
Loose $8 – $12
The Flash & Blue Beetle
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find Less Common – Appears less often
Green Lantern vs. Dr. Polaris
Market Value:
Boxed $18 – $28
Loose $8 – $12
Green Lantern vs. Dr. Polaris
Years Released: 1999
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on secondary market
JLA (1998-1999): 10 Inch Figures
Kenner released five different 10″ figures for their JLA line, with Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern being released in 1998, then Martian Manhunter and Superman Blue in 1999. The latter two figures are definitely tougher to find on the secondary market than the first three.
Aquaman
Market Value:
Boxed $16 – $25
Loose $6 – $10
Flash (The)
Market Value:
Boxed $20 – $30
Loose $7 – $11
Green Lantern
Market Value:
Boxed $20 – $30
Loose $7 – $11
Martian Manhunter
Market Value:
Boxed $16 – $25
Loose $6 – $10
Superman (Blue)
Market Value:
Boxed $20 – $30
Loose $7 – $11
JLA (1998-1999): Accessories
Interestingly enough, Kenner did not release any action figure related accessories at all for their JLA toy line.
Kenner was on a roll with their many DC Comics branded toy lines, which began back in 1984 with the Super Powers Collection. That DC tradition continued in 1998 with the JLA action figure line. Kenner/Hasbro utilized the body and head sculpts from their previously released Total Justice (1996-1997) line, but with new repaints and less accessories. Kenner went with the “less is more” adage and it actually worked this time. One of the biggest positives from the Total Justice series were the beautiful sculpts, so with no “Fractal Tech Gear”, we finally get to enjoy them! These figures were a shared exclusive between Diamond Distributors and KB Toys. The JLA line lasted four waves, which included 23 standard figures, five 10″ figures and several multipacks & boxed sets. Strangely enough, no accessories were released for the JLA line.
As stated before, Kenner/Hasbro used the head & body sculpts from their Total Justice line to create these JLA figures, along with some unreleased figures that were originally planned for Total Justice. The previously released “Fractal Technology or Armor” was removed and moist figures had only minimal accessories. The premier wave in 1998 featured Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Huntress and two Superman’s (Blue & Red). Five more figures joined them for the second wave, with Aquaman, Dark Knight Batman, Martian Manhunter, Steel and Superman w/ Short Hair. The third wave in 1999 included Caped Crusader Batman, Impulse, Plastic Man, Robin, Superboy and Zauriel. The fourth and final wave had Atom, Batman, Red Tornado, Superman Cyber Armor and Wonder Woman. There were also five 10 inch figures, along with several boxed sets and two-packs. Interestingly enough, Kenner/Hasbro did not release any accessories or vehicles for the Total Justice line.
The packaging for the JLA figures was, in one word…….boring. It completely lacked any imagination with literally no artwork on the front of the card, but I guess that’s what you get for a bunch of repaints. Each figure was on a traditional blister card with the figure centered on the lower part of the card. All figures came with a colored JLA display stand. Each figure’s name was on the bottom of the blister bubble with the “JLA” logo centered at the top. Each card back featured that wave’s figures, along with a small bio of the character and a mini comic book that could be cut out. Overall, the I actually liked the JLA line and it had lots of potential, but it seemed like Kenner/Hasbro were only half trying on this one.
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