DC is expanding its relationship with Walmart beyond the six store-exclusive comic book series, with the announcement that DC Collectibles will be offering a four-inch range of Batman: Black and White mini-figures through the retailer. The figures will launch this month.


The new figures, which will launch with versions of the Dark Knight as envisioned by Amanda Connor, Darwin Cooke, Jason Fabok, Patrick Gleason, Frank Quitely and classic Batman artist Dick Sprang, are direct translations of nine-inch figures designed for the long-running full-scale DC Collectibles line, which has been in existence since 2005.


“Batman: Black and White is DC Collectibles’ longest-running statue line and continues to be one of our best-sellers,” Jim Fletcher, executive creative director at DC Collectibles, said in a statement. “The line allows us to work with a wide array of talented artists from different industries, and we’re really excited to revisit our favorite designs in this all-new 4" scale!”


Figures will be released in waves of six releases every two months, available alongside the DC comic book releases. Figures will be blind-bagged, meaning that the customer won’t know which figure is inside the packaging until after they’ve bought it, with a price point of $5. However, fans looking to purchase all figures in the line can wait until May, when a box set of each wave will be released at comic book stores with an additional reward for their patience: an exclusive seventh figure.


Future releases will include a Harley Quinn figure based on Bruce Timm artwork, the Joker as envisaged by Jim Lee, and both Batman and Robin as illustrated by Carmine Infantino, the comic book artist responsible for the 1960s “New Look” as popularized by the Adam West live-action television series.