Continuing on with our latest round of First Looks we have a peek at the first “half” of the brand new DC Universe Classics series twelve figures! There are lots of changes in store for this line in 2010 (mostly to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of DC Comics) and we are getting a packaging change over as well as a new collector pin promotion that will also cross-pollinate into some of Mattel’s other DC lines. I have been really excited for series twelve since it was unveiled not long after San Diego Comic Con last year (I think it is the strongest overall assortment for my personal tastes since series nine) and today we will be looking at the figures of The Spectre (standard and variant), Copperhead, Mary Batson (nee Marvel) in her red AND white togs as well as my personal favorite of this bunch – Desaad!
This series is already starting to show up at a few of the online stores (hot on the heels of series eleven) and hopefully it will be a series that will be easy to come by for collectors. At this time it looks like what is shipping is the “open stock” figures (e.g. solid case packs of single figures) of these four (Eclipso, and my personal two most-anticipated figures – Metal Man Iron and Dr. Mid-Nite are not quite making their way out yet) so I would say that we still have a few weeks to wait before the assortment cases start hitting the big retailers, that is, at the earliest.
As mentioned before, we are in a new year and with that brings some new changes to the overall aesthetic of the DCUC line. This has mostly to do with the packaging and as many have noticed, that is a lot more color on the front of the card and there are also several characters featured therein. This has given rise to speculation that those present such as Zatanna, Martian Manhunter, Ultra-Humanite and Vixen may be on the docket for release this year, but at this time it is simply that – speculation. Now, some of that may change next month when DCUC series fourteen (!) is unveiled at Toy Fair, but for now we can just take it for a nice new and colorful deco that is devoid of such highly demanded characters like Liberty Belle, The Forever People, Cyclone, Kamandi, Jonah Hex, Catman, OMAC, Fire and Ice… sorry, I slip into wishlist mode so easily. Anyway, I like the new colors. The “logo” portion at the top has also changed font and the “Celebrating 75 years of Super Power” is also prominently featured at the bottom of the bubble.
The back of the card has received a makeover as well and there is now more emphasis placed on the actual packaged figure as opposed to the entire series. The biographies and vital statistics have moved up from the bottom of the card to the upper righthand corner and the series figures are featured at the bottom. I do wish that the package displayed which Collect and Connect Piece (in this case the body parts of Darkseid) came with which figure though, that was always a nice point of reference. Also, where traditionally the figure that came with a stand instead of the C&C piece had always been numbered seven, Desaad is “Figure 5” in this series. I am not sure if that is the new stand figure number or if it will no longer be consistant wave over wave, but it has changed.
Finally, to further support the DC 75th year celebration, Mattel is including collector pins with every DCUC (and from what I understand most of the DC Infinite Heroes) figure this year. These are your standard “button” pins and each appear to feature a portion of a comic cover on them. You will be able see them upclose below (both front and back) but one thing I did notice is that there seems to be consistancy in which figure gets what button. For example, both Mary Batson figures come with the same pin, as do both versions of the Spectre; so it appears that button allotment is not random so those that plan on collecting them all should be able to target individual figures for all button-collecting needs.
Okay, so on to the figures!
Figure 2: The Spectre
The Jim Corrigan Spectre finally makes his way into our DCUC collection with not one, but TWO figures. There is a standard figure as well as a glow-in-the-dark version (of the same sculpt) that will be weighed at a 70/30 split. We have gotten quite a few figures across the DCUC and Masters of the Universe lines lately with guys like Scareglow, Zodak and Deadman and I think the effect is very appropriate for the Spectre as well, especially if you are a fan of the glow-in-the dark features. I appreciate it for sure but I am one that will usually go for paint detail and panel accuracy that often has to be sacrificed in order to achieve the glow effect.
I am happy to say that the standard version of the Spectre features a lot of very nice paint detail to enhance the great sculpt (this one looks like a Dahlberg to me). In his long and storied history Jim Corrigan has not had any real significant costume changes and his green booties, underoos and hooded cloak were not the most dynamic to begin with (but they certainly are iconic) so it would be easy to pass this figure off as a simple “nude buck” repaint. That is certainly not the case, however. There is a nice light gray wash on the figure that really helps enhance the sculpting details, particularly on the face.
Speaking of the face, it has a sallow and drawn look to it and the eyes look larger on the face than most of the other figures. This is a very nice effect and I am getting a very Jim Aparo vibe from the face, but I might be crazy – see for yourself. I also like the hood as it is attached to the head and, even with the collar (along with the cape is nice and pliable), it does not restrict the head movement (which is still restricted in itself due to the neck peg, we know Mattel is working on this but since they work so far out in advance it might still be a couple of series away from returning to the pre-series nine standard). I do wish the front of the hood had the trade mark “point” to it, but that is a faily minor thing. The hands are also appropriately sculpted in a “haunting” sort of form so he can scare the bejeezus out of the evildoers on your shelf. Oh, and if you are keeping score, the right arm (with removable regular and Killing gloves) of Darkseid is included.
Overall, it is great get this very important entity in the DCU and I am always for more JSA members, both classic and modern. Like I said, you can pick your flavor of paint or glow (or for you completists, both) to keep vengence present in the DCUC. I know several people have noted that a giant Spectre C&C figure would be great to recreate pivitol moments (see Crisis on Infinite Earths) so that might be a fun option for later in the line.
Figure 3: Copperhead
You realize that a good portion of Mr. Snakehead here is Aquaman, right? I love it when a line that is built on creative reuse takes that to the next degree (Desaad is another great example, but we will get to him in a moment) and Copperhead is great example of this – this is a very slick figure.
I have to admit, I have never thought all that much of Copperhead. His look has always been the best thing going for him (great for an action figure) and if not for some more recent comic and cartoon appearances, I am not sure how viable I would have thought him be a few years back. Well, I am so glad that Mattel let the Horsemen do their thing with him because the figure turned out GREAT (my second favorite of this group) and he will add a lot of variety to my Bat Rogues display.
The first thing you will obviously notice is the sculpt. It is ever so intricate with all of the scales and the snake hood that comes over his head. His neck piece is a seperate section of soft plastic that attaches at the base of the neck but you can lift up the chest portion and see the lines of Aquaman’s costume beneath it. For all the grea detail in the costume though, I have to say that the face and head are even more impressive. You have to be somewhat crazy to dress up as a giant snake but by the looks of his face, Copperhead is downright certafiable. Insane. I LOVE the expression on his face with his wide mouth and eyes, you really need to look closely under the snake hood because there is a lot to like going on under it. Very impressed.
The other place I am really at with this figure is in the paint. Yes, he is a basic orange and green bad guy but I love the shiny finish they put on him, makes him look very snake-like. Also, the shading and the airbrushing on the snake hood is very, very well done – looks very natural and I was drawn to it immediately. It is funny how a plastic figure of a costume can have such life-like snake eyes. Neat!
I have to admit that Copperhead is the surprise figure of the assortment for me thus far – I knew he looked cool but I am very impressed with him now that I have him in hand. I know that some people wanted the costume with the tail but there is so much to like here you almost don’t notice, it will depend on your preference. Oh, and he includes Darkseid’s head and, um, hip/crotch/cod/underware piece depending on what you want to call it.
Figure 5: Desaad
Heck. Yes. More New Gods! More Apokoliptian Awesomeness! As you might guess, I am a hugh Fourth World fan so I LOVE getting new figures of these guys (I am PRAYING that the upcoming New Gods hiatus in the line will not last long, there is still much work to do) and Desaad does not disappoint. Now, I don’t have Iron and Dr. Mid-Nite yet and they look like either one could possibly dethrone, but right now Desaad is my favorite figure of this series. So, following the classic Steppenwolf in series eleven, this is two waves in a row where the New Gods take the crown. For me anyway. Also once again, the New God comes with the figure stand so the servent does not come with a piece of his master.
So, we talked about creative reuse in the Aquaman to Copperhead example above, but guess what? Desaad here is primarily Sinestro. Yep, the buck that was way to small to be the leader of the Yellow Lanterns works out perfectly to be be the snivling Desaad – the build is just perfect. On top of that buck though are some fantastically sculpted robes and they are made of a soft rubber that even maintains the ab-crunch articultion (the robes do no connect at the belt line) and range of movement in the legs – always a plus for me.
He also features a very cool and somewhat creepy head sculpt. Really, Desaad slinked his way out of a Kirby panel and I just love his expression and the hair that is hanging down over the forehead. The paint lines are clean and the construction on the figure is tight. One thing though, I wish his sleeves were sculpted so that you can place his hands inside of them to simulate his iconic pose (it can be achieved if you pop his hands out with hot water) but that is a just something that the few of us that plan on displaying him without his accessory would like.
Speaking of which, while Desaad here has some very faithful classic turns to him, he also features queues from the only other time he has had an action figure – Super Powers. First, and more subtly are in his robes and boots. He does have his SP boot and his robes are cut shorter just like the old figure (his classic look always has his robes to his feet). It is in his vibro-shock torture device where you really get the old figure coming out. You know, I have always planned on displaying him without the rig as I am a classic-head, but the device is really, really cool. There are tons of detail in both sculpt and paint to it and I like how all of the cords are very flexible and that the exaust tubes are articulated. If pack portion fits easily over Desaad’s head and it can be removed at anytime. The die-hard Super Powers fans should go ga-ga for this accessory and even if you are not a loyal SP Subject, you will still dig it.
Figure 6: Mary Batson
The kid sister of Billy, Mary Batson (what she is called when she is not called Mary Marvel, especially on any advertising/promotional/merchandising items) makes her DCUC debut as the 50/50 split variants featuring her classic red and more modern white togs. We are now 3/4 of the way through the classic Marvel family (just waiting on Junior now) and Mary can also help support the bulking up of any “I Can’t Believe it’s Not the Justice League”/JLI displays, something that I am all about. She includes the massive torso of Darkseid (who will be reviewed at a later date) as well as a giant smile, typical for the character.
One of the first things that you will notice about Mary is that she is not your typical DCUC figure. We have gotten used to following a particular articulation scheme for most of the figures in the line but Mary kind of goes against the grain. First, due to her more flowing shirt, she lacks the standard ab-crunch point of articulation. At first I was bummed about this (especially since the robe-wearing Desaad retains it) but after having he for a few days, I don’t really miss it, you milage may vary on that though. Another place that strays a little from the norm is, because of he skirt, she actually features ball-jointed hips as opposed to the standard hinge. Just to comment on the construction and the materials, Mary (and all of the rest of the figures) features strong and tight joints with no flop to them and all of the capes, skirts and robes are soft and pliable to inhibit movement as little as possible. The one place that this strays is in Mary’s hair, it is quite rigid so you are not going to get a whole lot of movement out of her neck – just something to be aware of.
Like I said before, you can pick from Mary’s red or white costume depending on your preference as they are evenly split at a 50/50 ratio. I know several people have commented that they also wanted the black costume version but take heart that Desaad is also in this wave and he was rattling around Mary’s head most of the time she was in that costume anyway. I personally prefer the white (like my clam chowders) as I have a strong affection for ICBINTJL and I think it will look really cool once Freddie comes out to have the Marvels in red, white and blue, but you can take your pick. All of the paint on both Mary figures I have is very crisp and clean with no bleed to mention and there is some very nice airbrusing on her boots so they are just bright yellow highlighters under her knees.
Finally, I know a lot has been said about the degree of attractiveness or cuteness to Mary’s face sculpt and while she is not the best female face we have gotten in this line, I think she is just hard to photograph more than anything. In person she looks better to me than pictures I have seen online. Now, I am sure this will continue to be a devisive issue but take what you want from the pictures and wait to see her in person. You might be just fine with it or not, that is up to you to decide.
Whew! Some pretty cool stuff, right? I hope you have enjoyed our look at this first half of DCUC series twelve, we hope to get our mits on Iron, Eclipso and Dr. Mid-nite soon so that we can bring you the rest (and so we can complete Darkseid). This is a very strong start to a series (my personal overall favorite since series nine) with Copperhead and Desaad being the standouts. Several e-Taliers have already recieved their stock in most of these figures so if you look around you will kind some to order (www.bigbadtoystore.com – hint, hint). I personally cannot wait to get Iron to kick off my Metal Men, real metal fists and a working wrench attachment? Unreal!
*Thanks again for reading and stay tuned more this week. Toy Guru and Matty were fantastic sending this stuff along and there is more to look at soon!
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