Is it even possible to be as excited as I am for the upcoming DCC Icons line while, at the same time, be really concerned about some issues with the figures that may kill my desire to even own any of them? Would that make me cautiously excited about the line?
That’s really the only way I can describe my anticipation level for the upcoming Icons Iine from DC Collectibles. I’m excited about most of what I see from the line and also for the possibilities that the line could bring. At the same time, though, I feel a bit concerned about the line because of some nagging things that keep popping into my head whenever I look at the preview pictures and listen to the first-hand reports.
Now, I really don’t want to focus on just one figure here, but a perfect example of being excited and worried at the same time is the figure that first drew my attention and made me most excited for the line: Batman. Which I’m sure is a huge surprise for anyone who knows me.
Just off a first look at the figure, he looks great. Nice colors, especially the darker blue. He seems to have a cool, modern utility belt, and the articulation seems to be comparable to Legends. Then you notice the lack of thigh swivels. Now DCC has come out and addressed this by saying that the other leg joints give the figure the same movement of the thigh swivel. That just doesn’t seem possible, though. The knee doesn’t swivel 360 degrees like the super-articulated Arkham City Batman did, and I don’t see any other joints that would allow that same movement.
The figure is said to be “Last Rites” Batman, but it clearly looks like a Final Crisis artist J.G. Jones-inspired Batman to me. The cowl and facial expression look just like Jones’ work. It’s been described as a “worried” look, and I kinda see it. It’s not really a menacing or scowling Batman head, and that’s kinda what he needs.
The articulation is standard across the entire line as it looks like heavy reuse is going to be applied to the figures. DCC put out a nice detailed articulation breakdown a while back as you can see here:
In this diagram, the thigh swivel is shown as a possible movement of the figure. As you can see, though, there is no stated “thigh swivel” point of articulation like there is for every other articulation point. Did they forget it? Did they mean to add it in later? I don’t know, but it’s not there and you won’t get that swivel like the illustration shows.
The articulation scheme as a whole seems solid enough. The usual bells and whistles are all there, but another of the nagging issues for me is the lower ab joint. The ball-jointed torso is great, but that lower hinged ab crunch is a bit of an eye sore. It’s not a deal breaker for me, but it definitely lowers my excitement a bit. Not sure why they didn’t just go with a regular ab crunch and waist swivel or, my personal favorite, a floating ab swivel.
Now that I’ve got my Batman concerns out of the way, the three revealed waves as a whole bring a lot to be excited about. Again, though, some of the individual pieces I have questions about.
Wave one, which consists of Batman, Green Arrow, Mister Miracle, and Deadman, really shows what we’re in for with the Icons line. A mix of different eras and costumes across each wave. Ollie is clearly in his Longbow Hunter storyline look, Deadman and Batman are artist-inspired but can clearly pass for modern yet classic, and Mr. Miracle is right from the pages of the New 52. So it’s pretty obvious that this line will be all-encompassing from every corner of the DCU. Which, in my opinion, is a very good thing. I can see myself picking up this entire first wave, unless early reviews come in really bad. See? I am excited!
Both series two and three also look good enough to get me excited about buying each and every figure. Black Adam and Flash look really great. Luthor really could use a metallic paint job, and it’s not my favorite armored look for him, but, again, this wave captures looks and costumes from very different eras, trying to give everyone something to be interested in. Although I have to channel my inner VeeBee a bit here and say I would’ve really preferred a Ted Kord Blue Beetle. But, hey, it’s something that I can look forward to later in the line, right?
The real gem of series two is the deluxe Hal Jordan Green Lantern figure.
The actual sculpt of Jordan is nice enough, but that ring-created armor is wicked. It does seem that the accessories in this line are going to be top-notch as extra hands, heads, and the characteristic weapons of heroes or villains are included. Ollie gets his bow and arrows, Aquaman his trident, and Flash gets his cosmic treadmill. Useful accessories are a huge plus for me, and this line looks like it’s promising to deliver.
Series 3 brings what looks to me could be the best and worst looking figures of the reveals so far. That Harley is absolutely amazing looking, while the Superman leaves me cold, and he really feels lacking in both the body and head sculpts. They did nail the colors, though, which is a plus. But that head looks off and it also looks like a size too small for his body. Aquaman isn’t my favorite figure of the line, but he does look good enough, even if that head looks off a bit. Atomica is a cool choice and will fit right in with my super-articulated DCC Crime Syndicate figures . . . except no she won’t. Because, actually, she won’t be anywhere near the same scale.
That brings me to my second biggest question about this line: scale. DCC has come out and said these are 6-inch scale, which immediately puts it in a different scale from anything DCC or DC Direct have done altogether. DCC/DCD has always been more 7-inch scaled than 6. My issue is that 6-inch scale can mean a lot of things across different toy lines. For example Marvel Legends, Star Wars Black, and DCUC are all 6-inch scaled lines, yet none of them are truly in the same scale.
Will these be true 6-inch scaled like Star Wars Black or Funko Legacy? Will they fit more in with the DCUC scale, which is closer to 6.5 inches? Or will they mesh more with Legends and come in just slightly bigger than true 6-inch scale? Scale nazis need to know! For me, I can probably live with any option, but I know there are collectors out there who are going to base whether or not they buy these on which lines they scale with. Some may want to fill holes in their DCUC collections, while others want a Legends-scaled DC line. From eyewitness accounts from San Diego Comic Con goers, these indeed do look small, as in they may be closer to true 6-inch scale.
San Diego Comic Con revealed three more figures, which will be the start of wave four, I assume. They showed John Stewart Green Lantern, Firestorm, and Joker. Again, all three figures have looks from different eras. So if you’re a collector who wants a very uniformed specific era look to your line, this probably isn’t for you.
My biggest concern is going to be the quality control on the line. DC Direct and even some DC Collectibles figures have used those awful clear plastic pegs that rip and shred super easy when moving the articulation around. Hopefully that is a thing of the past and the pegs and joints will be solid. It is a valid concern because up until very recently DCC hasn’t been known for their high articulation counts. So there may be a few growing pains to work out with the line. I really don’t want to pay almost twenty five bucks a figure while they work them out either.
For me, though, the excitement for this line wins out over the concerns, and I’ll be ready to scoop up wave one on the first day of release. The character selection, some really solid sculpts, and the articulation level, while not an ideal setup, have me buying-in at this point. Another positive about this line is it will be direct to my local comic store like all DCC products are. So no hunting or ordering online. I’ll place my pre-order and pick them up and probably will be able to pick the best paint jobs if I get there early enough. I guess with any unknown property, we really won’t know what we have in this line until wave one hits. Up until then, I’m pumped! And concerned.
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