New 52? NU 52? The New DCU? Well, whatever you want to call it, it looks like it’s here to stay. Now, being a lifelong DC comics reader, you can bet I had some serious apprehensions about it all. I’ve realized, though, that after reading it for a year now, it’s not so bad. In fact, I really like most of it. There’s some really good new ideas mixed with some not-so-good, but I feel like I’ve enjoyed it way more than I’ve not. Plus, at the very least, I get some new figures out of the deal! So I picked up a few of the New 52 designed versions of some all-time great heroes. Then I wrote a review about it. Wanna hear it? Here it go:
First up is Hawkman. Now I haven’t actually read much of his book at all, to be honest, but this figure just struck me as cool. I love the armored-up look for him and this figure fits that look to a tee.
Hawkman here looks he uses the same torso as the previous DCUC Hawkman with an all-new head and legs. I thought at first his hands were reused from Wildcat, but they look to be totally unique as the bands around his hands are wrapped differently.
He has the same standard articulation as the rest of DCUC just as the rest of the wave does, and his shoulder armor is made of some really soft, thin plastic so that it does not restrict movement in that arm at all, which is a must for flying and battle poses. The armor is well detailed and he comes with his axe and a claw, which could be the Claw of Horus, I suppose? The real beauty of him is in the head sculpt
His face screams ready for battle with teeth gritted and that look in his eye. It’s the best part of the figure and really makes him stand out from his regular DCUC version. This guy means business. His wings are fully articulated and are repainted and reused from the previous Hawman.
All in all a very nice figure and if you’re a fan of the New 52 or just Hawkman in general, he’s a must buy.
Up next is the Flash, and while it’s not as drastically a different look from his pre-New 52 version like Hawkman is, there are a few updates to the costume that make him different.
Most of the difference in the costume come from a raised lightning bolt symbol and some super detailed, more tech-y looking boots. Now, the lightning bolts all over the suit are not part of the actual costume, and are more just an effect. I definitely wish they had left them off, but it’s not so bad that it takes away all that much from the figure. Like Hawkman, though, the best part of him is the head sculpt.
It’s a really nice update of the previous head with some detailing to simulate a more armored mask or helmet, but Barry still stares back at you with those blue eyes under it. Since Flash has one of the all-time great costumes in the history of comics, I’m glad they didn’t stray too far from his classic look, and instead just modernized his classic look a bit.
My most anticipated figure from these three is Batgirl, and I’m sad to say I was a bit let down by her.
I was really looking forward to her because I love both her new look and the New 52 Batgirl comic itself. The book has been one of my favorite titles over the past year with Gail Simone bringing Barbara back to her rightful place as Batgirl. If you haven’t picked it up yet you really should give it a try.
The figure itself is a very well done overall sculpt. All the new armored plates are captured well and the details are all there. She appears to be an all-new sculpt from head to toe, and even though her head looks similar to the DCSH Batgirl, it’s not. There is definitely a lot to like about this figure because of the nice sculpting and the easy movement of the articulation, but the problem I have is more with the cowl and neck placement.
It’s set a bit too high and makes her neck look really long. I think I’ll have to fix that when I touch her up a bit as I usually do with all my figures, but that may be me just me. The head sculpt itself looks very similar to the original Batgirl head but the mask is a bit wider and the eyes are different, they even look a bit crooked to me. While I do have a couple of gripes with the figure, it’s still a really pretty sculpt and the detail on the armor is something I wish they would do more.
All in all, three good figures that I’ll be happy to add to my collection — even if they aren’t the looks I grew up with. I guess change isn’t so bad?
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