JLA? Pfft… who needs ’em? Now, I doubt those were the exact sentiments running through the mind of the February-shipping Club IE character, but when you are charged with an eternity of witnessing the misdeeds of humankind, being on a super team is like getting front row tickets to your very own torture session. Over and over again. However, that condemnation has not stopped the Phantom Stranger from occasionally lending a hand to help humanity avoid its demise, and like it or not, he is still TECHNICALLY another Justice League member you can add to your shelf.
To say this figure is a long time coming is a definite understatement. It is a common occurrence in toy lines for figures to be sculpted and then delayed or moved around to a slot further down the road than originally intended. However, by the Four Horsemen’s own admission, the Phantom Stranger has been exclusively haunting their New Jersey offices for a few years now. Originally bumped from a DC Universe Classics Collect & Connect wave (around series 13 or so), he is finally getting his due as member of the 2013 Club. The fact that we still have an outlet to get a character like this is pretty impressive in its own right, but he also adds to a very diverse 2013 offering on the whole, and, even though this is just the first full year of the Club, they are getting pretty sharp with the character selection.
Even though I am sure that the Phantom Stranger has his fair share of fans out there (every character is the favorite of SOMEBODY out there. Probably even Vibe), for me the release of this figure is all about building up a strong universe. You can probably count on two hands the number of comic story lines I have read that involved the Stranger, but he has certainly had his moments, and I can honestly say that if he was never released in this line, I would count my DC collection a little less complete because we are at that place now where the collection is its own animal and it is strengthened by characters like this.
I have already found a spot for him on my collection shelf: he is just to the right of the Satellite JLA display and a bit in the background. He is just kind of looking on, watching the gods amongst men, making sure that they do as they should. It is neat because now, when I look at that awesome team in my display, he catches the corner of my eye. It is like he is saying, “Yes, here I am. I can see what you do and what you cannot tell by my white eyes, you are being judged.” Keep those guys in check, Phantom Stranger. So, while I am certainly more excited about adding the Elongated Man to my JLA display next month, the Stranger will be there, watching. And he always will be.
The Phantom Stranger is a pretty basic DCUC build as far as the figure itself goes, but he does have an interesting look going for him. If you combine three parts The Question, one part Martian Manhunter, one part Flavor Flav, and one part turtle neck, you pretty much have it. Sure, it looks weird on paper, but add some all white eyes and you have an ominous presence that works. He is mostly the basic DC suit body with a cape added so if you are familiar with the build of guys like the aforementioned Question or Sandman, you probably have a pretty good idea as to what is going on here. His pendant is on a real metal chain so because of this, the links look a little big, but still work. It actually falls in place and holds well so that it hangs naturally, but he can also hold it up in people’s faces to properly “represent.”
The cape will, of course, inhibit this figure from ever being able to sit down properly, but I do like the neutral hang to it. The Phantom Stranger is not known for feats of amazing acrobatics, so I don’t need him to be able to do full head kicks while standing on his tippy toes, but like the other suit guys, he is not the most poesable figure in the line. How much you care about that will depend on your need to dynamic movement, but if you are going for more than standing, walking ,and ominous hand-gesturing, I would like to see what kind of wacky adventures your Phantom Stranger is getting into.
What really shines on this figures, though (again, aside from that glorious turtle neck), is his face sculpt. I realize that it is not flashy and is fairly placid, but it is one of those examples of where the essence of the character is captured perfectly in the face. To me, he is captured as well as Lead, even though they are on opposite ends of the personality scale. He does have an overly-pronounced factory paint shadow line on his nose that looks darker in the pictures than it actually is, but the shadow of the hat draws it out a bit. The shape of the hat also adds some depth to the face as the bill is pointed downwards and casts a shadow over his face, just adding to the air of mystery.
So yeah, what was originally the bridge to the Elongated Man in March has turned out to be a very nice addition to my DC collection. This line is still quietly chugging along and I hope that we have a few more years of the Club because I am having just as much fun as ever building out teams and the universe at large. The Phantom Strange is just one of those guys that I am glad to have because he is a nice mile-marker, along with the likes of Killer Moth and Jonah Hex, that shows off what this collection is accomplishing. Finding a place for all of these characters in the Club is what I am about with my DC collection. Sure, I would have loved these kinds of offerings from the start in the retail line, but I adding to my display month by month and now I have the Phantom Stranger to observe the arrival of all of the goodies and baddies that dare tread in the DC Universe.
*Thanks for checking this out and thanks to Toy Guru for sending him along for a First Look. The Phantom Stranger goes on-sale on the 15th, but while you are waiting, check out the Fire and Huntress reveals for later in the year!
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