As a longtime DC and comic book fan, I’ve been collecting DC Direct figures since their initial start back in 1999. It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long since that first Wonder Woman was released, and it’s also hard to believe that it took this long for DC Collectibles (formerly DC Direct) to finally get into the super-articulation game.
The Arkham Origins line was the first real start of that jump up into super-articulated figures, but this new Crime Syndicate wave is another step up, in my opinion. To me, these really feel almost Marvel Legends-like in their articulation scheme. Superwoman in particular really stood out to me because, in my opinion, she is one of, if not the, very best female figures DCC has ever produced. She’s really that good.
If you’re not familiar with her or her Crime Syndicate teammates, they’re basically opposite versions of the Justice League — she would be the opposite of Wonder Woman. Everything noble and just that Wonder Woman is, she’s as equally evil and treacherous. They come from an Earth where up is down, left is right, and things that we know about the DC Universe have taken place very differently over their history. On their Earth, evil always trumps good, so the Crime Syndicate rule almost unchallenged. I highly recommend picking up the Earth 2 graphic novel by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely if you want to read the Syndicate versus the League at its very best.
Now, of course, this is the redesigned “New 52” version of Superwoman, but her new look isn’t anything that makes me cringe or sob like a 5-year-old like some of the other new looks have. She’s still instantly recognizable as Superwoman.
Her sculpt is really nice. Now, that is usually expected from DCC, as it’s been their strongest attribute over other companies that sometimes focused more on articulation than nailing a perfect sculpt. With Superwoman, this seems to be a perfect marriage of both sculpt and articulation. From head to toe, it’s just a perfectly represented powerful superhero female form.
The uniform has all the details sculpted into it, like raised thigh-high boot lines and gloves. The costume design on her hips is sculpted and raised where needed. There is also a nice seam line sculpted down the middle of her torso for some nice extra detail.
The face sculpt is one of the prettiest around, and it definitely makes me dream of getting a super-articulated Wonder Woman from DCC done just as well as this figure. The paints on her eyes could be a bit cleaner, maybe more of a line on the lower part, but it doesn’t take away that much from the sculpt.
The hair is made of soft plastic so that it doesn’t hinder her neck movement from side-to-side or up-and-down. That is a problem I’ve encountered with figures of females, or long-haired characters in general. No such trouble here, though.
As I mentioned in my opening, her articulation is on par with most every other super-articulated lines. Ball-jointed neck, bicep swivels, hinged wrists that turn 360 degrees and can be positioned in or out, thigh swivels, double-jointed knees, and, of course, that sweet, sweet mid-torso ab swivel. The ankles are also articulated to be “rocker” ankles or the new Marvel Legends-styled ankles, but they suffer from the high-heeled sculpt. Because of where the peg is placed into the foot, it stops the joint from working properly. If you move her foot up, the joint functions fine, but that’s not a big help when you want that movement while standing.
Another well-executed aspect of her design is her cape. Like her hair, it’s also made of very soft plastic to make sure that articulation is not hindered. It’s also not glued or pegged to her anywhere. This allows for it to be easily removed by just sliding it over her head. Customizers rejoice!
All in all, a really great figure. If you’re a fan of the current “Forever Evil” storyline or a fan of the Crime Syndicate, this is a must-have. DCC definitely made a wise decision to use Gentle Giant to up their articulation game while still maintaining their patented superior sculpts.
She can be found at your local comic shop, or at the usual online shops:
