Well, it’s spring and the time has come to cull the collection. Changing priorities and a need for ready cash means I’m going through the ranks and making some hard choices between who stays and who goes.
This spring, Mattel and the DC Unlimited Classics line have popped up on my radar. Formerly immune to all but the most peripheral parsing, the line is now being cut way down. Of course certain characters are safe. I’m not about to part with my core Bat-Family and foes. The JLA and Legion of Doom will always have a presence in the collection. Oddballs like Deadshot, Copperhead, and Killer Moth are also safe — a cool design goes a long way with me. For all that, there are still boxes full of these figures filling my storage space, and over the weeks I’ve begun to part with them. Seller’s regret? Well, perhaps a bit . . .
7. BLACK ADAM
While I’ve always had an affinity for Captain Marvel, I never thought much of his supporting cast. Pot-bellied uncles, giant rabbits, and super-intelligent worms make fine drinking companions, but I don’t want to populate my superhero comics with them. Black Adam is pretty cool, though — he’s organic to Marvel’s origin and makes sense as an ongoing antagonist. Also, his black and gold version of the Captain’s costume is pretty nifty. The darker colors and lack of cape makes Adam look more streamlined and dangerous. Mattel’s version works surprisingly well considering the bulk of it is reuse. One I’ll be hunting for again someday.
6. DEATHSTROKE
I know what you’re thinking: how could I possibly part with my DCUC Breaststroke? He’s easily one of the top-tier DC villains, with a nifty comic-accurate look and loads of crazy weapons. Well, the answer is easy — I let him go specifically because this is the unmasked variant of the character. I was never a big Deathstroke fan, so an unmasked version of the character ranked somewhere just below the white Mary Marvel variant for me. I know, the difference of a mask may seem arbitrary to you, but as a collector I could never get excited about this figure. Well, until he was gone, anyway.
5. ARES
Featuring one of the most impressive sculpts in the entire line, Ares arrives and then vanishes with a tangible sense of doom. Ares had one of the most extensive dedicated sculpts available to a regular figure and was never used again. Somebody at Mattel must have really liked this guy. Me? Not so much. Oh sure, I dig the skull knee pads and spiffy metallic blue paint job, but unfamiliarity with the character, coupled with some wonky articulation, meant Ares always just sort of leaned against the back wall of the display. His goofy-looking oversized weapons didn’t help matters — I mean, is that a sword or Transformer kibble? The line that separates badass and excessive is a fine one indeed.
4. BIZZARO
Now here’s a character you either love or hate. Bizarro has been a thorn in Superman’s side for decades, which means if his “bad = good” Orwellian doublespeak gimmick bugs you, you’re in for a long hard road. Seriously, Bizarro turns up everywhere — I’m surprised he wasn’t shoehorned into Batman V Superman along with everything else. Mattel released a decent-enough Bizarro figure in 200x, reissuing the figure in one box set or another during the DCUC era, so he makes the list. His strong visual and abundance of newly sculpted pieces didn’t save B from going the Way of All Things or eBay. Does my Superman figure look a bit sadder to lose his longtime antagonist? He smiles, wipes a tear from his eye and speaks so quietly I can barely hear him: “Me not miss Bizarro at all.”
3. KALIBAK
Kalibak is another character I never had any particular attachment to. He was always just sort of annoying from a reader standpoint. I get it, you’re angry — so what? We’ve all got problems, pal, but you don’t see us walking around smashing stuff and getting slobber everywhere. Reign it in. As a Collect and Connect figure, this guy spent years missing his right leg — I just never manged to track that final piece down. Finally got it last year, snapped it into place and went, “Huh.” It’s a great sculpt and a nice-looking figure, but it never really sang to me. I let him go a few weeks back and now the 4th World seems smaller — guess I undervalued the “rage-monster” archetype.
2. OWLMAN
Okay, I admit it — I knew I’d miss Owlman. With his nutty winged cape and helmet, he’s unquestionably the coolest figure from the Crime Syndicate 5-pack. Also, I’ve had a soft-spot for the character ever since he was voiced by James “Ooo! A piece of candy!” Woods in Crisis on Two Earths. So why did he get sold? Because no one wants 4/5ths of the Crime Syndicate, I guess. The after-market is fat with gutted five packs missing only Owly, illustrating the power those obscure B-listers seem to have on collectors. However, instead of trying to replace this particular figure, I may go with the DC Collectibles version from a while back. He was also pretty nifty and a bit more affordable than Woodsy the Ownman here.
1. Low/Maash
I didn’t think I’d miss this intestinal parasite in a Stryper-themed Danskin until he was gone. In fact, I’m pretty sure I hadn’t even thought about this figure since I put him into storage a year ago. I bought Mattel’s Lanterns more out of a sense of completion than anything — the figures were pretty underwhelming, even in big groups. Once Arkillo was sold off, the appeal of the Yellow Lanterns completely vanished from my collection. And while I don’t mind not have a modern version of Sinestro, I do feel a loss when it comes to this figure. Not even the whole figure, mind you — the Maash head was pretty cool, but its Bitey the Tapeworm that really gets me. Its just so unapologetically creepy — even if I only replace the head and hands, I will get Low back one of these days. When it comes to fear, this little fellow can definitely still inspire it.