There is soooo much to process in the wake of San Diego Comic Con this year that, even with my line of choice, I’m going to have to break this up into two parts.
Truly, this is a con not soon to be forgotten. I honestly don’t do much in the Marvel Legends of the Mattel DC lines these days, but, honestly, this year brought some of the best offerings I’ve seen from either line in a long time, probably since one of the last SDCCs I attended. Dazzler? For real? A 6-inch scale Batcave? Fantastic.
And my flagship line certainly didn’t slouch this year either. For this part, we’ll obviously take a look at the DC offerings, and next we’ll look at the Marvel line and some of its compatriots.
For DC, it’s been a rough year, but if one thing came out clear, it’s that folks are all good with more Bat-Fleck. A personal choice of mine (and Fuzzy Blue Demon’s), championing the selection of a Knightmare Batman turned out to be a pretty damn good idea.
I would say this guy is probably really fresh from the concept, so I reserve judgement on things like his coat being too clean and not quite as nicely fitted as it could be, as I imagine fine-tunings like that are still very likely. But I am extremely excited about what I’m seeing and what looks like a potential 2016 release.
Likewise, we got a look at a presumably early Suicide Squad Harley. I’m not sure how the articulation will break down, and she looks a little slight for the movie version, but I see a lot of promise in that new female build. The costume and bubblegum effect are very cool.
Arsenal is set to join Green Arrow, and the costume looks like it will pair nicely with the Emerald Archer. He may end up being a variant of the “standard” Arrow, but I suppose we’ll have to wait and see. I do like the colors and head sculpt, though.
And what is probably Arrow’s enemy pairing, Deathstroke, made reveal as well. This is looking like a fusion of the Arkham Origins and Arrow TV series looks, and, right now, I’m loving the hell out of it. I certainly wouldn’t turn down a classic-inspired version either, but this will be fantastic for bridging between the comic and movie figures.
Another surprise villain, maybe the biggest “Holy S–t!” of the reveals, was Darkseid. His massive frame, Kirby sensibilities, and light-up eyes are going to finally dethrone my DCSH version, one I’ve held onto all this time. Hell, even his opponent, classic Superman, is looking more polished as we get to his release. I had held off on ordering him since he hadn’t quite sold me, and now I’m regretting not taking advantage of some of the better preorder prices out there.
I suppose I can console myself with this Red Son Superman variant. He looks absolutely imposing as all hell, and his mere presence, confirming the possibility of Elseworlrd variations, is not going to bode well for my finances in the future.
And yet another villain fills the ranks with the addition of the Joker. I’m somewhat at a loss for words on this one. He evokes the scary brilliance of the Sideshow 1:6 version in a way that makes all my other Joker figures completely irrelevant.
Last, but certainly not least, Captain Marvel gets an excellent sparring partner in Black Adam. Again, this appearance calls into question my ability to pass on the other figure because the Adam is so badass looking, I have to give him proper company.
Obviously, this line is not for some folks. That much is obvious pretty much every time someone trots out that tired “Mego” comparison. But for me? There’s no going back now. This is going from being my primary collecting line to my ONLY collecting line. And it’s doing so against some of the best competition there’s been in years. And we haven’t even talked Marvel yet!