When the switch from normal Batgirl to “Batgirl of Burnside” took place a few years ago, I have to admit I was not a fan. At all.
I loved the then, current Batgirl title. One of my favorite writers, Gail Simone, was doing a great job crafting some very good Batgirl stories. In this book, Barbara was not perfect, and this was not some lighthearted, forgettable, throwaway book, to say the least. During the Simone run, Babs was having issues dealing with the traumatic event of being shot by Joker and her subsequent recovery. Add to that, her having a very complicated relationship with her dad (Commissioner Gordon), and her having to deal with her really, really messed up serial-killing brother.
As if all that wasn’t bad enough, Joker came back to town, and that’s when things really got dark. After that, DC decided that they wanted a less dark, more vibrant, rebellious, and trendy Batgirl, who a younger audience could relate to. I get the sales angle, but me being a non-teenage girl … I checked out.
But I really did love that damn new costume. And maybe I do need some new trendy stuff in my life. And that costume. So after almost a year and a half, I went back and bought the trade. I just can’t quit you, Batgirl. The book grew on me, and it definitely is not just for teen girls. It does skew younger, but I made a mistake writing it off as a “teen” book. It deals with social issues and, truthfully, issues that a girl like Barbara would deal with trying to be a masked vigilante at night while trying to maintain some semblance of a social life.
When I made peace with the new direction of the book is just about the same time that this figure was announced, so it was perfect timing. I’ve been a pretty big fan of the Icons line so far, and being able to add a Batgirl to my collection is always nice.
The packaging is standard Icons fare: big white box with a clear front window showing the figure, the motorcycle, and all the accessories included. The figure’s individual number in the line is on the side along with the character’s symbol up top. The backside shows the rest of the “wave.” It’s basically just the Batgirl with bike and the Darkseid/Grail two pack.
Right out of the box I just loved this figure. The sculpt is perfect. She’s almost perfect, and every little part of her jumps right from the book’s pages.
The sculpt is really well-crafted and highly detailed. There are little cloth seams and wrinkles to make sure the more leather look of her Burnside costume is achieved. The bat symbol is raised, and the tiny little zippers on her costume are a nice touch.
Her face is another high point and it nails her more youthful, exuberant expressions.
I have been a fan of this costume even before I was a fan of the book, and this figure nails her new look. The purple is vibrant and the seams are all painted evenly. Simply put, she just pops.
Poseability is very good. Like most Icons figures, she has double-jointed elbows and knees, as well as an ab hinge and waist swivel that allow her to get into some cool action poses. She’s easily the most poseable and playable Batgirl figure made so far.
The articulation breakdown:
- Ball-jointed neck
- Ball-and-hinged shoulders
- Swivel triceps
- Ab hinge and lower ab crunch
- Double-jointed elbows
- Hinge-and-swivel wrists
- Ball-jointed hips with drop-down swivel
- Double-jointed knees
- Hinge-and-swivel ankles
As for accessories, the figure includes multiple hands, an extra head and cape (for wind-blown, bike-riding effect), a grappling gun, and a cell phone.
She comes with fists, one trigger-finger hand for the gun, an open-palm hand for the phone, and two hands that allow her to grip the cycle’s throttles.
The figure itself is fun as it is. But for the price tag (I paid right at $45), you need more, and that “more” comes in the form of her motorcycle. Vehicles in 1:12 scale are few and far between, so any and all are welcome in my collection. It works well, and the diorama stand it comes with works well to keep it displayed. The wheels do indeed roll in case anyone was wondering. My only gripe is that the bike has to rest on the base because it has no kickstand.
The bike is constructed well and is highly detailed. I love the metallic purple and details on the engine, the controls, and on the wheels. Her double-jointed knees allow her to get into a good position on the bike and look comfortable enough to be passable.
As for scale, she will fit right in with the Icons line, and I use her in my overall collection since she’s supposed to be a smaller, young 20-ish female. Ironically, she scales the worst with the Icons Batman because he’s so painfully small. I get by that by using him as my Grayson Bats.
This is seriously one of my favorite figures of the year and may be my very favorite. The figure is amazingly well done, and the bike with all of its detail just puts her over the top. If you collect the Icons line, Bat-figures, or DC figures in general, I highly recommend picking her up. The price tag may be on the steep side, but I feel like the bike makes up for it.
You can grab her at your local comic book shop, Big Bad Toy Store, or on Amazon.
