Yeah, I went right for the goods with this assortment.
Sure, I was pretty stoked to get the DKR Joker from this latest assortment of DC Multiverse figures (canonball reviewed him HERE), and Batgirl of Burnside figure is pretty neat, too — but I was all in on this wave for one reason and one reason only: King Shark. I will admit it — I have not added many figures to my DC collection since DCUC died an untimely death, so when I saw this beautiful abomination at SDCC last summer, I was pretty pumped. The new Multiverse line does a good job in living up to its name in covering DC characters from all different kinds of media, but I am a DC COMICS figure collector.
I know it is fashionable to hate on DCUC now (insert maximum eye roll here), but it is still my all-time favorite DC line and the two hundred or so figures I have from that run are still one of my favorite parts of my collection. Getting this new figure reminds me of the line and how, when they wanted it to be, it could be really great; King Shark makes a perfect addition to that DCUC shelf, and even though I had to get several figures I do not care about (TV guys), as the Collect-and-Connect, he is worth it. I know we will likely never get back to a great comic-based DC retail line (at least not for a long time), so when I can get a new character to add, it is a good feeling, especially when the figure is as good as King Shark here.
I suppose he can technically be passed off as a TV figure as well, since the character (apparently) appeared briefly on The Flash series, but my true love for the character most definitely stems from Gail Simone’s Secret Six run. It was a hell of a comic run, and it gave life back to a character who could have easily been forgotten in the 90s and made him cooler than ever. This figure lives up to the hype and while I said this piece reminds me of the days of DCUC, this might be better work from the Four Horsemen than anything that ever came out of that run. The (somewhat) limited articulation scheme from that line remains in tact, but sculpt is so, ahem — killer, on this figure, it makes the old Killer Shark look like a guppy.
Big, monstrous, anthropomorphic characters are definitely the 4H’s forte, and King Shark looks stunning, especially considering he is a half man, half shark in torn up jeans. He is pretty massive as his character and Collect-and-Connect status dictates, and while there might be a few pieces here and there that have been reused from a previous figure (I am not sure as my entire collection is currently packed up for an impending move), most of this figure is all-new. The body is big and nicely sculpted, and there are actually a lot of paint applications, especially on the jeans, but the head sculpt is where it is at on this figure.
King Shark is pretty much a shark head on the Incredible Hulk’s body, but a lot of love went into capturing the great white shark likeness. King Shark is battle scared, but his gills and multiple rows of teeth were not overlooked either. Again, the paint really shines here, and the white dry brushing definitely gives a feel of realism to your giant shark man. The jaw is hinged so you can eat everyone, and even though you lose all neck articulation because of the form, I certainly don’t miss it. This guy can run with anyone else in your DC collection, and he has rocketed right to the top of the list as one of my all-time favorite C-a-C figures, he is just that good.
Yeah, it stung a bit having to buy some figures I have absolutely no use for, but in the end, King Shark is certainly worth it. Not only does he blend right in with my DCUC collection, he is a great example of how good the figures can be when they are hitting on all cylinders. Kudos to the Horsemen for bringing back that old feeling with this guy, while still keeping it fresh. As an added bonus, there is supposed to be a Toys R Us exclusive Robin at some point with an alternate “hammerhead” head for the figure that looks like it could be even better than this already great standard head, so be on the lookout for that.
This set is starting to hit retail and online shops now, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding it, especially if you go to BBTS right now. King Shark is the real deal, and you won’t regret it.
