I forget that there are some really amazing action figures in DC Universe Classics. And with a perfectly timed retro review, I give you Wonder Woman’s long time nemesis Ares. With Wonder Woman’s standalone movie launching, I figured it’s a good time to capitalize and post some DC tie-ins.
Ares is a fantastic DC villain. He’s another one of those ’40s characters that’s withstood the test time. There is the pre-Crisis version and the post Crisis version. This figure represents George Perez’s relaunched look in Wonder Woman post-Crisis, which would be around 1987, if memory serves. And this look is still popular today. Yes, DC’s tried a number of different looks over the decades, but they always fall back on this one. And why not? Ares actually looks like a Greek God of War in this costume, and he’s scary as shit.
Ares is a beautifully sculpted action figure, it’s clear that Four Horsemen Studios loved this version of the character (yeah, yeah, we know they have a love affair with pre/post-Crisis looks), and the designs play right into their strengths. Four Horsemen Studios are masters of fantasy sculpting — we’ve seen that plenty of late, and Ares is a great example of those strengths.
The chest armor has hammered dimples, giving it an amazing amount detail, and even with the break at the ab-joint, this is an amazing looking chest armor. The helmet is just loaded with detail; it’s the traditional spartan helmet turned into something out of a Frazetta or Gieger art book (credit to Perez for going nuts on the concept). The details continue with the armor on the arms and legs.
The articulation is standard for DC Universe Classics. The armored skirt inhibits movement in the thighs, which is annoying when making action poses. A looser skirt design or some cuts would have been a huge help, especially since this figure has all the standard DCUC articulation.
Ares come with two accessories: a double-sided axe and a sword. I don’t know if this is comic accurate or not, but they are great sculpts with some excellent details. The weapons alone can be used in other fantasy lines if you are looking for an ultra-great sword or a great axe.
Once again, DC Universe Classics delivers another action figure that is a must have. As with the weapons, the figure makes an incredible entrant into any fantasy line of action figures you might have. But his strength is as the Wonder Woman villain. He’s a must-have for the villain shelf and definitely worth the aftermarket cost. You can pick him today here:
