Who doesn’t love an antihero? As comics matured, the one-dimensional notion of “good guys and bad guys” evolved into a more sophisticated spectrum of motivations and methods, and the lines between “good guy” and “bad guy” become increasingly blurred. There is no character more emblematic of this evolution than DC’s Black Adam, a character created in 1945 to serve as a single-issue foil for Captain Marvel to make quick work of. Following that one comic, Black Adam vanished for 30 years, his purpose to serve as “the bad guy” fulfilled. When DC resurrected him, he slowly grew into one of DC’s more interesting characters, and now Mezco has added to the character’s legacy with their release of their One:12 Collective Black Adam. Let’s take a look!First of all, Mezco is making it real tough to not care about the packaging. The usual One:12 packaging is tough enough to discard, but when they go and release a figure in a special tin box like this? Forget it — this stays on the shelf forever. This canister just looks so cool and the seemingly basic colors really pop. The figure itself displays beautifully within, and all of this just adds to the notion that this is a special release (but I am biased in favor of the character).
Now, as fond of Black Adam as I may be, I really wasn’t expecting much from this figure. I felt as though I was buying it out of a weird kind of loyalty to Black Adam and the Marvel Family, so I placed my order with little anticipation or excitement. Thankfully, I was very pleasantly surprised by the figure itself — Adam looks fantastic. His basic black suit has a sparkle to it when the light hits it right, his gold accents (including his signature bolt sigil) pop like crazy, and his head sculpt is simply unreal. What I was expecting to be just a “Captain Marvel in a black suit” ended up being much more satisfying a purchase.
Black Adam is often depicted without a cape, and he does look great without the cape that’s included, and this look is pretty much dead-on to his classic comic appearances. His spandex suit fits him perfectly, even better than Captain Marvel’s suit. It doesn’t restrict his movement in any way, and even his sash is nicely adjustable.
But that head sculpt. Coupled with a superior paint job, it almost looks lifelike. This is easily one of the better painted head sculpts I’ve ever seen on a 1:12 figure. The paint apps are applied with so much subtly and care that Adam almost looks like a living person. Thanks to the widow’s peak and his arched eyebrows, not to mention his eye color, there is definitely something about him that suggests “Dracula.” Like, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it turns out that this head sculpt was originally intended for a planned One:12 Universal Monsters Dracula that didn’t pan out due to license issues. It works equally well as Black Adam, and I am blown away each time I glance at this figure. Just fantastic.
Adding to the Dracula comparison is the long black cape and hood. Now, I’m not too familiar with “New 52” Black Adam, but in the past when he’s worn a cape, it’s been a short, little cape like the one Captain Marvel wears. This longer cape is new to me, but I’m on board with it. I love the gold chain, and the overall aesthetic of it serves to make him look a bit more “evil.” The material feels like a soft pleather, but it doesn’t hang all that well. It is wired through the hood, but the wiring stops just below his shoulders , so below that it just kind of bows outward, making it look a little goofy unless it’s posed strategically.
I honestly can’t decide if I prefer him with or without the cape, but for now I’m displaying him with it. It really does complement his look and it does look too cool, even though when I picture the character in my head, he’s cape-less.
Articulation is standard Mezco One:12. He can get into any pose I need him to, his soft goods uniform doesn’t inhibit movement at all, and thanks to the stand he can pretty much hold any pose. Speaking of the stand …
Again, the stand is not just a repaint of Captain Marvel’s stand. His lightening bolt is unique and that yellow paint pops like crazy against the glossy black plastic. Normally I don’t bother with stands for my figures, but I love Mezco’s stands. Also included is the basic display “arm” and a few wired pieces that allow you to more dynamically display him with his cape.
Like Shazam, Black Adam comes with the lightening bolt that imbues him with his supernatural abilities. It’s gold here, and I don’t think it’s as effective as Shazam’s lightening bolt. Given the soft corners and edges, this looks more like a golden … Sorry. Gotta keep this PG. But suffice it to say, this is the one aspect of the set that I am not crazy about. I consider it a miss.
Three sets of hands are included: fists, “flying” hands, and strained “gripping” hands. All three look familiar from past One:12 figures, so I don’t think any are unique to this set.
I often display my One:12 figures with my other all-plastic figures on my shelves, but in this case, I think I have to keep Black Adam in a spot either by himself or just with Captain Marvel. He doesn’t blend all that well, mainly due to his higher quality head sculpt and paint.
Speaking of his head sculpt, while I do love it, I also would have loved getting more than just the one. Captain Marvel came with three, so I would have loved it if Adam came with at least one more — maybe a screaming, “angry” face or something. An expression that hints that this is a character capable of committing genocide to protect what he loves. His only head sculpt suggests a seething contempt, which is great, but an all-out-rage head would have been awesome. And I would have gladly sacrificed the tin canister packaging in exchange for a few more accessories.
If you are a fan of Black Adam and the Marvel Family, I would call this a must-have figure. The Marvel Family is my favorite corner of the DC Universe, so I was an easy mark for this figure from the get-go, and I will gladly snag any Marvel Family character Mezco would choose to produce (is a Mary Marvel too much too hope for?), but Black Adam here blew me away. Captain Marvel, or “Shazam,” was my pick for best of 2017, and I have a feeling Black Adam may end up being my pick for 2018. If you can, pick one up today from any of the following spots:
