My man! I mean, come on, how else would open a feature like this?
Well kids, it is a turbulent time around the DC movie-verse at the moment, so just as we are gearing up to welcome Mattel’s new action figure offerings, things are still up in the air for the movies. Sure, Wonder Woman seems to remain solid, but how about Batman and Superman at this point? We really don’t know how future casting and movies will play out. So, even though the waiting game sucks, that is exactly what we are playing.
However, the new Aquaman flick is barreling towards us quickly, and, at least for now, the King of Atlantis appears to stand closer to Wonder Woman than Justice League in terms of hopeful success. Now, a healthy dose of Jason Momoa badassedness can certainly help that cause, but I have to admit, I am really excited for what I have seen thus far and I am looking forward to movie. I actually kind of love the fact that Wonder Woman and Aquaman, two DC heroes who executives have seemed to “struggle” with in the past, are looking to lead the way to a spot where DC will hopefully be able to trade punches with Marvel, but let’s take things one step at a time. Right now, Aquaman is ready for his starring role, and I am ready to see what he has got.
Like the Harley and Spoiler figures we featured awhile back, I got to see these new Aquaman figures up close at SDCC last summer, and also like those two, it was quickly apparent that Mattel was coming to the party with the clear message that they were stepping up their game. Sure, there are still a few things that are works in progress as the come to hit their stride, but there is a MARKED difference and improvement in these new Aquaman figures from their Suicide Squad and Justice League offerings. I am a realist, so I do not have the demand that every aspect of every action figure I collect be perfect in every way, but you know what? These figures are really nice, and I excited to be actively collecting DC figures again, because it has been a lean few years. So, this series and the movie it supports have me lined up to be excited, and I am very glad for it.
AQUAMAN
It’s Jason Momoa, you guys. If you want to make Aquaman an pure badass, just put Khal Drogo underwater and you suddenly have the Seven Seas begging for mercy before Khal Curry can even throw down. Yeah, I have always loved Aquaman, and especially his iconic Silver and Bronze Age incarnations, but even though I don’t care for the overly-dark skew happening in the DC movie verse, I strongly support Momoa as Aquaman. Yes, he is imposing and can be brooding, but the dude is funny, too, and I think he can combine those traits perfectly for a big screen center stage, so it should be a lot of fun.
I am also happy to see that they did not shy away from the orange and green in the costume, and this figure shows it off well. Yeah, Arthur has long dark hair, but he also has bright green gauntlets, and like the Wonder Woman designs, they seem to have skated the line between comic colors and reality well. Functionally, the figure is very nice with a lot of articulation; this specific figure has a bit of a weak right elbow, but it is not too bad, and the POAs that are there all have a good range of movement. The SDCC comic Aquaman figure was nice overall, but it had some proportion issues to it, but this figure is stacked and jacked and matches Momoa well.
The paints are mostly nice as well, and the iridescent washes on the orange and green bring the colors out nicely. The Momoa likeness is good, but you can see that Mattel is still playing with some face painting techniques within this line. Aquaman is MILES ahead of the SS guys, but it feels like they are going into the full application of the True FX printing technique recently rolled out in the WWE, and if that is case, sign me up. Don’t get me wrong, this figure is unmistakably Jason Momoa, right down to the notch in the eyebrow, but I see the Multiverse team at Mattel continuing to push themselves to keep improving. Aquaman includes his requisite trident and Trench Warrior piece, but we will get to the latter in a moment.
BLACK MANTA
While I have seen trailers and production shots from the movie, I think seeing this figure at SDCC was the first time I got a good look at the Manta design for the movie. Like Aquaman, I think the costume designers have done a good job between staying true to the influence of the comics, but also putting a real world spin on it. I am NOT a fan of the movie-verse Cyborg and Flash designs, but the enhanced technology, coupled with the transition of finishes and just enough red splashes, really works for this figure. It seems to me that Ocean Master is being set up as the on-going nemesis of Aquaman in the movies (I could be totally wrong, though), so I am interested to see how Black Manta will be utilized on screen.
The first thing that I noticed about the design is that, well, Manta has a GIANT noggin/helmet. However, this actually makes sense because, you know, a human head could fit in there. Again, I am an ardent supporter of the comic design, but if you overthink the practicality of that Manta helmet, you are only going to find yourself trying to visualize how he sees through that neck piece. Plus, the red “eyes” look really nice; say what you will about the overuse of red and black in sport uniforms, the colors go well together and make Black Manta instantly imposing. Plus the harness adds a lot to look at, too, and the changes between shiny and matte finishes help bring out the details. The jet propellers on the back are especially cool, and are actually articulated to be able to position as you like them.
It is funny, the weaponry is probably the least exciting aspect of the figure to me, and while the sword and arm blade are fine, they are pretty generic. For a movie that will (hopefully) spend a lot time undersea, I am hoping to see a lot of fantastic takes on technology and weaponry, but it feels like the production designers might have missed some opportunities with Manta’s arsenal, but that is certainly not Mattel’s issue. Like I said, they are fine, but not the most exciting things in the world.
Finally, I want to comment on the Collect and Connect figure of this series. If you saw the Aquaman figure display in the Mattel booth, you know it was really, really awesome, and very big. One of the things that made it so cool was the ARMY of Trench Warriors swimming about and fighting with the other characters. The Trench Warrior is probably the most interesting figure in this assortment, and sculpt work and colors are super cool. If nothing else, Mattel EASILY got me for a half dozen of these dudes based on the display alone. But then I read… the Trench Warrior was the C&C of this assortment and my heart just kind of dropped. It KILLS me that the C&C is the army builder because it makes building that army prohibitive to the vast majority of collectors. So, while I am already in love with this figure (and I still need two more figures to finish him), I am sad I could not get more. Maybe he will be re-released in a different deco as a single card figure someday, because I want more. Hopefully such a cool army builder will not a C&C again.
Overall, Aquaman and Black Manta are solid additions to Multiverse Movie shelf, and the latter is especially nice. Hopefully these guys will be the harbingers of what is to come with Mattel bringing their A-game and continuing to improve. I really hope the movie is a success because I want to see more GOOD DC on the screen, and will gladly take the action figures that come with it. Which, by the way, you can get here and here from Amazon.
*Thanks to Mattel for sending these samples for feature.
