In the Summer of 1989, I was grade-school age, spending summer vacation in city that was foreign to me, hundreds of miles away from my friends. In as close an approximation as a pre-teen can get, I was getting a little melancholy in my homesickness. But that all changed one night in early June when Entertainment Tonight showed what they used to call a “sizzle reel” of Batman.
And there he was, all at once exactly as I had imagined and… well, not. He was scarier than I thought he’d be. Darker. And while the Jim Starlin and Marv Wolfman comics that had led me to this point were really just as dark, they hid it beneath that old CMYK dot colored printing. But the Batman of 1989 wore BLACK. Not just a black cape and cowl, as was occasionally seen in the 1980s, but all black. The edginess that all us comic fans knew Batman hid behind the occasionally behind some bright blue and light gray was now laid bare for everyone to see.
And in that moment, were young DisThunder a tribe or a civilization, that would have been the moment of “the great split.” Two ideologies, while somewhat compatible, were forged: One held to the tradition of the classic Batman in his blue and gray. And the other, black on black. And this culture war rages on to this day.
In 2019, a year where Batman hits 80 years, it’s really getting tough to nail down any one of his various looks as “the one.” It really comes down to most folks’ introductory moment- so for me, the icon will always be in blue and gray, with the yellow oval. But if there was ever a challenger to that status, a dark horse, it’s always going to be black.
So, Sovereign Knight’s first release, by providence, necessity, or just chance, gets to be this Onyx variant. I suspect this might be because the Previews Exclusive has the same patterned suit and chest oval, so they may share a closer production time. Sovereign Knight is the second in Mezco’s Batman trilogy. As I like to paraphrase from Frank Miller, this is Micheal Jordan 1998 Batman. He’s at the top of his game, where he’s got this caped crusader thing down to a science. The cool thing about the different variations is that you can nail down that height of his career to the look that suits you….unless you’re me. But truly, it’s either PX or MezEx. One of the two.
There is a new body build at play here as well, something that feels similar to Ascending Knight, but bigger, thicker. It is close to the Punisher and movie Batman builds, but again, the build is different- he’s a bit wider. All the articulation is here- double joints, butterfly shoulders, waist and torso sockets, ball hips, and so on- and this time, you can tell the vinyl details of the suit are designed to work with those joints to prevent that vinyl from creasing. One complaint folks had with Ascending is that the vinyl panels on particularly the front of his thighs can get crease lines through them when posing; they didn’t particularly bother me, but I get the concern, and should those creases crack the vinyl… But here, the gaps in the patterns should help prevent that.
The suit’s pattern is very evocative of that classic 1989 body armor. There are segments that give off the look of segmented plates. These vinyl pieces have this fascinating sheen to them, which make this figure give off a glossy effect. I was a little surprised by this at first, but then, that is what “Onyx” really implies. The armored chest logo, again, forever immortalized in my mind by Frank Miller, is an imposing, detailed, and fantastic focal point of the costume. The belt feels like a spiritual successor to the one of Ascending, but it is slimmed down somewhat here, with a smaller buckle and streamlined pouches. Again, I wasn’t sure I liked it better at first, but the refinement fits this version well. Lastly, the cape is a shiny, lightweight material much like the one on Tactical Batman. It’s hard to top the Ascending cape for me, but this material matches the finish so well, I totally see why they chose it. And the light floatiness of it makes moving and playing with it very easy.
Mezco Batmen always do well in accessories. Among the usual posing and holding hands, optional heads, and weaponry, Sovereign Knight has some real standouts, so I’ll touch on those specifically- plenty of pics and reviews if you need a breskdown of included parts, I just wanted to show some “in action.” The headsculpts all portray a Batman a bit older than Ascending, as he should be. He has a long-eared mask that works as a successor to the original, a short-eared version evocative of the 1980s and 90s, and an unmasked Bruce with touches of grey and some extra lines on his face. But there is also the welcome return of a wounded headsculpt, showing the long eared mask partially broken by something with claws. All of the masks show paneling that indicates armor plates, and then on the damaged one, the silver of those plates shows through. These heads do work with the movie and Ascending figures as well (tactical requires a neck mod, or course,) so needless to say a little Tamiya soot on the cowl and it’s right at home on the figure of your choice.
Batarangs come in ready supply, with a dozen smaller ones that fit in the appropriate hands. There is a single larger one with some carbon fiber panels that also fits, and then there is a great big, self propelled one we call the Bat-Drone. This drone has some really nice details, like some small propulsion ones on the wings, and ball-jointed “shoulders.” For an accessory I didn’t know I needed, I’ve found myself messing around with it often- i just wish it had a stand or something to let this drone hover over Batman’s shoulder. I think I’ll revisit this drone in more detail later, when I figure out a fix. In the meantime, should you need a better look at any of these accessories, check out Robo’s review that I’ve got linked below.
The classic grappling gun recieved an upgrade along with his suit, with a more futuristic profile. Like the first version, the gun slots in an open holster on the back of the belt, and has several projectiles that fit in the muzzle. Not a bad inculsion, and a necessary one, but then there’s this sonic disrupter gun he also comes with. The diffuser cone on the front of the gun can store on the side when not in use, but it doesn’t quite fit the holster. There is something about this weapon, though; it gets my imagination going. It has great detailing, picked out with gold paint, and in his hand it just looks cool. Think of all the electronics and inner ears he’s going to jack up.
And where would we be if we didn’t talk about the Kryptonite knuckle duster included on an extra fist. The Kryptonite is done in translucent green, and once it’s on the figure, the story tells itself. Like the promo images Mezco put out themselves, pairing the knuckle duster wth the damaged cowl is a natural fit: as a last ditch weapon, it’s not hard to imagine a fist fight with the Man of Steel is going to leave you in one piece.
Sovereign Knight just might be the Batman a lot of folks have been waiting for. Personally, I feel like each version brings something else to the table, and individually they are worth inclusion on their own merits. Onyx feels like the culmination of a fascination that started with a 1989 Toy Biz figure, where the PX might be that same for a 1985 Kenner one. If you were unable to pick up this version, I would definitely put in the effort to preorder one of the others. And if you haven’t already, make sure to check out Robo’s review on this figure on The Fwoosh YouTube channel!
