DC Comics is in a weird place right now.
…might be the biggest understatment I’ve written in a while. Contrary to what some folks might think, I’m not really a pessimist by nature. Hell, I don’t even hate Robert Pattinson. But to say that I’m unsure about the future of the DC brand- be it Dan DiDio’s absolutely moronic “5G” universe, to the aforementioned seemingly written-on-a-napkin DC movie plans, to now a split retail toy presence by two companies I honestly never thought would have a DC logo on their stuff- is putting it pretty damn mildly.
So, its a damn good thing One:12 Collective is still delivering the quality DC goods. And hopefully Netherrealm has got plans for Injustice 3. But for now, at least, we have Mezco building the League.
Green Lantern hit right as my remodeling “adventure” got underway, so I didn’t get to review him, but he is a top-notch figure. But where John Stewart went very “new school,” Aquaman charged in unabashedly and unapologetically “old school.” And yet, put them side-by-side, it works.
Aquaman is straight up out of the warm waters of the silver age. Where I fully expected a muted color palette, or more metallic tones (though he’s not completely without those,) Aquaman literally wears his classics on his sleeve. The vibrant orange and greens are even paired with a darker green trunks section- an interesting direction, as Mezco continues about 50/50 on that style. If you have Captain America, then you’ve long suspected we would get an Aquaman with scales and he sure as hell didn’t disappoint. But the texture and line work on the greens did come as a surprise, in that there was a lot more design and pattern to them than is immediately apparent. The transitions into his finned boots are especially nice.
Pair this sweet costume with a big broad base, some regal headsculpts and some Atlantean armor and it’s almost like Arthur is daring you not to take him seriously. Go on, you ask him if he talks to fish. My friend BMF, whose pictures are accompanying this review, is particularly fond of the yelling sculpt, in a Walter Sobcheck “Am I the only one around here that gives a — about the rules??” sort of way. Arthur is a proper, royal man. He is a ruler of an undersea kingdom whose culture has been lost to ours for centuries. He truly doesn’t have the time or patience for your crap. And these headsculpts do that 0-to-60-knots perfectly, from stern, to annoyed, to tearing the walls down. And for a guy that prefers to let his pics do the talking, a green-and-orange-clad superhero with a raging head makes for some fascinating photos.
It is inevitable, of course, that we have to compare him to his movie counterpart; one that seemed to catch on and I certainly enjoyed the hell out of. But these two are strangely complimentary: while very close to the same guy in both versions, they both convey it almost completely different. Oddly enough, the comic Aquaman almost makes this movie one feel more jovial by comparison- maybe a bearded head would have brought over a little more Brave and the Bold to his look. And that would be an excellent addition to a PX version, hint hint Mez.
Accessories also include his variant fists and holding hands, trusty trident, and armor pieces. The crown piece is especially cool as it uses magnets in the heads to secure in place on any of the three. And, like I mentioned above, I’m glad the gold touches made their way into the armor and belt since gold is a very Aquaman color. In fact, mine will probably stay armored up most of the time since it’s pretty close to one of his Injustice loadouts– see? And you thought I was just rambling that first paragraph.
Aquaman is going to be a high recommend for me, as I think he’s kind of a sleeper figure. He’s a stellar addition to the League and a commanding presence on the shelf. He may not be one you planned on grabbing at first release, but I see him only gaining ground as supply starts to dwindle. And hopefully that means something like a Flashpoint or Peter David variant might be possible.
Thanks to Mezco for helping with getting the figure here for review and special thanks to BMF for joining in and sharing some of his work. You can catch him At @bat_motha_fcka_photography on instagram, as well as a regular feature on @extreme_sets . Use “BATMFP” at checkout on him if you need a discount on some new backdrops like the Asylum one here.
