Well, you might consider this wave of four figures to actually be DC Universe Classics series 21, but, well, it doesn’t really feel like that. This series is very much a point of transition. We have our beloved fan-demanded characters coming via the Club Infinite Earths for at least the next 18 months, and retail is really taking a turn towards being heavy-hitters and the DCnU 52. Well, with this small assortment of nU Superman, nU Batman, Red Robin, and Superboy Prime, you get a bit of both. C’mon in and check out some brief thoughts and some pictures.
I must admit that I am already a bit behind with this one and since I am getting ready to go out town for work for a few days, I wanted to get this up ASAP so it doesn’t have to wait any longer. To that end, I apologize for the brevity and I will make every attempt to answer all of you questions in the comments section below our in our forum thread. So without further ado…
Superman
You know, if you like the nU 52 design, I think you are going to dig this figure. I am not a fan of the costume, and I think that Jim Lee is one of the worst costume designers ever (he can draw though). Not that there is anything offensive about it like, say, his Jean Grey abomination (ducks), but I think Superman needs red undies and a spit curl. Sure, they may be out of time a bit, but Superman is about as classic as it gets in terms of characters, so he can be portrayed as such.
It’s cool that we get all of the little costume details (as ’90s as they are) sculpted, and I am pretty sure that this sculpt is all new. One thing of note, though, like the nU Batman figure, he is actually a little bit smaller than most standard DCUC figures that have been released to date. I am not sure why that is since Red Robin and Superboy Prime are not, but I wonder if this new subset, that will most certainly have a retail presence in 2013, will be just a bit smaller than the classic counterparts. My real nitpick with the figure is that the hips on this sample are a little floppy, but you can still stand him up. Like I said, though, if the nU stuff is your bag, you will probably dig this Superman.
Superboy Prime
Well, I kind of wish he was in his Sinestro Corps outfit (weird, right?), but, really, this is most certainly a viable character that will stand right with the rest of my villains in my DCUC collection. I am not sure if retail will be very conducive to getting characters like this in the new world of 2013, but a classic Penguin in the first series of Batman Unlimited leave me hopeful we will get a bone tossed our way every so often. After the whole Infinite Crisis saga, I think this has become Superboy Prime’s most recognizable look, so I am good with the concept of the figure.
He actually has a lot of new parts (all of these figures do save for Red Robin) and I am glad they did not even skimp with the cape and have retained the tattered look. He has the power tubes running to his forearm gauntlets, but they are soft enough to not really inhibit his movement. My nitpick with the figure, though, is that something happened to the shape of the head during the production process, and I am not sure what it is exactly, but he looks older than he did previously. Maybe his face is a little “puffy”? I think the “looking up” eyes contribute to it as well, but someone mentioned a “receding hairline” look and maybe that’s it, too. It doesn’t look terrible, but certainly not as good as the prototype, but that is what often happens.
Red Robin
Now here is an interesting choice for a figure and, really, one that I thought we would get a long time ago. I will admit that I am not completely up to snuff on the whole nU thing (I clutch my bronze, silver, and right-up-to-Blackest-Night stories to comfort me), but I guess Tim Drake has always been Red Robin now? Hmm… well, Red Robin was originally established in the Ross/Waid Kingdom Come storyline, and while, like Lee, Ross is not my favorite costume designer, I actually really like this look. It has a classic feel and gives a lot credence to a “grown up” Robin costume.
I know a lot of online chatter has pointed at the fact that this figure is very, very tall (based mostly off of less-than-legitimate factory reject eBay sales), but I think there are a couple of things going on here. First, yes, he is tall and the belt piece contributes to that a lot, but he really is not any taller than most standard DCUC figures. When he is side by side with the Batman and Superman figures from this wave, though, he looks like a giant. That is more due to their shorter stature than his being freakishly tall. If nothing else, this is a really fun figure to pose, so I have a feeling he will be the bigger winner of the wave, at least amongst collectors.
Batman
Okay, I don’t think I need to continue to harp on my dislike for the nU and most of the costume designs therein, BUT, I think this is my favorite figure of the bunch. Yeah, aside from the lack of the black undies, I actually really like everything going on here. The suit is a nice, dark grey color and the lines actually help it look like armor plates, which is okay with me. I prefer the classic, smooth lines, but there are not so many on this figure as to make it bewildering. The finned gauntlets are nice too and they are actually overlay piece on the forearms. The chest logo is also raised, so that is newly sculpted detail.
The big thing is that we have FINALLY, FINALLY, yes, FINALLY gotten a new Batman head sculpt and I think it’s great. It is stern, but not psychotic and it has the shorter bat ears that I prefer. In fact, even though it is a little small for a standard DCUC body due to this figure actually being smaller, I swapped it with my classic Batman figure to have a new default version. Give it a try, it might be a little pin-headed for some tastes, but I think it looks fine.
Well DC fans, we have our nice little sub with lots of classic characters, but retail is a changing animal in 2013. I hope that we can still get a few collector-oriented figures each year, but expect to see more Batman and Superman figures than before. This All-Star wave really is a transitional wave saying farewell to the collector figures and hello to the brave nU world. It will be interesting to see where it takes us.
*Thanks for reading and thanks to Toy Guru and crew for sending this series along for a First Look!
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