“I’m the one who steps from the shadows, all trenchcoat and cigarette and arrogance, ready to deal with the madness. Oh, I’ve got it all sewn up. I can save you. If it takes the last drop of your blood, I’ll drive your demons away. I’ll kick them in the bollocks and spit on them when they’re down and then I’ll be gone back into darkness, leaving only a nod and a wink and a wisecrack. I walk my path alone… who would walk with me?” — John Constantine, Hellblazer #41.This figure’s release could not be more timely. With the premier of NBC’s Constantine a mere few days ago, I have to wonder if DC Collectibles planned the release of this figure to land within the same week. Not that it matters because I’ll happily take getting a new John Constantine figure any day of the week, any month of the year. He’s been firmly planted among my all-time favorite DC characters ever since I was first introduced to him in the pages of Alan Moore’s seminal Saga of the Swamp Thing, but after viewing the first episode of his new TV series, I’ve got Constantine on the mind again. In fact, this is the first figure I’ve purchased from DCC since the “New 52” took over, and I have to say I’m pretty satisfied with what I’m seeing so far.
So let’s take a look at this new John Constantine figure from DC Collectibles.
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As indicated by the packaging, this figure is based on John Constantine’s appearances in the DC Justice League Dark comic, and it is not at all related in appearance to the actor portraying the character on the TV series, despite obvious costume similarities. Justice League Dark is the only DC comic I’ve been reading since the cancellation of Gail Simone’s Secret Six, and I’ve stuck with it primarily because of the team roster. I love the idea of Constantine having to function as part of a team, so it’s been his personality and interpersonal dynamics that, as usual, make any book he’s featured in a joy to read. As a result, I’ll likely pick up any figure DCC chooses to release from the JLD series, and I have to say that Constantine and Zatanna are an excellent start to this series.
We get a –very– brief bio on the back of his box, and I do think DCC does a nice job in their presentation here. I love the large window on the front and the stylized silhouette-like rendition of the character on the side. The packaging is nothing I’m going to keep, of course, but I can appreciate the design work that went into it.
The overall sculpt and paint work here are awesome. From the neck down, I can’t imagine a better take on John Constantine. His coat looks awesome, and I love the dynamic look they chose to go with here. It’s so much more effective than having it just hang there like it does on the DC Infinite Earths figure. The folds and wrinkles in the coat, the belt, the colors and the shading — everything comes together to give us something realistic and convincing. His slightly disheveled tie, shirt, and pants all nail the character’s look as well. He looks great. However — there is one aspect of the figure’s appearance that I can see being a point of contention for some fans, and that is… the head sculpt.
I’ll start off by saying that it does look more like the character than any other figure we’ve gotten so far, and it’s miles better than that DCIE figure, but it does look a little cartoony/anime, and that may put some people off. I can see that. It doesn’t bother me all that much, at least for now, because I think I’m still in that honeymoon period where I’m just crazy stoked to have a new Constantine figure, but this is something that may bug me down the road. The realism of the rest of the figure is somewhat compromised by the head, which is unfortunate. But — the more I look at it, I’m wondering if its just the eyes that are throwing it off.
His eyes seem rather… large… so I’m wondering if a more subdued set of eyes would improve the overall look of the head sculpt. If I had the ability to paint eyes myself, I would attempt this, but since I don’t, I won’t. I’ll live with these. But I’d love to see a customizer take a crack at these eyes.
The good news is that we finally have a suitably “pretty” Constantine in action figure form, and since the character is based on one of the ultimate pretty boys from the early ’80s (Sting), this feels appropriate. My only concern is that the paint job on his face may cause him too look a little too pretty.
In terms of articulation, he’s certainly articulated, but he’s not a “highly articulated” figure or anything. Since my chief concerns will always be sculpt and paint, this doesn’t bother me, and I do believe he’s pretty standard for a DCC figure. His breakdown:
- Ball-jointed head
- Ball-jointed shoulders (I think)
- Hinge-and-swivel elbows
- Hinge-and-swivel knees
- Ball-jointed hips
So he’s not winning any articulation awards. There is no hip swivel or ab crunch, and I don’t think his wrists are articulated either. I can’t get them to swivel despite applying heat liberally to loosen them up. He also lacks any kind of ankle articulation, so he is mainly a display piece more than anything.
Now, John Constantine is a character who is often depicted with a cigarette in hand, and it really looks as though his left hand was sculpted in such a way as to allow him to hold a cigarette. Look at those two fingers! If anyone has a suggestion for something that could be used as a cigarette, I’m listening! I feel as though he really needs something to complete the look.
The figure is just slightly larger than the standard DCUC figure, which would probably put him in the 6- to 7-inch range. He looks pretty good with my custom Swamp Thing (made by the very talented ActorJez), and he looks good with his teammate Zatanna. Seeing them together makes me really excited for more characters from the JLD team to be released, like Black Orchid, Deadman, Frankenstein, Madame Xanadu, etc. If you produce them, DCC, I will certainly buy them. Probably.
Overall, I’m excited to have the opportunity to add a new Constantine to my shelves, and this figure will be replacing my DCIE Constantine as my new “default.” The figure’s presentation is mostly successful — I’m just really wondering what a new paint job on his face could do, especially where the eyes are concerned, just in an effort to reduce the “anime” look. That aside, I do recommend this figure to any Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, or Justice League Dark fan — this figure will almost certainly become the new default Constantine in your collection.