Getting into a new toy line is a lot like falling in love.
At first you’re tentative, taking your time and cautiously exploring the new situation. Then, almost before you know it, you’re all in. You throw yourself into the world of possibility that has opened to you, and in doing so change your perspective and expectations. There’s so much potential, so many things to see and do at first — it seems that anything is possible. Then slowly, almost inevitably, inertia creeps in. What once was easy now takes effort: what was once surprising becomes the expected. Soon both parties are growing restless, looking for new stimulation or maybe just a different place to peddle the same old wears. Before you know it, it’s over — but the product of your brief union remains.
The Parasite came to us in 2005’s DC Super Heroes series. By series five the line was faltering a bit, with four of it’s figures repaints of figures collectors already owned. That didn’t mean there weren’t a few surprises, though. While fan-favorite Steel featured enough new tooling to squeak by, the Parasite featured an entirely-new sculpt. At the time collectors didn’t question the use of tooling dollars for such a one-off character: we expected Mattel to put some effort into their product. I mean, why else would we give them our money?
The Parasite benefits from a Four Horsemen sculpt, back when they were still head over heels for DC. The love shows, as Parasite is a dynamite figure. The head-sculpt is downright freakish, somewhere between the character’s leech-like appearance in the comics and a Cavity Creep. There are lots of nice little wrinkles to add some punch to the already-angry expression: with his brow furrowed and his huge mouth drawn into a malevolent scowl, its clear this Parasite means business.
Parasite has a dense, ‘roided-out looking-body, which means he’s recently “fed” on a super-powered being. It’s a great-looking sculpt suggestive of stolen power and barely-contained rage. This guy’s traps aren’t just big, they’re swollen. Seriously, they’re so engorged they’ve swallowed Parasite’s neck. The rest of his torso is equally ripped, giving the figure a truly-frightening physique. Sure, we know that when Parasite and Superman go toe-to-toe Big Blue is going to win, but this time it’s not going to be easy.
Unlike his future brethren of DC Universe Classics, Parasite is packed with texture. The sculpt is rich with clusters of muscles, protruding veins and deep furrows that play up the villain’s enhanced physiology. Even his odd-looking body harness is sculpted on — it’s an amazing commitment on Mattel’s part. The harness could have easily just been painted on, but Mattel and the Four Horsemen go all-in here, giving an already-impressive figure another layer of depth. Parasite also gets character-specific hands and feet, further adding to his monstrous quality. Each hand sports three fingers and a thumb, while the feet terminate in two stumpy toes. These are also suitably textured, furthering the idea that the Parasite is “juiced.”
But there’s more to this guy than sculpt. While Parasite is molded in his base color , the figure gets lots of nice dark overspray to bring out the detail. The white areas are slightly dingy, but I don’t know if that’s original to the figure or just a mark of the passage of time. Sometimes the white paint misses the sculpted edges of the harness, but its not too bad on my example. The Parasite’s eyes appear to have been painted in red, then gone over with yellow, giving him a jaundiced, bloodshot gaze. The tiny paint apps on the double-row of teeth are especially well-done here, although the tops fare better than the bottoms due to the sculpt.
Parasite has a ball-jointed head, ball-and-hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, single-jointed elbows and swivel wrists. The figure also has an ab-crunch, a swivel waist, t-style hip joints and single hinged knees and ankles. Even after a decade of play and display my Parasites joints remain tight and able to hold any poses.
Parasite included no accessories. Given the enthusiasm the Four Horsemen appear to have had for this guy, it’s a shame they weren’t given the go-ahead to sculpt a “drained” Superman pack-in. Parasite can do his signature bear-hug move beautifully thanks to his distended, ape-like arms, so it would have been nice for him to have something to clutch. That said, the figure retailed for a mere $7, so I can’t complain too much — the figure is a bargain at twice that price. Parasite isn’t tough to find on the secondary market: he was re-released along with DC Super Heroes Supergirl in a DCUC 2-pack back in 2008 so if you like what you see, track him down. He’s well worth it.
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