Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Action Figure Review: Black Adam from DC Page Punchers by McFarlane Toys/ DC Direct



   The last couple years have been huge for Black Adam. He's had a movie starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, he's joined the Justice League in the comics, and he's had multiple action figures released featuring his likeness. Today I'm checking out the 7 inch Page Punchers Black Adam from last year. I looked at another Page Punchers figure from this same series, John Constantine, a couple weeks back. As I mentioned in that review, the DC Page Punchers figures are released by McFarlane Toys under the DC Direct banner as McFarlane has been releasing and managing DC Direct product over the past year couple of years. The 7 inch Page Punchers are built and feel just like DC Multiverse figures, though, so they feel like they belong perfectly in your standard DC Multiverse collection. Ready for a look at Black Adam? Then join me after the break...



The Facts:

Height: 7 1/4ths inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, double swivel hinged ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid torso, swivel wings, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/ hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head..
 
Accessories: Two lightning bolts, full sized comic book, collector card, and display stand.
 
Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

Year of Release: 2022



The Positives:

* While there are some Page Punchers figures that look more like their classic comic counterparts (see John Constantine), many of them are redesigned a bit with updated costumes and more armor. That's the case for Black Adam here and I'm loving the addition of the armored pauldrons and gauntlets to his outfit. In fact, his entire outfit looks more armored with a fantastic texture on the black suit he's wearing. It's a pretty cool look for the figure and it nicely differentiates this version of Theo Ramses Djoser Teth-Adam from most previous versions. That massive lightning bolt on his chest just looks fantastic, too. I really wish I hadn't missed the Gold Label Shazam from last year now! He would look awesome together with this Black Adam. 

* This version of Black Adam is based on the comics, particularly the included issue, so he's sporting a more classic, comic inspired portrait and not the likeness of the Rock. It's a good portrait, though, and captures the comic appearances of the character quite well. Sharp, pronounced eyebrows, a slicked back widow's peak, and a stern, focused expression definitely make this recognizable as Teth-Adam.








* Black Adam's pauldrons and gauntlet look fantastic. I love the design of them and how well they fit his regal bearing. The pauldron is also nicely pliable, so his articulation isn't impeded by it.





* The cape is plastic and has an impressive texture that looks like a rough fabric material. It's also really ragged looking along the bottom, so Black Adam has clearly been dealing with some crazy stuff.




* His boots match his gauntlets and the rest of his armor nicely. A fantastic yellow gold color and some interesting design makes these far more fascinating than just some regular boots. 


* Black Adam's articulation is really nice, which I'm glad to say is the standard for this line. I'm impressed with the Page Punchers and DC Multiverse figures as these are really sturdy figures with a nice range of motion and some really good joints. It's quite thrilling that McFarlane Toys and DC Direct are putting out figures this durable and well articulated, particularly as I remember buying figures from them in past decades that were brittle and required careful handling. 



* Black Adam comes with two lightning blasts that fit around his wrists and look like they're coming out of his hands. They're molded in clear yellow plastic and they look really cool. Lots of crackly streams of lightning emitting out from the base. These are really fun and look very dynamic on display. 




 * While the 3 inch Page Punchers line comes with a reprint of a previously released DC comic book, the 7 inch Page Punchers actually have a new comic book. And not just a minicomic, either. A full sized Black Adam comic book that features all of the figures from this series. It's a really neat inclusion and definitely makes for a fun inclusion. Comic packs used to be such a big deal 15 to 20 years ago and I love that McFarlane is bringing them back. My only complaint is that every figure in the series comes with the same comic. Honestly, it'd be kind of cool if each figure came with one part of a four part story. 




* Rather than a character specific image like the Multiverse figures, the 7 inch Page Punchers figures come with a collectible card with an image of the included comic cover. The best thing is that there's a bio on the back. Not just a bio on the package; an actual bio you can keep. That's just really cool as it's not something we see too often these days.




* I'm also still loving that McFarlane Toys includes a display stand with each of their releases these days. It's just a simple disc stand with the DC logo on it but it works well and keeps the figure standing upright in most poses.






   There are quite a few versions of Black Adam out on store shelves right now but this one appealed to me the most. For comic book figures I typically prefer the comic based designs over movie figures, or at least comic inspired designs, so while the movie figures were impressive, this one just fit my collection better. It's a really impressive version of Black Adam and those lightning effects just make him look so darn dynamic on display. Throw in the little extras, particularly the comic book, and you've got a really nice figure. Black Adam is Epic and if you're a fan of the character or just want an armored version for your shelf, this is an excellent choice. 



Want more of Black Adam? I also reviewed the DC Nano Metalfigs Black Adam DC65 from the Series 3 10 Figure Collector's Set.

For more DC Page Punchers check out the following:
John Constantine

3 comments:

  1. The figure looks really nice, makes Dwayne's Black Adam look more like if Luke Hobbs was wearing some carnival pajamas.

    What makes me see this Black Adam a bit strange is that in some poses the lightning bolt accesories look like real bolts, but in some others it looks like if his hands were trapped in sone sort of roots or kelp.

    Still, a really nice figure and way better than Dwayne's version in my opinion.

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    Replies
    1. I thought the Rock's Black Adam looked pretty solid but, yeah, I just like the more comic book styled styling and the armor. In person the lightning bolts look great. They're very dynamic.

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    2. That is absolutely true. I feel like he looks so much like the comic character, even his ears kind of, though, except for the hair. It'd be weird to see the Rock with hair again. I wonder if they ever considered trying some on him?

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