Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Action Figure Review: Deadman (DC Rebirth) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 


   Deadman is one of the newest "Gold Label" figures from McFarlane Toys' DC Multiverse line and is exclusive to Target. From DC Rebirth, this is the first time McFarlane has released a figure of Boston Brand in the DC Multiverse line and it's a pretty standard take on the character that ought to please most folks. McFarlane is definitely doing more standard or "classic" versions of characters than they were during the first year or two of DC Multiverse and that's definitely helped get me more into this line than I was. There have been more Deadman figures released over the years than I thought but my favorite is still Mattel's DC Universe Classics version. Does this one surpass the ones that have come before it? Let's take a look and see how this incarnation on Boston Brand fares after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 7 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, double swivel hinged ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ ballsockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/ hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head..
 
Accessories: Three ectoplasm effects, collector card, and display stand.
 
Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars






The Positives:


* From the chest down, Deadman is a pretty plain figure. He's wearing a red trapeze performer's uniform, king of like a stunt jumpsuit with darker red boots and some trunks over top. It's plain and basic, but that's what the character looks like. There's a "D" on his torso, too, but more on that in a moment. From the middle of torso up, though, we can see Deadman's exposed chest, pale white and emaciated, and his massive performer's collar. He has a slim, slender build that fits the character well.

* While Boston wore white makeup to look like a dead man when he performed, now he's really got a corpse face. You know, since he's dead. The sculpt is really good here with a pretty grotesque texture on Deadman's head. His eyes are sunk in, his features look contorted, and he has a very intense, focused look on his face. The purple wash on his pasty white skin definitely makes all of the detail stand out just a bit more, too. 

* The DC Multiverse line overall has great articulation and Deadman's another hit. He can move like a trapeze artist! If you have a spare "flight" stand, you could have him posed in all kinds of crazy ways. Using the disc stand included with him I managed to get him into some sort of wacky pose. He balances pretty nicely! He's also really durable and well made. These modern McFarlane figures are tough and sturdy with no brittleness at all. 



* To show off Deadman's power to possess any person or anima, McFarlane included some smoke-like ectoplasmic tendrils that can be placed on arms of the figure. First is this small one. It's quite wispy and composed of multiple tendrils, most ending in a small orb-like shape. 


* The largest piece is a piece that plugs into Deadman's back and which has tendrils that extend around his torso. It actually shows Deadman's spirit in the process of moving towards the target he is choosing to possess. It's a really cool way to show his powers in a tangible way. The DC Icons Deadman had a similar feature that was kind of like a mask that figure over the head and torso of another figure, but this one looks a bit cooler to me. 




* The third piece is longer, running the entire length of Boston's arm. It's also very swirly and wispy, really adding something to the look of the figure.



*  I love 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.



* A collectible card is also included with the figure sporting an image from the over of Deadman #1 from 2011. While the sourcing for the figure is listed as DC Rebirth, the art is from the New 52. Eh, they're not that different. The chains would have been been a cool extra. I also love 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. 








The Negatives:



* Deadman sports a "D" on his outfit but this figure has a "D" that is too small and too low. I think this is due to McFarlane toys not wanting to split the "D" across a joint, which works, but I also think it looks odd because the neckline is a bit too low. There's just something off about it.





   Deadman is quite cool and really caught my attention. While I still love the skinnier, more wraith-like build of Mattel's Deadman, this one has better articulation (though, to be fair, that one is almost 15 years old) and some really cool accessories. Oh, and he's got the great stand and card, which make for nice consistency. This is a great, comic styled Deadman who can move like the trapeze artist that he is. All in all, he's a pretty Great figure. I found mine in store pretty easily and I wish you the same luck. Some of the Gold label figures are easy to find and other are a real pain, it seems.



This is the first figure of Deadman, AKA Boston Brand, I've reviewed. For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)
Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)


4 comments:

  1. The head sculpt on this figure is amazing.

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    1. He's all creepy and mummified looking, isn't he? I like it.

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  2. I'm digging what Mcfarlane is doing with DC. It's not all gold, but there are many home runs! But what's best IMO is the quality and price

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    1. I agree. Getting a well articulated, durable figure that's usually a completely original sculpt for the $20-$23 dollar price point is wild. I'm also loving the inclusion of stands and cards. It took a bit but McFarlane is really doing a great job with DC. It seems like we're starting to get more standard versions of characters, too, which is a plus.

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