Action Figure Review: Batgirl (Batman: Fighting the Frozen) from DC Page Punchers by McFarlane Toys/ DC Direct

 

   The newest series of DC Page Punchers has been shipping for around a month now and this is my favorite set yet. It's the only set of Page Punchers where I've purchased all of the figures in the set, too, but being that it's a Batman based set, that's probably not much of a surprise. Today I'm checking out my first figure in the series: Batgirl! Y'all know I absolutely love Batgirl, so a prehistoric/ cavegirl themed Batgirl is a real treat. Wait; prehistoric, cavegirl Batgirl? Yup! This series comes with a new comic book called Batman: Fighting the Frozen where a steampunk inspired Mr. Freeze accidentally travels 16,000 years back in time, causing trouble for Batman of the Bat-Clan and his allies. Batgirl is a member of the Bat-Clan and is armed with plenty of prehistoric weapons for dealing with Freeze. Ready to take a look at a really cool set? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, swivel hinged ankles, double hinged knees, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ ballsockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/ hinge wrists, and a ball jointed head.

 

Accessories: 2 tomahawks, grappling hook, comic book, collector card, and display stand.

 

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:

* I always loved when DC Direct and DC Collectibles would release unique DC figures of characters reimagined in different times. Heck, I still love Kenner's Legends of Batman line. Now, though, we're getting really nicely articulated and durable figures from McFarlane that blend in perfectly with their standard DC Multiverse figures, too, so it's even better. In the comic Batman, Batgirl, and Robin don't have specific names, so it's not like this is Barbara Gordan specifically or anything. The black outfit reminds me more of Cassandra Cain than anything Babs ever wore and it's just a really cool fantasy take on pre-historic garb. Lots of great textures, too. She's sporting a fabric top under some sort of primitive armor with a long leather cape and a mantle with a hand fashioned metal bat hanging from it. 

* This is a pretty menacing Batgirl. She doesn't play games and doesn't put up with it when you crack jokes about Encino Man or Geico in her presence. Her cowl is made from strips of black leather and it's actually a separate piece from her headsculpt. The bright white eyes are really cool, too, and definitely add to her presence on the shelf. 

* Check out these gauntlets? These are wicked cool and look like Batgirl could straight mess anyone up who pisses her off. 

* While she might be running around in her bare feet, Batgirl is doing everything else to keep her legs protected. besides just sporting some leather pants she's also got a belt with a pouch and lots of decorative adornments. There are even some purple feathers and various animal teeth on there. Oh, and armored shin guards. Seriously, there's a lot of interesting stuff going on here. 

* Here's a shot of Batgirl's cape from the back, complete with lots of stitches and a raggedly cut edge. She's also sporting a long, black braided ponytail.

* McFarlane's DC Multiverse are very consistent in their articulation, which is typically a pretty good thing. Batgirl moves like a charm, definitely better than anything that Mattel or DC Direct/ DC Collectibles themselves ever put out. She's sturdy and lots of fun to play with. The cape might restrict things a bit but it's so cool looking and intimidating that you probably won't care. 

* The weapons included with the figures in this line are very cool. they kind of remind me of the old Kenner Bone Age accessories, though they're much larger. Since she's so agile, Batgirl comes with a grappling hook made from bones and such so she can swing into battle. The hook is solid plastic while the rope is an actual string, so you can tie it around the figure if you want her to carry it like that.

* Batgirl comes with two tomahawks. They have some seriously nice sculpts with wood looking handles and stone blades that are carved into semi bat-like shapes. They're both different sculpts, so you've got some variety.

* The Page Punches also come with collectible card sporting an image of the included comic cover. Since everyone gets a unique cover in this series (like in the Aquaman series), each card is unique, too. There's a short summary of Batman: Fighting the Frozen on the back, too.

* And here's the full size comic book: Batman: Fighting the Frozen. It's a very cool steampunk meets caveman time travel story that ought to remind you of the older Elseworlds titles. 

The Negatives:

* It still drives me crazy that McFarlane doesn't always match the color of the pegs in the foot hinge with the color of the foot or boot itself. Seriously, that seems like such an easy fix. 

   I was really excited for this series and none of the figures have disappointed me. I'm going to review all of them, so have no fear, but I wanted to start with Batgirl and I flipping love her. She is just amazing and makes for a really fun toy. Great accessories, great detail, and she comes with a very cool comic. What's not to like? The only think that disappointed me about this set is that McFarlane has started using clamshell packaging here. Yes, Clamshell. I thought that type of packaging for action figures disappeared around 2010 or so. It's a pain to get open, but the figures inside are so worth it. Batgirl is an Epic figure.

   While this version of Batgirl is unnamed, so not Barbara Gordon or Cassandra Cain specifically, I've reviewed plenty of other versions of Batgirl in the Batgirl Library. Check them out!

For more DC Page Punchers check out the following:
Aquaman
Black Adam
The Flash
John Constantine
Supergirl (Injustice)