Sunday, July 30, 2023

Action Figure Review: Superman (Black Adam) Black & White Accent Edition from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Today I'm checking out another of the McFarlane DC Multiverse Black & White Accent Edition figures and this time it's the Man of Steel himself: Superman! Yup, Clark Kent has gone and gotten himself a new color palette and it's... well, it's kind of iffy. While the Flash really looked impressive and still heroic with black, grey, and yellow, Superman look a bit creepy. I think it's the red eyes, like he's using his heat vision. So far we've got the Flash, Superman, and Martian Manhunter in this series (he's coming soon) and while originally I kind of wanted to complete a Justice League in this style, now I'm not so sure. This figure is a repaint of the DC Page Punchers Superman from last year's Black Adam comic series, so that's why the package says Black Adam on it. Let's take a look at this black, gray, and red Kryptonian 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, double swivel/ hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.
 
Accessories: 4 swappable hands, collector card, collector card display base, and display stand.
 
Non-Scalper Price: $30 dollars

Edition Size: 3,000 pieces




Comparison:



* The B&W Superman is on the left while the Page Punchers Superman is on the right (I never reviewed him). What the difference? The paint. Well, the Page Punchers Supes also comes with a fight stand. The Page Punchers version is one of my favorite Superman figure ever. 

The Positives:


* This is a really good Superman sculpt and I don't mind Todd reusing it for this release. It's tall and muscular but thin, too. Not hulking or anything. Most of the costume details are sculpted on and the trunks look excellent here. Most of the paintwork is excellent and does a nice job with the black & white/ greyscale aesthetic with red added in as the accent color: Red cape, red "S" logo, red trunks, and red boots all stand out. All classic parts of Superman's costume, too. 












* Here's a close-up of Superman's outfit to show off the detail on his chest insignia, which is a separate, textured piece. It looks really nice. I also like how the cape is attached and the look of thee trunks and belt. 





* I really love this Superman sculpt and the excellent articulation is one of the reasons why. He looks great fighting, flying, or just hanging around.










* Kal-El has two swappable sets of hands: A pair of fists for punching out the biggest, baddest threats in the word and some open palms for soaring through the hair.











* A nice collectible card is included which has edition the number for the figure. There's also a plastic display stand you can place the card in, allowing you to use it in your display. 




* Rather than a simple disc stand, Supes comes with a larger display base with his name emblazoned across it. 









* I really like this headsculpt. It's a good Superman portrait on it's own (see the standard Page Punchers Superman from the Black Adam series) but in black and white, or greyscale, more accurately, it takes on a new look. The black hair with the streaks of grey looks really nice, managing to show off the detail of the strand of hair, and the white eye with a red glow definitely gives the figure a different feel. It's very... menacing. If I didn't know what series this figure is from, I might think at a glance it's a vampire or zombie Superman. More on that in a moment, though...


* Superman's sporting a long, flowing cape, perfect for flying poses.

The Negatives:



* Since this version of Superman doesn't have a fight stand, the cape doesn't work as well. I wouldn't imagine a cape would hang like this for a standing figure.



* Not only does Superman have the black footpegs that clash with his red boots but the ankles are a different shade of red. It's way more noticeable in person, believe you me.



* So... the portrait again. The concept of this line reminds me of this logo which was prominent during the New 52 era, and it gives me a very classic, heroic vibe. That's not what I'm getting from this version of Superman, though. It definitely seems darker and more menacing, rather than like a classic, idealized version of the character. This is a personal take on this, of course, but I wanted something... different.
   I really liked the Flash in this Black & White Accent Edition subset, but Superman? I'm just not feeling him, especially at the higher cost. Yeah, Superman has the same larger display stand and card stand that the Flash has, but Flash has way more lightning effects and options for display. Superman feels more barebones. The Flash is just better figure, too, and captures the heroic personality of Barry Allen. This just doesn't work for me and kind of kills my interest in building a Justice League in this style. This guy gets an Eh 1/2 from me. Hardcore Superman collectors might dig this, but it's kind of a bummer for me.



   If you're looking for more of Superman, the Man of Steel, you've come to the right place. I've reviewed the One:12 Collective Red Son Superman, the One:12 Collective regular Superman, the DC Multiverse Project Superman (Flashpoint) and Superman (Superman: Lois and Clark), the Justice League DC Comics Multiverse Superman, the BvS Multiverse Superman, the Multiverse Earth 23 Superman, Rebirth Superman, and the Multiverse DKR Batman/ Superman 2-pack,  Split Cycle Superman from Mattel's Man of Steel line, Superman from DC Primal Age, the Superman minifigure from Teen Titans Go! To the Movies!, and the 5-pack and 10-pack Superman DC3, Superman DC15 and the Superman DC15 repack from the series 4 5-pack A, Superman DC100 from the Series 4 20-pack and Superman DC52 from the Nano Metalfigs line.

For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)
Impulse (Flash War)
The Joker (Infinite Frontier)
Kalibak (The Darkseid War)
Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)
Mister Freeze (Victor Fries)
Nekron (Blackest Night)
Nightwing (Titans)
Project Superman (Flashpoint)
Raven (Titans)
The Riddler (Arkham City)
Scarecrow (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
The Signal Duke Thomas
Superman (Superman: Lois and Clark)
Two-Face (The Dark Knight Trilogy)







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