Change! Change! O form of man!
Free the prince forever damned!
Free the might from fleshy mire!
Boil the blood in the heart for fire!
Gone! Gone! O form of man
[And] rise the demon Etrigan!!
Today's installment of The ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror is the letter E, so we've got Etrigan the Demon joining us. Ok, so the package for the figure says The Demon, Etrigan, but we know his name is Etrigan, so I'm going with that. Besides just really liking Etrigan in his numerous team ups with Batman and Jack Kirby's amazing original series The Demon, I've loved this figure since it first came out. Technically this guy came out at the very end of 2007 with the rest of the first series of Mattel's DC Universe Classics line but I received him in very early 2008. We had just recently moved and my wife was working at Target as it was the first job she could find. I'd have her scan the toy aisle on some days before she made her way home and she found all or most of the first series of DC Universe Classics for me one day, which was pretty exciting. Back in 2008, online shopping just wasn't what it is today! This was actually my first real encounter with the character and got me interested in him and the work of Kirby. He's a super cool, kind of creepy figure and I still love him. Let's take a look at Mattel's DCUC Etrigan after the break...
Today's installment of The ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror is the letter E, so we've got Etrigan the Demon joining us. Ok, so the package for the figure says The Demon, Etrigan, but we know his name is Etrigan, so I'm going with that. Besides just really liking Etrigan in his numerous team ups with Batman and Jack Kirby's amazing original series The Demon, I've loved this figure since it first came out. Technically this guy came out at the very end of 2007 with the rest of the first series of Mattel's DC Universe Classics line but I received him in very early 2008. We had just recently moved and my wife was working at Target as it was the first job she could find. I'd have her scan the toy aisle on some days before she made her way home and she found all or most of the first series of DC Universe Classics for me one day, which was pretty exciting. Back in 2008, online shopping just wasn't what it is today! This was actually my first real encounter with the character and got me interested in him and the work of Kirby. He's a super cool, kind of creepy figure and I still love him. Let's take a look at Mattel's DCUC Etrigan after the break...
Height: 6 1/2 inches
Articulation: Hinged ankles w/ rockers, hinged knees, swivel thighs, H-hinged hips, swivel waist, mid-torso-hinge, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, and a barbell jointed head.
Accessories: Left arm and hammer attachment for Rex Mason, the Element Man Build-a-Figure.
Year of Release: 2007
Original Retail Price: $10 dollars
The Positives:
* While much of Mattel's DC Universe Classics line relied on repainted base bodies, the first series did have three fully unique figures with the Penguin, Etrigan, and the build-a-figure of Rex Mason, the Elemental Man (Metamorpho). Etrigan is a pretty big guy and his body is definitely unique to him, very muscular and barrel-chested but also with kind of an unearthly look to him. He manage to capture Kirby's unique style while also fitting in with the house style/ handbook style of the line. His colors are subdued and there is a nice wash or drybrush effect to bring out the detail in his muscles and on his textured skin visible on his hands and legs.
* While much of Mattel's DC Universe Classics line relied on repainted base bodies, the first series did have three fully unique figures with the Penguin, Etrigan, and the build-a-figure of Rex Mason, the Elemental Man (Metamorpho). Etrigan is a pretty big guy and his body is definitely unique to him, very muscular and barrel-chested but also with kind of an unearthly look to him. He manage to capture Kirby's unique style while also fitting in with the house style/ handbook style of the line. His colors are subdued and there is a nice wash or drybrush effect to bring out the detail in his muscles and on his textured skin visible on his hands and legs.
* The portrait is excellent and is still my favorite action figure take on Etrigan, everyone's favorite rhyming demon. The Four Horsemen were working with Mattel at the time and so I presume much of the quality of the line is due to them.
* Etrigan's cape is just a standard plastic cape but the work on the folds and the tattered, torn look is pretty neat. I love the rips and tattered hemline.
* Etrigan's claws are really nice and very expressive. Also, the cuffs on his forearms are just very cool.
* While the Toy Biz and early Hasbro Marvel Legends figures did have more articulation than DC Universe Classics, at the time I definitely think DC Universe Classics had a better blend of solid, useful articulation while still preserving the aesthetics of the sculpts. I've never been wild about the H-hinged hips, but everything else looks great here and Etrigan is wildly fun to play with and pose in a variety of intimating ways.
This is the first figure of Etrigan I've reviewed on the site. For more DC Universe Classics reviews check out the following:
Bronze Tiger
Dove
Hawk
Lord Naga
OMAC
Raven
Sandman
Wonder Woman
Bronze Tiger
Dove
Hawk
Lord Naga
OMAC
Raven
Sandman
Wonder Woman
A classic! I've never really warmed up to McFarlane's DC figures; I miss this line.
ReplyDeleteI loved this line and Etrigan definitely holds up well. I have been selling off large portions of my Mattel DC figures as of late, though, as some of them just haven't held up as well. I did keep all of my Batman heroes and villain (because it's a great set with some deep cuts and they're my favorites), all of the Kirby/ New Gods stuff (all well done and unlikely to be done again), and lots of the random paranormal and odd figures like the Metal Men, the Watchmen, Jonah Hex.
DeleteEtrigan is one of my all-time favs! The details on this figure are really amazing!
ReplyDeleteHe absolutely holds up well. I'm really hoping that at some point McFarlane Toys releases a classic version of Etrigan and Jason Blood. I read Batman: Curse of the White Knight recently and was thrilled when Jason Blood showed up!
Delete