Action Figure Barbecue: Action Figure Review: Mister Zsasz from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

When it comes to collecting superhero action figures my two biggest loves are X-Men characters and Batman heroes and villains. With Marvel Legends being such an expansive line with a long history and a fairly unified style, I don't have to stray outside of that line to get the X-Men characters I need. With Batman heroes and villains, though, my collection is more of a hodgepodge. While I have multiples of many Batman villains (so many Harley Quinns and Jokers), I have a shelf with my favorite action figure incarnation of each Batman villain that really has a mixture of releases from different lines. There are DC Direct and DC Collectibles, Mattel's DC Universe Classics and its various spin off lines, and plenty of McFarlane Toys DC Universe releases. McFarlane is really digging deeper and they do surprise me quite often with some of their deep cuts. Speaking of deep cuts, here's Mister Zsasz. Victor Zsasz, or Mr. Zsasz (that's how it's usually written), is a psychopathic murderer who believes he's liberating their victims from a meaningless existence. He then keeps a tally of his victims by making cuts on his own body. Mr. Zsasz was created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle and first appeared in 1992, just in time to play a role in the events of Batman: Knightfall. That's the era this figure is based on, and it's the first time a truly comic take on Zsasz has been made (DC Direct made an Arkham Asylum videogame based Zsasz and Diamond Select Toys made one based on his appearance in Gotham). This guy was exclusive to the McFarlane Toys Store and went up for sale in early April. How is he? Ehhh... he's kind of a disappointment. Why? Well, let's take a closer look and find out 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 ball jointed neck.

Accessories: Knife, collector card, and display stand.

Non-Scalper Price: $23 dollars

The Positives:

* While later versions of Mr. Zsasz have looked more extreme, usually giving him a bald head, more aggressive and scarred tally marks, and pieces of his Arkham Asylum jumpsuit, the earliest take on Mr. Zsasz is fairly basic. He's just sporting some blue pants, bare feet, and lots of tally marks that kind of look inked on rather than carved into his skin. While McFarlane didn't attribute this figure to Knightfall or Shadow of the Bat or even as a DC Classic figure, nor did they use art from that era on the package and collector card, they did stay fairly faithful to the original art, something that McFarlane Toys doesn't always do.

* Early Mr. Zsasz is a pretty standard looking blonde guy. You know, except for those really spooky eyes. What's the deal with those? Are they representative of the shadow of evil in his soul that seeps out through his eyes? Are they some sort of representation of the regression of his humanity? Is he a member of the Squirtle Squad? They're odd looking, sure, but I think McFarlane Toys did an admirable job with them. They're a bit on the larger side but they still capture the same unsettling vibe as the comic art.

* The articulation is pretty much exactly what you'd expect with a DC Multiverse figure, though Victor is a bit more mobile as there aren't any extraneous parts like armor or a cape to impede his movement. Most of his joints have an excellent range of motion, particularly his elbows and the ballsocket swivel/hinge shoulders.

* Mr. Zsasz only comes with one knife. It looks like a standard butcher knife with a black handle and a silver blade. I'm sure it's probably reused, though I can't recall which figure(s) I've seen it with before.

* Zsasz also comes with the standard collectible card and display stand. The stands are always welcome and the collectible cards are fun to organize and sort. It's just kind of weird that McFarlane toys didn't use an image of the early 1990s Mr. Zsasz that the figure is based on.

The Negatives:

* Let's talk about Zsasz's tally marks as they're the most identifiable part of the character. I will concede that Zsasz's tally marks are pretty plain in his early 90s appearances, but I do wish they looked a bit more impressive here. They just don't come across as marks on his skin when shown on a three dimensional action figure, which really kills the appeal of this character.

* I can understand that, logically, Mr. Zsasz isn't going to have his tally marks all over his back but shouldn't he have some? He's typically portrayed with them on his back. This feels like cost cutting rather than some sort of design decision.

* Zsasz's arms are kind of weird. McFarlane's articulation model isn't always the most graceful looking but I do think Mr. Zsasz, perhaps by virtue of being shirtless, just looks terrible. Weird and segmented with very noticeable pins and just an arm shape. Plus, his arms are noticeably a different color from his torso.

This Mr. Zsasz figure really just doesn't impress me. I mean, as a basic action figure he is nicely posable, the portrait is solid and pretty comic accurate, his knife is a decent accessory, and he has a stand. The negatives really chip away at the positives, though, especially the amateurish tally marks (that don't go the entire way around) and the off putting arm design and articulation. I'm rarely this harsh on a figure but for something that isn't just a straight up repaint, it's rare to find a figure that feels this lazy. I was quite excited for this guy as I really wanted a Mr. Zsasz, especially after selling off much of my DC Direct/ DC Collectibles collection over concerns that they would eventually disintegrate (those Arkahm series figures weren't very sturdy and the clear plastic for the joints became brittle and crumbled over time). Mr. Zsasz is a welcome character but the figure isn't that impressive. He gets an Eh from me. Unless he's your favorite C-list Batman villain (not a knock; again, C-list Batman villains rank far above most the A-list villains of many heroes) or you're really intent on building a Batman rogues gallery, he's an easy skip.

Looking for more of Victor Zsasz/ Mr. Zsasz? I've also reviewed the Diamond Select Gotham Victor Zsasz.

For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:

Aquaman (Flashpoint)
Arsenal (Titans)
Bane
Bane (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
Bane (Trench Coat) (The Dark Knight Rises)
Batcycle (The Flash)
Batgirl (Batman: Three Jokers) Jokerized