Action Figure Review: Batman (Hush) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   No one can say that McFarlane hasn't released enough Batman figures in their DC Multiverse line, but they keep putting out awesome figures, people keep buying them, and I keep wanting to add to my collection, so who can blame them, right? Today I'm checking out a recent release in the DC Multiverse line: Batman from Batman: Hush. While one of the major selling points of this line is that most figures feature completely unique sculpts, this figure does borrow the body from last year's Batman Vs Hush 2-pack which used a black and gray suit instead of the blue and gray suit seen here. This one is much more iconic, though, and when I think of Batman: Hush this is this is the suit I think about. Hush is a great story (I'm rereading it right now with my daughter, who has never read it before) but besides that, it's amazing how much of an influence the Jim Lee artwork and the character designs have had on Batman's allies and villains in the years since. I loved DC Direct's Batman: Hush action figure line as it was one of the first times a DC line went so deep in such a short period of time, but those figures definitely are a product of their time and were intended for display rather than play. This version of Batman is absolutely intended for play and posing, though. He's fantastic and one of my favorite Batman action figures ever. Let's check him out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Longshot from Marvel Legends Retro Collection: X-Men by Hasbro

   It's St. Patrick's day, so how about a little luck for you?

   Would you believe that I haven't reviewed a Marvel Legends Series figure since last year? It's true! While Hasbro's Marvel Legends team showed off some cool upcoming things recently, there just hasn't been a lot out there lately that interests me. Pair that with the price increases that have kept me from picking up figures randomly and I've become much more selective with Marvel Legends. I love X-Men characters from the mid 1960 through the mid 1990s, though, and I'm thrilled that Longshot was released as part of the Marvel Legends X-Men Retro Collection. Packaged on a classic Toy Biz inspired card that actually lets you see the product you're buying, Longshot is a slight variant of the figure released last year in the Hasbro Pulse exclusive Mojoworld set. I didn't buy that set as I picked up Mojo separately, already have two versions of Dazzler, and I assumed that Longshot would get rereleased. Ta-da! I never owned the vintage Toy Biz Longshot as a kid, nor any other ones, so this is the first figure of the character I've owned. Let's take a look at Longshot after the break...

Action Figure Review: Grifter (Infinite Frontier) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Today I'm checking out another DC Multiverse figure from last year, but it's one that I just picked up recently (and for a good price, too): Grifter. If you're kind of old, like me, you'll remember seeing Grifter in Wildstorm's WildC.A.T.S. series back in the early 1990s. I never read WildC.A.T.S. myself but Grifter was definitely an "it" character that showed up on lots of comic covers, promotional images, and in Wizard magazine all the time. While Jim Lee sold Wildstorm to DC Comics in 1999, Grifter didn't appear in the DC Universe until The New 52 reboot in 2011. I haven't ready many ongoing DC books lately and I haven't ready anything from the Infinite Frontier yet, which is where this figure of Grifter is sourced. He's now a bodyguard for Lucius Fox and a rival to Batman. Crazy, right? I haven't reviewed a ton of DC Multiverse figures yet but this is the first figure I've reviewed that shows a weakness of this line. What is it? Read on and find out after the break... 

Action Figure Review: Kill-Switch from Action Force by Valaverse

 

   Valaverse continues to put out some amazing stuff and it looks like they have many more cool releases on the way, including some character specific accessory packs and a vehicle. Today I'm looking Kill-Switch, one of the series 3 releases from earlier this year. Series 3 introduced female figures into the Action Force line, so now we can expect a better mix of men and women in future waves. Kill-Switch is a new character created for Valaverse's Action Force. Her real name is Layla Richardson, she's from Bay City, Michigan, and she's an EOD and BUD/S instructor. Well, she was a BUD/S Instructor; now she's member of Action Force. Ready for a look at Kill-Switch? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Nekron (Blackest Night) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Today I'm checking out another DC Multiverse Megafig from last year: Nekron! I honestly probably wouldn't have picked up Nekron on his own even though he's a really cool looking figure, but the only way I could manage to get Bane at retail price was by preordering a set and Nekron was the other figure in the case. On second thought, if I had seen Nekron in person and on sale, I probably would have picked him up. While I'm a huge DC fan (mostly because of Batman and everything/ everyone related to him), I really don't care much for the Green Lantern Corps stuff. I like the Green Lanterns just fine as part of a Justice League story, but it's just my least favorite part of the DC Universe. I'm familiar with Blackest Night, though, and that's the story that this figure is "sourced" to in this line. Nekron, the personification of death and ruler of the Land of the Unliving, is a pretty powerful being in the DC Universe and he's been tackled before as an action figure by Mattel in DC Universe Classics (he was a build-a-figure) and by DC Direct in their Blackest Night series. I've never owned those previous figures, but McFarane's looks the most impressive. Let's see how he measures up after the break...

Action Figure Review: Bane from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

     During the time when I was most into comic books as a child, Knightfall was an absolute juggernaut of a storyline and I'll still argue it's one of the best Batman stories ever, quite possibly the best. It's long but it consistently delivers and really tells a layered story worth telling. I'm a fan of Bane and it took me longer than I expected to pick up this DC Multiverse Bane from McFarlane Toys. I managed to find a retail priced preorder at Entertainment Earth for a case which contained both Bane and Nekron for less than most folks are currently selling Bane, so I jumped on it. There was already a Last Knight on Earth Bane build a figure and now there's a Dark Knight Rises Bane build-a-figure, but this is the most classic, comic looking Bane yet, and he's pretty nice. Let's check out Bane after the break...

"KRAKT!"

Action Figure Review: Cosmic Terror Skeletor from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   It's Skeletor in boss form! Masters of the Universe: Revelation gave us Skelegod and the Netflix CG animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has given us Cosmic Terror Skeletor. This is a pretty amazing take on Skeletor, who has a pretty fantastic journey during the show. Yeah, there are some really silly parts of the CG series, but there's also some fantastic storytelling and some very respectable character arcs. Even though it seems like the show is probably over, Mattel seems to still be trickling out releases and while I haven't picked up all of them (yet) I definitely made sure to grab this version of Skeletor depicting him after his ghost form has gained the power of King Grayskull. He's big, he's bad, and he's pretty reasonably price. Let's take a look at Cosmic Terror Skeletor after the break...