As a DC fan I really do enjoy collecting Mattel's DC Comics Multiverse
line. I've been a fan of their DC efforts since the Batman and Superman
dominated DC Superheroes series (which predated DC Universe Classics)
and I've liked most of what they've produced in the 6-inch scale. This
is the second year I'm doing a top 10 (and bottom 5) for Multiverse, and
you can check out last year's entry here. I will admit that DC Comics
Multiverse was a mixed bag during its first year and the second year
might still be considered a mixed bag. Mattel has definitely given us a
fairly diverse selection of characters from comics, television, and
movies, along with offering quite a few Collect & Connect figures
and accessories. Their distribution is still a mixed bag, though, and the quality is uneven, particularly on movie lines;
while the Wonder Woman movie line was mostly solid the Justice League
line-up was pretty terrible. The articulation can be really uneven on
these, too. It's baffling that with Mattel spending the time and money
to give so many characters unique sculpts they don't at least try to
make sure that the articulation is decent and functional. The comic
based figures are much better and this definitely seems to be the area
where Mattel is improving the most. The early 2018 releases (which I just got in the mail on Thursday!) look good and feel like they would easily
all make the top 10 if compared against the 2017 lineup. Toy Fair
2018 left me cautiously optimistic as it seems like Mattel is
definitely releasing some solid characters with nice sculpts although
still not bumping up the articulation to modern standards. Let's take a moment to celebrate the good stuff from this line-up
in 2017, though starting with the top 10 figures of the year. Each entry is left with a quote from my original review, just FYI. The countdown begins after
the break...
I
really want to like this figure more than I do, but there are some
problems. The articulation can be a bit clunky and definitely feels less
impressive than I would have hoped. The presence of the weird stuff on
Babs' boots hurts, too. Still, the style and aesthetic of the figure is
overall pretty impressive, particularly the headsculpt (which I just
adore). Batgirl is a Good and a 1/2 figure and I'm sure she'll be one of
the more popular figures in a series filled with some real standouts.
Mera
is a Great figure! She has some cool accessories, nice paintwork and
sculpting, and she absolutely fills a hole in your Mattel DC Comics
collection. Mera is easily the standout in the DC Comics Multiverse:
Justice League line and is worth picking up.
This
is absolutely not my favorite version of Diana (not even close) but I
do have a deep love for The Dark Knight Returns and its art style and, even though this
figure isn't from that book, there's something about the style that
appeals to me. Wonder Woman is a Great figure and I'm glad that we
finally got her to go along with Batman, Superman, and the Flash in this
style.
Honestly,
this is a pretty Great set. It's not perfect but for fans of the Flash
it's really quite cool. Usually only Batman seems to get something like
this so seeing the Flash with a cool evolutions styled set is a real
winner. Both figures have some minor flaws but there is also a lot of
good stuff here too, particularly the cool lightning effects and the new
paintjobs on the figures.
For
$20 bucks you're getting an exclusive Flash figure in a very unique
costume, an Atom minifigure, and an upgrade for a previously released
Batman figure. To be honest, that is a pretty slick deal. I like this
set. While Flash on his own wouldn't have set shelves on fire, Mattel
did mix in some really good extras here to make this a tough set to
refuse.
I
really, really like this figure. While she has a few of the problems of
the previous figures using this sculpt (some limited articulation)
she's also much improved. Plus, she comes with some great accessories
and a cool shield that can be used for Ares or any other action figure
needing a wicked cool shield. While I still question the logic of
making this version of Wonder Woman an exclusive, she's a solid figure.
I'd give her a Great rating. She's an improvement over the previous Gal
Gadot inspired Wonder Woman figures and is just a darn fine Wonder Woman
on her own.
Out of the first four figures in the Wonder Woman series (there are two
retailer exclusives still yet to be released) Hippolyta is the clear
winner. She's a stunning figure with good accessories, an excellent
sculpt and paintjob, and the ability to add or remove her robe to give
her two display options
I'm
really, really pleased with Mattel's version of the Rookie. This is a
fun figure with a great sculpt, some nice paint applications, and a lot
of playability. It's a fun toy that fits in nicely with Mattel's
Multiverse offerings. While it certainly wasn't one of my most requested
figures from Mattel, it turned out great.
If
Mattel could get every figure in their Multiverse line to the standards
of the Reaper, I'd be a happy camper. This guy is a Great and a 1/2
figure and easily one of the best Multiverse listings for the year. I'll
be releasing a top 10 list of the best Multiverse in January (just like
last year) and you can rest assured that this guy will be on it. He's
excellent and a real treat for Batman fans and collectors.
I'm
really glad that Mattel has returned to making 6 inch DC Comics action
figures as, while they sometimes release some average stuff, they also
tend to have a good character selection and frequently release some very
inspired choices. The Joker is a very impressive figure and he blows DC
Direct's nearly 20 year old figure out of the water. Plus, if you use
the batarang head and pose him just right, he's an action figure of a
dead Joker. How weird is that, right? It seems like something the Clown
Prince of Crime could really get behind
Honorable mention: King Shark
I'm
giving King Shark the honorable mention here because he looks absolute
incredible but I do not own him. While I managed to track down some of
the figures in his series loose (with no C&C parts) I never saw the
whole series anywhere. The Zoom and Jay Garrick Flash figures are
ridiculously expensive. I didn't preorder this series initially because I
really wasn't overly interested in any of the TV based figures and,
typically, they are the ones that sit around and are easy to find. Not
here!
And now, onto the bottom five figures from 2017:
While
2017 was largely a good year for the comic based Multiverse figures and
the Wonder Woman line, the Justice League line barely managed to get
anything right. The Parademon should have been a guaranteed hit but
Mattel even managed to turn an evil flying space monster into a boring
and underwhelming toy. Bummer.
Batwing
should have been an absolute knockout. Instead, he's an Eh figure.
Unless you're building the Rookie or desperately need a Batwing (this is
the only version of him out there, too), this guy is a pass. That
breaks my heart, too. Luke Fox deserves better than this.
Unfortunately, what we guy is probably the definition of Eh. He's dull and quite boring, really, which is a shame.
It's
just aggravating that Mattel did nothing new with this one (Wonder
Woman is a straight repack of the Toys R Us release and both figures
come with unique Build-a-figure parts). If you're buying this one as
your first Mattel WW in thus outfit, she's a solid Good figure. If
you've purchased the previous release, this just feels like Crap and a
1/2 since you're rebuying a figure for a new build-a-figure part.
I am not happy with this figure. He's not terrible, but I just want to
point out that Mattel took the same figure from last year (which did
have some problems but was overall good), gave it a worse headsculpt and
cape, added a new Collect & Connect piece, and packaged it up with a
new label. Other than the C&C piece, I don't feel that Mattel added
anything of value to this release. Anything would have been welcome:
New hand sculpts, an alternate portrait, some kind of energy effects,
anything. Instead, Mattel ruined a good figure and is reselling it.
What do you think? What were your DC Comics Multiverse winners and losers of 2017? Let me know in the comments below!
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We have "un-impressive" White Suit Joker figure (old one) and would actually like to have his one... the two heads are cool and good body-sculpt...
ReplyDelete... have not even heard of the 'killer Shark" figure... and have they made a newer "Silver Banshee"...??
We do enjoy your great posts, good Sir... Hello from Marshville
The last Silver Banshee I remember was from the Target exclusive Public Enemies DC Universe Classics line in...2009? I don't remember any since then.
DeleteLook up Killer Shark. He is very cool but most of the figures needed to build him are way too hard to find. This Joker is great, though. You definitely need to update. If I find an extra I'll grab him for you.