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...
Height: 7 1/4ths 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: Sword, knife, collector card, and display stand.
Year of Release: 2022
Original Retail Price: $20 dollars
Original Retail Price: $20 dollars
* Grifter's had multiple different looks throughout the years but they all tend to share similar details: Black, tactical vests and shirts, green jackets, and his red, kind of Deadpool like mask. The Infinite Frontier features a regular green jacket (not a trench coat), a black body armor like shirt, and some brown tactical pants. There isn't a lot of paintwork here, as most pieces are just molded in different colors of plastic, but it actually looks really good. the textures are great on Grifter's outfit, especially on his shirt/ vest, and his colors are really bold despite being all earth tones.
* Cole Cash keeps his face covered with a mask that kind of looks like Deadpool cosplaying as Cobra Commander, but with his unruly mop of blonde hair popping out the top. It actually looks really good, though, with striking paint details on the colorful mask and a nice drybrush effect on the hair.
* There's a drybrush effect on Grifter's combat boots to make them look worn and rugged and a tactical pouch on his right hip for toting around some extra gear. It's all really nicely done.
* Grifter's articulation is excellent and allows you to put him in some incredible poses for displaying him in combat. He's really sturdy feeling and has a great range of motion pretty much everywhere. His head is a bit restricted because of his mask and jacket, but that's my only complaint.
* Grifter comes with two cool accessories, the first being a modern katana with nicely detailed hilt and a sharp modern blade.
* Next up is a rather nicely crafted combat knife. it also look quite modern and definitely seems like it's been designed for up close killing.
* I still love that McFarlane Toys includes a display stand with each of their releases these days. It's just a simple disc stand with the DC logo on it but it works well and keeps the figure standing upright in most pose, even in some crazier poses.
* A collectible card is also included, sporting a glamour shot of the figure. It's also nice to get an actual bio on the back of the card, too. Not just a bio on the package; an actual bio you can keep. That's just really cool and it's not something we often get these days.
The Negatives:
* This image isn't mine; it's from ToyFarce, but it's a great illustration of my frustration that Grifter doesn't have any guns. It's not McFarlane Toys' fault (as they've done what they can to rectify it) but it definitely feels weird to have a character like Grifter with no firearms. He at least has pistol grip hands, so you just have to find something else to slip in there.
While it is disappointing that Grifter doesn't come with any firearms (I mean, Google Grifter and see how many images of him come up wielding firearms), it feels like McFarlane Toys has done the best they could to rectify the situation by giving the figure trigger hands and releasing the very reasonably priced accessory packs. Grifter is an excellent looking figure who turned out Great. He's bold, well sculpted, and his blades still quite cool. Give him a pair of pistols, though, and he really shines.
This is the first figure of Grifter I've reviewed. For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)
Nekron (Blackest Night)
* This image isn't mine; it's from ToyFarce, but it's a great illustration of my frustration that Grifter doesn't have any guns. It's not McFarlane Toys' fault (as they've done what they can to rectify it) but it definitely feels weird to have a character like Grifter with no firearms. He at least has pistol grip hands, so you just have to find something else to slip in there.
This is the first figure of Grifter I've reviewed. For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Bane
Batman (DC vs Vampires)
Batman Duke Thomas (Tales from the Dark Multiverse)
Batwoman Unmasked (Batman Beyond)
Deadman (DC Rebirth)
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)Batman (DC vs Vampires)
Batman Duke Thomas (Tales from the Dark Multiverse)
Batwoman Unmasked (Batman Beyond)
Deadman (DC Rebirth)
Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)
Nekron (Blackest Night)
Before reading the review i thought he was a DNA mix of Hooded Cobra Commander, Deadpool, Deathstroke and Jean Claude Van Damme. Never heard of Grifter, but i admit it looks nice.
ReplyDeleteAbout McFarlane and the guns, you can always contact M.A.R.S. and ask James McCullen Destro XXIV to give you and your team some "legal weapon excedents", ha, ha, ha!
Seriously, i would like how DC relations plastic guns and violence. A lot of people played Doom, Grand Theft Auto or Ratchet and Clank and they are not on the streets raping streetlights or shooting bazookas inside a fridge. Would you imagine a company selling a farm toy without cows and pigs as cows are sacred in India and pigs is a gang slang for cops and thus offensive? Or a bellical videogame where soldiers shoot rainbows and flowers and fight in "Just Dance" competitions?
That is why i always like to improvise things. My B.A.T. has an M60 machinegun from some toy soldiers from a chinese bazaar when i was 7 years old. Also an USA Cavalry flag and a combat shotgun that sometimes i put on Cobra Commander's gripping hand. Or some mortar shells the B.A.T. uses as improvised grenades.
After all, accesory decisions like DC ones only motivate people to buy custom weapons on the web or to improvise ones from older toys.
I could understand DC maybe giving this directive to, say, Spin Masters, maybe asking them not to include realistic guns with figures directly targeted at kids or to not make firearm roleplay toys, but why for items clearly targeted at adult collectors? If Warner had asked for items sold at mass retail to not have realistic weapons as accessories, but allowed items made and sold through direct channels to sport them, that would make sense.
DeleteA total ban on all collectible items while still making and profiting off of films, tv shows, comics, and video games just seems weird and ... I don't know if I think hypocritical is the right word, but it seems meaningless.