Toy OTD: DC Direct Kingdom Come Figure Series 2: Shazam (2004)

I remember Mark Waid's Kingdom Come being DC's answer to Marvels, ushering in an era of highly-polished 'event comics': sort of the comic-book equivalent of a summer 'tentpole' film. Since comic book characters have always been heavily merchandised, it wasn't much of a stretch to anticipate Kingdom Come action figures. DC Direct took on the challenge of making small versions of illustrator Alex Ross' re-imagined superheroes.

It's no small feat - Ross' style is quite detailed and realistic looking. While both this line and its companion series (the Justice action figures) produce mixed results, it's very impressive that any of these toys hit their target. This is a property that could only be done with the manufacturing technology and resources available today.

It may not be one of the best KC toys, but Shazam (aka Captain Marvel) is a nice one. As you probably already know, I'm primarily a purist - but I really like Waid/Ross' take on the character. A bit emotionally arrested, and there's an eerie djinn vibe about him now. He really is a being rooted in magic: he feels a lot less comforting, more unpredictable.

The sculpt is quite good - lots of subtle detail, but not too much. It evokes Ross' style nicely, right down to matching a pose from one of his paintings. The button-corner for the tunic may be a bit much, though, and the sculpt of the cape seems rather small and crumpled.

The paint work is pretty simple, as most of the figure is cast in the costume color. The overall effect is fine, but the facial detail struggles to support the sculpt and winds up looking a little like makeup. It might be as good as it can be, considering the sculpt and the scale. The only other problem is that the boots aren't painted (or cast) to match the metallic accents as they should.

The articulation is fairly basic - joints at the neck, lower biceps, wrists, hips and mid-calves. This preserves the look of the sculpt effectively, and isn't awkward to pose. The lack of knee and ankle joints aid balance and stability, but limit play value. I'm fine with this since I feel it's more of a display piece.

Balance is a mixed bag. The figure does come with an elegant display base, but it's huge. In fact, it seems far too big for any of the KC toys, and also suffers from the typical DC Direct display base problem. A few holes cast into the base can be used to hold a tiny peg. The peg fits into a hole on one of the figure's feet - the other foot doesn't have one. This usually results in the peg getting stuck in the foot, and/or the toy falling over. This base-mounting design has rarely worked for me, and unfortunately almost all of the DCD figures use it.

The packaging is well thought out and attractive. Simple black boxes with the graphic novel's logo on them - the additional text uses a similar font to maintain the look. Quite clean on the front, with great Alex Ross box lining art to create a crowd effect. The hang tag on the back allows the toys to be displayed on retail shelves, or hung on pegs.

You can still buy this figure for a decent price, but you'll have to shop carefully. eCrater has one for sale for $18.99 + shipping, but they can go as high as $89.95 + shipping at toyglobe.com. Be patient and have fun!

Toy OTD: DC Direct Action Figure: Metamorpho (2003)

I wasn't a big fan of DC Direct's action figures at first. The sculpts weren't all that great, the paint apps were sketchy, and much of the line consisted of comic characters from the '90s that didn't push my "spend" button. The toys must have sold well, though, because the line gradually improved as time passed.

One of the first "This is getting interesting" moments that I've had with this series was the appearance of the Metamorpho figure. As I remember it (though my chronology might be utterly wrong), the Element Man wasn't in any comics at that point, nor had Bruce Timm re-introduced him to new audiences. I was blown away that anyone would remember this character, much less want a toy of him! I'd only read one issue of his title myself. After the toy's release, though, his stock in the DC universe seemed to grow by the day.

I'm still not wild about this scale of figure, but this is a nicely made toy! The sculpt is great, the color uses a lot of dyed plastic rather than paint, and the articulation allows for some posing without being too intrusive. The packaging is straight-up Silver Age, complete with the classic logo and '60s checkerboard cover banner. You even get a few extra appendages, in case you want to depict Rex in mid-transformation! Nice.

As usual, there's no display base, though using the water column accessory may help the toy to stand better than on its 'regular' legs. Still, a base would've been a good idea here.

This figure has been sold out for some time, but you can still buy one online. There's a loose toy on eBay with all the extra pieces going for $15.99 + $5.20 shipping. I thinks that's cheaper than it was originally... good luck!

Toy OTD: DC Direct First Appearance Figure: Robin The Boy Wonder

I don't think that this toy line lasted for very long, but it did generate some really cool figures! Robin was part of series two, which also included Hawkman, Green Lantern, and Superman.

Naturally, this Robin is from the Jerry Robinson cover for Detective Comics #38 - when he first appeared with Batman. The sculpt does a fine job of capturing the cheer of Robinson's artwork. The paint passes are nicely done, and the fabric cape is a nice touch - the scale is a little bulky, but overall it's just fine.

There's a good amount of articulation on this toy - there's at least nine points, and possibly more. This does lead to some balance issues - the knees aren't tight enough to really lock into a pose, so it's tough to keep the figure upright, even though a display stand's included. You'll need to weigh balance (would you be better off with a maquette?) against price (can your budget go over action-figure level?).

You also get a mini-comic of Detective #38, but if I were on the fence about buying this figure, it doesn't really tip the scales in any meaningful way. The packaging is eye-catching, but otherwise about average for a blister-pack - nothing you'd be tempted to keep unopened.

This is still an easily-found, affordable toy - you can buy one for as low as $12.99 + shipping on eBay, or dodge the auctions for $14.50 + shipping at cosmicclutter.com. Happy shopping!

Toy OTD: DC Direct First Appearances Figure, Series 2: Alan Scott As Green Lantern

I haven't been all that excited with this line lately, but the initial releases were really cool - Golden Age versions of your favorite super-heroes! I bought all of the early characters, including this version of the Emerald Gladiator.

Overall, this figure is a little better in concept than in execution. The cloth scale of the cape is off, giving it that typical bulky look. It's aggravated a bit by the fact that it's a two-layer cape in order to be more on-model. Fortunately, this figure doesn't have ankle joints, so it stands on its base (another plus) more easily.

The only accessory - the only one needed, really - is his classic-style lantern. I supposed a full-size ring could've been included, but those are easily available elsewhere. The figure also comes with a miniature version of All-American Comics #16 (the issue where the Green Lantern first appeared), but I've never been much for mini-comics. I'd also assume that the major purchasers of this toy would've read it in some form or another before this point. Still, the paint work is fine, and the figure is a good, om-model sculpt.

If you hurry, you can still get this figure at Amazon for $10.99 + shipping.