DC Universe Classics Wave 16: Jonah Hex by Mattel

We’re at the last of the regular figures from Wave 16, with only the Collect & Connect and the two All Stars left to go. I saved Jonah Hex for last because he inexplicably turned out to be my favorite among the regular figures of this wave. And with figures like Azrael and The Riddler in here, that’s saying quite a lot. What’s even more impressive is that I’m not even a big Jonah Hex fan. I’ve made more than a few attempts to get into his funny books, mainly because I am a HUGE fan of Westerns in both film and literature, but his books never managed to hook me and don’t even get me started on that shitty movie.

Jonah comes packaged in a fairly neutral pose. He does have each of his weapons in his hands, but there’s nothing here to mess with the figure’s joints. At this point, I don’t have much more to say about the Wave 16 packaging, although I do like the crossed revolvers Mattel used for his icon on the insert.

Even if you don’t give a crap about Jonah here, you’ve got to at least agree that Mattel put some serious love into this figure from sculpt to paint job. Let’s start with the head, since a big part of Jonah’s trademark look is his horrible disfigurement. T4H really nailed the look here, complete with the buggy eye and the few strands of flesh that cover over the exposed half of his jaw. It’s more gratuitous and comic booky than the sculpts used for the movie figues, and I love it for that. The Confederate Amy outfit is nicely sculpted onto the figue, but I think it’s the beautiful wash and paintwok that really makes it stand out. You also get a nicely crafted ammo bandalier as well as a working holster on his belt and a strap on the back to hold his shotgun.

Jonah featues the old style of DCUC articulation, minus one point. You get universal movement in the shoulders and hips; Hinges in the elbows, knees, and ankles; Swivels in the biceps and thighs; He swivels at the waist and has a ball jointed neck. What’s missing? The ab crunch hinge, which wouldn’t have worked with Jonah’s sculpted tunic.

Oh, look, accessories! Afterall, what would Jonah be without his guns? The figure comes with a revolver and a double barreled shotgun. Both are decent sculpts with good paintwork, but they’re also made of really rubbery plastic.

And there ya have it. In terms of sculpt and paintwork, Mattel really went above and beyond with Jonah. Let’s face it, this is a line where we’re used to getting a lot of figures comprised of standard bucks with a simple painted costume. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s cool to see when a really unique looking character shows up, Mattel goes the extra mile to do it right. I’m sure some of my love for this figure is inflated just because I love him as a Western themed figure, but a lot of it is just appeciating nice work when I see it.