Tag Archives: dc comics

Jan 7 2014

DC Comics: Superman ArtFX+ Statue by Kotobukiya

Anyone who’s kicked around FFZ for a while knows that I have a long standing love of Kotobukiya and their Bishoujo statues. Well, late last year I started to branch out thanks to some irresistible pics of the Justice League ArtFX+ statues posted by this konsummate kollector of all things kool. I’ve already pre-ordered the first offerings in their Avengers line, which is due to start hitting later this year and now I’m busy piecing together the Justice League and some of the other DC statues. I’m kicking off my look at this line today with the Man of Steel himself, Supes!

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The packaging is artsy and gorgeous. While the Bishoujo statues come in proper boxes with windows, these pieces come in a box made of windows. Yes, the entire package is made of clear plastic with printed graphics, all surrounding a set of plastic trays with the statue nesting inside.

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This packaging definitely has its ups and downs. On the upside, it’s a beautiful presentation, complete with art that links up with the other boxes to make for a great looking backdrop behind your statue display. Also, if you take the plastic wrap off the statue, you can return it to the package and still get a pretty good look at it while it’s inside. It practically makes its own display case.

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On the downside, the thin plastic packaging is fragile and very susceptible to scratches and whatnot. Statue boxes are among the few packages I hang on to, and I worry about how durable these will be to store over time. It also means that if you’re buying these sight unseen from an online retailer, you better make certain that they’re known for their careful packing. In the end, I think the good outweighs the bad here. I’m prepared to go the extra mile to be careful with the boxes in exchange for what is a truly fantastic presentation.

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So, obviously we’re dealing with “New 52” Superman and that’s perfectly fine with me. While I do have some issues with a few of the character re-designs of the current DC Universe, I have no problem with any of the core Justice League. In fact, I’ve really grown to love Supes’ new costume, particularly when it’s presented as well as it is here. Superman stands at about 1:10th Scale, which makes him smaller than Koto’s Bishoujo pieces but a little bigger than your average DCUC or DC Collectibles action figure. I’ll be honest, I would have probably liked to see these in the 1:8th Scale, but it’s a trade off because the smaller scale doesn’t gobble up as much space and yet they’re still big enough to host plenty of detail. Clearly Koto knows what they’re doing, so who am I to argue?

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The sculpt is truly excellent. One thing DC did brillaintly was design the new costumes with 3D modeling in mind. If you look at the early “New 52” comics there are explicit notes about how everything should be raised and three-dimensional. As a result, every detail of the figure is sculpted in rather than just painted. You not only get all the musculature, but a great 3D effect in the boots and cuffs as well as the belt and the S-logo. When you add that to the sculpted panel lines of the outfit you get a detail that really stands out no matter what angle your looking at. The cape is sculpted in stiff plastic and hangs down off his shoulders perfectly. It can be seen from the front, but it isn’t obtrusive, nor does it flare out to the sides to take up extra space on the shelf. It’s a nice compromise. As for the pose itself, the statue assumes what is mostly a traditional “museum-style” pose, but his fists are clenched and his arms slightly bent as if he’s poised for action. The stance allows him to stand among his fellow Justice Leaguers with a degree of uniformity, while at the same time offering a feeling of excitement and kineticism. 

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The portrait maintains a great deal of the character’s comic feel but there are also some heavy anime overtones in the portrait. I’m really happy with the pose that Koto went with here. I know a few collectors who have taken issue with the Asian overtones of the portrait, but I’m not one of them. I don’t think it’s at odds with the some of the Jim Lee line art and quite frankly I think it works quite well in conveying the more youthful look of the “New 52” Superman. Either way, the expression is great. Superman looks determined and resolute and there’s a lot more detail in the facial sculpt than my poor camera can adequately capture, particularly in the brown and the cheek bones. 

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As nice as the sculpt here is, I have to say it’s the paintwork that really makes this statue pop on the shelf. The high gloss metallic paint gives Supes’ costume that luscious new-car shine that begs to be admired under the light. The tones of red and blue, with a hint of gold, complement each other splendidly. Naturally the glossy outfit contrasts beautifully with the matte flesh tones used for the head and hands, as well as the matte red plastic used for the cape. I still take this statue off the shelf at least once a day just to turn it over in the light and admire the beauty of the paintwork.

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Superman includes a square black base with the “Justice League” logo on the front. It’s a metal base with some heft and the statue uses magnets in the feet to help connect him to the base. It’s not a very strong connection, not enough to pick up the stand with, but it does keep him from toppling over. It also allows for you to move him about the base or even pose two statues on one stand. It’s a clever system that Koto has used for many of their ArtFX+ statues and it allows for multiple options when displaying the team.

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I’ve frequently remarked that Koto offers some of the best values in statues and that’s certainly the case here as well. While Superman’s MSRP clocks in at around $40-45, I was able to pick him up for just under $30, which is a pretty comfortable price for such a striking display piece. If you aren’t quite prepared to make the jump from collecting action figures to pricier high end statues, this would be a great way to go, as I really think this is one of the finest portrayals of this version of the character in statue or action figure form. He’s a great stand-alone piece, but I wasn’t been a big fan of Superman’s stand alone book last year, but I have enjoyed the character in the Justice League book, so the real draw for me is going to be displaying him with his comrades. I’ll try to be checking out one of these beauties each week until I’ve run through them all!

Oct 18 2013

DC Comics: Huntress Bishoujo Statue by Kotobukiya

DC’s Huntress is getting a lot of attention this year. She’s got her own thing going with Power Girl in World’s Finest. She finally got a figure released in the DCUC style, DC Collectibles has shown off her forthcoming entry in the Cover Girls of the DC Universe line, and of course Koto immortalized her in PVC in their Bishoujo line. It’s that last one that we’re here to look at today. It’s been over a month since I last featured a statue here on FFZ, so let’s go…

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If you know the Bishoujo statues, then the style of packaging here should come as no surprise. Huntress comes in a satisfyingly large white box with plenty of the original artwork by Shunya Yamashita. There’s a window on the front panel with smaller windows on the top and side panel to let some light in. Of course, the statue comes wrapped in plastic and nestled between two plastic trays, so you won’t get the full effect of this piece unless you open her up and unwrap her.

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The back of the box has a little copy about Huntress herself and a photo of the actual statue from front and back. Oh, look, Harley is also available. That’s one that is still missing from my collection. I’ll have to fix that sooner or later. The statue comes already attached to her base, all you need to do is put her staff in her hands. You carefully pull it apart and feed it through her hands and re-attach. Now we’re ready to check her out.

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Oh, myyyy. Huntress is one sexy statue and rather than beat around the bush, I’ll just go ahead and say I think she’s some of this line’s best work to date. The coloring, the sculpt, it’s all so amazing! I don’t know where to begin, so let’s just start with the pose. Huntress is doing her best imitation of The Captain Morgan Stance, with one foot propped up on her base. Her butt is thrust out to the back and she’s clutching the staff with both hands. Gulp! Her right hand crosses under her chest to help prop up her ample ta-ta’s and her head looks slightly down with a rather sly grin. And now, I’m going to take a moment to spritz a little cool water on my face. What can I say? Huntress does it for me.

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While this is certainly not an action pose, Koto managed to convey a wonderful amount of kineticism in the cape and hair. Sure, a lot of Bishoujo statues have windblown hair, but here the garment and hair work together to create a great level of energy in this piece. Also the way she’s holding her staff makes her look like she’s either about to receive an attack, or perhaps she’s just bested some thugs and is pausing to admire her handiwork. Either way, the pose here is just an amazing blend of posturing an action.

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I really dig the portrait here. Sure, it’s fairly typical bishoujo fare, but the hair is truly well done, particularly the way her bangs hang down over her mask. As always the paint apps on the face are perfect.

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The detailing and coloring on her costume is also superb. The glossy black and metallic purple look fantastic against her pale matte skin tones and there’s just a little bit of white to make the figure pop. The costume includes sculpted pouches around her hips and thighs, belts and buckles on her boots, and knee armor. Even the treads on her boots are sculpted even though you can’t really see them other than from the side. I love when the sculptors put that kind of attention into those minor little details! If you want me to level one gripe against this piece, it’s that the absence of her trusty crossbow feels rather conspicuous, but the pose with the staff is so well balanced, there’s really no place for it, unless they sculpted it hanging on her hip.

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Huntress’ base is a simple black disc with a nicely sculpted gargoyle. There’s not much more to say. The gargoyle offers a little bit of environmental context and I’m glad the base is not clear. It’s also designed to match well with Bishoujo Batgirl’s gargoyle base. My only complaint here is that Koto really seems to be making these stands a bit too large. Huntress really eats up a lot of shelf space for a 1:7 scale statue.

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When Huntress was first released earlier this year, my local comic shop sold out of her before I could make the trip up. As a result, I had this statue in my Amazon Wish List for a couple of months before finally seeing that she dropped below $50 and pulling the trigger. In retrospect, the fact that I waited so long seems crazy, because she truly is so damn amazing. It was a little tough to muscle her in, as my statue shelves are getting a little congested, but I was happy to rearrange things a bit so she can stand beside Power Girl as companion pieces.

May 19 2013

Sunday Funday with Booster Gold!

It’s Sunday Funday, where I chronicle something I did over the weekend that doesn’t have to do with toys. This weekend, I kicked back with the Booster Gold TPBs: “52 Pick Up” “Blue and Gold” and “Reality Lost.” See, I told you the last three features of the week would synch up! Yes, Booster returned with his new Ongoing book in 2007, inevitably reprinted in some collected editions a couple years later. The series picks up exactly where the events of “52” left off. While not a complete collection, the three trades offer a cohesive (well, as cohesive as you can get from time travel fiction) storyline from the first 20 issues. To the uninitiated, these volumes are a great introduction to Booster, while fleshing him out as a more sympathetic character and offering a great tribute to his undying loyalty to and friendship with Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle. In some ways, this collection is almost as much about Kord and The Blue Beetles (plural) as it is Booster, but then the two have always been rather inseparable in my eyes.

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In broad strokes, a good part of the ongoing story plays out as a DC inspired tribute to Quantum Leap (maybe with a dash of Forrest Gump since Booster manages to hit a lot of important moments in the history of the DC Universe). Booster bounces through the personal histories of various superheroes and villains in an attempt to set things right. He’s on hand to keep Green Lantern Sinestro from meeting up with Hal Jordan before his time. He has a hand in making sure Barry Allen gets zapped into becoming The Flash. He teams up with Jonah Hex to prevent a herd of teleported bison (!) from falling out of the sky (!!) and crushing the Doctor that would deliver the ancestor of Superman’s adopted Earth father (!!!) all while drunk off his ass. And he dodges some rather awkward questions from Ralph Dibny about his future with his wife. Even Booster’s own timeline isn’t immune to his good-natured meddling, as he eventually teams up with himself to defeat the mysterious villains. For me, the culmination of all these time travelling adventures is the harsh lesson Booster learns while repeatedly trying to save Barbara Gordon from the infamous paralyzing attack at the hands of The Joker. The Doctor would have referred to that as a “fixed point in time!”

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And, of course, against all warnings and advice, he uses his time-traveling power to bring back his best friend, Ted Kord, to the land of the living. And therein lies the bulk of the second volume, “Blue and Gold.” It’s so great to see the two chums standing shoulder to shoulder against evil again, even if we suspect from the beginning that such a good thing can never last. And in an instance of truly tragic irony, before the third volume is complete we see Booster unknowingly save the life of the ancestor of Max Lord himself. Time travel… it’s a fickle bitch!

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If the underlying theme of “Blue and Gold” is all about Ted, than a big part of the issues that make up “Reality Lost” gives Goldstar the spotlight, as more time meddling shenanigans bring Booster’s sister, Michelle, back to life and sees her teamed up with her brother. Much like “Blue and Gold” it’s bittersweet because we know this can’t end well. Still, it’s a fun ride along the way as Michelle gets to pose for Leonardo DaVinci, cosplay as Batgirl, and help steal the Batmobile with Booster dressed like Elvis. Epic hardly seems like the right word.

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As the bulk of my comics are in storage, picking up these trades was a nice treat. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my Saturday evening than sitting out on the porch, enjoying a cigar and a couple belts of Jameson and getting lost in the pages. Granted, it’s only been a couple of years since I last read this run, but it’s still one of those books that I love to read even though I know what’s going to happen. The editors did a nice job cherry-picking the issues to present casual readers with a complete package, but as a Booster fan, I’d still recommend hitting all 20 issues if you can. Sure, the overall story is mostly time-travel cliches and nothing to write home about, but it’s the journey along the way that makes it so entertaining. These books feature solid art, pithy dialogue and they really do the character of Booster proud. It’s whimsical, silly, poignant, tragic, but I’ll concede that I was always more than a little disappointed that it ends with the status quo being reinstated. Still, any chance to see Booster and Ted Kord in action again is a great book for me.

Images used are the copyright of DC Comics and are reproduced here for review purposes only. If you love comic books, support the artists and writers by BUYING them, either digitally or in print. Better yet, buy them in print and support your local comic shop too!

May 15 2013

Cover Girls of the DC Universe: “New 52” Catwoman by DC Collectibles

Today’s feature almost didn’t happen, because the USPS temporarily lost my Catwoman statue. To be more accurate, they claimed it was delivered and after a few days of me insisting it wasn’t, bitching at them, and finally letting them know it was insured (why didn’t THEY know that?) it magically turned up in my postbox. In fairness, I get a lot of shit mailed to me every week, some USPS some UPS (and some by whatever cracked out sorcerers Amazon uses to get stuff thrown on my doorstep from a moving vehicle 12 hours after I ordered it) and this was the first time I’ve ever had a problem like this. Yeah, I consider myself pretty lucky. Catwoman is one of the New 52 books that I’m still reading regularly and I enjoy it quite a bit, so when I was able to get a decent deal on this statue, I really couldn’t resist.

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This piece comes in a fairly bland white box with some pictures of the statue on it and a little blurb on the back. “Catwoman is ready to whip the Dark Knight into shape if he tries to stop her!” I’m guessing that’s some kind of kinky S&M reference, because every encounter Batman and Catwoman seem to have in the current book involves them screwing. The back also shows off two other statues currently available. Harley Quinn is actually sitting in my Pile of Loot at BBTS, but I’m not digging Poison Ivy enough to buy her. Anyway, there’s not a lot else to say about the box. It gets the job done, but considering we’re dealing with a comic book company, a company that is all about the graphic arts, you’d think they could come up with something more attractive than the presentation here. The statue comes wrapped in plastic and nestled between two styrofoam trays.

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Out of the box, Selina stands atop a decorative finial on a rooftop. One leg cocked, she’s glancing back over her shoulder, goggles up, her whip is coiled around her, and she’s carrying a novelty kitty-cat backpack full of jewels. I can’t argue with the pose, it’s a little seductive and it captures all there is about the character pretty well. If I had one thing to nitpick it’s that the pose makes it difficult for me to decide on how to display the statue. I suppose it’s intended to be displayed with her head looking straight out at you, and that does indeed look nice. On the downside, you miss out on some of the other assets she has on display, and at this angle the cat chasing her is obscured by her leg. Still, all in all, I’ve got no complaints about the pose.

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In hand, the statue has a satisfying heft for its size. It’s a cold cast porcelain piece, rather than the PVC plastic that make up most of the statues in my collection. The portrait, Sam Greenwell is the sculptor here, is certainly competent, but it’s not stellar. There’s a reason some statues are considered “high end collectibles” and sell for hundreds of dollars and others don’t, so I’m willing to be a little forgiving here. Selina’s face is pretty and it’s close to the comic art by Guillem March, but it’s not a slam dunk. The short spikey hair must have been a challenge to get right, but I think they did a good job. I do wish the strap on the goggles was sculpted or painted to stand out from the hair just a bit more.

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The rest of the statue is quite nice, although in fairness her leather bodysuit doesn’t require a lot of detail so it lends itself well to this kind of statue. There are a few seams and wrinkles, and the zipper is detailed, but most of what’s here is smooth, glossy black curves. The whip is actually a soft rubbery material (OMG, IT’S MIXED MEDIA!!!) and I like the texturing on the backpack. The base looks good and as far as architecture goes it’s about as Gotham City as you can get without actually putting a gargoyle on it. The cat on the base is a nice touch. I like how it’s suspended in mid jump and how it looks like it’s mesmerized by and chasing the frayed end of Catwoman’s whip.

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Paint has been a hit and miss affair with the DC Cover Girls line. Honestly, I think the paintwork on my Catwoman is quite good. Again, this is a pretty simple statue to paint, as the bulk of the body is just coated in high gloss black. The detail work on the zipper is pretty good, as are the flesh tones. The one thing that stands out a bit is her right eye looks just ever so slightly droopy and uneven, but it’s not enough to ruin the piece for me. In fact, I didn’t really notice it until I was really scrutinizing it for this feature. The paintwork along her hairline is pretty solid as are the lips.

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I like this statue a lot, but it feels a little less impressive than past statues in this series. It feels like there’s been some cost cutting since the days of Cover Girls’ production limitations and Adam Hughes’ sculpts. But I also need to remind myself that some of those statues could be hit and miss as well. For example, I have desperately wanted to pick up the Cover Girls Starfire statue, I still hope to one day, but I’ve yet to see one with acceptable paint. I could also mention that while DC Collectibles no longer limits the production on this line, they haven’t lowered the price accordingly. Catwoman’s MSRP is $99, and when you see what you can get from Kotobukiya for less, that seems rather high. I picked up mine for $65, and that seems a lot closer to the mark. All in all, I’m satisfied and I’m happy to have her on my shelf.

May 5 2013

Sunday Funday: New 52 Suicide Squad Comics!

Yesterday was Free Comic Book Day and while work prevented me from taking advantage of it, at least I made lots of money to buy lots of comics. That’s almost as good. Anyway, the last time I talked comics on Sunday Funday, I got all ranty and kind of mean, and that kind of missed the point of the day, although I can’t deny it was fun. This weekend, a great deal of my downtime was spent reading the first two TPBs of Suicide Squad and then going back and re-reading some of Gail Simone’s run on Secret Six. I recently picked up two of those collected editions, “Unhinged” and “The Darkest House” as my individual issues inexplicably found their way into storage… at least I hope they’re in storage. 

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There were a lot of reasons to be suspicious and wary of the New 52 reboot, but when I look back to it, there was really only one thing about it that pissed me off: It signaled the end of Simone’s Secret Six. It was like being in a speeding car heading toward a brick wall and I couldn’t get out. Secret Six had grown to become one of my favorite comics of all time. Granted, that’s a long list, as I do love me my funnybooks, but Secret Six is a comic that I thoroughly savored. It hit on all the points that make me still an avid comic book reader, even as I enter that precarious point in my life called Middle Age. I can’t remember ever being so sad and disappointed as when I found out that it was wrapping up in favor of the impending reboot.

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As it turns out, I’ve been pretty happy with a number of the New 52 books. Some may call that sacrilege, but that’s where I stand. I can say that I read every first issue, I pursued a little more than half of them past the first issue, and since then I’ve narrowed it down quite a bit. But the ones that I’m still reading are entertaining enough and somewhat refreshing to me. I’ve got 30+ years of the crushing weight of comic continuity running through my head, and I constantly felt as if I was falling behind on the books I cared about and in some cases, getting caught up would be a lost cause. Reading comics started to feel like a frustrating chore, and that’s never what I wanted from one of my favorite pastimes. The New 52 made me feel like I had half a chance again. Maybe on some level the reboot was like killing the patient to cure the disease, but in the end I was glad DC did it.

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Anyway, one of the books I didn’t follow past the first issue was Suicide Squad. I was still bitter over Secret Six ending and I just thought DC was trying to use the Suicide Squad title as a cheap way to continue the popularity of Simone’s book.  Whether that’s the case or not, it’s hard to argue that it’s intended as the spiritual successor. I can remember flipping through that first issue violently and screaming, “YOU’RE NOT SECRET SIX… STOP TRYING TO BE!!!” Then I threw it down and ran out of the room sobbing while slamming the door as loudly as I can. Ok, that didn’t really happen. I did, however, want to stay mad and bitter, but ultimately, my love for King Shark and Deadshot sucked me in, and I picked up the first two TPBs while browsing at the comic shop a week or so back.

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A great deal of my resistance was worn down by seeing Adam Glass’ name on the cover. I really enjoyed Deadpool Pulp and Luke Cage Noir is still on my reading list. I can’t say I was instantly familiar with either artists’, Fernando Dagnino or Federico Dallocchio, work, but I can say that I’m a fan now because I really dig the look of these books.  Anyway, I devoured both volumes pretty quickly and then I flipped through them a second time to skim the good parts and it dawned on me that there was room to have both books exist in my good graces. Suicide Squad is fun, violent, crazy, and best of all I can get my fix of Deadshot and King Shark. Y’all know I’m not a big Batman fan, so this was one of the first times I really followed a book with Harley Quinn and I warmed up to her a lot more than I thought I would. Oh, and tossing Captain Boomerang in there never hurts either. It’s a far cry from the glory days of Simone and Secret Six, but a good time had at the FigureFan ranch this weekend, and I’m looking forward to October when I will most definitely pick up volume three.

Images used are the copyright of DC Comicsand are reproduced here for review purposes only. If you love comic books, support the artists and writers by BUYING them, either digitally or in print. Better yet, buy them in print and support your local comic shop too!

Apr 13 2013

DC Comics: Bishoujo Wonder Woman Statue by Kotobukiya

Here’s one that’s been on my want list for a long time. She’s also been sitting on the shelf at my local comic shop taunting me to buy her every time I go in for a visit. Sure, she’s about ten bucks more there then I could get her online, but my last visit just seemed like the right time to pull the trigger. And I’m fine with dropping an extra tenner on a collectible if it means supporting a small business. Anywho, Wonder Woman happens to be one of my favorite books in the New 52 and I’ve recently picked up the first two collected volumes in hardcovers. I’m enjoying revisiting them just as much as when I went through these twelve issues for the first time on my Kindle. That probably explains my sudden incentive to finally buy Koto’s Bishoujo statue. Sure, this is Wonder Woman before they put her in pants in #600, and then changed her up again for the New 52 Reboot, and that’s cool because as much as I am enjoying her new book, I still dig her more traditional look best.

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Alas, your pal FigureFan was hitting the Jameson pretty good the other night and decided to open her up before taking the in-package shots. Sure, she’ll go back into the box, but I didn’t feel like putting her back in once I had her on my shelf. Besides, you get the idea. The presentation here is very standard for Koto’s Bishoujo line. You get a box with windows on two sides, as well as on the top. The other panels consist of a mix of the original art design for the statue and some photographs of the actual piece. There’s also a blurb about Wonder Woman and the statue on the back. The box lets you get a passing look at what’s inside, but she’s wrapped in plastic and sandwiched between two plastic trays, so you’re not yet seeing her at her best. There’s also some assembly required on this piece, so you really need to bust her out of there to fully appreciate what you’re getting. As always, the package is collector friendly. My statue’s box is a little rough around the edges, but I think she’s been banging around that comic shop for quite some time.

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What sort of assembly is required? Well, Diana comes already affixed to her base. You just need to put her lasso in her hands and place the spears and helmet on the base. The way the lasso works is very clever. Each of the loops has a break in the top with each side pegged to go into her hands. The result is an effect that actually looks like she’s holding a coiled rope, when in fact it’s all cool fakery. The spears are inserted into tiny slots in the cloak behind the shield. The helmet doesn’t peg or fasten down in any way so you can just place it anywhere you like, or leave it out entirely if you prefer.

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Out of the box, all assembled and hot damn, this is one gorgeous statue. The pose is very simple, with WW standing tall and favoring one hip ever so slightly. Her arms are held out at her sides, clutching her golden lasso, which runs behind her back. Her head is cocked a little down and to the right. In theory, I like the positioning of the head, but it does mean that you really need to pick up the statue and peak underneath to get a good look at her face. The face is classic Bishoujo, enhanced by some exceptionally well-sculpted hair blowing off to the side. She’s also wearing her trademark gold tiara and she even has a pair of red star earrings.

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WW’s body type is just the right balance of power and femininity. She’s definitely all woman. Koto was extra generous with her upper assets, but that’s to be expected with these statues. The enhancement is noticeable, but not quite taken to ridiculous proportions. Her skin is beautifully sculpted and has that great, soft and realistic texture that Koto manages to nail on these statues every time.

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Of course one of my favorite things about the Bishoujo statues is the way Koto contrasts the soft skin tones of the ladies with the costumes and this statue is no exception. WW’s one-piece outfit is exquisitely reproduced and uses some of the most gorgeous metallic red paint that I’ve ever seen. It’s so vibrant, it makes the metallic gold look somber by comparison. The blue is no slouch either. The same luxurious red is used for her high heeled boots. There are some brush strokes showing up on the white of her boots. It doesn’t detract much from the statue, but it’s conspicuous just because the paint on my Bishoujo statues is generally peerless.

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You never know what Koto’s going to do where the base is concerned. It could be anything from a simple disk to an all-out environment and Wonder Woman’s base is pretty elaborate. The disc is sculpted with a rough ground texture. On it is a sculpted, crumpled cloak with a beautifully painted shield resting on top at an angle and the aforementioned spears protruding from behind it. If there’s one gripe I have about this statue, it’s the layout of the base. The spears stick out pretty far beyond the back of the base, meaning this piece takes up a lot of precious display space. If you have a place of honor for the statue and planning on displaying her alone, it’s probably not that big a deal. On the other hand, if you are adding her to a somewhat crowded shelf of other statues, you may want to consider removing the spears to economize your space. Also, while the helmet is an extremely nice piece, but it because it doesn’t attach to the base I tend to forget it’s going to fall off when I pick up the statue.

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I’ve only been collecting these statues for a little over a year, but my collection is growing and I have to say Wonder Woman is probably my favorite one on the shelf right now. It may just be that I’m smitten by “new purchase” love, but I think she’s going to stand the test of time. As with Power Girl, I think Koto was able to deliver the bishoujo style here without compromising one iota of the character. It’s a totally iconic piece, and those are the ones that I love the most. I tend to forget how much I enjoy these statues until I actually get a new one and then I fall in love with the line all over again. There are a couple more sitting at the comic shop, and I’m really tempted to drive over there next weekend and give them a home as well.

Jan 25 2013

DC Comics: Bishoujo Power Girl Statue by Kotobukiya

It’s been over a month since I last checked in with Koto and their awesome line of Bishoujo statues. Yes, I still have some older ones to look at, but Power Girl just arrived on my stoop yesterday, and I was plenty anxious to check her out. Giggity! Surprisingly, she’s actually my first Bishoujo statue from the DC side of the fence. I pre-ordered her a ways back, completely forgot that she had been released, and found that she was sitting around in my Pile of Loot, so I quickly gave the go-ahead to send her on her way to me. I love Power Girl. Even though I’ve converted to reading my funnybooks exclusively by way of digital device, she’s one of the few DC characters that I still have complete runs of bagged and boarded and I’ll still buy any books  she appears in if I come across them at the comic shops.

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Yep, Koto does packaging well. Looming space concerns make me really picky about the packages I save, but I never toss a Koto package. Besides being collector friendly, the Bishoujo packages feature the gorgeous concept art that I simply have to keep. If you’ve purchased these statues before, you should know what to expect in terms of packaged presentation. Power Girl comes in a white box with windows on the top, front and right side panel. The left panel has a huge color illustration inspired by the work of Yamashita Shunya. The back panel has a comparison of concept art to statue and a great blurb about Power Girl and the statue on the bottom. And, Oooooh, The Huntress is coming soon! Giggity! Ok, that’s the last giggity, I promise. Of course, despite the three windows she’s still wrapped in plastic, you really need to open it up and remove her from her plastic trays to get the full effect. So let’s go ahead and do it.

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Some Koto statues require minimal assembly, but Power Girl comes out of the box all ready for display. While many of my favorite Bishoujo statues have been based on candid action shots, there’s something to be said for an obvious pose. I really liked the sultry and gratuitous stance Koto used for their vastly underappreciated Ghostbusters Lucy statue, and I’m totally digging the one they used for Power Girl every bit as much. I just love the fact that she’s blatantly mugging for the invisible camera, tossing her hip to one side and flexing her arm. She’s just the right mix of Kryptonian muscle and curves and the pose is coy, sexy, boastful, heroic… it’s brilliant.

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Kara’s been made over with the typical bishoujo face with big blue eyes and a sweet little smile. She’s turning her head to the side, but her eyes are looking straight at the invisible camera. Her short blonde hair is ruffled by the wind and looks awesome, with one strand protruding upward. I’m really glad Koto didn’t go with the transparent effect for her hair. It works sometimes, but I don’t think it was necessary for short hair like this.

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Power Girl’s outfit consists of her white skintight one-piece with her iconic boob window, blue gloves and high heeled boots, a red cape and a red belt that hangs off her hip. The metallic gold belt buckle and cape clasp round out the package nicely. Koto went in an interesting direction with her one-piece as the glossy finish and exaggerated seams make it look like it’s intended to be leather. I’ve always imagined it was just spandex or cloth, but I’m seriously digging on this look and I’m not some freak with a rubber fetish… at least not one that I was previously aware of. The boots and gloves have the same great glossy leather finish. The sheen of Kara’s outfit really contrasts beautifully with the soft matte flesh tones. And with her legs, cleavage, and flash of derriere, Kara’s showing an ample amount of skin. Much of my Koto collection happens to involve a lot of black and drab outfits, so it’s nice to have Power Girl to add some color to my shelf, and I absolutely adore the coloring on this statue.

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For the base, Koto went with a silver textured disc that looks like it’s supposed to be stainless steel. The texture is cool and it’s embossed with “Power Girl” in case you couldn’t quite recognize her… um… face. It’s a simple, clean looking design that compliments the statue’s bright, beautiful colors.

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And that’s the Bishoujo take on Power Girl! Back when I first started collecting this line, there were certain Marvel and DC characters, which I thought were a perfect fit. My beloved Power Girl was one of those and I knew Koto would get around to making her sooner or later. She’s a lot simpler than some of the other statues I’ve looked at, but there’s a certain minimalist elegance that works well for this piece. There was no need to complicate her with an elaborate base or diorama set up, because she does just fine all on her own. She’s also packed with personality that strides both the familiar character from the comics and this new bishoujo version. Well, done, guys… she’s outstanding! Now, I’m kind of anxious to pick up the Supergirl or Wonder Woman to go with her.

Dec 19 2012

The Sandman: Death Statue by Mattel

Today we’re going to take a break from all the MOTUC stuff and check out one of the non-He-Man related things I picked up at Matty’s Sale: The sassy Death statue from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series. I was first exposed to The Sandman comics back when I owned a used & out of print bookstore. I never knew what was going to come through the front door and one day it happened to be a guy with a panel van filled with 4,500 comics to unload. They were all bagged and boarded and ran the gamut from the 70’s to current stuff. I didn’t sell comics, but I couldn’t resist and we came to an arrangement. Eventually, I culled through the collection, keeping what I wanted and setting up the rest in the back corner of the store on card tables. Some of the ones I pulled were Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.

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I make no bones about being a Neil Gaiman fan. Besides really enjoying his original comic work, many of his efforts have spilled over into so many other mediums and franchises that I hold dear. When Mattel revealed their Death statue for the 2012 San Diego Comic Con, I was certainly interested, but with so many other things vying for my collecting dollars, I ultimately had to pass. Most of the time, when you pass on SDCC exclusives, the ship sails and second chances are expensive (Screw you, Sky Striker Starscream!!!). But every once and a while, the items are readily available afterwards at the same price. In this case, I was able to do even better, as Matty Collector had a ton of these still available for their Cyber Monday Sale.

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While nowhere on the box does this statue claim to be an SDCC Exclusive, the gorgeous and elaborate packaging certainly betrays it as being some kind of special item. As with most Matty Collector items, Death comes in a mailer box, but rather than being a boring white carton, this one is all black with Death’s ankh printed on one side and a really nice minimalist portrait of her on the other.

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Inside the tasteful mailer box, things only get better. The statue comes in a three-quarter window box with an elaborately illustrated frame and insert, placing Death in an animated graveyard environment. The back of the box has a portrait and a little blurb about the character.  She’s secured on a transparent tray and hovering slightly above her skull base, and the various windows let you enjoy the statue from every angle except the back. If ever there was an argument against opening a collectible, this presentation would be a pretty convincing one. I mean, I open everything, and even I was really tempted to leave Death mint in sealed box. However, after some really careful clipping, I was able to get Death out of her box without destroying the packaging.

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So, the first thing to realize about this statue is that it’s molded out of regular old plastic. If you’re a collector of statues, you’re probably used to PVC, polystone, cold-cast porcelain, or pretty much anything other than this mass market grade plastic. Besides making the statue remarkably light (seriously, there’s no heft to this thing at all!), this kind of plastic shows seam lines and just can’t hold a sculpt as well as the more premium grade materials. Now, all that having been said, the sculpt is a solid enough effort, and this is by no means a bad looking piece.

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Death is posed standing, with her right hand bent at the elbow and resting on her hip, and her other hand resting suspiciously close to her “hoo-hoo.” Actually, I think the designers were going for having her left thumb hooked into her belt and you can kind of see that. There are swivel cuts in her shoulders and torso, but Death is obviously sculpted to be in a very specific pose and I haven’t had any luck using the articulation to her benefit. Otherwise, there’s some good detail work in the sculpt. The laces on her boots and the buckles on her belt are all pronounced, and you get the little wrinkles on her tank top. She also has her ankh pendant hanging around from her neck on a string… OMG, that’s mixed media folks!!! Still, there’s nothing here you wouldn’t see done in a similar fashion on a well executed 6-inch action figure.

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Death’s head is looking slightly downward and this is really the only thing that irks me about the pose because it kind of hides her face. The neck is ball jointed, but there’s no room for her to look up, only side to side. The ability to swivel the head is certainly more useful than the rest of the articulation, but I really would have preferred an option to have her looking forward and not perpetually downward. My guess is the designers wanted to make her look coy, and if you turn her head all the way to one side, it kind of works ok. The sculpting on the head is easily the best part of the statue, as it captures the character quite well and I particularly like that the hair is sculpted as a separate piece.

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The paintwork has its ups and downs. The paint on the face is excellent. Her eyes and lips are perfect, and the grey wash on her hair is used sparingly and to good effect. The quality of the paint breaks down a bit between her tank top and her armpits. There’s definitely some slop going on there. There are also a few stray marks along the back of her pants. The lace holes on her boots are all painted silver, as are the studs and buckles on her belts.

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Death comes separate from her base, with peg holes in her feet to secure her to it. Her feet aren’t sculpted to make her boots flush with the base, so I don’t really get the feeling that she’s naturally standing on it. Nevertheless, the skull base is a really great looking piece. There’s not a lot of paintwork, but the sculpt speaks for itself, and it does have a cool aged patina. Unfortunately, it’s hollow, so it adds to the lightweight feel of the statue.

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If you collect statues, I’d caution you that Death probably isn’t going to meet your expectations. The lack of heft alone is likely to disappoint. On the other hand, if you just happen to be a Sandman fan and you’re looking for a good representation of Death to display on your shelf, this statue certainly gets the job done. It’s a competent piece, although it still feels like it started life as an action figure. As far as value goes, this statue originally retailed for $30 (closer to $40 if you ordered it off Matty and had it shipped). Now, normally that’s pretty cheap for a collectible statue, but for a plastic statue made by a mass market retailer like Mattel?  Eh, maybe not so much. In hand, however, the elaborate presentation of the packaging helps bolster the value quite a bit, and I can honestly tell you that I’ve seen far more expensive statues turn out a lot worse than this one. Ultimately, I’m glad I picked her up. She’ll look nice on my Bishoujo shelf, although more than likely she’ll wind up going back in her box for now, as I definitely want to keep the whole presentation intact.

Tomorrow I’ll turn my gaze back to the last MOTUC figure that I picked up from Matty’s sale… It’s Vikor!