Review and photos by Scott Rubin
This year has seen several Marvel HeroClix expansions as well as a couple Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sets, but now WizKids is back with one DC Comics release before the end of the year. Everyone’s favorite Clown Prince of Crime is headlining a set for the first time ever with DC HeroClix The Joker’s Wild! This expansion is full of Gotham City goodness with multiple versions of the titular villain and Harley Quinn, Batman villains classic and modern, Suicide Squad (comic) members, Outsiders, and the Justice Society of America. WizKids also continues some of its more recent additions to the game in Joker’s Wild with some ClixFX Bases and more black and white sketch variant figures! Today you can get a look at our unboxing of a brick of 10 boosters for a taste of what you’ll find when you tear into yours.
First off, the celebration of Joker and Batman villains takes a decidedly retro turn from the very first appearance of the Joker’s Wild boosters with their fun artwork and groovy logo. The front panel features the Dark Knight (in blue and gray costume) along with the madman of the hour complete with iconic purple and green tuxedo with acid-spitting flower and of course a huge grin on his face. The sides of the booster box offer more tantalizing sneak peeks at the figures in the set with group shots of Outsiders (Looker, Black Lightning, Batman, Geo-Force), Suicide Squad members (Amanda Waller, Deadshot, El Diablo), classic Batman villains (Penguin, Riddler, Bane), and Jokers and Harley Quinns. Lastly the back panel has information on the WizKids Info Network and how you can win exclusive prizes.
As I do in all of my unboxing videos I like to take a look at the brick/boosters then skip over the boring parts like opening each box, turning the figures around, etc. so we can get right to the good stuff. Without further ado let’s check out the unboxing of a brick of The Joker’s Wild (and scroll down for more info and a photo gallery of the figures we pulled here)!
Here’s the breakdown of the figures in this brick (your results will vary of course):
COMMONS (including duplicates)
- 001 The Joker
- 002 Harley Quinn
- 003a The Joker Thug
- 004 Kobra Fanatic
- 005a Court of Owls Initiate
- 005b Court of Owls Initiate
- 006 Thanagarian (sketch)
- 007 Commissioner Gordon
- 009 Robin
- 010 Wildcat
- 011 Court of Owls Assassin
- 012 Amanda Waller
- 013 Colonel Rick Flag, Jr. (regular and sketch)
- 014 Black Lightning
- 015 Harvey Bullock
- 016 Batman
UNCOMMONS (including duplicates)
- 018 Harley Quinn
- 019 Hourman (regular and sketch)
- 020 Tattooed Man
- 022 The Atom
- 023a Manhunter
- 024 Technocrat
- 025 Hawkman
- 026 Bronze Tiger
- 028 Vicki Vale
- 029 Calculator (sketch)
- 030 Two-Face
- 031 Kobra
RARES
- 035 Killer Moth
- 038 Talon
- 040 Sandman (sketch)
- 042 Dr. Fate
- 043 Lady Shiva
- 047 Killer Croc
- 048 Firefly
SUPER RARES
- 054 Geo-Force
- 056 Plastic Man
- 058 Clayface
CHASE
- 064 Bizarro Hawkgirl
Let’s go through what we see at a glance. Starting at the top I pulled at least one of all the commons except for #008, twelve different uncommons, seven rares, three super rares, and a chase in Bizarro Hawkgirl! This was the first I’d seen of the rarest figures in this set, but if they’re all “Bizarro” versions of heroes then I’m sure we’re in for some fun sculpts and a plethora of wacky traits and powers. There was just the common Joker but two versions of Harley Quinn (common Batman Adventures and uncommon New 52) plus classic Batman villains like Two-Face, Killer Moth, Killer Croc, Firefly, and Clayface.
The more recent addition of the Court of Owls was well represented as well with both common Initiates, the Assassin, and the rare Talon. Gotham City isn’t without its protectors, though, and for the side of good I pulled Batman and Robin, Commissioner Gordon, and Harvey Bullock. Other sub-themes brought us Suicide Squad’s Amanda Waller, Colonel Rick Flag, Jr., Tattooed Man, and Bronze Tiger, Black Lightning, Technocrat, and Geo-Force of the Outsiders, and the Justice Society’s Wildcat, Hourman, The Atom, Hawkman, Sandman, and Dr. Fate. Then there are fun generics like Joker Thug, Kobra Fanatic, and the Thanagarian and unique heroes and villains including Manhunter, Kobra, Calculator, and Lady Shiva.
As noted above, Joker’s Wild continues some of the HeroClix trends WizKids has established recently including the new card layout (making it easier than ever to get into and learn the game). While it was met with some controversy at the beginning I think that most players have come around to understand its benefits, and I’ve already seen firsthand that new players love it. There are more ClixFX Bases in this set as well, and among the figures pulled here we’ve got Firefly’s Fire marker, Plastic Man’s “Tag!” marker, and Clayface’s Mud marker; all of which do unique things in the game based on rules on the figures’ cards. Out of ten boosters we also pulled four sketch variant figures: Thanagarian, Colonel Rick Flag, Jr., Hourman, Calculator, and Sandman. These look super cool and offer collectors additional versions of their favorite characters whether you like the minimalist style or are thinking of repainting yours in new ways.
Thanks in large part to the flamboyant costumes and uniforms of the heroes and villains operating in and out of Gotham City, the Joker’s Wild set looks great. The headlining villain in the 001 slot really sets the tone as the Joker leans on his cane with the utmost swagger, and he’s backed up by his perfect partner in crime with 002 Harley Quinn. Other really cool poses include the sassy Robin with his batarang, hard-hitting Wildcat, Colonel Rick Flag, Jr. looking seriously tough, Technocrat flying into the air, and the high-kicking Lady Shiva. It may sound strange but I always appreciate well done normal human types, and this set gives me the well-sculpted and painted Commissioner Gordon, Vicki Vale, and the two Court of Owls Initiates… of course those last two are also wearing creepy white owl masks.
You can see excellent textures on the Kobra Fanatic’s scaly uniform and the brilliant wings of the Thanagarian/Hawkman as well as the chase Bizarro Hawkgirl. Some of my other favorite sculpts from the figures in this brick are the complex Court of Owls Assassin/Talon with all of their weapons, a pretty perfect portrayal of Sandman, Killer Croc erupting from the sewers in all of his animalistic fury, Firefly blasting into the sky, the loopy and convoluted Plastic Man, and of course the rampaging mud-man Clayface. I was very pleased with the painting on figures in this set overall with standouts like the retro Black Lightning and Tattooed Man with his intricate ink.
WizKids has been cranking out preview after preview to get people excited about this set, and I couldn’t just show you an unboxing without providing a few of my own! Without further ado, we’re going to start with one of my personal favorite Justice Society of America heroes, Hawkman! The winged wonder known (sometimes) as Carter Hall has been a mainstay of the JSA but he’s also been a Justice Leaguer and much more. He’s shown up several times before in HeroClix and he’s always a lot of fun, and this new version is too. First off, he has a fantastic sculpt! Hawkman floats in the air, borne aloft by his tremendous feathered wings, and he wields a massive spiked mace. Carter wears his iconic costume of green pants with red trunks and boots and plenty of yellow accents including the harness across his chest. Of course there’s also his distinctive winged helmet and his chest logo in black and red. In this set the JSA members come with budget point values and extremely effective (though short) dials, and Hawkman gets that treatment at only 30 points with the JSA team ability, Flight, and a version of the shared “A Simpler Time” trait that gives a +1 to defense vs. close attacks to allies sharing Hawkman’s stat. The brief three-click dial has great numbers for only 30 points, and the hero has a full dial of Charge plus opening Toughness.
Killer Moth may not be the most popular Batman villain, but he’s been high on the list of never-before-clixed figures for years and years… and now he’s joining the party thanks to Joker’s Wild! Drury Walker drops in with a 65 point dial featuring the Batman Enemy team ability, Flight, and a 5 range with one target. His stats are weird, with speed that drops and attack numbers that go up after the first two clicks, and mirrored defense and damage numbers that bounce around down the dial. Killer Moth can Incapacitate on every click (which is good since his damage scores are 1s and 2s); top dial he pairs Running Shot with Energy Shield/Deflection and after a middle click of Sidestep switches to Charge and Combat Reflexes. The sculpt is great and should make every Walker fan with the odd villain wielding his Cocoon Gun and carrying a sack of loot, his wings and bizarre moth helmet on full display. And of course Killer Moth is garishly painted in his trademark purple, green, orange, and yellow color scheme!
For our super rare preview today we’ll look at the newest version of everyone’s favorite flexible hero: Plastic Man! The rubbery Eel O’Brian has had several iconic appearances in HeroClix with such varied shapes as a hang glider and even a mailbox, but now he returns to his mostly normal shape with some stretched body parts. One arm is raised to wave at you while the other presents a huge clenched fist, and Plastic Man’s next slithers behind his back and around his waist before holding up his head in front of him. O’Brian wears his usual red, yellow, and black costume while his signature sunglasses complement the exuberant expression on his face. Plastic Man clocks in at a mid-range 70 points with the Justice League of America team ability, a 4 range, and a trait that gives him a souped up Shape Change and provides rules for using the figure’s “Tag!” marker (it’s applied to a hit enemy who must break away from it and when that happens Plastic Man can make a free close attack). The flexible Justice Leaguer packs a lot of the same powers his predecessors have had with Stealth, Plasticity, Toughness, and Perplex with some new ones like Poison and Regeneration. Every other click features a special power called “Immeasurably Powerful, Absolutely Nuts” that lets him choose a size category (Tiny through Giant) or Sidestep every time he’s given a non-free action!
The DC HeroClix The Joker’s Wild expansion officially releases on November 9th, but you can join in on exclusive pre-release events at participating comic book and game stores the week prior. This set is a blast for Batman fans and collectors, giving us great new versions of tons of Gotham City characters and new ways of playing iconic teams like the Outsiders and the Justice Society of America. Good luck with your pulls, and hopefully they’ll include some fun sketch variants and the elusive chases like the Bizarro Hawkgirl we saw here!
Check out the photo gallery below for a look at all the figures from this brick.
Visit HeroClix.com for even more info as well as downloads of rules and maps, and stay tuned to Figures.com as we continue our reviews of new HeroClix!
Review and photos by Scott Rubin
Review samples courtesy of WizKids Games
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