–Review and photos by Scott Rubin
We’ve got a special review for you today… some may even call it “super.” Okay, jokes aside we’re going to be looking at two of the latest releases from our friends at DC Collectibles. The in-house toy and collectibles arm of the comic book giant, DC Collectibles (formerly DC Direct for those of us who’ve been collecting for a while) makes awesome action figures, statues, and other neat things to decorate our shelves and displays.
Their current mainstream comic book action figure line is the Icons series, bringing classic and modern heroes and villains to collectors in a 6 inch scale with top notch sculpts, paint jobs, articulation, and accessories like extra hands and more. Next month the collection adds three new items, and today we’re going to look at two of those: #25 Supergirl and #26 Super Sons (Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne)!
There’s a lot to love about the packaging for the DC Icons action figure line. Whether it’s a single or multi-pack they’re all the same shape, wide window boxes with a stylish slanted side that actually lets you get a little more of a look at the contents, typically extra pairs of hands and possibly other interchangeable parts, weapons, or flying bases.
The overall look of the packaging is super clean with white backgrounds and subtle splashes of color themed to the character. For example, Supergirl’s package has blue stripes, dog ear, text, and side panel decoration while the Super Sons have red. The slanted side panel has the name of the figure or theme inside, and on the opposite side DC provides you with a specific storyline that gave inspiration for the toy or toys like the Super Sons arc “In the Name of the Father.” The back panel of each box shows all of the figures in the current wave, so in this case both packages have Supergirl, the Super Sons, and Nightwing (sold separately).
Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) has gone through many different looks and costumes over the years, but DC’s Rebirth brought her back to a classic appearance that’s portrayed in her Icons figure here. The Girl of Steel is a statuesque 6 inches tall, standing head and shoulders above Jonathan Kent (and much more over Damian). Her costume consists mainly of a blue bodysuit covering her torso and arms, extending over the backs of her hands in a cool little detail. On top of the blue is a red skirt angled up over her hips and a matching cape that covers her shoulders entirely and hangs to about her knees. Supergirl completes the outfit with thigh high red boots, a gold belt-like band at the top of her skirt, and of course the iconic “S” shield on her chest in red and blazing yellow (there’s also a yellow “S” emblazoned on the back of her cape).
Kara’s Rebirth figure looks great, and much of that is due to a fantastic sculpt. DC didn’t go full cheesecake or anorexic with this one and she looks heroic and strong while also attractive. Her limbs are well proportioned for a comic book superheroine, especially her legs. There’s a nice buildup of the sculpt on her boots creating a strong border where they end on her thighs, and her rubbery skirt and cape allow for movement while also showing off creases and curves in the “fabric.” Meanwhile, the “S” shield on her chest is impressively raised and layered with a 3D look and feel that pops off the figure.
Of course, all of that stuff is for naught if the figure doesn’t have a nice head sculpt… but you don’t have to worry about that here! Kara is beautiful with a focused, determined expression on her face that has her blue eyes wide open and her red lips pursed. Her long, flowing blonde hair too has a detailed sculpt with pleasing asymmetry falling across her forehead and shoulders. DC wisely kept things simple and straightforward with paint on Supergirl. Her blues, reds, and yellows are bright and bold with little variation, while all of the subtle details of her face (eyes, eyebrows, mouth, etc.) stand out nicely.
The Icons line was a big step in the evolution of DC Collectibles’ action figures with regard to articulation. It’s no secret that figures in the past focused on look over dynamic poseability, but Supergirl and her fellows in the line are packed with useful joints from head to toe. From the ball joint in her neck to double-joints in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, etc. there’s plenty here to allow Kara to be posed in all sorts of dynamic action stances as well as traditional heroic poses as you can see in my photos. There is some limitations in range of movement around her skirt and her shoulders under the cape, but that’s a minor quibble.
What makes posing even better is the assortment of accessories. The Icons line is famous for providing a plethora of hand options and Supergirl continues that trend with clenched fists, open fists, and open hands perfect for flying poses. Speaking of, the Girl of Steel can soar with the best of them thanks to her clear flying display base. Lastly, Kara comes with an alternate “heat vision” head and two beams that plug into its empty eye sockets. It’s kinda creepy but looks cool when assembled.
DC Icons set #26 is the Super Sons! If you’re a little late to the Rebirth party you gotta check out the adventures of two young superheroes trying to make identities for themselves without being overshadowed by some pretty larger than life dads… Superman and Batman (and moms too with Lois Lane and Talia al Ghul respectively!). Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne couldn’t be more different, but together have awesome adventures and learn important life lessons. The two pack has both boys with the accompanying extra hands, a weapon for Damian, and a flying stand for Jonathan. The Super Sons sure do dress differently, with Wayne a perfect little Robin in his red, black, green, and yellow costume while Kent is a casual Superboy wearing tattered jeans and an “S” logo sweater with cape.
As we’ve seen on too many occasions, there a lot of ways toy companies can mess up making figures of kids. Thankfully, DC Collectibles went with appropriate and surprisingly realistic interpretations of the two boys here and they look really good. They’re skinny and gangly, Jonathan wears clothes that seem natural for a kid (sure Damian’s dressed as a superhero but he’s had an interesting life to say the least) and look like they don’t quite fit.
They’re also sized correctly with the super boy 5 inches tall and Damian just a little guy at 4 ½ inches, but I wouldn’t say that to his face if I were you. Best of all, both of their head sculpts are just awesome; Kent has a perfect wide-eyed, innocent expression on his face along with windblown hair while Wayne has a cocky smirk that any parent will recognize. From the neck down the figures are equally well done with intricate details like Jonathan’s wrinkled clothing and the tear in his jeans, Damian’s wicked-looking bladed bracers and stocked utility belt, and the shoe/boot laces on both boys.
As noted above with Supergirl, these DC Icons are standouts when it comes to articulation and the Super Sons are no different. Both have the requisite ball joints, double joints, etc. for all of your posing needs. Again, check out the photo gallery to see just some of your options for fighting or standing tough. More importantly, this set has some great accessories for these two. They both come with four sets of normal hands (clenched fists, open fists, open hands, flat palms), and Kent has the same clear flight stand as Supergirl. Damian comes with a staff that he can hold with his open hands and another pair of hands holding non-removable red batarangs; the right hand fans out four of the weapons while the left clutches three between his fingers as he hurls them. These, combined with the other options, really add a lot to the character of the figure in his various poses.
Fans of these characters are definitely going to want to add these DC Icons figures to their collections, and they’re perfect for comic book readers who are just getting into collectibles with their incredible likenesses of these popular heroes. Both the #25 Supergirl Rebirth ($28 MRSP) and #26 Super Sons 2-Pack ($60 MSRP) are coming out soon, either at the end of this month or the beginning of October, and will be available at your local comic book shop or wherever you purchase collectibles online.
Releasing along with these two will also be #24 Nightwing Rebirth so look for him too to complete your collection. The Icons action figures have a great line so far with knockout toys like these, so if you like what you see you should check out the previously released #1-23 with Justice Leaguers, evil villains, rookie heroes, and more.
Review and photos by Scott Rubin
Review samples courtesy of DC Collectibles
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