McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: Red Death - Dark Knights: Metal

 

So you're Batman AKA Bruce Wayne in the Dark Multiverse of Earth - 52. You've apparently lost a lot of Robins (what the heck), and your world is about t end via some of your Rogues gallery. You need the Flash's power of the speed force (why)! He refuses! So you chain him to the Batmobile, modifying it into a cosmic treadmill and somehow force him to use the speed force! (This is so wacky). He fuses into you, so now you're Batman but also the Flash, renaming yourself the Red Death. You end up killing a ton of your rogues' gallery but find a tempting offer from The Batman Who Laughs the only way to stop the eternal destructive cycle of these Dark multiverses is to ascend to the regular Multiverses! So you join forces. 

I love reading the Dark Knights: Metal for the crazy characters and this is definitely one of them. Red Death looks like he has a Batmanesque mask with a dark crimson body design similar to the Flash. The figure is spot on. I found out though he had a disconnected hip joint out of the box and the swivel was so stiff I had to boil and refit it to get it to work. That aside, it's a pretty nice figure! Very comic accurate, not much for accessories and came in a two-pack alongside the Flash himself! 

In my goal to collect the Secret Six, this was a must-have, and needless to say, most posts from now on will be McFarlane and will be Dark Knights Metal related! 

DC Collectibles Killer Croc - Arkham Origins

Killer Croc, Aka Waylon Jones is a character created in 1983 to add to Batman's rogues' gallery. He has a rare disorder responsible for his condition aided by a kind of metagene; this allows him very tough skin, incredible strength and a keen sense of smell among others. In most comics, he is taller than the average person, but in the Arkham game series, he is MASSIVE, standing at about 11 feet tall. To add to that, in Arkham Knight's Most Wanted DLC, he is experimented on to further exaggerate his reptilian traits to make him even more monstrous and crocodile-like. 

The Arkham games also make him far more cannibalistic and vicious (not that he ever wasn't these things per se). He sports teeth that grow beyond his mouth, a massive frame, and has is basically singularly focused on eating and killing. He must use money for something though because in Arkham Origins he is part of the 8 assassins that seek to collect 50 million dollars for Batman's head. 

This figure is the craziest, largest 7-inch scale figure I own and unless I get Clayface, Solomon Grundy or Titan Joker, likely the largest I will ever own. He is glorious.

DC Collectibles Deadshot - Arkham Origins

 After seeing some very reasonable sales on Amazon I've managed to acquire more of the 8 assassins from the Arkham Origins video game. Was it as good as any other in the Arkham series? No, but it still had some great fights and cutscenes that were motion captured by stunt people and gave me a tideover snack, if you will, before the Arkham Knight game. 

This look for Deadshot is a lot closer to his comic book look than the Arkham City game. In the game, he actually saves Batman a few times for the selfish purpose of being the one to kill him personally and collect the 50 million dollar bounty. He is eventually defeated via Batman breaking both his arms and leaving him for the police! 

As was DC Collectibles way further into the line of Arkham figures, this one has improved articulation compared to Arkham City and Arkham Asylum figures, but like the others was barebones on accessories. Masterful painting, shading and sculpting though! 

DC Collectibles Bane - Arkham Origins

 

I am usually not on the lookout for much when it comes to action figures. The only collection I really look at completing is my Arkhamverse one on a 7-inch scale. The deluxe or larger figures in this scale on the second-hand market are usually INSANELY expensive. Despite that, I continue to monitor sites like Amazon, eBay, and FB Marketplace for deals. When I noticed this figure and the Killer Croc from the Arkham Origins at near original MSRP, I had to snatch them up (about 70 CAD for each). 

This is the first appearance of Bane in the Arkham games, so while he is super muscled, he's not bulked up by the Titan formula yet. He is one of the 8 assassins hired by Black Mask (Joker, in reality), to kill Batman for 50 million dollars. Needless to say, he doesn't succeed but does manage to beat the snot out of him initially. He has many of the classic looks of Bane: black and white mask, insanely bulky body, giant in stature, tubes of green running from a device to various ports on his body. Unlike cartoon or some comic book appearances, he doesn't have red eye lenses, but just holes for his eyes and mouth. He also is wearing more of a tactical gear type look, strapping on a few extras like grenades and the like. 

He plays his classic role in the game as he does in many comics and shows: smart tactical leader, a former inmate who basically grew up in a prison, ruthless brigand who can easily tear a regular person's arms off! Despite all this, he's still designed with all these very vulnerable tubes sticking out! 

The figure here is superbly painted and sculpted. So many details in it are top-notch. The articulation is fairly abysmal, however, even by early DC Direct/Collectibles standards. Definitely, some of this is a product of his bulk, but as you'll see with the Killer Croc figure review later, that can't be the only reason. He also doesn't come with much for accessories. Given how large the package was that he came in, I wouldn't have minded an alternate head or hands for punching. 

McFarlane Toys Batmobile - DC Rebirth

 

There are so many Batmobiles. Every new comic artist, movie and tv show has their own. Video games like Arkham series and the Telltale Batman games have also had their own versions that are fairly unique. The DC Rebirth Batmobile is kind of inspired by a few items, namely the Batman 1989 Keaton Batmobile/1992 Animated Batman series. Like those, it has a long sleek design. At the front, it has a large, bat-inspired head that was taken from many of the very first Batmobiles in DC. 

Now, the scale and such of this batmobile is fairly small. For size comparison, you can see that it's pretty small. Basically only a Lego figure or perhaps slightly larger could even conceive of driving it, and since it is only one solid piece, no one can! That said, it's super well dry-brushed and looks great. It has working wheels and rolls pretty smooth! 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Batgirl (DC Rebirth: The Art of the Crime)

So when this one was released I was a bit surprised "When did Batgirl get a suit change?!? I thought she got one already in DC Rebirth? (Purple and yellow biker suit). As it turns out, during an encounter with Grotesque, the microchip that circumvents her spinal injury --inflicted by Joker--  has begun short-circuiting. She is suitless at the time and she has to make an emergency stop at a hideout to retrieve an old prototype suit, which is actually inspired by her very first suit as Batgirl; the grey and yellow. The original had a blue cowl/mask, where this new version has a black mask that has the ears pointing through the hair. This change all takes place in the DC Rebirth comic The Art of the Crime where Batgirl is investigating a bunch of art thefts and murders all over Burnside. 

This is definitely not my favourite suit. Like with Batman, I prefer Batgirl, and subsequently everyone in the Bat-family to have some solid black clothes and masks. This looks pretty good but is a big departure from her original DC Rebirth appearance. It seems fans or maybe the artists didn't want to keep Batgirl as young and hip with her phone and Instagramming and switched to a more mature look. It's just not my favourite colour scheme, ok?!

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Nightwing (DC Rebirth: Better Than Batman)

 

Hey! Look! A new Nightwing! 

Still one of my favourite characters in the DC Universe, and Best Boy of the Bat-Family. He's still the same Nightwing you know and love from the New 52 and most other comic books lines, with very minor changes to his suit. Instead of mostly all black with a blue chest symbol, he now has blue for his boot tops, hands and mask. Woo! I guess! 

Basic pros of this figure: great head sculpt with details put in between hair parts, really good range of movement, and you can clip his escrima sticks to his back. He's also, like all McFarlane figures, reasonable in price with nice paint and details (Is McFarlane trying to do for DC what Classics and Hasbro is doing? If so, consider making more characters outside the Batman comics! I'm not complaining, just a suggestion!)

Basic cons: His sticks have nice detail but a little plain, the chest to leg proportions are kinda off. Reminds me of the Arkham Knight Nightwing figure. I'll add to that by saying I think 7 inches is a proportional ratio that many figures don't seem to have quite right. It's like they are either making the legs too long and thing, or the arms not reaching far enough past the waistline. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - The Batman Who Laughs

The mother of the Anti-Monitor, Over-Monitor, and World Forger is kind of the villain of the Omniverse. Perpetua is a highly feared super celestial being, and not to be trifled with! She is responsible for creating the "Dark Multiverse", a set of multiverses made of all the bad decisions and nightmares conjured up by every other multiverse. Unlike other Multiverses, which see the light of day, the Dark Multiverses are constantly deteriorating and dying. It is out of these that we get the stories of the Dark Knights: Metal storylines. In one of these many nightmarish worlds, an amalgam of Batman and the Joker has created The Batman Who Laughs; a nightmarish tall ghoul dressed in black leather strips, a spiked collar covering his eyes, and controlling several "Robins" kept on chains. He is one of the Scions of Perpetua. He combines the tactical prowess of Batman and the nihilism of the Joker, along with his dark metal "collar" which acts as a visor into future events. He also has a weakness to Nth metal. 

The figure is one I had to have because...well it's the first Batman Who Laughs action figure. Reading the comics and seeing how McFarlane Toys is pretty much making every Dark Multiverse villain character required that I start collecting them all now! 

The figure is pretty great. It has really good poseability limited only slightly in the shoulders due to the sharp shoulder pads, and the neck due to the collar. These are design elements though, so no biggie. The psychotic look is so cool, and I can't wait for the version with wings and "Robin" figures that will be released. He comes with a few weapons which is always a welcome addition. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Batman (Arkham Asylum)

 

Of course, you can't have a Joker without a Batman  (except the Joaquin Phoenix movie of course which I really enjoyed!). In this case, we've got the Arkham Asylum Batman. If they had only ever made this character, I would've been happy. Loved the Arkham series to bits, and really excited for both the Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad game coming out in the next couple of years. 

I feel like we've nearly come full circle here! I started this blog with a post using the Arkham City Batman and here we are with an Asylum version, one of the first figures I started collecting years ago. This Batman is super true to form for Arkham Asylum. He's got the extra tall pointy bat-ears, lines through the suit, oversized bracers and boots, and shoulder draped cape. I love that the bat symbol is a large separately sculpted piece as it makes it pop out more. The articulation can't be beat if you compare it to the Arkham Asylum or even the City version of this figure from DC Direct/Collectibles. I like how clean the eyes and headpiece are, even if it is missing some shading. This is definitely a new favorite of mine for the Arkham Collection and I can't wait until they release the Arkham Knight Batman and the Arkham Origins Deathstroke. I definitely am loving what McFarlane is putting out. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Joker (Arkham Asylum)

I've previously revied the DC Direct version of the Arkham Asylum Joker here, so I won't go over his role in the game. Suffice to say he's pretty true to form Joker who leans a bit more into the gritty world of the Arkham games.

The previous Joker figure was really good. It had fantastic shading and paint throughout the suit and skin portions. It had a look that felt like it jumped out of the game. It came with minimal accessories (at least the 4 pack version), and the articulation was pretty basic. 

This figure does better in a lot of ways! First of all, it is still in 7-inch scale but stands slightly ______. I really appreciate that to scale in with the other Arkham figures. That's a nice gesture, Mcfarlane! 

Second, the articulation blows the DC Direct version out of the water. It's up to date with double joints and those classic McFarlane ball joints for the end joints. This version also comes with a couple of snapping teeth as well as a nice, hefty pistol. The paint is a bit cleaner than you'd see from the game and I'm not 100% sold on the face accuracy either but overall it's a great improvement in many ways.