Forever Evil has been ripping the DC Universe apart since last fall and now the series is set to wrap things up this month. So with a little help from our friends over at DC Collectibles, I was able to get my hands on some of the Crime Syndicate action figures from their awesome Super Villain line! So for the month of May, I will be taking a look at nearly all of the series excluding Deathstorm. Because he isn’t one of what I like to call “original” team, I skipped picking him up this time around. But when it comes to my OCD with action figure collecting he may find his way to the shelf eventually. Today we will take a look at the female fatale of the team, Superwoman!
[box_light]Superwoman is the name given to several fictional characters published over the years by DC Comics, most of them being, like the popular Supergirl, a woman with powers similar to those of DC’s highly popular Superman. The name “Superwoman” was originally copyrighted by Detective Comics in an effort to prevent competitors from using it. As was the practice, an ashcan copy was created with the title of Superwoman. The cover was a reproduction of More Fun Comics with the interior content being a reprint of the third issue. The first true appearance of Superwoman, which is usually thought to have been one of many trial runs for the future introduction of Kara Zor-El as Supergirl years later, was printed in Action Comics. Superwoman has abilities similar to Ultraman’s, though she is apparently not as powerful as he is. Though she is not as strong as DCU powerhouses such as the Martian Manhunter or Wonder Woman, Superwoman recognizes that fact and will make good use of persuasion attempts or stealth and sneak attacks to avoid direct confrontation with such opponents as much as possible. She also wields a magic lasso (which she refers to as a leash) that can ensnare others and force them to admit secrets and desires that they are ashamed of.[/box_light]
First up, initial presentation. Sticking with a different color scheme on the boxes helps to really give this series a diverse look. I love the use of black, grey, and yellow as it helps to make the figure really stand out. The yellow back drop is perfect as it highlights the yellow in her cape. I am a huge fan of the window box presentation, especially the look of a turned and tattered page on the front. Super simple to open and remove the figure, and it also looks as if it would be easy to return them to their packaging. I haven’t tried yet so I’ll let you know how that works out, but from past experiences I have found that DC does the best job with their collectibles, hence the name.
Growing up I was just as big of a collector, in fact I have been collecting action figures since I can remember. Though some didn’t make it through the years, many did and let me tell you, female figures were always rare. Especially a companies ability to produce a decent looking one. Mostly you don’t see this start to happen until the early 2000’s, but still at that point sculpters were having issues delivering the proper proportions on woman action figures. These days most lines consist of more than one female figure and they are beautiful. Now it may sound weird but it’s not, don’t you want to most accurate look when it comes to display? Though it walks the very thin line between dolls and action figures, no collector will admit that they are one in the same. My Wonder Woman Kai figure is the perfect example of that. Anyways back to SW, great face sculpt and paint job. Beautiful, simple, and deadly. Her chest is cut perfectly and I like that they put in her torso articulation below her breasts. Unlike the Ultraman that I looked at last week, the turning torso allows for so many more posing options. Even her abs are cut, and this gives the figure a very realistic look around her midsection. The color on her is perfect the different dark tones really stand out for such a simple figure. The cape is made of a soft plastic and it actually can be removed, the fact that it is loose is a nice touch when it comes to posing the figure. Superwoman’s hair is a separate soft plastic piece and she is the better for it. It is very flexible and allows for great head movement. Paint-wise this figure has perfect lines everywhere and comes off as looking really sharp. The worst thing about her is the high-heeled boots, making it hard to stand her up sometimes, the look is necessary but be ready for her to fall down at times.
Articulation on this series is some of the best DC Collectibles and Gentle Giant has offered in their line. Here’s what you get:
– Ball-joined head
– ball-hinged shoulders, swivel right biceps
– hinged elbows, ball-hinged wrists (side-side swivel)
– ball-joined torso
– ball-hinged hips, swivel thighs
– front-back hinged higher and lower knees, and ball-hinged ankles
Again with the lack of a ball hinge in the elbow it can take away from some movement, but I do like that they give you the swivel bicep. Other than that you have an almost perfect action figure, with the ability to do more poses with than Ultraman. No accessories with most of these, which is kind of disappointing seeing that Superwoman does use a lasso similar to Wonder Woman, I’m not sure why this was left out. At least they gave Power Ring his lantern, I’ll be taking a look at him probably next week.
Overall I love this figure, it almost gets a perfect score if it weren’t for a couple of issues. I am giving the DC Collectibles Super Villains Forever Evil Crime Syndicate Superwoman a 4.75 out of 5 Stars. This company is now my go-to action figure producer for action figures based on DC Comics characters, and appropriately so. The evolution of this line has been spectacular and collectors have been well rewarded for their loyalty. Now that Gentle Giant has their hands in the pot, it will be interesting to see what the result of future figures will be. I recently ordered the Batman from the new Greg Capullo line so I am looking forward to taking a look at that and seeing if there are a lot of similarities and if DC will continue to release these figures with such high quality features. Forever Evil wraps up this month in DC Comics and the Crime Syndicate is available for purchase at your local comic book shop or our favorite online retailer!
Check out my review of Ultraman here, and look forward to my other reviews of the rest of the series coming in the next couple of weeks!
~CynicNerd