Somehow, the
release of the Cover Girls of the DC Universe statue series slipped
past me last summer, and I didn't notice they were out until I picked
up Black Canary in the fall. I was less than thrilled with her, due to
some paint issues and some aesthetic design decisions, but she still
had me intrigued. I've know got many more on pre-order, and two more
just hit my door - Wonder Woman and Catwoman.
Wonder Woman was actually released several months ago, but is being
re-shipped...re-released...re-something by DC Direct. The same is true
for Zatanna, who should be hitting comic shops a second time any day
now. I'm not quite sure how that works, since the original edition size
of WW was 5000 pieces, which is still the edition size. It looks like
they didn't actually ship all of the first 5000, or at least that's
what I'm assuming.
Catwoman is also an edition size of 5000, which is pushing the concept
of 'limited', but seems to be about the right number to meet demand.
Both of these are based on the artwork of Adam Hughes, and sculpted by
Jack Mathews. This is definitely a winning combination, and as you'll
see from the review, my opinion of these two is quite a bit higher than
it was of Black Canary.
Packaging - ***
Both come in boxes with photos of the product, but no window. The
interior foam is designed to keep them whole, and there's also a nice
large Certificate of Authenticity. The COA was placed on top in such a
way that it wasn't wrinkled or damaged, in contrast to my Black Canary.
Sculpting - Catwoman
****; Wonder Woman ***1/2 Between these two lovely ladies, there's something here for everyone.
I
really, REALLY like this Catwoman. Meow doesn't even begin to explain
it. The body proportions are almost perfect, and every aspect of the
design shows off her curves. The tilt of the torso and head, the
positioning of the arms, the pose of the legs - it all comes together
to showcase her attributes.
The head sculpt is also exceptional.
She's a lovely woman, but with enough edge to pass as the tough
criminal type. She has that dangerous look that you know you just can't
resist.
The eyebrows even had slightly sculpted edges, something
that was lacking on Canary and really annoyed me. They make a huge
difference to my eye, complimented by the sculpted edge of the loose
hair and tight cowl.
Wonder Woman is just as beautiful and buxom,
but with more of a powerful frame. Again, the pose of the body, and
arms, along with the tilt of the torso and head, gives a beautiful
flowing (almost S shape) line to her body. This is further highlighted
by the metal lasso that wraps around her body and curls at her side.
My
slight deduction her is for the blocky, thick hair, which lacks much
sculpt detail. This is a similar problem to what we saw with Black
Canary, and I suspect will see with all the ladies that have longer,
uncovered hair.
Both of these figures stand about 9" tall, but
the scale between the two is accounted for nicely. Wonder Woman is
thicker, more muscled and dense, while Catwoman is strong but svelte,
sleek like her namesake. That's a critical aspect to a series like
this, where collectors are likely to pick up many if not all of the
characters, and place them together on the shelf. Making them look good
together is almost as important as making them look good on their own.
Some folks might argue that Wonder Woman should be taller, but I'm
happy with the scale between the two.
It's also worth noting that
both statues are permanently attached to their bases, so there's no
risk of them (or the base) dropping off when you're handling them.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint work on both statues is extremely nice, with clean cut lines, consistent application, and bright colors.
I'm
particularly happy with the high gloss black on Catwoman. It
looks outstanding in any light, and really sets the statue apart on the
shelf.
She does have a couple minor issues with the silver, as
well as some clumping on the red lens of her goggles, but it's minor
enough to only cause a small deduction.
Wonder Woman has
beautiful bright colors, with the gold and blue standing out
particularly well. There's some minor blips along some of the tougher
cut lines, but nothing that would cause a major deduction.
The
paint work on both faces is also top notch, with no sign of the silly
crooked lipstick I had on Black Canary. There are minor quibbles that
only the most anal will notice (Catwoman's pupils could be a little
closer in size, and WW's could be a smidge straighter), and they do
nothing to hurt the overall impression the statue makes on the shelf.
Both bases are imprinted with an appropriate character logo as well.
Design/Quality - Catwoman ****;
Wonder Woman ***1/2
These are based on actual comic cover artwork, so there's only so much
they could do with the design. Still, the original design of Hughes had
to be spot on for the transition to three dimensions, or other artwork
should have been chosen.
With
both of these, I think the choice was great. I've already dribbled on
about how perfect the Catwoman pose is, accentuating her beauty and
personality. The same is true for the strength of Wonder Woman, and I
really love how the metal lasso wraps around her body. I'm not quite
as sold on Catwoman's 'tail' (her whip is wrapped around her waist, and
the handle hangs down in back very tail-like), but that's a very minor
quibble on an otherwise perfect representation.
Also worth noting
in this section is that the small loop on Catwoman's zipper is actually
metal, reducing the risk of breakage or damage over time.
The
only reason Wonder Woman scores ever so slightly lower here is the
action hair. As I mentioned in the sculpting section, they are giving
the ladies very thick, rough, harsh hair, and when combined with a
pretty wild action pose, it ends up looking too blocky and solid. It's
more helmet than hair, and the lack of the hair on Catwoman (since she
has the full cowl) is probably a point in her favor.
Value - ***
At around $80 - $85, these things are a very solid value. Other similar
statues cost quite a bit more, and the Batman Black and White series
(which are about 30% smaller) cost around $70 at most retailers.
Considering the quality, the price point is welcome.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing beyond the obvious.
Overall - Catwoman
****; Wonder Woman ***1/2
This is the time to get in on this series. Wonder Woman, Zatanna,
Catwoman and Black Canary are all still available for retail, but wait
too much longer and they'll start to dry up. And just ask anyone that
got in late to the Batman Black and White series what it can cost to
get caught up. If you have an interest, pick them up now. If you find
it's not a series you stick with long term, I think you'll always be
able to get your money back plus some.
My
issues with Black Canary aren't present with these two. The paint is
much better, the sculpting is great all around, and both poses work for
me from an aesthetic point of view. Bring on the next Cover Girl!
Related
Links -
I've checked out Black Canary
so far, but you can expect more reviews of this series going forward.
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Yea, it's a five star system and not a four star system like
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but it's the best I've been able to come up with so far. You
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only rate once from any particular IP. My score converted to
a five star system for comparison: 4.69
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