Review of Raven - Cover Girls of the DCU statue

Introduction

I was looking back at my reviews of the Cover Girls of the DC Universe, and was shocked to see I hadn't covered one since Hawkgirl last year. I knew that something had to have popped up in between that release and the new release of Raven, and realized that somehow I missed Starfire. And yes, I ordered one pronto.

Raven is another Teen Titan, an empath with the ability to use her 'soul self' through astral projection. She's also smoking hot, no surprise there.

The price has jumped on these as part of the 2012 DCD plan, hitting more than $120 at some stores.

Packaging - ***
They've switched up on the box artwork with the whole new DC logo. I'm not sure I'm loving the white box, and the general decor is pretty plain, but at least the high density foam interior trays do a great job keeping the statue safe.

And if you were wondering, no, there's no Certificate of Authenticity or edition size any where to be seen.

Sculpting - ***1/2
These statues are in a 1/8 or 1/9th scale, depending on how big you think the ladies should be. Raven is a full 11" from bottom of base to top of the head, but remember that several inches are eaten up in the base itself.

I love the floating pose above the swirling translucent black cloud, arms and fingers extended. As usual, this is an Adam Hughes cover design, translated into 3 dimensions by the talented Jack Mathews.

This isn't quite as sexy as some of the past statues, however. I'm not sure exactly why, but there's just something about the pose that seems a bit more traditional, and a little less Vargas pin-up model.

The flowing costume looks fantastic, and the expression combines a sexy slyness with determination and danger. Overall, it really works.

I did have a tiny nit though that pulled it down slightly for me. The cowl doesn't flow around her head evenly, with one side hanging tighter to her face than the other. While that is very likely in real life, this is a statue, and I think a bit more symmetry to the cowl's shape would have looked better.

Paint - ****
While I might have had a minor nit with the sculpt, there's none with the paint. The eyes, lips and hair look fantastic, and the purple costume is even and consistent. The colors are bright, the cut lines are sharp, and the few details are very well done.

Value - **
Like the Batman Black and White statues before them, the price on these girls has risen with the new year. At many places she'll run you at least $100, with some stores charging even more. That's a heck of a jump from Hawkgirl last year, who was $80 or so, and I fear that DC Direct is trying to bleed their two winning statue lines for too much profit at this point.

Things to Watch Out For -
The statue and base come as two pieces, so take some care when slipping the metal post into the softer resin base.

Overall - ***1/2
While she's not quite the cheesecake that some of the previous statues have been, Raven is still beautiful work and is going to fit in great with the rest of the series. Stand her next to Starfire, and you have the most beautiful Titans together!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $90.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Cover Girl statues include Hawkgirl, Armored Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and just prior was Poison Ivy, Batgirl, Harley, Power Girl, Catwoman/Wonder Woman, Zatanna, and Black Canary.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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