A few months back I wrote about Marvel’s Heroics figures. A series of tiny, blind boxed, 97 cent non-articulated figures. The figures walk an odd line between featuring detailed costumes while having almost blank faces. It was a sad tale about a quest for a Hulk or Captain America figure neither of which I found. This is a very different article. This is all about DC Heroics. And this time it didn’t matter who was in the plastic balls, because I wanted them all anyway. I’m a sucker for all things DC. Always have been. One thing I learned in purchasing this batch of DC figures is that if you turn the plastic ball so that the wrapper runs perpendicular to the split in the ball, you can place just a little pressure on the crack and it will open enough to allow you a peek at what figure is in the ball without actually opening it. Blind box foiled!

The first batch of figures I want to discuss come from the Batman Family. In this first set of DC Heroics there are two Batmen and a Joker. Both Batmen are standard. I prefer the bland standing pose to the leaping version. I think it’s more iconic and an all-round better sculpt. The Joker reminds me of the pose of the Alex Ross Joker figure from DC Direct’s Justice line. Obviously, there’s very little detail in the faces and Batman’s eyes are big and crazy, but considering the tiny scale of these things I think they are pretty decent.

Up next we have the Flash and the variant repaint as the Reverse Flash. I’m not a huge fan of the action sculpt for these figures. I just don’t think anyone ever runs with both arms back like this. It’s the runner pose from when someone crosses the finish line in an organized race. It’s not a Flash pose. I also think they are leaning a bit too far forward though not quite as far as Green Lantern which we’ll get to later. Otherwise the costume details were handled pretty well.

The Martian Manhunter figure is probably my favorite from the DC set. He just looks great for a figure about the width of my thumb. I think that my consistent preference for the sculpts of the Thor, standing Batman, Joker and Martian Manhunter figures proves that (for me personally anyway) the less dynamic poses work best for this line. Manhunter’s eyes are a little funky and there’s some blue paint on base, but still a pretty strong product for 97 cents.

Green Lantern is my least favorite of the bunch. He just has a strange pose. He’s leaning forward so far you can barely see any of the detail of his costume without picking the figure up. If they were going to give him a flight pose, I wish they had gone with a lift off pose more like what they did with Superman. Superman lacks detail in his face but I like him overall. Something about the lower quality paint job makes it looks very retro to me. This is one of three Superman figures in this wave. There’s a standard Superman in a standing pose that I didn’t purchase, which I kind of regret a second Superman in a pose similar to the cover of Superman #1 (see image at the top of this article) and a variant Superman in what I’m assuming is his black post-Death of Superman costume, but I haven’t actually seen it.

Just to give the previous volume of this column a happy ending, I eventually found Hulk and Captain America. To be honest, for a fan of this line they’re both fantastic. The Hulk is a great sculpt. He’s huge compared to the other figures and looks like he’s ready to smash something. Apparently there’s a variant Red Hulk out there somewhere, but I can live without that phony.

Captain America is in one of those dynamic poses that I don’t totally love, but check out how awesome that shield looks. I just wish there wasn’t so much blue on Cap’s nose. At least he has exposed ears which is the major flaw in the Avengers movie Captain America costume. But seriously, they NAILED the shield which is my favorite iconic image in the entire Marvel Universe.

Finally, just for fun I’ll leave you with an image depicting the aftermath of %&*#ing Thor having received a beat down from the DC guys and Cap and Hulk not caring because we all know Thor’s the worst.

Update: Since people have asked, I found all of these at my local Walmart. They are currently prominently displayed in the action figure aisle, though I don’t think that’s the case at all Walmarts. I’ll try and get a picture of the displays and update this next time I’m there.

Update 2: Added a picture of the second Superman figure, the Walmart display and how to cheat and see what’s in the blind ball without actually unsealing it.

See also:

I Don’t Even Like Marvel – A Guide to the Bizarre Marvel Toys I Bought This Week

I Don’t Even Like Marvel vol. 3 – A Guide to the Avengers Movie Heroics figures

I Don’t Even Like Marvel vol. 4 – A Guide to the New Marvel Fish Tank Ornaments

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