Sector1014 returns with a guest review of the SDCC 2010 Mez-Itz 2-Pack featuring Batman and the Joker. Previously, he highlighted the Funko Force 2 DC Universe vinyl figures, which we had missed at the show completely. And a while back, he wrote a great primer on the off-the-wall pick of Kamandi from DC Universe Classics wave 14. What do you think, should we ask him to be a regular here already?
Ron has been following all the news about Mezco’s new DC line here on AFP since it was announced, and SDCC 2010 brought us our first batch of figs and a look at where the line is going. First out of the gate for the DC 6″ Mez-Itz is the con/web exclusive Batman/Joker two-pack. Both are in classic comic book designs, with Batman displayed in his blue/grey-with-yellow-oval-logo version, and the Joker wearing his trenchcoat (with hat, not pictured above).
Also on display in San Diego were the next four two-packs, which include a few more versions of Batman/Joker (another comic set with a black/grey Batman, and a Dark Knight movie set), Superman/Darkseid, and Green Lantern/Sinestro.
Many of us who are excited about Mezco’s DC offerings are fans of Hasbro’s line of Mighty Muggs, and I think people will enjoy how these DC Mez-Itz fit in.
Obviously the Mez-Itz sculpt differs slightly from the Mighty Muggs, but I think what will really determine how compatible these are with Mighty Muggs for each collector are the paint applications. As you can see above, there are quite a bit more paint details on Batman compared to Wolverine. It’s interesting to look at the comic-inspired Mignola Hellboy and compare it to the Mighty Muggs and the SDCC Batman. The comic version really captures Mignola’s look without looking overly detailed or busy. The SDCC 2010 Batman matches up nicely with the style used on the Mignola Hellboy, as it does a lot with fairly minimal detail.
In comparison, I think the Joker may have too many paint apps for my taste. The amount of detail in his expression somewhat reminded me of the Sabretooth Mighty Mugg, which strays a bit from the more standard simplistic designs with sparse details of most Mighty Muggs. While I do enjoy this first version of the Joker, I’d prefer to see the DC Mez-Itz have paint details that follow the basic aesthetic of Mighty Muggs and many (most?) other vinyl versions of licensed properties. The Mignola Hellboy manages to be detailed without looking busy or messy–and for my money, it’d be great if all of them accomplished that. Heck, give them all Mignola styled paint apps, with the sparse use of sharp, solid black lines.
The accessories in this two-pack are Joker’s hat and a batarang for Batman. The hat is pretty flexible and can easily be moved into a variety of poses on the Joker’s head. A fun bonus is that Hellboy’s gun feels right at home in the Joker’s mitts. The batarang is a nice solid chunk of plastic and kids will probably throw it around and break stuff.
From what I can tell it looks like the Mez-Itz hands are designed to be compatible with all the Mighty Muggs accessories, so there’s going to be lots of options for accessorizing. Here’s Batman with some of Snake Eye’s weapons (he’s not gonna shoot the uzi, he’s just in the process of taking it away from Snake Eyes):
Mighty Muggs have articulation at the shoulders and the neck, but the neck is just a swivel. The Mez-Itz also have articulation at the top of the legs and a ball-jointed head. The arm movement works for a few poses with weapons, but it’s the neck joint that really gives you some options for how you can display these guys.
I’ve already found the leg articulation to be nice and functional. I loaded the Joker up with guns from Snake Eyes and Hellboy, but he wasn’t able to stand with them until I adjusted the legs. If you twist both legs in a few degrees it tilts the figure back (without looking strange) and allows for the Joker to hold two guns up like this and not fall over.
Another basic difference between the Mez-Itz and Mighty Muggs is the use of the cloth cape. I’m usually not a fan of the soft goods, but in this case I think it works. You can move the cape around for different poses, and those Mighty Muggs capes take up space in your display when you’re trying to fit stuff in.
The cloth also presents opportunities for some cape-blowing-in-the-wind-on-the-rooftop type shots. No rooftop here, but you get the idea:
Overall I’m pretty happy with these first two DC Mez-Itz, and I’m looking forward to seeing the who/when/where of how future product gets rolled out. Stay tuned to AFP’s coverage of the line for more details as they become available.
Great review. Love the animated images! What do you think of the packaging?