DC Comics Icons Wave 2
Moving right along and catching us up to near real time on DC Comics Icons releases, today we are going to have a look at wave 2.  This second wave of the DC Collectibles phenom toy line features The Flash, Blue Beetle, Lex Luthor and Black Adam.  As with the first wave, the Icons line brings out two household names with two far lesser known characters, a move sure to excite and entice hard core collectors and casual fans alike.  Wave 2 does a fantastic job of presenting these new characters in amazing comic-accurate glory, but the main complaint on the first wave is resident here as well, their upward head movement is highly limited.  Otherwise…this is an awesome wave and let’s get to it!

 

The Flash – Chain Lightning

The Good

  • Three words.  Cosmic. Freakin. Treadmill!
  • The treadmill is an easy, sturdy build with a peg for the Flash to get his run pose on.
  • The Flash himself is a fantastic, mostly comic-accurate representation of the speedster.  Fine paint detail on the lightning lines and chest log.
  • Bolts at his ears and boot tops are perfectly located and sculpted.
  • Highly articulated body, arms, wrists, elbows, ankles, legs, hips, allow for a good variety of action poses.
  • The included second set of hands mean you can make The Flash look like he’s running and isn’t that really all we want?!

The Bad

  • My particular Flash has a loose set of ankles.  Keeping him balanced in a run pose on the treadmill is a bit of a challenge.  I’m sure it’s something I can fix with a boil / cold bath, I just happen to be that kind of lazy.
  • I took note of this when I first saw one of my favorite DC characters pop up in news feeds for DC Icons as a figure and my one complaint seems to have carried through to the production run.  The face looks off to me when compared to what I’m looking for in the comic run.  It may just be because his eyes are looking off to the upper right, but look at Flash issues 145 –  150 1999.  His face looks chiseled and a little stern.  Here it’s just a little off.  By no means does it make this not an awesome figure, but it’s something to note.
  • My wish for inclusion…some lightning…

 

Blue Beetle – Infinite Crisis

The Good

  • I think Blue Beetle in DC Icons is my favorite DC figure ever.  That is likely to change when I get my hands on Firestorm, but soup to nuts this figure is awesome.
  • Sharp, clean paint lines depict BBs uniform and mask.
  • The beetle carapace backpack is just freaking comic page perfect.
  • Articulated wings as well as a highly articulated body allow for awesome poses.
  • Swappable hands for weapons are just awesome choices for inclusion.
  • Perfect size frame for this lithe character.

The Bad

  • Nothing to see here.

 

Black Adam – Forever Evil

The Good

  • Black Adam comes with an awesome set of lightning hands!
  • BA also comes with a set of closed fists too…because, punching.
  • Hands swap out easily with no threat to damaging the awesome pieces.
  • Rich, dark paint application makes Black Adam none more black.
  • The art effects inside the bolt on his chest are stunning.
  • Good, burly, top-heavy figure as befitting of Black Adam

The Bad

  • My greed wants an alternate head with lightning effects coming out of his eyes.
  • How long before we see Shazam (Captain Marvel, whatever is your pleasure)?

 

Lex Luthor – Forever Evil

The Good

  • One of the most iconic DC villains of all time fits right into the DC Icons line showing off his awesome (third) Warsuit.
  • Lex has plenty of accessories, unfortunately due to holes in my DC knowledge I don’t think I can name what they are.  One is an energy disc / blade attached to a hand, another a little mini staff, and a neat little wrist blade.  He’s also got a set of spare hands that are empty but bent up all evil like.
  • Perfect evil face, perfect bald head.
  • Once again exceptional articulation from the neck down.
  • Warsuit sculpt is both beautiful and comic-accurate.
  • I’m a big fan of the ankle buckle pieces on his boots.
  • The paint application on each of these figures is something to note.  The consistency and the quality that I have seen with each figure that I have collected and opened is very impressive.  Here we get a fantastic muted green with the purple popping out in contrast.

The Bad

  • I know this is Lex from a specific comic run, and maybe this Lex didn’t brandish it, but I would have liked to have had a shard of kryptonite included.

The rest

2 waves in and DC Comics Icons is soaring as a toy line. As of this writing, March 2 2016 (will be published later), we’ve got Wave 1 (Batman, Green Arrow, Deadman, Mister Miracle), this wave as above, and one deluxe figure, Green Lantern.  Coming in 2016 is just an exceptional wealth of goodies.  In my last review I linked, now I’ll name a few starting with the monstrous Darkseid and Grail two-pack.  We will see a Batgirl with motorcycle, a deluxe Static Shock, a deluxe Cyborg, and regular releases of Joker, Harley, Firestorm, Atomica (3 figures!), JS Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, a New 52 Justice League multi-figure pack with redecos of Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc…  This is a line in it’s infancy and it is already glorious.  It’s time to get on the train.  If you have any DC love at all, and further, if you love you some action figure…this is the place to be!

Availability

Big Bad Toy Store has these.  Shop DC Entertainment has these.  Even Amazon is stocking these figures at retail cost or even less.  As always too, you can check your local comic shop!

Family Photos!