Review - DC Direct JSA Series 1 - Hawkgirl

Thanagarian warrior. Egyption goddess. Troubled teen. Possibly her own grandmother?

Meet Hawkgirl — queen of convoluted origins.

While the character of Hawkgirl has been reincarnated over and over for millennia, the winged warrior has had surprisingly few plastic incarnations.
DC Direct released a boxed set of the Golden Age Hawkgirl and Hawkman a few years ago, and the animated Justice League Unlimited series has featured Hawkgirl prominently, but this offering is the first from DC Direct to feature the latest wearer of the bird mask and wings, Kendra Saunders, in the 6- to 7-inch scale.

DC Direct’s Justice Society of America Series 1, which hit comic shops on Jan. 17, features the modern Hawkgirl in her fine feathered form.

PACKAGING

As with most DC Direct products, the money is in the figure, not the package. Direct market figures sold in comic and specialty shops don’t need fancy cards, and the JSA line is no exception.

A subdued maroon and purple card with the classy JSA golden eagle logo is all you need. The back features a group shot and brief origin stories of Hawkgirl and the Series 1 flock — Hourman, Mr.Terrific, Dr. Mid-Nite and the Golden Age Atom 2-pack.

The simple cards and bubbles are nice for those who keep figures packaged, and offer a good view of what’s inside without stickers blocking the view.
(Me? I’m an opener. I say let your plastic breathe.)
Inside Hawkgirl’s molded plastic sarcophagus you’ll find no twist ties to slow her release.

Some assembly is required — just a snap of her ball-jointed wings into holes on her back, and she’s ready to fly. Those wings come with a warning, though. Read on.

SCULPTING

The sculpt, credited to Sam Greenwell, perfectly captures Hawkgirl’s physique, face and costume, as seen in the early issues of the relaunched JSA series.
Special attention should be paid to the wings, with their intricate array of feathers folded into an “at rest” formation.

But — and this is a big but — the balls on the wings are much too big to fit in the figure’s shoulder sockets. (At least this was the case with my figure. I’d be interested to know if this is true of all of them.) No amount of forcing will fit them into the sockets, so don’t bother. The best bet is to either bore out the holes with a drill bit or small screwdriver or (carefully, kids) an X-acto knife, or to file down the wing balls to fit.

I’d recommend the screwdriver method, as it still allows the wings to move as intended. When properly attached, the folded wings help Hawkgirl stand up, balancing her perfectly on four points.

Just as she’s drawn in the comics, the Hawkgirl figure appears athletic and fit, a perfectly toned and realistically proportioned female superheroine.
(I'm talkin' to you, Power Girl, with your “The hole in my shirt IS my symbol” shtick.)

The helmet is removable, and made of a hard plastic. Underneath, you’ll find a short-coiffed Kendra Saunders with a flawless paint job, resolute expression and some darker streaks through her auburn hair to add some detail.

Hawkgirl features a utility belt that’s sculped as a separate soft piece, and it rides a little high. In my package, it was up under her ribcage.
If you unpack her, push it down so it fits around her hips. It takes some effort, but it’s possible.

PAINT APPLICATION

Colors are dead-on to the comic, and the application is decent.
There’s some paint bleed of the yellow “claws” onto her red boots, but otherwise my figure was close to perfect. The helmet has no freaky painted-on pupils that some Hawkgirl and Hawkman figures suffer from (even the otherwise excellent Alex Ross versions). There are nice washes that add depth and bring out the details on her wings and the leather bands wrapping her forearms.

ARTICULATION

Points include ball-jointed shoulders and wings, v-cut hips, standard jointed knees and elbows, ball-jointed neck and swivel wrists. These joints allows a variety of options, even some flying poses, without cutting up the beautiful sculpt.
Joints are tight but give enough that you won’t fear snapping a limb off.
The only flaw is with the wrists — especially the left — which just don’t seem to line up with the forearms. There’s an obvious gap, with some of the peg showing.
A gentle tug put to rest my fears that the hands were loose, but they still look a bit odd. The left wrist can be rotated into a perfect position for Kendra to hold her helmet.

ACCESSORIES

Accessories are a bit disappointing. I don’t count the wings, and I’ve already covered the helmet. There’s also a standared black JSA base with peg holes.
The only weapon is a small flail with real chains and three spiked balls.
Fans of the comics, and particularly Cartoon Network’s superb Justice League series, know that Hawkgirl wields a mighty Thanagarian mace to smash and bash baddies. The little flail just doesn’t do her justice.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl employ everything from battleaxes and spears to Thanagarian energy weapons in battle. It would have been nice to see something along those lines. But, most collectors have a box of spare parts with ancient weaponry aplenty, so if you plan to display Hawkgirl, you can easily equip her with a more formidable arsenal.

COST & OVERALL IMPRESSION

Overall, a nice figure and worthy of its place among your DC collection alongside the JSA or Justice League. Hawkgirl has some minor flaws, but the quality of the sculpt, and the fact that it’s her first time in plastic from DC Direct, make her a must-buy.

Fans of the JSA or JLA comics (where she currently appears) won’t be disappointed, nor will fans only familiar with Kendra from the cartoon.
The entire first series of JSA figures is worth your hard-earned action figure cash.
Now, DC Direct — let’s see Dr. Fate, Starman (Jack Knight), Sand, Green Lantern, Stargirl, Flash and Wildcat.

Review and Photos by Brian Funk