Review - JSA Series 1 - Mr. Terrific

JSA Series 1 - Mr. Terrific

The unique conceit of DC's Justice Society of America is its sense of history, and the idea of modern heroes carrying on the names, costumes and missions of their Golden Age predecessors. Some are descended from the original "Mystery Men" of the 1930s and 40s, while others look to the old guard for inspiration.

That's the story of Michael Holt, an Olympic decathlete and technical genius who took on the mantle of the Golden Age adventurer Mr. Terrific and embodies the original hero's ideal of "Fair Play." (He even stitched those words on his jacket sleeves, making him the only superhero to actually wear a catchphrase instead of a symbol.)

In the comics, Mr. Terrific has led the modern incarnation of the JSA and also serves as the "White King" of DC's chess-themed covert ops squad Checkmate.
This is the modern Mr. Terrific's first representation as a figure, and it's — dare I say it — pretty terrific.

PACKAGING

As I covered in the Hawkgirl review, the JSA series cards are simple and elegant — maroon and purple with the JSA golden eagle logo on the front and a group shot on the back with brief origin stories of the Series 1 characters — Hawkgirl, Hourman, Mr.Terrific, Dr. Mid-Nite and the Golden Age Atom 2-pack.

There's no comics artwork or other nonsense blocking your view of the figure, no twist-ties to unravel and no assembly required.

SCULPTING

Mr. Terrific's sculpt, by Mike Berling, captures the hero in a standing, yet somewhat dynamic, pose — a clenched fist, jacket blown back by wind, arms spread and ready to dish out a beatdown. (Probably accompanied by a lecture in thermodynamics or nanotechnology or quantum theory. The guy's like the third smartest man in the world, if you believe his PR.)

The costume is simple, but Berling adds texture by capturing the folds of Terrific's jacket and piping and other accents of the costume.
It could look like Mike's headed out for a night with his bowling team, but the sculpt makes the outfit look like a functional costume, something an athlete would wear.

The head sculpt is hard to appreciate with its black-and-brown color scheme, but a closer look reveals nice details in Mr. Terrific's scowling visage.

PAINT APPLICATION

Like the sculpt, its subtle but flawless. For a figure with only four colors — black, white, red and brown — it's surprisingly interesting to look at.

DC Direct used a matte black for the costume and the "T" on Teriffic's face, but a high-gloss black for his eyes and hands. It's a nice touch that adds excitement to a figure that could have been drab.

The glossy eyes also catch the light, giving his face some life.
My figure had no paint bleedover, an accomplishment considering the contrast of red piping against the white uniform.

The most impressive paint application is in the lettering — "Terrific" across the back and "Fair Play" down each sleeve.
The lettering looks perfect enough to be a decal, but it's not.
Those sleeves bring us to...

ARTICULATION

DC Direct gets high marks for a minor feat of engineering.
Consider this: the hinge of the elbow joint lands right between the "R" and "P" in "Fair Play," but the arm is constructed so that the "R" stays with the forearm when bent.

It's a perfect blend of paint and articulation, and is very well thought-out.
Other points include a ball-jointed head, rotating shoulders, swivel wrists, a T-crotch and standard knee joints. The sculpt doesn't allow for many poses, especially with the arms. Rotating them up makes Michael look like he's ready for a hug. They're obviously meant to be down at his sides. The arms could have benefitted from a swivel joint at each bicep. All joints were tight and held after repeated (unsuccessful) attempts at alternate poses.

ACCESSORIES

Only one accessory, a collection of four "T-Balls" connected by a clear plastic ring, with a peg that fits in Mr. Terrific's right hand.
(There are so many opportunities for a joke here that I'd feel like a hack if I tried.)

The floating T-Balls are basically Teriffic's weapons, and perform a variety of functions in the comics, from surveillance to defense.
The "ring of balls" makes Teriffic look like a juggler, or a magician doing some kind of ring trick at a kid's birthday party. It just doesn't translate into plastic.

A better solution might have been separate T-Balls that plugged into holes on Mr. Terrific's shoulders, to give the impression that he was surrounded by... balls.
Okay. There's no way to take these things seriously.
Dude, seriously. You're a genius. Invent better weapons.

COST & OVERALL IMPRESSION

Despite the... questionable... accessory, Mr. Terrific is a fine figure from DC Direct.

Some more articulation and optional poses would have been nice, but sculpting has always been the company's strongest asset.
Fans of the JSA or Checkmate shouldn't pass this figure up.

Review and Photos by Brian Funk