Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
DC Direct had their own line of mini figures a while ago (the short-lived Pocket Super Heroes), and it’s taken them a while to get back into the game, this time with the well-established Art Asylum Minimates. Reviewed here is the Green Lantern and Star Sapphire set, one of the four in the first series.
Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern, remains one of DC Comics’ most popular characters. With the Green Lantern ring, power battery, and costume he defends the galaxy against innumerable threats. One of his greatest and most-recurring nemeses was Star Sapphire, the embodiment of an alien queen manifested in Hal Jordan’s off and on girlfriend Carol Ferris.
The Minimate design is very well-known. The diminutive figures feature a basic design sharing standard body components. Individuality comes from paint, not sculpt. Both Green Lantern and Star Sapphire share the same body with a solid chest and well-articulated limbs. Their heads are cylindrical, not unlike lego minifigure heads. Hal Jordan features a unique hair piece, and Star Sapphire has a high collar attached to her torso and a headdress with hair and mask.
Hal Jordan is clad in his Green Lantern uniform, and so is mostly green in color with black and white sections. Details are evident in painted on black muscle-definition. The Green Lantern logo is brightly painted on the chest, and the face has a painted-on mask. The removable hair piece is brown and well sculpted. There’s even a green dot on the right hand to represent his power ring! Star Sapphire, on the other hand, is mostly pink, with pale flesh tones. Her collar is white, and her headdress has long black hair and a pink mask. Beneath the mask Star Sapphire has painted blue eyes.
The great thing about the Minimate is articulation. Each figure has no fewer than 14 points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles. The Minimate is extremely poseable, if not very durable and stable due to its small size and thin limbs.
Fans of DC characters have been waiting for good miniature figures since the Pocket Super Hero line ended, and they have to wait no more. These figures are simple, but the paint applications really bring the characters to life. The first few announced series include many fan favorites, and are sure to please collectors of mini figures. This two-pack is highly recommended for Green Lantern fans.
Review and Images by Scott Rubin
