Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
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Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited (JLU) line, based on the popular animated TV program, has been going strong for several years now. There are a number of excellent reasons for this staying power. Perhaps the best one is that this line faithfully reproduces the very striking design sense of the animated series. Another big one is that it has produced a dizzying array of characters, so many as to appeal to DC comics fans who may not be interested in the cartoon. Seriously, if you want an action figure of, say, Aztek, there’s really nowhere else to go.
The latest secondary DC character to receive the JLU treatment is Gorilla Grodd, villainous aberrant of the noble, advanced, and uncreatively named Gorilla City. He comes as part of a Target exclusive pack of six characters. Three of these six are repackages of previously existing figures: Superman, Batman, and the Flash. Another two are repaints – Lex Luthor and the Joker, though the Clown Prince of Crime also comes with an accessory, the mask and cape of the Red Hood. So this is the Joker as seen in his origin story, originally penned by none other than Alan Moore, which makes it nearly as exciting as the entirely new Grodd figure. So let’s take a closer look, shall we? Yes we shall.
PACKAGING: The box is actually quite nice, big and purple and laterally flat. The window on the front is quite large and unobstructed enough for a clear view of the figures, from the front at least. Six JLU heroes leap into action in a neatly organized column on the package’s right; six villains do likewise on the left. (Grodd is not among these six evildoers, and Luthor and the Joker are differently dressed; perhaps this is meant to be generic.)
On the back is a photograph of other figures in the line, heroes and villains both, who have apparently put aside their differences to stare off into the distance of a night-shrouded, column-festooned alien planet. A worthy goal. It’s really a very attractive box, if boxes are, indeed, your thing.
SCULPT: If you’re a fan of the JLU figures, you’ve seen five of these six sculpts before, but then, a good thing is worth repeating. These are the sorts of sculpts that have made this line a success, with clean, smooth lines and an excellent resemblance to the cartoon characters. The rubbery capes are especially good. The default pose of the heroes is bolt upright, broad chest puffed out, and generally looking just as manly and heroic as anyone could want. The Joker’s a bit thinner, more naturalistic, and holds his signature card permanently in his right hand. Luthor, who here sports a holster and a general action-hero sort of look, is posed much like the heroes, and has the arched eyebrows of intellect. They’re very nice-looking little pieces, where “little” here means “four inches tall.”
If there’s one problem with these sculpts, it’s that they are very top-heavy, with thin, thin legs, and so they do not stand very stably at all. What’s more, only the Flash has holes in the feet for stand-pegs; the others have nonesuch. And they will stand, though Batman needs to put his arms out for balance, and you won’t want to jostle their shelf. The exception is the Joker. He’ll stand as well as the others, without the Red Hood; with it, he’ll only stand freely if you practically double him over at the waist. Which is great, of you think the Red Hood should always be looking for his contact lens. Otherwise, not so much.
None of this applies to Gorilla Grodd, however. Grodd is a huge, heavy piece, by JLU standards, with broad feet that are more than up to the task of keeping the figure upright. (This figure also has huge - huge - holes in the bottom of the feet, far too big for any rational man’s figure stand. Their purpose is unclear. You can, however, fit the heads of other JLU figures comfortably inside these holes; why you would want to do this is left to the magic of imagination.) Not only does this figure stand very well, but it’s just generally great-looking; the angular hair effects are simple but very effective, and the huge, simian pot belly is a nice touch. And most importantly, it looks like the Grodd of the cartoon. And that’s its job.
PAINT: These are the old, iconic DC characters, and their colors are simple and bold. There’s a bit of bleed, in very tiny amounts, here and there in this set. But overall, everyone looks just right. This Lex Luthor is grey and black, with green accessories; previous paints of this figure have been green or purple where this one is grey. And the previous version of this Joker wore purple, as is natural; this one wears black, though, as befits the Red Hood.
Grodd comes in just two colors – grey and dark grey. But there’s no bleed on this figure, and it looks just fine. Its best bit, paint-wise, is the eyes. Yellow, their pupils are looking off to the left, which goes wonderfully with the grim and thoughtful face sculpt. He is plotting. He is scheming. He is Grodd!
ARTICULATION: The JLU line has never been known for its articulation; many figures have had no more than shoulder, leg and neck joints. By this standard, then, the heroes in this pack are doing quite nicely, as they also include points at the elbows, knees, and waist. This is still not a whole lot of articulation, though, and more would certainly be welcome in the future. And the villains – the poor villains don’t even have the additional points that the heroes do, being stuck with the default. Come on, guys! How do you expect to defeat the greatest heroes in the universe with no elbows?
Ah, but Grodd, Grodd has elbows. No functional knees or waist, granted, but given his physique, joints in those places wouldn’t make much sense anyway. He has enough joints to pummel the Flash, and needs none further.
ACCESSORIES: There is but one accessory to be found in this box, and that is the mask and cape that allow the Joker to become the Red Hood. And this piece is great looking; the metallic sheen on the helmet is absolutely top-notch. Furthermore, the idea of having the Red Hood is really pretty exciting – the comic book origin of the-Joker-as-Red-Hood was “The Killing Joke,” one of the best Batman stories ever told. It’s just too bad the figure won’t stand up. Note that if you put the hood on the Flash, he stands up fine. Does the world’s fastest man have a dark secret? No, probably not.
COST & OVERALL IMPRESSION: This Target exclusive retails for 20 dollars, or $19.95, to be precise. And that’s not bad at all for six action figures. It’s not even too bad for three, if you consider the repaints to be new figures. And if all you want is Grodd, well, you could do worse. Give the other figures to orphans, and feel good about yourself.
Now, the JLU line is not without its faults. Articulation is low, and Mattel, please, please start putting holes in the figures’ feet, for stands. Please? But they are awfully attractive little pieces, faithfully reproducing the memorable cartoon designs. And this boxed set would be an excellent introduction to the line. So, too, would it be an excellent addition to an existing collection, for Gorilla Grodd if for no other reason. Grodd is big, handsome, and well-designed, and really one of the best figures the JLU line has seen. Let the puny humans bow before him.
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Review and Photos by Matthew Kessen
