Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
San Diego Comic Con 2009 coverage brought to you by BigBadToyStore.com, MonkeyDepot.com, and YesAnimation.com.
Since the beginning of the DC Infinite Heroes line last year, fans have been wondering one thing: what's with those Anti-Monitor points on the back of all the packages? With Comic-Con we found out. Each fan could trade in 50 points for one free 3 3/4 inch Anti-Monitor figure! There was also that crazy raffle for nearly one of a kind giant sized Anti-Monitors, but we won't get into that debacle here. Getting the figure turned out to be very easy. It was handled at a separate booth within the Mattel compound, far away from the crowds purchasing the other exclusives. Just walk up, give your points to the pretty Mattel girls, and get your Anti-Monitor.
The Anti-Monitor first reared his significantly ugly head way back in 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series. Spawned in the anti-matter universe, the ultra-powerful villain consumed universe after universe to obtain ultimate power. He was only slowed by the collected might of nearly all of the surviving heroes, and even they couldn't stop him without the help of Superman of Earth-2, possibly the mightiest hero ever to have lived. Beaten, the Anti-Monitor was thought dead and gone forever.
Unfortunately for the DC heroes, his carcass was seen again in 2006's Infinite Crisis as a component in Alexander Luthor's universe-destroying machine. In 2008, the marshalling forces of the Sinestro Corps met their "guardian," the seemingly restored Anti-Monitor! His reign didn't last very long, and in the closing moments of the Sinestro Corps War he was smashed by Superboy-Prime and sent hurtling into space. What was left of his body crashed into a dead planet and was absorbed into the newly forming Black Lantern...
The Anti-Monitor comes packaged on a card and bubble similar to that of the standard Infinite Heroes releases. The biggest difference is that while the regular figures were encased in a grasping hand bubble, the Anti-Monitor's is angular and solid. This makes sense since it was actually his hand reaching out to seize everyone else. At the top of the card instead of "an army of heroes within your grasp," this says "a source of evil in the DC Universe." Also, behind the figure is an image of the Anti-Monitor, looking positively wicked.
The back of the card also looks like those on the single-packed figures. He has a bio section and "power scores," and an ad for the upcoming MattyCollector Crisis 4-Pack. Notably, this package does not include an Anti-Monitor point!
The Anti-Monitor is big and he is bad. Standing taller than any of the other regular Infinite Heroes, he's nearly 4 1/2 inches tall! Though top heavy by design, everything about the villain is big and beefy. His main body is wrapped in banded armor, with heavy boots, forearm guards, and shoulder section. The armor includes environmental tubes and piping, allowing him to survive in a positive matter universe. Creepiest of all is the Anti-Monitor's face leering out from the connected helmet with its starburst eyes and baleen-like mouth.
Sculpt on this figure is very good, though understated. The armor is basically large flat sections divided up by bands. The segmenting on the arms, chest, and legs is very good, and the fingers are even better. The tubes wrapped around the figure are also nicely defined. Paint is similarly very good within the bounds of the character's design.
The Anti-Monitor is a three-color guy, with metallic silver armor, blue plates, and orange tubing. There's very little in the way of paint problems. The villain's face looks particularly awesome, with very well done bright yellow starry eyes.
The Anti-Monitor has decent articulation done in a slightly different style than previous figures. Like the others the Anti-Monitor has ball-jointed shoulders and hinged elbows and knees. Other than those, the villain has only a V-cut crotch. Due to the armor design there is no waist or neck articulation, as to be expected. While the Anti-Monitor isn't super-poseable, as an all-powerful super being he can usually just look scary.
The Anti-Monitor is just plan cool. If you've followed DC comics at all in the last 25 years or so you should know something about him, even if it's just as a boogeyman. He made a perfect exclusive, capping off a great toy line. He's solid, he looks cool, and best of all he's inexpensive. If you missed out on this amazing figure, get your fingers ready to do the walking and hit MattyCollector.com at noon on August 3rd. Along with most of the other SDCC exclusives the Anti-Monitor will be available then in limited quantities.
For more pictures of the 3 3/4" Anti-Monitor, CLICK HERE!
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin