Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
For a great selection of superhero action figures and collectibles, check out fine sponsors BigBadToyStore.com, UrbanCollector.com, ClarkToys.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, VNCToys.com, ToyWiz.com, BriansToys.com, PastGenerationToys.com, YesAnimation.com, and SuperheroToys.com.
For a great selection of pop culture t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
The latest of the direct to DVD animation features by Warner Brothers and DC Comics is Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. It’s been on shelves for less than a month (released on September 29), and just in time for fans to celebrate the famous storyline appearing in this new media Mattel is releasing exclusive toys! Building off of the current DC Universe lines, the Superman/Batman figures on shelves now come in two varieties, Classics and Infinite Heroes. Today we’ll be taking a look at the main Infinite Heroes set, the Superman/Batman: Public Enemies 6-Pack containing Superman, Batman, Hawkman, Major Force, Gorilla Grodd, and President Luthor.
Based on the comic series by the same name in 2003, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a fairly straightforward story. Lex Luthor has become President of the United States and under the guise of protecting it from various threats (including an approaching Kryptonite asteroid) tries to register superheroes under his control. When Superman and Batman will not accept, Luthor declares the duo public enemies, going so far as to place a bounty Superman's head. This all leads to a plethora of characters, both heroes and villains, going after the two heroes. Whether or not you’re a fan of the comic or film, the action figures offer quite a bit of fun!
There have been several Infinite Heroes 6-Packs before this one, and they all share the same basic package shape. It’s basically a taller version of the 3-Packs, a very shallow window box with angled corners. All of the new Public Enemies packaging shares color and decorative elements. The front of the box is covered in a dark brick wall background with images of Superman and Batman in opposing corners. The title of the film appears at the top while the character’s name is beneath each figure.
As in the other 6-Packs, the figures here are held securely in a tall plastic tray with two rows of three. Behind the figures is a cardboard insert of an orange brick wall decorated with a “Lex Luthor for President” poster and a variety of graffiti. The back of the box features a moon-lit cityscape inhabited by photographs of the included figures. Each has a brief bio section with Real Name, Occupation, Base of Operations, Height, Weight, Eyes, and Hair. The film is summed up in one paragraph, and there’s a “Collect Them All” section at the bottom with images of the figures in the two Public Enemies Infinite Heroes 3-Packs.
While four of the six characters in this set have appeared in the Infinite Heroes line before, there is only one straight repaint (and no repacks) giving this 6-Pack the most value/$ yet! Even better, the Public Enemies sets mark the appearance of the Infinite Heroes body 3.0 with increased articulation that does a good job of balancing poseability, looks, and stability. The new body is articulated at the neck, shoulders (ball), elbows (ball), wrists, waist, hips (ball), thighs, knees (ball), and ankles (ball). Each figure with this body has a left fist and a slightly open right hand. Let’s go through each figure, shall we!
Superman has appeared in his traditional look in the Infinite Heroes lineup single-packed and in a 3-Pack with Supergirl and Wonder Girl. There has also been a Kingdom Come version in the Battle for Metropolis multipack. The Public Enemies version updates the tried and true Man of Steel with the new 3.0 body. On top of the basic figure Superman has a nicely sculpted belt and his head sculpt is quite remarkable. Supes has a pretty spot on paintjob as well, with nice, bright colors. Again, his head really stands out with its piercing blue eyes. Even Superman’s cape is updated from the original figure and thankfully this one can stand up straighter on his own.
The Infinite Heroes line has already seen quite a few Batman figures, mostly repaints of one mold. The Public Enemies Batman again utilizes the new standard body, and wears the “modern” outfit in black and gray. Wayne has a heavy duty sculpted utility belt, as well as forearm spines and a much improved cape that wraps around his neck. The figure’s head sculpt is a bit different, rounded and with an intense look. Of course, it’s topped off by short bat ears. Primarily two toned, the figure’s central body is gray with black boots, trunks, gloves, bat symbol, cape, and cowl. The utility belt is a bright yellow, while Batman’s lower face is flesh covered and squinted eyes bright white.
Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the film...
Hawkman had one brief but memorable scene in Superman/Batman Public Enemies. One of the heroes working for Luthor, he attempts to capture Superman by utilizing the massively powerful Claw of Horus. Ultimately even this fails, and when “Hawkman” shows up to speak with Luthor he’s revealed to be Bruce Wayne in disguise! This is pretty cool, since a Hawkman figure can now represent either the real character or the Dark Knight as a “flying bat!”
End of spoilers!
Hawkman is the only repaint in this set, a reproduction of the figure previously only available in an Infinite Heroes 3-Pack with two Thanagarian Warriors. Hugely muscled, the winged warrior has a massive upper body, great feathered wings, ornate helmet, and a combination belt and chest harness. The sculpt on all of this is very good, and indeed on this version it’s almost too good; you can still see the intricate claws sculpted on Hawkman’s boots which here are not painted. Thankfully the rest still looks great, especially the deeply lined muscles, individually sculpted feathers, and equipment. While the original version had somewhat subdued and relatively “realistic” coloring, the Public Enemies version is more “cartoony” with bright colors. Overall there is a loss of paint apps, but Hawkman still looks pretty cool and different enough that he looks good next to the original. With the old style body, Hawkman is articulated at the neck, ball shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, and knees.
The villainous Major Force appears for the first time in the Infinite Heroes line in this set. A soldier under Luthor’s control, Force was created by the same process that made Captain Atom and has powerful energy-based powers. His ruthlessness knows no bounds, and in the course of the film it is revealed that he murdered Metallo in order to frame Superman. The Major Force figure consists of the new 3.0 body differentiated in sculpt only by a unique head (there’s nothing wrong with this, as he’s just a guy in a skintight suit). His head is quite well done, with a blocky military haircut, huge empty eyes, and a wicked sneer. What really makes Major Force cool is his paintjob. Metallic like Atom, Force has a more colorful look in bright gold and red. The red goes from mid-chest up, with a gold “MI” logo on his breast. Of particular note are Force’s wholly black eyes with pinpoint white irises.
The next villain in the Public Enemies set is Gorilla Grodd. A longtime nemesis of the Flash, the great gorilla appears in the Public Enemies film trying to cash in on the bounty over Superman by controlling the minds of a team of villains. Grodd is a very large figure next to his Infinite Heroes brothers, standing 4 ¼ inches tall with an armspan of more than 7 inches! Overall he’s got a really nice sculpt, with a nice mixture of smooth skin on his underbelly, feet, and hands and thick fur on his limbs and back. Grodd’s head sculpt is... interesting. There’s definitely intelligence behind those somber eyes, but I would have preferred something a bit more active. A big gorilla in appearance, the would be ruler has black fur that trends to a bluish gray on his lighter areas. While it may not be apparent at first glance, Grodd has pretty decent articulation with joints at the neck, ball shoulders, elbows, V-crotch, and ankles. The good arm articulation goes a long way toward Grodd’s poseability.
Last, but never least, is Lex... I mean, President Luthor! Elected to that highest office by a fearful country, the self proclaimed smartest man alive seems to have all things going his way. Even Superman is on the run! I won’t give away the ending, but you can see in the Public Enemies 3-Packs that Luthor has to break out the hardware and gear up in his power armor for a final battle. There have been two previous Luthor figures in the Infinite Heroes line, both ready for action. This one takes a different approach, portraying the mastermind in his presidential suit and tie. To do so, Mattel has reused the Question’s body to good effect. The suit has plenty of sculpted details like lapels, cuffs, collars, creases, buttons, and more, while the head sculpt on this figure is excellent. Luthor’s suit is dark black (which actually looks really good on this figure – better even than the Question’s blue in my opinion) with a white shirt and brown shoes. Being bald and bare-handed, Luthor’s got skin tones going and adds green accents on his eyes. The older body is articulated at the neck, ball jointed shoulders, elbows, severely limited hips, and knees. There isn’t too much poseability here, but he’s the President not an action hero!
All in all, you get a ton of value from this set. The new Infinite Heroes body is really functional and looks great on Superman, Batman, and Major Force. Luthor and Hawkman are based on a couple of the best figures the earlier waves had to offer, so you’re not getting shortchanged there either. Finally, Grodd is a big beast that’s a welcome sight in a toy line comprised almost entirely of humanoid and human-sized figures. I have to confess that I didn’t particularly care for the Public Enemies film, but I love the figures! They’re definitely worthy additions to my Infinite Heroes collection, and they will be to yours too!
For more images of this action figure set, CLICK HERE!
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin
Review sample courtesy of Mattel