Review of Injustice Joker, Superman - DC Comics Unlimited figures

Introduction

If you're like me, and not a big fan of the New 52 designs that have been the bread and butter of the recent DC Comics Unlimited figures (and Batman Unlimited as well), then you might be a bit more pleased with the latest direction. With the release of the new Injustice, we're getting a number of figures based on the designs from the hit fighting game.

I came across both the Injustice Superman and Injustice Joker at a local Meijer, where they run about $16 each.

Packaging - ***
I'm not sure why the Joker isn't labeled as part of the Batman Unlimited set, but he's not - he's part of the larger DC Comics Unlimited label. The card art is good, and I like the personalization on the back. There's no twisties or rubber bands either, which is always a plus.

The big problem here is that the package is huge, with a ton of waste. There's enough room to easily fit two figures in these bubbles, and with no accessories to suck up some of that room, it's obvious that they are just trying to secure peg space. How about they cut the price by a buck and give us a lot smaller package?

Sculpting - ***1/2
Both figures manage to capture the right look for the fans of the game, and give us an interesting design even for those that aren't.

While I'm a huge Batman fan, I have to admit that I like this Supes a bit better than the Joker. The Joker's design reminds me of a Silver Age look, and I like the head and hair sculpt. But he's pretty much neck-less, and the huge lapels are throwing off the overall design for me.

Superman has a very unique and interesting cape, with a very nicely detailed shoulder cover, piping around the edges, and a bright, flowing body. It's rare that we get anything different with Supe's cape, and this is a welcome change.

His emblem is huge, but it flows in with his cape and chest nicely. I've always thought he deserved an impressive emblem - this is definitely such a design.

His outer undies are a bit weird looking, but that's more of a paint issue than a sculpting one.

Superman is a little shorter than the Joker. He's about 6 1/2" tall, while the Joker is just shy of 6 3/4".

Paint - Superman ***; Joker **
The paint ops on Superman are actually fairly clean, although he has some big funky eyebrows. The edges are sharp, with little bleed and no over spray.

However, as I mentioned in the previous section, he's wearing what appears to be a thong. The red undies on the outside of his blue suit are done in a very odd way, and hurts the overall impression of what otherwise is a great costume design.

The Joker has a great looking costume (except for those lapels), but his paint work is slop six ways to Sunday. His hair line is awful, the details on the costume are clumpy and rough, and many of the cut lines are weak.

Articulation - ***
These are similar to other DCUC style figures, but they have lost a few joints.

There's a good ball jointed neck, as well as ball jointed shoulders. The wrists have the pin/disc style ball joints too, giving them more mobility than usual.

There's a single pin joint at the elbows, knees and ankles. There's no cut biceps though, which really limits the arm poses, and while they have cut thighs, the cuts are so low on the leg that they are much less useful than usual.

There's the hinge hips of course, and the cut waist, but no ab-crunch. Overall, the reduced mobility is a pretty big hit, and limited the leg and arm posing quite a bit more than I expected. You can still get a few good stances out of them, but it's not the exceptional flow we've seen with other DCUC figures.

Accessories - Bupkis
All that extra space in the packages, and not a thing to go in it. Pity.

Fun Factor - ***
While the articulation might not be perfect for the collector to get the optimum poses, it's great for kids looking to play with these guys. Since both figures are well known to kids of all ages, and the older ones are likely to be fans of the Injustice game, these are a good toy choices.

Value - **
You'll pay around $16 for these, pretty much the market average for 6 - 7" figures. And regular readers know that **1/2 stars is my 'average' score here. So why the loss of a half star? No accessories, plain and simple.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - Superman ***; Joker **1/2
This pair was a bit of a surprise. I expected that the Joker would blow me away, and the Supes would just be another one on the shelf. Instead, my response was a complete 180.

The Joker wasn't what I expected - the poor paint, lack of a neck, and huge lapels on the jacket end up making this one of my least favorite Joker designs.

On the other hand, I really like this Superman design, especially when compared to some other new versions (I'm looking at you, New 52 and Man of Steel). The weird thong and lack of any accessories hold him back from a higher score, but he's a welcome addition to the Superman shelf, and pairs up nicely with the Injustice Batman.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - Superman ***; Joker **
Articulation - ***
Accessories - Bupkis
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - Superman ***; Joker **1/2

Where to Buy 
Your local retailer is the best bet right now, like Target or Toys R Us.

Related Links -
The most recent DC Comics Unlimited figures were the Darkseid and Aquaman Prior to that I looked at Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman, as well as Hawkman, Dark Knight Batman and Planet X Batman, and New 52 Batman, Batgirl and Penguin.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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