Review of Poison Ivy - DC Bombshells statue

Introduction

Regular readers know I was very disappointed when DC Direct - now DC Collectibles - left the original concept of the Cover Girls of the DC Universe statues behind, and went all out with the modern New 52 designs. In fact, I abandoned the Cover Girls line, not something that happens too often with a line that I'm a completist on.

But they came up with a new line, that at least for me, replaces the Cover Girls. It's called the DC Comics Bombshells, and the designs (by Ant Lucia) are based on the terrific pin-up art style of the 40's and 50's.

They've already released Supergirl, and Wonder Woman, with tonight's review is the latest in the series - Poison Ivy. They've announced Batgirl and Harley as well.

These statues aren't cheap, running over $100 at most retailers. The first three are available now, and you can pre-order the other two as well. If this is a line you're thinking about, now is the time to jump in before the early releases start drying up.

Packaging - ***
The boxes are some of the better in the rather dull white theme that DC is currently using, but there's one issue that bugs me.

These have gone back to being a numbered limited edition, after the DC Comics Cover Girls left that concept behind for awhile. How limited they are is up for debate - with a run of 5200, you should have no trouble getting one.

If you're going to do a limited edition, you don't have to have a Certificate of Authenticity, but you do need to put the edition size and number on the bottom of the box. I shouldn't have to wait until I open it up to figure out which one I got.

Sculpting - ****
DC has themselves a dream team working on this series, with Ant Lucia doing the designs, Tim Miller doing the sculpting, and Jason Wires handling the paint. That's a big part of the reason why these are turning out so well.

Ivy has a very unique design. She's sitting on the base, intertwined with her vines. I don't think I have another statue, male or female, where the character is sitting on the floor...and it works great for this character.

She also has a very classic pin-up style pose, with the hands behind her head and wearing very 40's style lingerie. I love the vine-like designs on the clothing, and the small details, like the butterfly on her elbow, really set this statue apart.

There are four vines that attach to the base and are held in place with magnets. There are small Audrey's, with sharp little teeth, all around the vines, and they look terrific. There is a bit of a weird one on the front vine that actually faces backwards - not sure why. I thought at first that I was putting it together incorrectly, but after triple checking the instructions, that's exactly correct.

I love how the back vines create a heart shape, not too obvious, but not too subtle either. It's that sort of attention to detail that makes this entire series a winner.

The base is consistent with the rest of the series, with the industrial look and the plane panel logo. On the bottom of the base is the edition size and number.

The upright statues are in the 9" range, but since Ivy is seated, she comes in at about 6" tall at the top of her head. Obviously the vines rise up a bit above that level.

Paint - ***1/2
I'm loving the paint work on this series so far, and they are doing a great job with the production quality.

Edges are sharp and clean, the eyes are gorgeous, the skin tone is even (and a lovely shade of green), and there's plenty of small details.

I did deduct slightly here though because of the tampos. They use them for the nifty tattoo style leaves on her arms and back, which look great in terms of style. But the edges of the tampos are a bit more obvious than usual, even in person. It's not quite as bad as in the macro photos, where the light can make the difference in the matte skin tone and the slightly glossy sticker that much more apparent, but you'll still notice.

Value - **
The cheapest you'll probably find this lovely lady is $100, which is certainly not cheap. The Cover Girls were around $70 - $80, but lately they've been creeping up to a $100 as well. While that's quite a bit for a statue in this scale, the improved quality that we're getting is certainly welcome.

Things to Watch Out For -
Pay attention to the instructions when putting the vines in place. They really only go one way, but it's not necessarily obvious at first.

Overall - ***1/2
While I'm sorry to see the end of the Cover Girls (at least for me), I'm thrilled with their replacement. I love the pin-up style, right down to the nameplate art that would be right at home on an airplane fuselage.

With Harley and Batgirl coming, one can only hope that we'll see the likes of Zatanna, Powergirl, and Catwoman before too long.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is just $100.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
As I mentioned earlier, Supergirl and Wonder Woman are already out and reviewed.

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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