DC Superheroes Parasite!

There's nothing more this guy loves to do than suck at the sunny, juicy taste of Superman's god-like powers.  Indeed, he was one of the bad guys that keep returning to torment Superman in whichever version of the Kryptonian's universe--All-Star Superman, Kingdom Come, Red Son, the Animated Series of the 90s--you name it, he always presents a threat to Supes and is one of the few baddies who can kill the Big Blue Boy Scout out right with his powers.


Truth be told, I find the Parasite intriguing not just because of his power, but also because of his psychotic character and his avaricious appetite for sucking power and life-force out of things.  In essence, he's like a rabid drig-addict and because he's tasted Kryptonian power once, he's not going to be sated by anything less.

But where the Animated Series made him look like the standard animated big-guy-in-a-costume, this version is awful scary.  He looks like leech, has red gums and sharp teeth, and also has monstrously large and over-developed neck and back muscles--all the better to suck you with, Superman!  *Shudder*

Since this character appeared in the now defunct DC Superheroes line which focused on Supes and Batman along with their more popular enemies, we're unlikely to see him in DC Universe Classics anytime soon I guess, because he's not that popular or (correct me if I'm wrong) hasn't featured prominently in any major story arcs recently.  But there's always a chance that he might emerge as a 2-pack re-release, since we've seen many of the great sculpts from DCSH like Power Armor Luthor, Supergirl, and Man Bat make it back into the fold.  But I've been waiting on this sucker (see what I did there? :P) for too long and thanks to the  Rangerlord, I've managed to get him for cheap.

So how good is the Parasite at latching on and sucking popularity from the current hotness that is DCUC?

Click to find out!

Like: He's got an absolutely fantastically swollen neck and upper torso, and super scary head.  There's nothing like a unique sculpt and Parasite is full of it in this areas.  Though he looks like a regular guy in the Animated series and is eerily scary, I love this monstrous look better because the fearsome neck muscles kinda make you feel like if he ever sank his teeth into you, he'd never let go until he sucked you dry.  In fact, he's so powerfully built in the upper body that it looks like a giant tick swollen full of blood--except there's no squishing this guy!

Like: His head deserves special mention too because of the fierce yellow eyes, the thick red lips and the double row of white teeth.  The head is purple and swollen like a big bruise atop the powerful torso and I like that while it may look like a small grape, it contrasts well with the big lips and mouth, the sharp teeth, and the humongous body and arms.  It's like his head is there for one purpose only: to suck, suck and suck!

Like: His arms.  Because they're larger than the standard DCSH or DCUC size and reach down past his knees.  It makes sense because he's gotta hold on tight while he feasts on his superhero buffet.  His hands are also larger than usual and have 4 fingers to lend to his monster-like appearance.

Like: His lower torso and legs are standard DCSH/UC fare, but his feet each only have 2 toes, so that's pretty unique and inhuman as well.

Like: Great articulation on a big figure.  He's the size of DCSH Bizarro so he's not quite as tall as a fully stretched out Man Bat.  Yet he's still got the full articulation of the regular sized figures on the DCSH/UC line.  He's even got rocker ankles.  Yes, rocker ankles!

Dislike: The white paint is sloppy in some areas, with flaking off, blurry lines, as well as being too thin in some areas.  It's not a shocker, but it is a pity because the lines off his costume are sculpted into the figure and lend a real sense of texture to him, which unfortunately, is lost with the sloppy paint application.

Dislike: Head is almost only a swivel because of the engorged neck.  It does retain some of the ball-jointed qualities but only slight.  I was happy when I discovered he could look from side to side without swiveling his head--it's a combination of the angle his head attaches to his body as well as the slight ball articulation retained.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 7.5 - A brilliant and unique sculpt which is let down by poor white paint.  The dark wash they used to deepen his muscle tone and the apps on his lips, teeth and eyes are excellent, but the color that stands out most is the white.  And it's in the white that there's a distinct lack of sharpness.  Unfortunately, you won't notice how great he looks until you get past the flaws and get a closer look.

Poseability: 8/10 - Some great stuff here despite the restriction of the neck ball-joint.  This guy already looks scary just standing there but with the amount of motion you can get out of his points of articulation, he can achieve some really great poses.  Especially in the upper body, where he's got longer limbs, a large back, and a narrow chest, he quite easily gets into grabbing poses.  But equally, if you need him to open up and lash out, he'll do it looking really terribly fearsome and rangy.


Fun: 9/10 - Parasite is the one villain you do not want to tell to "go suck it."  With the way his super powers work and his avaricious character, he's set up perfectly set up to suck, suck, and suck.  And what's more fun than absorbing life/energy/super powers through the very physical act of biting and consuming? (I just described the way I eat my lunch every day.)  It's kinda like how people like to watch vampire movies or read the books or dress up like them during Halloween or role play them.  The Parasite is hardly any different, except he's probably the only guy who can do this to Superman the way no vampire could.

Value: 7/10 - I've been dying to get Parasite for a while now--he's ben out of production but has popped up now and again in Singapore and in the East Asian region.  Thing is, those who have him for sale here have prices marked way up, while he's been sitting on shelves in Malaysia for some time now without going on clearance.  Thanks to the Rangerlord, who travels frequently on "ranging expeditions," I managed to wait until Parasite's price dropped to S$18 (US$12.86) before picking him up.  That's about half the current retail on DCUC figures.

Is he worth even half of retail?  For sure he is.  Parasite's larger than usual and has arms, hands, a upper torso, and a headthat's unique to this figure.  He does come with a hard cardboard figure display, which is neat the first time around, but pretty blah after you realize the other figures get the same thing except for a name change on the bottom.  A figure stand, even a plain one, would've served better.  And of course, if he had an accessory, like maybe some power absorption electrical effects (I can dream, can't I ;P), the value would have been much improved.

Overall: 8/10 - I just love this guy!  Superheroes are great but without their villainous counterparts it makes for a lot less fun, especially when posing for action scenes.  Usually, there are not many villains who can come within touching distance of a real powerful superhero like Superman.  But the Parasite is one of those who can and actually will present huge problems to the Man of Steel.

Furthermore, character and super powers aside, our Purple Power-sucker here is has a great unique sculpt, looks real scary and dangerous, and is really poseable!  Putting him next to the likes of Man Bat and Bizarro in my toy cabinet display really makes for a fearsome sight.  So get him if you can because he'll fit right in next to your highly poseable menagerie of DCUC nasties!