DC Universe Classics Wave 15 Martian Manhunter

Yessssss!!! He's finally here!  The Magnificent Seven is finally complete!  Or not.  I have a Two-pack Aquaman (And Black Manta) on the way, but he's stuck somewhere in Canada...for now...

So we'll just use Hawkgirl as a stand-in for now!  Yeah, it'll be Justice League Animated Series Mag 7 for now. :)

I chose to get the variant version of J'onn J'onzz because he's be less "standard"-he'd have a pointy head, a chopper blade hand and be loads better than the human form version.

As the Rangerlord says, the classic Manhunter can be quite boring, depending on your taste.  But after having a gander at both, I realized that they were both equally ok, and that in order to have the complete Martian Manhunter, you'd have to get them both.

Why?  He's a shapeshifter, so having interchangeable parts like Plastic Man would be totally awesome.  But Ol' Stretchy Tights was a Comic Con Exclusive, meaning that there is no way Manhunter could be equally awesome, yes?  Well, yes and no.  And here's why...

Like: His awesome green!  It' unlike any other green that's been used in the DCUC line so far--kudos to the Rangerlord for pointing this out.  Because of his unusual glow-y yet non-toxic shade of emerald, Martian Manhunter really pops!  Whether he's taking out the moron who's fool enough to challenge him or just hangin' with the rest of the Mag Seven, he just brightens up the place!

Like: His height.  J'onn stands taller than all of the others in the Mag 7, but subtly so.  Unless you have him next to them you wouldn't really be able to tell that he's slightly bigger. And that's the beauty of ol' Manhunter.  The bad guys sually don't realize how much trouble they're in until he squares up to them and draws himself to full height.  The figure is exactly the same way--unassumingly larger than usual.

Where does the extra height come from?  Mainly the longer lower legs (boots) and a little from his belt, which is a separte rubbery piece between the upper and lower torso.  Also, the upper torso seems to measure up to the Superman/Batman Public Enemies wave torsos, which many have noticed is larger than the standard DCUC large male buck.  It's just enough to make Manhunter the perfect size to scale with the rest.

Dislike: That he doesn't have an alternate hand packed with him.  It's sad because while he looks menacing taking on the bad guys, he kinda also looks like he'll be the one to pick a fight at the drop of a hat while hanging with the good guy.

Like: His pointy Martian head!  It's fantastic that they did a variant with a pointed head, but I would've preferred a "human" head packed in as well.  after all, he is a shape-shifter, so why not go all out and give him some interchangeable parts?  Of course, Mattel's answer probably would be thatit didn't cost out. Oh well, we'll just no have to get both versions...

Like: His classic weight-of-the-world-on-his-shoulders frown!  They did a great job capturing the trademark look of concentration as MM tries to keep out the unwanted telepathic voices in his mind, while trying to tune in to those that might need his help.

Dislike: That there are QC problems.  Mine's got really tiny paint spots on his chest  But I've also seen many with more, in package, with paint from his red harness spilled onto his chest.  Though it may not be major spillage, but minor things here and there shouldn't always be acceptable, especially with the recent increase in retail price.

Like: The full motion of his head.  All the figures in the line lost it for a bit around waves 8 to 11, but they've seemed to have been corrected from wave 12 onwards.  God job here.

Dislike:  CnC Validus?  A cult favourite for Legion of Superheroes fans for sure, but how about something more mainstream?  At this point, I wouldn't even mind another Green Lantern related figure. (I've been reading Blackest Night and am done with the preludes--Rage of the Red Lanterns and Agent Orange.  What can I say?  I'm in a mood for heroes and villains of the colors of the emotional spectra!)

Like: The harness not just being painted on or molded directly onto his body--it's a separate piece that's semi-plugged into the front of his torso (via a tiny peg in the back of the harness' cross and a small deep hole in his chest) and semi-glued on.  The back of the harness beneath the cape is molded on and the separate piece then plugged in at two points near his lower back.  It's seamless and the perfect way to make him look like he's wearing it and yet kep it in place.

Also, gotta love the little cape rope-clasp that is fastened to his collar.  They don't actually keep the cape on (that's glued there) but is another separate piece that's glued on to add detail to J'onny here.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 9.5/10 - Despite some minor QC and paint issues, J'onn is a pretty (Martian) boy in the looks department.  The green on him alone is enough to carry the figure.  But add in the eyes, the frown, and the sculpted veins on his biceps (yes, they sculpted 'em), and we have a winner.  Gotta love his high collar and cape as well.

Poseability: 9.5/10 - J'onn Jon'zz has the standard DCUC articulation and despite his bulky appearance and he's got two extra PoAs--the boot tops!  (Really like these).  They're super well hidden and really help in poses, especially while trying to keep him balanced while at the same time not looking like he broke his legs. Plus points for the cape also.  I lik 'em caped heroes because it's like they have an extra leg to stand on and balance for the more difficult poses!

Fun: 9/10 - We've been waiting 15 waves for this dude, so finally getting him is more a relief than anything!  But once ya get by that, you can't help but love the guy because he looks so great next to the rest of the League as well as next to each one of them individually.  I don't know if it's because he's green or is slightly taller and bigger than the standard male figure.  Or maybe green just goes well with any of the other costumes--Flash's red, Superman's blue, Batman's Black/Grey, Wonder Woman's gold, or even Green Lantern's green!

One thing's for sure: the JLA is imcomplete without him.  And that certainly would be no fun!
  

Value: 9/10 - What I like is that I managed to get him loose and for cheap.  The Rangerlord actually spotted him at a rent-a-cabinet-to-sell-your-toys place called Simply Toys Outpost (or is that simply called Toys Outpost? Lol.)  A couple of text messages later and he's bagged him for me for the low, low price of S$20 (US$15), that's almost half the price of what he would cost in package. The best part is I don't get Validus' head and crotch, which I wouldn't know what to do with.  I guess I just have to thank the guy that was going for Validus only and willing to let go of a snazzy variant Martian Manhunter!

Overall: 9.35/10 - He's one of the most eagerly anticipated figures to date and he doesn't disappoint, except that maybe he should've had the variant head and hand packed in instead of as separate figures.  But you can't deny the awesomeness of the Oreo lovin' Man from Mars becuase he's become quite iconic, especially after the JL/JLU animated series brought him even more to the fore. 

Having the action figure really makes up for not having the series anymore.  Having a figure with the perfect colors that's so well detailed really hits the spot.  That he's articulated more than usual and has extra detail in his wrinkly head skin and the veins on his arms is really the cherry on top.  And of course, he finally completes the Magnificent Seven.