Mattel is just slaying it this year. Between the Wonder Woman movie wave and this Batgirl of Burnside figure, we've gotten some of the nicest DC Mattel figures I've ever seen. While I don't think Batgirl necessarily needed a costume re-design (I had no problems at all with her New52 look), the character herself was suffering from some dreary storylines and was a prime candidate for some serious changes. The 2014 revamp seemingly made Babs younger, hipper, more fashion-forward, more twitter-addicted, and hauled her out to a new stomping ground: Burnside. Overall I liked the changes. Unfortunately her new storylines and art never really gripped me. (I'm still waiting for it to equal the 2009 Steph Brown series). But one thing I loved was the new costume. It's the perfect blend of costumey-superhero and utilitarian. It's really on par with the Darwyn Cooke Catwoman redesign. I'm just really glad we've seen two great action figures in this outfit already (and a slew of other product). Let's check out Batgirl below!
Her face is weird and awesome. The character is always smirking and making odd faces in the comics so it's super impressive that Mattel has taken a chance on replicating that look. It's very risky to sculpt and paint and expressive face in this scale and the attempts fail way more often than they succeed.
Babs comes with a yellow batarang and a cell phone.
Batgirl also comes with the Left arm of King Shark.
Look how big the arm is next to her, the King Shark figure must be huge!
So I definitely wanted to show this figure on the DC Collectibles Icons Batcycle. The DCC figure couldn't really pose on it, and neither can the Mattel version. The bike is too wide for their hips and their wrist and shoulder articulation can't accommodate two hands on the handlebars. But you can still get come cool "dismounting" poses like below.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Here she is with the DC Collectibles Icons Batgirl. These two figures are surprisingly different. The DCC version is significantly smaller, with brighter colors and a more serious face. I much prefer the ab joint and accessories of the DCC figure, but overall the Mattel version is more appealing to me.
Here she is with two recent Mattel Batgirls: DC Super Hero Girls and Classic TV Series.
From Left to Right: Imaginext, DCC Icons, Jada Metals, Mattel Multiverse, Pint Size Heroes, Rock Candy, and Funko Pop.
Cheers!
Love this character. Best costume update in the past 29 years.
ReplyDeleteI agree! And i didn't even think she needed one before I saw it.
DeleteWow, I'm proud of Mattel's work with these newest releases and how they keep it up. I think the DCC figure is prettier and has a nicer paint job on the face, but the goofy smile on the Mattel figure makes me prefer it! It just nails Barbara perfectly.
ReplyDeleteWhile I love Barbara Gordon, I also love Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, Robin or Spoiler. I am very behind on comics, I know that Stephanie was revised back to Spoiler in the New 52 but has she popped up in Rebirth continuity yet?
Steph was in Detective comics from #934 onward as Spoiler (the storylines had her as part of a vigilante team led by Batwoman and also including Cass Cain as Orphan). Unfortunately she became a bit of a buzzkill and is most likely being groomed as a future villain.
DeleteI really kind of hate the trend of turning heroes to villains and such. They overplay that way too much. I hated that the New 52 refashioned Donna Troy as blood-thirsty murder! I am behind on comics and haven't read any of Rebirth yet, but I really hope that changed this. I would rather not have Donna or Steph at all then see their legacies tarnished.
DeleteWow. Didn't even know this was coming. I personally think this one's an upgrade over the DC Direct figure, so I'll have to keep an eye out for it in the aisles.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this wave in TRU, Walmart, and Target already, so hopefully you'll find her soon!
DeleteThis figure looks way better than the icons one! The face on icons looks bland and lifeless. Never though I'd prefer a mattel figure over something. Damn!
ReplyDeleteMattel has started this quarter with some surprisingly great figures! I'm very impressed after disappointments last year.
DeleteThe only thing is that this figure does look very artist-specific. When Babs Tarr is no longer working on the title and the style of batgirl's appearance changes, we may wish for a more generic face. I still vote for this one over DCC though. And when you consider scale it's a no-brainer.
DeleteI don't feel that they take Batgirl seriously with this outfit.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hated the New 52, the New 52 outfit made the most sense. She's armored. She's stealth. She's ready for a fight.
Batgirl of Burnside just looks like some hipster waiting for her next selfie opportunity. Like she'd rather be at Starbucks than fighting the criminal element.
Pass.
I totally get what you're saying. And I agree that the homemade look of her costume makes her look a little silly compared to the armored/spandexed vigilantes, but standing on her own I think it makes a lot of sense. She doesn't have the same resources as the rest of the bat-family anymore, and she IS a hipster. I felt that the New52 "adult" Babs was getting stale. I had actually stopped reading the title because it felt so repetitive an unengaging. The Burnside reboot was unexpected and I groaned the first, but I came to really like it (although, again, the solo stories haven't kept me reading beyond the first couple story arcs. But I love her burnside appearances in other books)
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