Tempting Toys

I'm not what you'd call a superhero action figure or statue guy.  I understand the appeal, and I've got no problem with people who collect them....but for whatever reason, I'm largely immune to the lure of collecting and displaying superhero figures.

Part of that comes from my feeling that when it comes to displaying superhero figures (toys or statues), it's an "All or Nothing" proposition.  Meaning, if you're going to collect and display superhero figures, you have to go big.  Really big.  Large numbers or, better yet, elaborate displays of superhero figures tell visitors that you are an Official Collector and geeky-hip Pop Cultural Connoisseur.

An excellent example of attaining the readily apparent "Official Collector" status is my pal Tom Richmond's Batman collection, a mightily impressive display of Batman figures and memorabilia from across the decades.

Having zero superhero figures displayed obviously doesn't raise any suspicions...but if you're located somewhere in the middle, with only a few superhero figures displayed here and there, it definitely elicits the "Spock Skeptical Eyebrow Raise" from visitors.  "Is this an Official Collection...or does he play with these?  Is he mature and well-adjusted or a child trapped in a man's body?" 

In short...it's an accumulation rather than a full-blown collection.

Naturally, that weird middle ground is just where I'm at...with a few random superhero statues or toys sprinkled around my home studio/office.  So...I like them enough to display a few of them, but not enough to commit to the Big Collection...making me, as I said, largely immune to buying more.

However, every once in awhile, a superhero statue or toy will come along that cuts through the haze of my toy apathy and demands to be added to my random, eyebrow-raising accumulation of figures.  The latest of these occasional temptations is a collaboration between DC Direct and Dark Horse Comics, featuring four Classic DC Heroes

(click on the image for a better look).

As an unapologetic nostalgia freak, what I love so much about these figures is their pseudo-vintage look, resembling the crude pressed wood and metal-cast toys of the 1930's and 40's (before plastic became the primary material for toys). Adding to the appeal is how closely Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Flash resemble the distinct art styles of their Golden Age comic book titles.  Packaged in beautiful tin boxes, each statuette comes with a matching pin and full-color booklet (which tells a bit about the character).

Of course, as with most extremely cool stuff, they're a bit on the pricey side ($50 each), but man...they'd sure look great randomly scattered around my studio, wouldn't they?

Comments

[Tom Richmond]

Well, I consider myself a collector of only the cool and truly awesome of bat-stuff. You won't see "Ski-Patrol Batman" or "DMV Batman" figures on my shelves. Most of my stuff is from the 60's during the explosion of Bat-toys fueled by the TV show's success, and a few other things I thought were cool. I had to place a moratorium on all my relatives buying me Bat-stuff as they tended to get the goofy crap. I haven't gotten a new piece in years.

Those classic figures are pretty cool... might have to get the Batman one (surprise).

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, I know how it is when the relatives think they're doing me a favor buying the Superman fuzzy slippers (or in your case, the Batman fuzzy slippers). Maybe that's part of why I don't buy too many of the toys....word gets around, and before I know it, I've got an adult-sized Superman kiddie-car.