DC Direct: New Krypton means nice additions to the Superman Family Display

Having recently survived a move, there has been one upside to all the unpacking, and that's finally getting to open up and review some pre-move purchases that got packed away due to lack of time and space to deal with properly before the moving deed was done. DC Direct's Superman: New Krypton Series One was the last item I picked up in person from my fabulous LCS in Canberra before making the move to Melbourne, and I'm having a good look at them tonight.

Not much of my DC Direct Action Figure collection has remained in my display since DCUC came along. I'm still buying the never-been-done characters and others things that grab my attention, but not so much for display. The two main sets that I am still interested in maintaining on my shelves are my Superman Family and Batman Family groupings, because to date DCD has covered a much broader range of characters in these two groups. These figures are going to make a great addition to the Superman Family shelf!

Mon-El and Kal-El are my two lesser favourites in the set, but both have their place in a significant Superman story arc and thus a fitting place on my shelf. I have to rue the fact that Mon-El has the Superman "S" on his outfit, since that turned out to be such a flash in the pan. It's certainly interesting to have Kal-El in his Kryptonian Guild Gear, and the headsculpt on the figure actually looks Christopher Reeve-ish to me which is a plus. Mon-El's headsculpt bears quite a likeness to his representation in his Superman run. One odd thing is that both of these figures appear as though they've been done with a flesh-coloured plastic as opposed to having paint in that area. Not sure if that's the case, but it looks a bit like the kind of plastic made DCD's 13" Wonder Woman look so awful - well that was one of the things that made it so awful...

Superwoman is one of those frustrating DC Direct figures, in that it's often the Elseworlds or flash-in-the-pan type character that DCD seems to hit out of the park, while at the same time botching long-awaited classic characters. Taking the character for what it is, this is a great plastic representation. The buck here looks similar to the one used on the Superwoman and Batwoman Elseworlds figures from a few years back, which is one of the nicest female poses I've seen in the 6" scale. Looking at this really hits home how much I don't like the DC Universe Classic female buck. This is so nicely proportioned, and just needs ankle articulation to be pretty much perfect. The paint on this figure is fine, but I had to choose one that didn't have a smudge on the chest. It remains to be seen if much is going to become of this character, but I do like the design, and she makes a nice addition to the DCD Superman Family Display.

Last but certainly not least is the amazing job done on the Brainiac figure. This isn't my favourite version of Superman's green nemesis, but it is a comic accurate one and for what it is it's been done amazingly. This is great kind of figure for DCD to produce as it requires a bulk and sculpting that couldn't easily be achieved in a retail line, and they've done it very well. The sculpting is spot on, the paint work supports it well, and I love the pose - it's superior and menacing. Early contender for a Toy of the Year mention - well done! Oh that a Johnny Thunder or Bronze Age Captain Boomerang would ever get this kind of treatment from DCD some day!

One thing I have been very happy with in terms of DCD's efforts lately is the small, generic bases that have been used in their recent releases. They take up less room and don't become a feature in a display. They come in handy here for Superwoman and Mon-El, who both struggle to stand on their own due to their capes and the lack of ankle articulation - something I'd dearly love DCD to change.

As always with DCD, this set is a mixed bag of highs and lows, but overall I'm pretty happy with the results and very happy to have them to add to the DCD Superman collection. Next up from DCD in the action figure department, I'm looking forward to being able to add to my Aquaman family of figures with some of the BRIGHTEST DAY releases!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post for your chance to win the January AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!