DC Direct continues to release new characters in its Ame-Comi PVC Statue line, and tonight I’m looking at two of my latest acquisitions, Mera and Raven. The Ame-Comi is becoming a very long-running line, and in many ways the quality of these pieces has gotten better as the line has progressed.
Being a major Aquaman fan. I was delighted to see Mera announced in this line, and I’m delighted with the execution. This is a very whimsical design but there is a great deal of detail behind the fun. Mera is is regal dress with a mermaid style tail, although her legs are visible underneath it.
Her costume is beautifully detailed with the green sections covered with individually sculpted scales. Beyond that, she has a crown, neck piece and wand which are also quite detailed - although the neck piece is perhaps a bit long, making Mera’s neck a bit longer than normal.
There is some clever engineering in this piece, as Mera’s feet are elevated from the ground by the “tail” of her costume, which connects to the base. The coloured fins at the end of the tail are a separate piece which fits on once the rest of the base is assembled. The elevation makes Mera a bit taller than most of the Ame-Comi set.
Another thing I like about Mera is that she can displayed with her base on an angle or facing lengthways, which means that the piece can displayed between other pieces without taking up too much space, which is a concern in the Ame-Comi due to the very large bases the early figures came with.
While I am predisposed to love The Queen of the Seas due to my slight Aquaman fixation, I have to say that Raven is not just the pick of this bunch, but most likely the entire series. The level of detail that has gone into this figure is incredibly striking.
Raven has been designed in a goth style. This goes beyond her pale skin and Morticia Addams-esque eyes to an intricately designed cape that is the making of the piece. It has a gorgeous shape and is painted blue on the outside and black on the inside. The black side has a striking pattern sculpted through it which includes eyes and angry faces - suitably creepy for the daughter of Trigon!
The detail on the rest of the figure is not to be ignored. Raven’s gloves, boots and belt are all very detailed with belts, buckles and gems. Like the Mera figure, Raven has a level of detail that would show up a less than stellar paint job. Thankfully, the paint on both of these pieces are top notch. I really couldn’t be more impressed.
This series just continues to grow on me. I really like the way that each character in the Ame-Comi series gets its own treatment within the spirit of anime styling, which means that designers can take the characters in quite different directions like Duela Dent’s steampunk, Mera’s disco diva look and Raven’s goth appearance.
I also like the way that DC Direct is prepated to go beyond the “A” list with its character selection in lines like this. I do wish they would be as adventurous with their male characters in other lines - there are so many DC heroes we’ve yet to see in statue or collectable form.
You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and you can comment on this post to enter the September AFB Comment of the Month Contest!
Until next time!
3 comments:
I also think both of these figures look great, dig the designs, and I really want them, particularly Raven.
i’m still not totally convinced with the character design in this line, is a tad odd for my taste... i have not complaints with the quality & details, but the Bishoujo line achieves more beauty & charm for me, specially the delicacy in the face sculpt...
I like the Raven figure she has this "Sweet but Dark" feel to her lol.
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