[Moose]

Hey everyone, I like to review the action figures I get, and maybe a few others might join me on my crusade, so without further ado, here is my first review:

Action Figure Spotlight: Green Lantern Series 3 Sinestro

So I came onto the Sinestro Corps War a little late- I waited until both volumes were available in hardcover trade until reading them, and sure enough, it became one of my favorite comic book sagas. I was in my local collector shop and noticed the 3rd wave of the DC Direct Green Lantern Series Figures- and I couldn’t take my eyes of this brand new Yellow Corps version of Hal Jordan’s nemesis.

As having a large chunk of the Toy Biz Marvel Legends figures, the DC Direct stuff in general is pretty comparative. Whereas I always saw the Marvel Legends as sacrificing likeness for articulation, I found the opposite to be true of DC Direct. The GL series in general is a prime example- as they might not be able to do dynamic poses, you can almost feel the artist’s pencilling of the figure while viewing it.

So let’s get right down to it- if any of you read the Sinestro Corps War, you probably noticed Ethan Van Sciver’s singular vision of Sinestro- the tall, thin frame, almost deformed cranium, and the cold calculating knowledge that made Sinestro who he is. Sinestro was never a muscle bound brawler- he is a thinker with one of the most powerful weapons in the universe on his hands- and I think this specific action figure captures that grandeur exquisitely. The uniform looks great- I was never one for Sinestro’s original uniform as I thought it made him look like a clown on crack, but the Corps Uniform gives him a totally different feel- a sense of purpose if you will of his cunning and intelligence combined with his leadership. Johns and Van Sciver took this B Grade villain that looked totally kooky on Superfriends, and gave him the makeover of a lifetime- Johns raised the bar for Sinestro, making him a top notch villain.

The articulation is pretty standard here- Sinestro does have ball-joint arms, bendable elbows, rotating wrists, along with bendable hips and knees. With his power ring permanently placed on his left arm (along with armband of the Corps insignia) he is power redefined. The star emblem on his chest, which was part of the original design prior to the Corps, is meticulously outlined with raised features over a well defined body structure of musculature.

For accessories, Sinestro came with 3: his yellow lantern (a recolor of the standard GL lantern) a standing base, and the sentient virus Corps member Despotellis. My main gripes are due to the base and the virus- the base is just a standard GL base- it would have been really cool to have a Sinestro Corps base in yellow with their insignia. With Despotellis, I was very disappointed- the little thing broke before I even took it out of the package on the joining point where the head stalk meets the leg base. I had to use some Krazy Glue to get it back together.

With DC fans psyching up for the Blackest Night, we already know Sinestro is going to play a major part, and I think the success of this toy is a tribute not only to a newly defined character, but to Georff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver for making it possible.

1 to 10 scale ratings:

Articulation: 7- standard for most DC direct figures.
Detail: 9.5- You can see Van Sciver’s lines, especially in his face. It literally jumps out of the comics.
Coloring: 9- brights are bright, colors are true.
Size: Standard; on the same scale more or less with the readily available DC Universe figures or Marvel Legends for some campy crossovers.
Price: 6- Since DC Direct is an exclusive line, you are going to pay a little more, but overall worth it. I believe I paid about $16.00 for this.
Playability: 8(for Sinestro) 1 (for Despotellis) With Sinestro, he will stand up to most kids. Despotellis; not so much.
Overall Coolness Factor: 9.5 – a prize piece for me.



Comparative Van Sciver Art: