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<\/a>Our fifth DC Universe Classics Wave 15 Review focuses on the last two regular figures in the wave, Jemm, Son of Saturn & the New Teen Titan Raven. They’re an odd pair, they’ve probably never met before today, but they do have one thing in common. They’re both DCUCs that don’t have double fists. How rare is that?<\/p>\nWhile I’m a fan of most things DC Comics, I have to admit that the Titans are a weak area for me. When I was a little kid reading comics, I was reading reprints of much older material and when I got older, I started reading the current slate of comics. This left a gap in my comic awareness and it’s a gap that fits the Titans squarely. Even though I haven’t read a lot of Teen Titans stories, I do know the basics. Raven first appeared seeking a group of heroes that would help her fight off her father, the inter-dimensional demon, Trigon<\/a>. After being rebuffed by the Justice League, she reformed the Titans as the New Teen Titans. A team that she would end up as a recurring member of through a couple deaths and rebirths. A creation of Wolfman & Perez, Raven was of the main stars in the NTT title during its best years in the 80s.<\/p>\n Raven features quite a few new pieces despite her simple appearance. I’m happy with the figure, but there are a couple parts of the figure I don’t like so let me get the negatives out of the way first. One, and this could be just me, I’m not in love with her cape. I think it looks great flaring up on the printed page, but it doesn\u2019t translate well into three dimensions. I didn\u2019t like it when DC Direct chose it for their figure and I don\u2019t like it here. I understand the design choice – it’s dynamic – but I was hoping they wouldn’t go this route beforehand and I haven’t been convinced to change my opinion seeing the final product.<\/p>\n Second, Raven is sorta the anti-Starfire when it comes to her torso piece. I’ve long been annoyed with the Starfire figure. I think she\u2019s one of the worst DCUCs and it\u2019s largely because her uni-boob. Her chest is largely uncovered in her costume, but Mattel opted to use a torso from a clothed figure leaving Starfire just odd and misshapen. Raven has the opposite problem \u2013 her torso features a defined chest with two separate breasts, making her dress look painted on. I suppose this isn\u2019t a big problem, but, since she\u2019s going next to Starfire on my shelf, it bugs me to see them together. Plus, this torso is new. It features some serious kibble on the back to accommodate that cape, so, other than a prepaint, I don’t understand why it had to be done this way. <\/p>\n Those two things aside, Raven has some great notable areas as well. The cape is well done even if it looks silly to me. The head sculpt is great and the hood had been done in a convincing way that it looks like part of the cape from most angles. The arms are thankfully beefier than the normal fare and, even nicer, feature a raised sculpt for her gloves. This combined with the new skirt piece really give the figure some depth and help her to pop on the shelf. <\/p>\n Raven didn\u2019t need a lot of paint to get things right, most pieces were molded in blue or flesh tone and then lightly airbrushed. The few painted areas are sharp including the smaller paint apps like the rings and earrings.<\/p>\n Articulation is standard the line. I had guessed there would be some limitations to the head because of the hood, but I was happy to find that most of the range was intact. Like most of the girls, Raven does have a limited ab-crunch, but here other points work as expected.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t have any real quality control issues with Raven. Her right eye is a tad smaller than her left, but it feels like a nitpicky complaint. Her cape and skirt are both made out of the softer plastic we\u2019re seeing with the capes in this wave while her legs and arms are pretty solid, closer to Katma Tui in DCUC11 than Donna in DCUC13.<\/p>\n Anyway, I\u2019m not the world\u2019s biggest Titans fan, but I am familiar enough with the characters to know this Raven is a great representation of the character. There are a few things I\u2019d like to change like getting rid of the flaring cape and adding some detail to the torso like raised edges and giving it a more clothing-like appearance, but that aside I\u2019m happy to have Raven on my shelves. But having there is another reminder that Mattel needs to sort out which version of the Titans they\u2019re trying to finish. Continue to Jemm…<\/a><\/P><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Somebody pinch me, there\u2019s a Jemm figure! When the list of this wave first leaked, I imagine the majority of DCUC collectors either rolled their eyes or had to hit their DC Encyclopedias. Not me. I couldn\u2019t have been more ecstatic. I\u2019ve been a fan of Jemm since I was in grade school. I tried to make a custom Jemm Super Powers figure when I was little. I did make a custom Jemm out of a Total Justice Martian Manhunter. I always figured my chances at owning a Jemm figure were slim to none. DC Direct\u2019s track record isn\u2019t the greatest and I figured he was too obscure for even Mattel. I’m happy to find out that I was wrong.<\/p>\n Jemm first appeared in his own maxi-series back in 1984. Originally conceived as a cousin to the Martian Manhunter, those plans were changed when J’Onn was brought back in the Justice League of America<\/em> comic and Jemm was made Saturnian. When we meet Jemm, he’s a very… gentle character. He was searching for his lost love, he befriended an orphan, and he really just wants to go back home and ignore the repercussions of a Saturnian Civil War. I don’t always like those pacifistic traits in J’Onn and I think they can work better in Jemm. It helps them juxtapose each other despite their very similar backgrounds. Sadly, Jemm went unused for nearly a decade after his series and when he’s brought back, it’s not the greatest. I was happy to see him in Morrison’s JLA<\/em> and Ostrander’s Martian Manhunter<\/em>, but in both those appearances his gentleness was construed into him being a weak and easily victimized character. I was glad to have him back, but sad to see that he hadn’t come into his own. He’s recently appeared in the New Krypton storyline, but, uh… I won’t touch new James Robinson books with a 10ft pole. Frankly, I’m surprised Jemm, a relatively modern character, appeared in a Robinson title and lived to tell the tale…<\/p>\n I don\u2019t really have a single complaint about how Mattel intended<\/em> to make Jemm. I like that he\u2019s built on the brawnier bulk. His new head is spot-on and combined with the elongated calves and hands, Jemm looks sufficiently alien (& true to the character) on the shelf. He also sports new forearms and a cape to get his costume details correct. Had there not been a QC issue, he might have just been perfect…<\/p>\n But there is a QC issue and a rather maddening one at that. Some readers might remember me picking on Mattel a bit because of the bad QC in DCUC15<\/a> a few weeks back. In that picture, you saw Jemm with a jagged\/damaged belt buckle. BBTS<\/a> was able to help me out with that issue, but both Jemm\u2019s still had a second flaw \u2013 the biceps. Martian Manhunter and Jemm are both supposed to feature heavier (and veiny) shoulders and biceps, but many collectors are reporting getting figures with a smaller bicep on one or both sides. My two J\u2019Onns were spared this defect, but Jemm wasn\u2019t. His right arm features the smaller bicep piece (standard to many DCUCs) while his left is the bulkier and proper one. It\u2019s frustrating not only visually, but functionally as well. The larger piece is sculpted to be compatible with the brawny chest and still be able to be posed straight down. The smaller one isn\u2019t, leaving Jemm\u2019s right arm angling away from his body in a neutral pose. I\u2019ll prolly replace him again, but since IAT is K-Martless, it\u2019ll have to wait until we find him at other stores. <\/p>\n Despite the QC issues in the assembly department, Jemm is painted decently. The only area where I was a little disappointed was his face, like J\u2019Onn, it\u2019s a bit too shiny, particularly in contrast with the more satin finish on his arms and chest. The blue costume details are a nice mix of flats, airbrushed highlights, and metallics that can almost get me to not worry about his shiny head.<\/P><\/p>\n Articulation for Jemm is standard. The softer cape doesn\u2019t really get in the way of articulation and the figure moves as it should with some decent head range. There is the issue with the incompatibility of his wrong arm and the torso.<\/P><\/p>\n Overall, Mattel had a good plan in place to capture his likeness with the new pieces and pairing him with J\u2019Onn was appropriate. The paints and new parts blend together to make a great figure had the factory been able to execute it properly. Hopefully, the bicep issue isn\u2019t on all or the majority of figures and as it rolls out to other retailers maybe we\u2019ll get lucky and find more corrected Jemms (and J\u2019Onns) on the shelves. Truthfully, I\u2019m still just a bit in awe over having a Jemm. I still have plenty of favorites out there waiting for the Classics treatment, but this line is ridiculously good at character selection. It gives me hope for other lower tier favorites.<\/P><\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/dcimages\/2010\/jemm1.JPG\")
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