{"id":18580,"date":"2012-05-07T04:33:59","date_gmt":"2012-05-07T09:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18580"},"modified":"2012-05-07T05:21:33","modified_gmt":"2012-05-07T10:21:33","slug":"dc-classics-com-nekron-week-collect-connect-nekron-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18580","title":{"rendered":"DC Classics.Com Nekron Week!
Collect & Connect Nekron Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>We were running a bit behind on DC Universe Classics Wave 20 reviews throughout last week and, as a result, Nekron sorta fell into the week after. Better late than never, I guess? Nekron is going to be a tough review for me as I don\u2019t particularly care about the figure. <\/p>\n

Nekron is a thirty-year old character, but you might not know it from looking at him. He’s the creation of Mike W. Barr, Len Wein and Joe Staton, first appearing in 1981’s Tales of the Green Lantern Corps<\/em> #2. Nekron lives in a realm between life and… uh, your final destination. Like limbo, but not limbo. Like purgatory, but not purgatory. A third place, like those two, but seperate and different for storytelling purposes. Just go with it.<\/p>\n

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Nekron first became aware of our universe when the immortal Krona was “killed”. The death of an immortal opening a window through which Nekron could view, but not enter, our universe. Nekron reconstituted Krona as his agent in our universe and set him about killing the immortal Guardians so that the “window” might grow into a door for him to enter into our universe. Krona & Nekron pwned the other Guardians, pwned 3599 members of the Green Lantern Corps, but their plans were foiled when Hal Jordan got involved. Isn’t that always the way? When all was said and done, Nekron was sealed back in his dimension and went largely forgotten for twenty years. There were some minor run-ins with Kyle Rayner, Fate, & Captain Atom, but nothing terribly noteworthy. <\/p>\n

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Nekron would see almost another decade of non-use before Geoff Johns used him as the primary villain in Blackest Night<\/em>. In that crossover, his origin was “clarified”; he’s now the avatar of Darkness. By darkness, Johns meant whatever was here before the Big Bang. Before the “let there be light”. When light erupted into the universe in the form of the “white entity”, the darkness created its own entity in response. It’s interesting, but part of me wishes Hal Jordan would just go back to catching things in giant baseball gloves. Blackest Night<\/em> saw Nekron make his play for destroying the light universe by means of killing the light entity and resurrecting all of our favorite dead characters as evil zombies. <\/p>\n

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Johns does his best to make Nekron a credible threat in the series. He uses any members of the Justice League that have died as his stooges. The Spectre can’t touch him. He’s able to imprison the Anti-Monitor in a Black Central Battery (and later swats Annie away as you would a fly). But despite all that, he never really appeared all that formidable. He only gets his hands dirty for the last couple issues in the mini-series and after a few splash pages is pretty easily defeated by the awesomeness that is Hal Jordan. While I did find myself enjoying most of Blackest Night<\/em>, I can honestly say that, at no point, did I go, “wow, I need a Nekron figure!” <\/p>\n

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And yet, here we are. I’ve bought two figures of Nekron. The first one, from DC Direct<\/a> was purposely. I enjoyed the sculpt and the collector part of my brain was triggered by the rainbow lantern patriarchs, Nekron among them. I snapped up Walker<\/a>, Larfleeze<\/a>, Atrocitus<\/a>, Sinestro, Indigo<\/a>, and enjoyed having a little mini-display of the corresponding Corps stands and lantern accessories. I even snagged a Deadman<\/a> to get the white set. My only complaint was that neither Nekron nor any of the DCD Black Lanterns included a seperate Black Lantern accessory. I don’t recall if one was ever shown in the comics apart from Nekron’s scythe, but it would’ve been cool as a toy. I lament this missing accessory because it’s going to be a theme on the next page.<\/p>\n

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The DC Classics Nekron was not bought as purposefully. He came with the figures I collected. He’s the last figure in a line where I have all the rest. I don’t say that to imply he’s a bad figure. If he had been a Collect & Connect earlier, I might even feel differently about him. But he wasn’t. He’s the last one. This is what the line went out on. So, for that reason, and because he’s not all that important in the DCU, I just can’t find much excitement welling up inside myself over this figure. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Also, Nekron was selected by a fan poll. I hate fan polls – not because my favorites don’t win, but because the winner is almost always obvious from day one. The Question. Raven. Nekron. Metron. Mattel\/DC\/WB did a horrid job at placing equally popular characters in their polls. Nekron was one of the worst examples. Voters had to choose from a 70s\/80s Batman villain, a 70s JLA villain, an 80s Titans villain, a 90s Superboy villain, a short-lived Flash villain, or the hot, currently appearing villain in a top-selling mini-series! You know how they do those polls for “Best President” and the most recent ones are usually over-represented? This one was like that. Looking back, I wonder if the results would’ve been any different further removed from Blackest Night<\/em> or perhaps if we had known then that the winner would be the last ever Collect & Connect? <\/p>\n

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Nekron did get the benefit of a 100% tool and the 4H did some nice work on the figure, but when you compare him to the DC Direct figure, you can’t help but feel like the Four Horsemen had to take a restrained approach to the “Lord of the Unliving” to meet Mattel’s expectations or to possibly ‘kidify’ him for the major retailers. There were some other odd changes too: the robes have lost their hood, the exposed back is now covered by the robes, the belt is reshaped (likely to accommodate the waist connection), and the hand symbol on his forehead has been altered. Some of these changes could be explained by artist interpretation in the comics. I think the only place the forehead symbol made the “crown” was in a few panels of Blackest Night<\/em> itself and on the DC Direct figure. Some of the other changes appear to be odd choices though.<\/p>\n

A quick note on the height. Nekron can control his height, so, like Swamp Thing, he’s a figure that Mattel can’t technically<\/em> get wrong in terms of scale. With that in mind, what height you want him at is really a personal preference. Some folks might want to see him even larger, but I don’t really want him at this size. I would’ve been happy with 7-8″. I think that would’ve been more in line with most of the time he spent in Blackest Night<\/em>. <\/p>\n

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The paintwork on my Nekron was well done though some of the colors chosen also don’t match the comics. The wrist wraps and the crotch piece below the belt should be black instead of silver while the heart should be much darker, almost black. Nearly all the little details are painted well though and that helps diffuse the odd color choices. There’s a great, dirty overspray on the bottom of the robes that looks really nice, but it does make me wish for a more dirty look to the bright silver areas to match. <\/p>\n

As an original sculpt, Nekron received the extra articulation that was present on new 2011 figures: the double-jointed elbows and knees and ball-jointed wrists. It’s cool that he has the extra articulation, but he doesn’t terribly need it. The long robe restricts the leg articulation and the hands – sculpted for an accessory that he doesn’t come with – don’t really have an inherent, good-looking pose in them. What’s more, the soft plastic used in the middle of the knee joint combined with the tray to seriously warp my Nekron legs. He’s better in these pics, but it was almost comical when I opened him up. In addition to the added 2011 joints, Nekron included the standard complement of articulation for the line. <\/p>\n

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So, here’s the part where I can’t really do anything but nag at Mattel. I understand they’re a business. I understand the figures have to come in under budget. I understand that Warner Brothers and DC Comics don’t exactly engender a wide audience that would help move a lot of units. But, knowing all that, I can’t believe they made Nekron without his scythe! I accepted, long ago, that this line is accessory light. Usually, though, we got accessories that were absolutely needed for a particular character. Penguin got his umbrella. Captain Cold got his gun. Guardian got his shield. Starman his star rod. So on and so forth. So, Nekron not getting his scythe is actually a really big deal. A raw deal. This is like removing Superman’s cape to fit him under budget. You just don’t do it. There’s a beancounter out there that needs smack on the forehead!<\/p>\n

While a good chunk of C&Cs have included accessories, this isn’t the first time that a C&C has lost accessories though. Grodd lost some years ago, but they weren’t really crucial to his character. Kalibak lost his Beta club, which some (me included) would consider crucial, and the 4H\/Mattel got it to us just a couple waves later. Therein lies the rub – when could we possibly get this scythe? There is no later. It’s highly unlikely that it will come along anywhere in the 2013 line – why would it? There’s the subscription, but the 2012 version is being done so cheaply that I doubt they have it planned for there either. Mattel needs to file this one under collector goodwill and figure it out though. I’d be happy to be wrong, but I don’t believe they will. <\/p>\n

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Overall, I’m just not that impressed. I’m surely bringing along some baggage from the line ending, from my tiring of Geoff Johns influence on the line (though the fans did vote this GJ-creation in), from my displeasure at how quickly he was dispatched in Blackest Night<\/em>, from the knowledge that the only so-far-revealed oversized subscription figure is a giant, inaccurate piece of crap… but I digress. This figure just doesn’t do much to overcome any of that either. I don’t like his size. His sculpt is nice, but I think it’s beaten hands down by the DC Direct version. The odd paint and design choices create inaccuracies that attract my attention. And his trademark accessory is just up and missing. Nekron just feels incomplete. And that’s the last thing Mattel should want us to be feeling when we look back on what they did with DC Universe Classics. <\/p>\n

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Reverse-Flash<\/a><\/center><\/td>\n
Hawk & Dove (Vault)<\/a><\/center><\/td>\n
Sinestro<\/a><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Red Arrow (Vault)<\/a><\/center><\/td>\n
White Lantern Flash<\/a><\/center><\/td>\n
Green Arrow (Vault)<\/a><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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For more DC reviews, check out our
\n DC Universe Classics Collector’s Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We were running a bit behind on DC Universe Classics Wave 20 reviews throughout last week and, as a result, Nekron sorta fell into the week after. Better late than never, I guess? Nekron is going to be a tough review for me as I don\u2019t particularly care about the figure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[6,34,10],"tags":[855,41,378,665,1498,40,379,1501],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-4PG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9115,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9115","url_meta":{"origin":18580,"position":0},"title":"ItsAllTrue Review: DC Direct’s Nekron","date":"August 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Though I took a pass on the Series IV figures, I knew I wasn't done with DC Direct's Blackest Night line. I've been tempted, but steered clear of picking up a Black Lantern JLA. I'm sticking to the oversized aliens not likely to get DCUC love. Nekron offers some flexibility\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18548,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18548","url_meta":{"origin":18580,"position":1},"title":"DC Classics.Com Nekron Week! White Lantern Flash Review","date":"May 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I have no idea what I\u2019m going to say in this review. I really enjoyed DC Universe Classics over the years, warts and all. So much so that I\u2019m a bit disenchanted with the prospect of wrapping up my reviews on the original line with a figure like White Lantern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3046,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=3046","url_meta":{"origin":18580,"position":2},"title":"DC Direct solicits new Blackest Night product: Mongul, Nekron, more Black Lanterns, & Rings!","date":"December 22, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"DC Direct solicits hit the 'net today and there were a few surprises for Blackest Night fans. First up we had the figures previously announced in ToyFare #150: BLACKEST NIGHT SERIES 5 ACTION FIGURES Behold the Power of the Black Lanterns! This fifth series of action figures based on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2741,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=2741","url_meta":{"origin":18580,"position":3},"title":"ToyFare 150: Blackest Night is the DC Direct line that won’t die","date":"December 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"ToyFare #150 went on sale yesterday (12\/9) and among it's pages we saw the world premiere of MOTUC Evil Lyn, some future Wal-Mart exclusives DC 2pks (via ActionFigurePics.Com), and an article on the future of the DC Direct Blackest Night line (be sure to check out the magazine for pictures\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9846,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9846","url_meta":{"origin":18580,"position":4},"title":"Sponsor Announcement: Ka-Razy Kings of Toys","date":"October 18, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Hey there, folks! Hope you're enjoying the Fall!","rel":"","context":"In "Sponsors"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18505,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18505","url_meta":{"origin":18580,"position":5},"title":"DC Classics.Com Nekron Week! Sinestro Corps Sinestro Review","date":"May 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"If anything lets us know that the line ended, it\u2019s this Sinestro. He\u2019s essentially an apology figure. The original Sinestro figure was famously craptacular and it took Mattel nearly three years to make a corrected version. But that original figure had a variant, leaving one more error for Mattel to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18580"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18580"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18604,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18580\/revisions\/18604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}