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<\/a>I finally found where I packed my old trusty blue background. It could use a good scrubbing, but that\u2019s nothing new. Since Uncle Sam was done on the fly, I\u2019m calling this my first official<\/em> 2013 review and what better way to kick things off than with an all-new line that I\u2019m really excited about? <\/p>\nIf you\u2019ve just come out of a thirty-year coma or only recently gotten over some allergic reaction to all things geek, then you might not have heard of Rorschach or the story that spawned him, Watchmen<\/em>. It\u2019s doubtful that\u2019s the case, but in the name of thoroughness…<\/p>\n Walter Kovacs was given a raw deal when he came into this world. He never knew his father. His mother was an abusive prostitute. And for the first few years of his life, things only got worse from there. After he was removed from his mother\u2019s case, things looked up for Walter. He grew up, excelled in school, held a normal job, and ultimately embarked on a superhero career to help others as Rorschach. But he was never able to escape his origins. When we find him at the start of Watchmen<\/em>, the abuse and suffering as a child coupled with the darker side of the world he would see as Rorschach to leave him either insane or ultra-sane, depending on your interpretation. Rorschach isn\u2019t the protagonist of Watchmen<\/em>, I\u2019m not sure there really is one, but he\u2019s integral to the story as the voice of righteousness; his sense of right & wrong providing us one viewpoint on the morally-conflicting events that unfold throughout the story. <\/p>\n While I find Rorschach fascinating as a character (I often wonder if Moore even intended for us to like him), it\u2019s also interesting how he came about. When Watchmen<\/em> was conceived the intention was to use the characters DC had acquired from Charlton. At that stage, there was no Rorschach, only Charlton\u2019s Question. At some point, DC directed Moore to create all-new characters for his story. That ended up being a boon for Watchmen<\/em> if you ask me. The story excels partly because of the \u201cmostly\u201d original characters. One small tangible example of this is Rorschach\u2019s mask. The constantly changing inkblot mask is genius and visually sets Rorschach apart before you even get into the story. <\/p>\n The first thing that surprised me about the figure was the packaging. As you all know, I\u2019ve been crazy busy since probably November. It\u2019s been one thing after another and my time to browse my favorite toy sites has been limited. As such, I hadn\u2019t seen a single thing about Rorschach\u2019s packaging when the January Matty box appeared. I opened it up expecting the usual sea of white boxes, but instead was greeted by this slick, black box featuring Watchmen<\/em> iconography on nearly every side.<\/p>\n Inside that box was another surprise, a clamshell package that featured a few more things to look at including a strange, but neat coaster-type piece that features some new art and a Rorschach biography on the back. The depiction of Rorschach is a little more cartoonlike than I\u2019d care for, but I love how everything is put together. This is a real problem for me because I delight in recycling packaging. It takes up space I don\u2019t have; even when it\u2019s beautiful, it\u2019s beautiful trash at best, right? But I haven\u2019t been able to toss this one yet. This may be one of those rare times where I simply have to make room to store the packaging. We\u2019ll see if I change my tune when I\u2019ve got a hefty pile of all six, but for now they did a great job and it gets to stay. <\/p>\n When it comes to the figure itself, I should point out that when I said \u201call-new\u201d in the opener, that\u2019s kind of a misnomer. Yes, the 6\u201d comic-based Watchmen<\/em> figures represent a new toy line from Mattel, but I think a lot of us might just see the line as six additional DC figures, particularly when they\u2019re going to be largely built with parts long-used in the DC Classics\u2019 offerings.<\/p>\n In fact, Rorschach\u2019s \u201cQuestion origin\u201d comes into play in this way as well. He is largely the Question figure, requiring only new forearms, the soft plastic trench coat, and the new head. Despite the reuse, I think the figure pulls off the look masterfully. I\u2019ve heard some complaints about the re-use, like the figure looking fat from the layers, but it falls on deaf ears for me. I was downright giddy when I freed Rorschach from the box. I\u2019m still giddy playing with him at my desk while I right this. He looks fantastic. This is pretty much what I\u2019ve always wanted. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lot of that is also helped because I got great paint on mine. There are a few splotches on the jacket that I\u2019m assuming are intended \u2013 and honestly I could go for a few more, but the real gem here is the mask. I was really worried about the mask (and I\u2019ve seen that a couple collectors did get the short straw with some smudges), but mine came out very nice. It\u2019s a little crooked, but I\u2019ll take it. <\/p>\n If I had one wish about this figure it would have been for Mattel to give us some alternate heads or faceplates to change out from time to time. Being locked into one, the 4H\/Mattel chose the iconic look so I\u2019m glad about that, but it would be cool to be able to swap in some pieces now and again, wouldn\u2019t it? It\u2019d really capture the unique coolness of the Rorschach mask. <\/p>\n One hit the figure does take is the articulation. The same suit body we\u2019re use to is under there, but the comic-accurate trench coat limits the figure from the shoulders down. There\u2019s only limited movement out of the ab crunch and the hips. That may bug those who prefer articulation to aesthetics. I don\u2019t really mind that part, but I was disappointed to not be able to get any up or down movement out of the head. When a company makes a figure that will end up with some brick-like qualities, it\u2019s important to get the details right on other areas. Mattel didn\u2019t do that here. <\/p>\n Rorschach includes his trusty grappling gun and a Watchmen<\/em> stand. The stand is a nice inclusion; I may or may not use them, it will depend on how I want to display all six together. I know for sure that I won\u2019t be displaying the grappling gun. It\u2019s just too big. I haven\u2019t unpacked my Absolutes, so maybe it was that giant in the comics and I just don\u2019t remember, but even if it was the accessory is comically huge outside of the comics. Props to Mattel for including an accessory, but this one will stay in the clamshell. <\/p>\n Overall, it may be silly for me be this excited over this figure. I love Watchmen<\/em> (though I haven\u2019t read a lick of Before Watchmen<\/em>) and I enjoyed the movie. Heck, I nearly bought the movie Rorschach time and time again, but held off because movie versions weren\u2019t what I really wanted. This is what I really wanted, ever since I read Watchmen<\/em>, especially since DC Direct cancelled their Bruckner line a little over a decade ago, this is that want realized. And while he may not be as well articulated as I like, this figure scratches that itch remarkably well. <\/p>\n I may have concerns about the early pics of Dr. Manhattan or how Mattel will handle Silk Spectre\u2019s costume, Mattel got things off to a great start with Rorschach. If they all turn out this good, this will be one of my favorite 2013 lines. Big words for January, I know. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/reviews\/dcimages\/2013\/ror01.JPG?w=640\")
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