{"id":9115,"date":"2010-08-30T02:49:50","date_gmt":"2010-08-30T07:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9115"},"modified":"2010-08-30T08:46:55","modified_gmt":"2010-08-30T13:46:55","slug":"itsalltrue-review-dc-direct-nekron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9115","title":{"rendered":"ItsAllTrue Review:
DC Direct’s Nekron"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Though I took a pass on the Series IV figures, I’m not done with DC Direct’s Blackest Night line. Though I’ve been tempted by the idea of a Black Lantern JLA, I’m sticking to the oversized aliens not likely to get DCUC love. Enter Nekron. He offers some flexibility with his size, so I’ve opted to pick up DCD’s version.<\/p>\n

If you just came out of a three-year coma, Nekron turned out to be the primary villain behind Blackest Night<\/em>, DC’s 2009\/2010 event. Before Geoff Johns found a role for him as the latest architect of the DC Universe’s destruction, he was a powerful, but minor, villain with only a handful of appearances under his belt. He was created back in 1981 as the “Lord of the Unliving”, a decrepit ruler of the dimension where souls pass through before going to their final destination. He’s been schooled by Hal, Kyle, Captain Atom, and Wonder Woman to name a few and to make him an ultimate GL villan, Johns had to give him a bit of an update.<\/p>\n

Before light came into being, there was darkness, right? Well, in the way that Johns has created a variety of new avatars to be the embodiments of the various spectral colors (emotions) of refracted light, Nekron is the embodiment of darkness \/ nothingness – created in response to the Guardians and their harnessing of the light. As for his look and his association with death? Well, since light equates with life, darkness equates with death. It makes sense in the mythology Johns has been building, but honestly, I’m more a fan of Johns’ storytelling style and pacing. I enjoy his characters, but I tend to cringe a little bit when he’s crafting a larger DC mythos.<\/p>\n

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I don’t think a height has been published for Nekron in his modern incarnation, so we’re left to look at the art and decide what size he should be. The one clue we have – assuming DC Direct has access to some style guides – was that the solicit said Nekron would be 7.25″ tall. That sounds about right. Off the top of my head, I can’t remember him appearing much bigger than around 7′ in Blackest Night<\/em> or any of its eleventy billion tie-ins. He does appear rather large at the end of BN #4 because of the small villains in the background, but looking at the zombies spawning from the ground beneath his feet, he’s not really as towering as that upshot makes him look.<\/p>\n

Sadly, as you can tell from the picture above, Nekron didn’t end up at his solicited height. He’s about a half-inch shorter and that makes him a little less imposing if you’ve got a big DCD Blackest Night shelf going. He does retain a slight height advantage over the majority of DCUCs though and that makes him fit in well in my display.<\/p>\n

I mention all this scale talk because that’s part of the reason I bought the DCD version. Though we can construe from his past appearances (pre-BN, he almost always appeared as a giant) that he could be much larger, a 7′ foot tall character isn’t a good candidate for a Collect & Connect – which, right now, is presumably the only way Mattel plans on doing him. Should he misguidedly win the poll over the other, larger (and therefore more value for your buck!), characters, then I fear he will be too tall for my tastes. Conversely, if he doesn’t win, then Mattel has phoned in and let us know that he won’t be coming for quite awhile. So, if you want Nekron, DC Direct is the way to go.<\/p>\n

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I don’t normally do a packaging picture (isn’t that what eBay is for?), but I wanted to this time for two reasons. First, we don’t review DC Direct as often as I would like, so I thought I’d take a minute to showcase their sealed clamshell packaging. So far, the packaging for Blackest Night has been consistent since wave one, though I imagine most MOC DC Direct collectors have learned to not care about having all the packages match. Still, when I’m at the comic shop, it’s cool to see them lined up with the various faction symbols on the front of the bubble. We could use some more reds and blues though. <\/p>\n

Second, I wanted to show the scythe in package because it makes me laugh. I love how big it is and I appreciate that the folks over at DC Direct ensured that it was as big as it could be by cramming it into the edges of the bubble.<\/p>\n

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Nekron was sculpted by Jonathan Matthews (http:\/\/www.matthewsculptor.com<\/a>). He’s one of my favorites over at DC Direct – his work has included the amazing & eye-challenging Black & White Mignola Batman statue, the spot-on New Frontier<\/em> figures, and those recent Kirby-riffic New Gods. He’s done his usual great work here with Nekron.<\/p>\n

It’s hard to find an undetailed spot on the figure. From the wrinkled and tattered robes to the striated, decaying skin, this figure rocks. The robes are made of a soft plastic that allows for the legs and shoulders to move freely and help the figure look more layered than the standard fare.<\/p>\n

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The two primarily important areas, the head sculpt and the exposed heart are easily the highlights of the figure. The head is great – I love his creepy glare – while the open chest is probably my favorite part. It looks so good that you want to reach in there and squish his heart around. Morbid, I know, but it would’ve been cool if they could’ve gone for a softer plastic in there.<\/p>\n

One last bit of goodness is Nekron’s chains. The two shackles are separate pieces and really give an element of depth to the figure. Little details like the latch and the hinge on the back are appreciated, as are the real metal chains. Continue to Page 2 for Paint, Articulation, & Accessories…<\/a><\/p>\n

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The paintwork is pretty good for the overall figure, the most important being the light grey that brings out the decayed flesh. The silver paint accents the belts and shackles while the gloss black gives him just a little bit of shine to keep up with all those metallic lanterns. The only paint I’m not happy with is the reddish brown applied loosely. Is it rust on the metal parts? Is it dried blood on the robes? It looks good on the chains, so I’m going to go with rust though it doesn’t really create that effect on the metal elements of his costume. With it being on his robes though it looks more like he spilled a chocolate shake all over this clothes though.<\/p>\n

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In addition to his Black Lantern base, Nekron included his aforementioned scythe. It’s huge, but it’s also got a lot of nice detail including some great wood grain. It\u2019s a cool piece.<\/p>\n

My only lament here is that I’d like for DC Direct to break away from the comics a bit and create a black lantern accessory. I would love to get the DC Direct lanterns in every color of the spectrum and as of next year’s Deadman, we’re going to be short a black one and an indigo one. I don’t believe a handheld black one ever appeared in the story – other than the one atop Nekron’s staff, but I still want one. And I’d like a non-comic accurate Indigo one as well to complete the set or, at the very least, a do-over on the Indigo staff since the one that came with Indigo is completely wrong.<\/p>\n

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When you switch from buying DC Classics to DC Direct, you’re generally expecting to sacrifice articulation for sculpt. In this case, Nekron is sporting more articulation than I’m used to for a DC Direct figure. Nekron’s legs are particularly odd, with lots of articulation that doesn’t do much: swivels at the hip, thigh, and calf with a hinged knee. Without a ball hip or a hinge ankle, they’re not that impressive. I appreciate the effort, but it fell a little short. The arms feature swivel wrists, hinged elbows, and ball shoulders, but the lack of a bicep swivel limits the posing opportunities. Finally, Nekron does have a good ball-joint for his head that gives him good range and some good undead poses.<\/p>\n

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No matter what ends up happening with Mattel and Nekron, I feel like I’ve already got a good figure to stand with my DCUCs. I’m happy with his height – slightly bigger than the average DCUC and the sculpting is fantastic. I still would like an extra articulation point here and there (in this case, the bicep swivel is really the only thing I’m lamenting), but he’s a DC Direct figure so I’m not complaining. He’s a great figure for any Green Lantern collection and if Nekron doesn’t get a free pass in the DCUC ToyFare Poll, this might be the only figure of him we’ll be seeing for awhile.<\/p>\n

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For more DC Direct reviews, check out our Review Index<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

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 with his size and I’ve opted to pick up DCD’s version.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":9116,"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":[34,10],"tags":[41,111,378,40,379],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/nekTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-2n1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2741,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=2741","url_meta":{"origin":9115,"position":0},"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":18580,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18580","url_meta":{"origin":9115,"position":1},"title":"DC Classics.Com Nekron Week! Collect & Connect Nekron Review","date":"May 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"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\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":9115,"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":4762,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=4762","url_meta":{"origin":9115,"position":3},"title":"Adventure Vault Talks Blackest Night","date":"April 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Almost one year later, the longest night ever in the DC Universe has finally come to an end with Blackest Night #8. I wouldn\u2019t call what I\u2019m writing a review, so much as my thoughts on what happened, but mostly I want to examine where I feel the DC Universe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9846,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9846","url_meta":{"origin":9115,"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":7598,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=7598","url_meta":{"origin":9115,"position":5},"title":"DC Direct Announces Brightest Day Line","date":"July 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"DC Direct has announced their newest line, based on the hit biweekly Brightest Day with a look at the first eight figures on the schedule. Here at IAT, we're always interested in our DC toys from another mother, but this announcement includes a special figure: Our 2009 Most Requested Winner:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9115"}],"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=9115"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9151,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9115\/revisions\/9151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}