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Easily one of the worst new lines in 2008 was Mattel's DC Infinite Heroes. A 3¾" toyline based on DC comics meant as a sort of sister line to Mattel's popular 6" DC Classics and a "first comic property to be in" that scale, a growing trend in scale within the industry. Instead of impressing, though, they unleashed a parade of sculpts that were so embarrassingly bad it's a wonder they were even shown publicly, let alone got to retail. Regardless, there are enough of us slutty collectors (ie, "suckers") who will truly buy anything and thus this line has managed to limp ever onward.
A "selling" point to each of the figures, in the stead of DCU's build-a-figures, were the inclusion of "Anti-Monitor" points to the packaging. 1 point with single carded figures, 5 with the three-packs, 15 for the 6-packs and 25 for the 7-packs. With the promise of "redemption plans
to be revealed at a later date" all we could do was collect the points and wait with the most bated of breath! Then, in April '09 it was announced - bring 50 Anti-Monitor points to the San Diego International Comic Convention (SDCC) that summer and they could be redeemed for one (1) free DCIH Anti-Monitor figure and for every 25 points brought and redeemed, you could receive one (1) raffle ticket to win one of 5 (or so) 30" tall, handmade, hand-painted Anti-Monitors. Pretty cool, except that for first part in which the figure was free... it was only a $10 figure anyway. Well, free is free and raffles is raffles so collect up I did and diving in I went. Needless to say I won no 30" Anti-Monitor, but I did get the free toy.
Code Name: Monitor
Identity: Varies
Status: Villain
Special Abilities: Near limitless cosmic powers, capable of absorbing entire universes, invulnerability, matter and energy manipulation.
That's all the cardback tells us of this fine gent. Basically, the role of the Anti-Monitor within the DCU is pretty significant as he was the villain of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the seminal series the tried to reboot the DC Universe and create a single, cohensive continuity. The Anti-Monitor is, effectively, the embodiment and universal anti-matter and evil - hence, "villain." He was destroyed at the conculsion of Crisis but ultimately resurrected through the re-creation of the multiverse in Infinite Crisis. His return to continuity thus was revealed in the awesome
Sinestro Corps War as he was effectively Sinestro's "Guardian" (as per the structure of the Green Lantern Corps). So there you go.
The figure comes on the general DCIH card but with two unique tweaks - He is listed as Figure #∞ (the whole first year/series of DCIH was built around him, so it's a cute reference to that, plus didn't tie Mattel down to a specific number of figures for the series) and this was the first DCIH figure not to feature the gaudy "groping hand" shape on the blister. Likewise, he has an image of himself on the card behind him, rather than a ghostly groping hand. Because he's egotistical.
Anti-Montor is a completely new sculpt from head to toe - a rarity in
Mattel product, but a welcome one. He appeas to faithfully capture the character's look in Crisis with the simplistic sculptural style of the DCIH line, but with slightly better proportions and detail than most figures. Even though he's tiny, he does look like a character that could be as giant as the character is in the comics (which is massive, though I can't currently locate a definitive height). Likewise, the paint is simple but clean. It appears that the whole figure is cast
in light orange plastic, to which silver and blue paint is applied; and "bone" for the teeth and yellow for the "stars in his eyes," as the crooners would sing.
The articulation is also pretty simple and limited. We're looking at eight points: balljointed shoulders, hinged elbows, v-crotch hips, and hinged knees. The arms and the legs have separate "hose" pieces the are glued in at the ends running from the shoulders to the forearms and the waist to the calves.
They're cast in the same semi-flexible plastic as the rest of the figure, so they'll move with the articulation, but not totally smoothly.
Overall this is a pretty solid figure, especially considering the quality of the rest of the line. Ten bucks is a steep for him, buts its swallow-able for a totally unique sculpt as a Comic-Con exclusive though I prefer to think of him as free. That way he's just that much more... good.
-- 03/24/10
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