Killer Moth

When the police need Batman's help to catch a criminal, they turn on the Batsignal - but there's only one villain they can catch just by firing up that giant lightbulb, even if Batman doesn't answer. After hearing that the Penguin was recruiting for a team of allied villains, Killer Moth shows up at Penguin's lair to answer the call. Despite doing nothing other than pouring coffee and driving cars at first, Killer Moth is transformed into an extremely powerful creature via a hazardous chemical that Team Penguin stole. After transforming, Killer Moth becomes a giant and ferocious moth, dripping and spitting biohazardous material from his mouth; with these abilities and flight now added to his arsenal, Killer Moth is more formidable than before...but that's really not saying much. In the comics, Killer Moth was originally sort of the "anti-Batman": a millionaire playboy, he developed special equipment and a costumed identity. He even had a Mothsignal so he could be called into action. Of course, he worked for the criminals, not the cops. He was sort of a "supervillain for hire," charging crooks for his services. He just wasn't very good at it - his biggest claim to fame was getting his butt kicked by Batgirl on her first night out. Infamy! Eventually, however, he got a power upgrade, undergoing a strange metamorphosis and transforming into a monstrous vermin. Surprisingly, both versions of the character appeared on The Batman, even though his original look is decidedly... less than impressive. However, only one version got a toy, and that's the big, scary (and infinitely more toyetic) bug. The sculpt is nice. It totally captures the look of the cartoon, with the odd angles and the skewed proportions. Killer Moth tops out at 5¼" tall, and has a whopping two points of articulation: the left shoulder and the right... shoulder. Yeah. That's it. Why? Killer Moth has an action feature. More accurately, Killer Moth is an action feature. In the cartoon he spits caustic chemicals, so the toy spits water. His entire upper body is the bulb, so it's just squishy. But that still doesn't explain why nothing moves. The water comes out of his mouth, so it makes some sense that his head can't turn at all, even if it is a separate piece. His arms move, so why not his waist? Why not his wings? Why not his other, vestigial arms? The legs are bent and crooked, but they still could have given him hips and ankles. Despite the fact that his entire chest is soft plastic, it holds the detail of the sculpt well - why are moths furry, anyway? The head is creepy, with its gargantuan eyes, fierce mandibles and feathery antennae. His feet are molded as a single piece, for some reason, and the pegs on his included base actually have small barbs on the ends, so it's harder to get him back off once he's attached. What's the sense of that? He doesn't even need it, really. His feet are huge and stable, since they don't move. The paint is nice, though it's not overly spectacular or anything. His body is a browninsh purple, sort of an aubergine. His eyes and wings are a burnt red sangria color, though the eyes are a bit brassy, as well. The fur of his neck is mostly violet, and his mouth has a hint of metallic blue. Much like a real moth, he has large dark eyespots on his wings. His "claws" are the same color as his arms, but a bit glossier, which makes them look more sinister. Killer Moth has never had any figures before, so it's nice that he finally got some plastic representation. But with no accessories and almost no articulation, there's no way this guy should cost as much as the other figures. If you're collecting interesting Bat-villains, then by all means, grab Killer Moth as soon as you see him; he's one per case, and you might not see another. But if you're just looking for a good standalone toy, this isn't it. Who's your favorite lamewad Bat-villain? Tell us on our message board, The Loafing Lounge.

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