Be the Cape
"PLASTIC CRACK: SURPRISES"
Reviewing the "Origin" booster set for DC HeroClix from Wiz Kids Games.
Copyright © 2008, Glenn Walker
Whether you play HeroClix or just collect them, it can be addictive. Once you have some, you have to get more. Now I've played the game, and have enjoyed it, I have to admit I'm more in the collector realm. It's just darn cool having these little miniature superheroes and villains around. I'm working on complete membership sets of the Justice League, the Avengers, the Justice Society and the Legion of Super-Heroes, and their respective foes.
I am especially fond of the heroes of the Golden Age of comics, so the newest booster set of DC HeroClix, "Origin," was of particular interest to me. The thrust of this set was the first appearances of certain heroes, and thus it included several goodies from the Golden Age. High on the list of characters appreciated were Green Lantern, Sandman, Starman and Doctor Fate.
WizKids is in the midst of celebrating their fifth anniversary and has been adding surprises to their sets this year. Several folks were taken by surprise recently with the addition of Marvel Zombies characters to the "Supernova" booster set for Marvel HeroClix. Origin has more of the same.
For instance there are two traditional baddies from the Silver Age, Mirror Master from the Flash's Rogues Gallery and the Shadow Thief of Hawkman infamy. Each comes in an unexpected version. For the Mirror Master in the Experienced rank we get a two-dimensional mirror held up by some rocks with an image of the villain within. Similarly the Experienced rank of the Shadow Thief features a translucent two-dimensional figure in bluish gray, a shadow. Serious props to the designers of these two.
Phantom Lady appears in various states of translucence in her ranks, and Mon-El (M'Onel, Valor) appears with a different name in each rank, but same sculpt and look. I can't see much point in that one. My favorite of the variants with the ranks is Blackhawk. Depending on the rank you can get Blackhawk, or his teammates Hendrickson or Stan. One hopes they continue this practice until we get the entire Magnificent Seven. Hawk-Aaa!
Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel are also in there. Batman appears as he did on the rooftop in the "Legend of the Batman" one-page that first featured his origin. Superman appears as if a Joe Shuster drawing came to life. Wonder Woman is a bit of a disappointment, smaller than the others, as with many females in this set, and wearing a starless skirt. Captain Marvel only has the addition of Billy Batson sharing the disc in the Rookie and Experienced ranks. Like the Amazon Princess, he's had better sculpts.
Starman, Sandman, Wildcat and Doctor Fate (who can only be gotten by buying a brick of boosters and then mail-ordering it) are the Golden Age prizes of the bunch. And for the new school Justice Society fans there's also Jakeem Thunder and his Thunderbolt. Also included are Golden Age villains the Gentleman Ghost, Vandal Savage and in his own bottle, Mister Mind.
Johnny Quick, Negative Woman and Animal Man are also very cool sculpts. Catman has a veteran version that reflects his recent evolution fro Silver Age clown to Modern Age predator. I also love the idea of Triplicate Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes - it's not a piece you mind having more than one of, as a matter of fact, three is the magic number.
The sculpts of this set are very good, more than a few steps up from previous ones with one major exception - the Golden Age Green Lantern. It's an awkward flying pose with the hero flying upward and backwards at once. It just doesn't look good at all. There is a costume variation in one rank as Alan Scott goes through his "Sentinel" phase and the cool metallic green flame comes from his fist rather than his ring. However bad this figure looks, at least we finally have a Golden Age Green Lantern figure (nope, sorry, the Kingdom Come version doesn't count).
This one exception aside, this is a great set and I look forward to the next editions, which feature both the Avengers and the Justice League of America. Mmmm... more plastic crack...