I've been a big fan of writer/artist Frank Miller's work ever since he helmed Marvel Comics Daredevil. Other works by Miller include The Dark Knight Returns, Ronin, 300 and my favorite: Sin City.
With Sin City Frank was able to let loose, unrestricted by censorship and corporate mishandling. Sin City allowed him to push his artistic boundaries and write and the crime story straight out of Mickey Spillane.
It's not surprising that Frank's Sin City became a successful movie starring Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba and Bruce Willis. Filmed in black and white, with color added for emphasis and dramatic effect, Sin City turned the movie mainline industry on its collective ear.
Diamond Select Toys presents a brand new set of figures based on the hit movie. The deluxe action figures come on diorama bases with accessories.
The figures are reproduced in black and white and grays, emulating the movie's characters and style. All come packaged in oversize bubble packs inserted sideways into wraparound hanging cards decorated with figure photos, the movie's logo and including a short description of each character's role in the story.
Fearing for Nancy's Callahan safety (she knew of the Senator's son's crimes) Hartigan sets out to help Nancy, not knowing his every move is being shadowed.
The Hartigan figure is fully-articulated and comes attired in Hartigan's trademark attire: black shoes, gray pants, black shirt, white tie and gray trench coat.
His rugged and scarred face looks grim as he holds a pistol in his right hand and a pipe in his left. The clothing looks as if it is windswept with its trench coat billowing and tie flaring out.
Sculptor Jean St. Jean has done an excellent job of recreating Bruce Willis' features, albeit with hair, and the clothing looks real with its wrinkles, folds and 'lived in' look.
Articulation points are well hidden, paint and color is crisp with no spill-over or sloppy edges and sculpted features, hands, accessories and clothing look natural and unposed.
Clothing includes a sequenced spaghetti strap top, leather chaps and boots, twin gun holsters with two pistols (one in each of Nancy's hands), elbow length gloves with long tassels, mid-leg tassels and bikini bottom.
Nancy's long blond hair (in this case light gray) hangs down over her shoulders.
Like the Hartigan figure the Nancy figure is fully-articulated for easy posing, is expertly crafted from sculpting to paint application and matches Jessica's features and form perfectly.
The Marv figure is definitely the most impressive. Like the other figures in the set the Marv
figure is extremely well crafted with subtle shades of gray paint and color application
duplicating the look of character in the film and comic books.
Marv’s face is an interesting melding of realism and
illustration due in no small part to the excellent makeup worn buy Mickey Rourke
and duplicated by Diamond Select Toys artisans.
The Marv figure stands with legs spread, a pistol clenched
in his upraised right hand and with an open shirt revealing a white undershirt
and cross necklace. His dark trench coat appears to be fluttering in the wind
and articulation on the torso, arms, legs and head are well hidden and
integrated perfectly with folds and creases of the figure’s clothing and musculature.
Pay particular attention to the details on Marv’s face,
hands, clothes (especially the wrinkles) and body proportions and position. Every lace on his boots, stains and wear on
his clothing and his weathered face are evident.
Marv stands in front of an alley scene: brick wall and
littered alley street. Check out the
street drain, pitted and rusted drain pipe on the wall and cracked pavement. An
additional axe and gas can are included.
The Diamond Select Toys Spider-Man 2 action figure matches the movie version perfectly and with its abundance of articulation the figure poses in the arachnid poses Spider-Man is famous for.
Included with the figure is a long (Todd McFarlane looking) spider web, an extra hand for holding the web and custom base duplicating the look of a high-rise apartment window with air conditioner. The Spider-Man 2 figure features Spidey's huge costume white and black eyes, red web detail and long and lean muscle appearance.
Sculpting is perfect, paint is superb and the many points of articulation allows the figure to pose just like Spider-Man!
All three figures are extremely well done. Packages are rugged and can either stand or be hung. All-in-all some very nicely done figures.