Tiny Tim, Small Dick and a Robin Top? - It's a DC Comics Saturday Afternoon Haul!
There was no way that click bait headline was going to come out PG, but there's is a method to this afternoon's madness. Namely, the small figures that we've stumbled upon this week. Plus, we've got a special DC villains pickup that I've wanted for a long time!
I've never been a huge (no pun intended) fan of these tiny Nano Metalfig characters that include DC, Marvel and even TMNT. I picked up one larger playset that included the 90's version of Tim Drake Robin as an exclusive, but otherwise stayed away. But low and behold what jumped out at me at a recent Walmart visit? Bam! Tim Drake as Red Robin, tiny as can be, but boldly displayed in all his New 52-inspired glory. It's not completely accurate to New52. The wings are missing in lieu of a cape, but otherwise it's passable as the best Boy Wonder. So, of course, it was a no brainer pickup. Like that older one, this Robin, or Red Robin, is a Walmart exclusive.
The other figures in the set aren't bad. The standouts being the Flashpoint Batman, Mr. Freeze and what I assume (due to the reddish suit) is the Flashpoint Aquaman. The other exclusive is a blue version of the Flash, which I'm guessing is representative of the recent Wally West turn in a blue suit, but the figure is just a repaint of the fully-cowled regular Flash.
The next item in the pickup this week was a topper indeed. No, really, I think these are pen toppers as they go on top of a pen. I'd never seen them before and took a moment to figure out what exactly I was looking at. They come from 1995 when this Tim Drake version of Robin and an appearance by Steel (fresh from the Death of Superman era) were at the height of their popularity. In addition to the lack of info about them on the packaging, they sported great 90's style artwork and the address was from a location in Hawaii. Perhaps they were some kind of exclusive? Regardless, they are unique, and they feature Robin, so these antique mall finds were a great pickup!
I haven't picked up many of McFarlane's small figure Page Punchers, but when I saw the Nightwing fig, I knew it was a winner. The comic is probably the twentieth version of this issue I own, but the figure itself is highly detailed for such a small size. As I've said before, I wish McFarlane would make these with original comics (like some of the full-size Page Punchers) and stick them at the front of stores as impulse buys (maybe in the checkout-lane magazine sections, even in the shadow-of-their-former-self sad state they find themselves today). Make them a bi-monthly thing with 2-3 new figures and a 100-page Giant-like comic included with each wave.
But the more important question--where is Robin? (and no stupid Damian versions either!)
The villains are here! I mostly avoid the villain figures unless I have some nostalgic connection to them. These two, however, are my favorite characters from the Bat lineup. McFarlane Toys' Mr. Freeze and Scarecrow are from modern comic takes, but their vibrant colors and stylish designs make them standouts on the DC shelf. Victor Fries has an almost 70's-style in his colors and suit design, while Jonathan Crane mixes some kind of Asian horror theme with the Arkham games versions of Scarecrow. I've always found the classic 70's and the initial version from Batman: The Animated Series to be my favorite Scarecrow designs, but this one stands out in a way that makes it very eye-catching and unique.
And how better to tie up our whole blog post for today with a small Dick and another spooky Scarecrow from Batman: The Animated Series. Yes, these Bitty Pop! figures from Funko are so tiny, I had to zoom in to see them. They appear fairly detailed and include boxes that look like someone used a shrink ray on their regular size Funko counterparts. In addition to the Dick Grayson Robin and the second version of BTAS Scarecrow, Batman and a mystery figure are also included. I didn't crack mine open, but you can find these at Barnes and Noble of all places (at least, where I picked up mine).
