The Good: Great sculpt, Decent accessory, Excellent coloring, Decent balance, Good articulation!
The Bad: Somewhat ridiculous collectible value!
The Basics: The Blackest Night Black Lantern Wonder Woman figure is one of the impressive figures from the DC Collectibles toy line!
I have a pretty big Wonder Woman action figure collection and I am very determined to keep only the best pieces in my collection. One of the pieces that I am keeping more proudly than I ever expected to is the Blackest Night Black Lantern Wonder Woman action figure. Don't get me wrong; I love Blackest Night, but the figures from DC Collectibles have been erratic and this is such an obscure character that many casual fans will find it anything but essential.
For those unfamiliar with her, the Black Lantern Wonder Woman is a very secondary character from Blackest Night and it is another impermanent incarnation of Princess Diana as Wonder Woman. Near the end of Blackest Night (reviewed here!), Wonder Woman is transformed into a hideous Black Lantern, like most of the heroes who were once dead. The saga of Wonder Woman being taken over and turned into a Black Lantern is in Black Lantern Corps Volume 2 (reviewed here!).
It is Wonder Woman in her Black Lantern costume that is the subject of the DC Direct action figure of the character.
Basics
The Black Lantern Wonder Woman figure is a wonderful sculpt and is perfect on the sculpt front! This is an amazing-looking version of the dead, Nekron-controlled Wonder Woman. She stands 6 1/4" tall to the top of the figure's head. The Black Lantern Wonder Woman figure is available from DC Direct, though there is a lesser DC Universe version of the figure now on the market as well. That one features more joints which look incredibly sloppy, whereas the non-Mattel version is has some joints that are well-hidden and prioritizes fidelity to the subject over the appearance of articulation.
On the sculpt front, this version of Wonder Woman looks like Diana in the face, but is silver and back with a very gray skintone. This version of Diana has empty white eyes, flowing black hair and the tiara and bracelets one expects from Wonder Woman. But the tiara actually comes down her nose ridge and partially around her eyes to give her a more armored appearance. This is complimented by a rubbery skirt and boots that continue the warrior appearance. Wonder Woman's boots go almost up to her knees and the figure features a black lantern ring on her left middle finger! Her right hip has a hook - which juts out just a little too much - upon which rests her lasso. In this incarnation of the figure, the lasso is essentially a black thread.
The Black Lantern Wonder Woman's costume is colored silver-gray for her gauntlets, black and silver for the rest of the outfit. This leaves a lot of the character’s skin exposed. Because this incarnation of Wonder Woman is (more or less) dead, her skin tones are monolithically white/gray, like a corpse! This is an excellently colored and sculpted figure!
Accessories
The Black Lantern Wonder Woman, transformed into a resurrected corpse, comes with only two accessories. She has her stand and her transformed lasso. The stand is a black and white disk with the Black Lantern logo. It is 3 3/4" in diameter and 1/4” tall and it has a single peg which plugs into the hole in Black Lantern Wonder Woman's right foot. She is completely stable, especially on her base.
Black Lantern Wonder Woman also comes with a Black Lantern version of her Lasso Of Truth. The 12 1/4" black cord is simple, but enough to do what it is intended to.
Playability
The DC Direct figures were designed more for display than play and this holds up on both fronts. The Black Lantern Wonder Woman has great balance, especially when she is flatfooted. Because she lacks a joints at the ankle, the Black Lantern Wonder Woman figure is somewhat limited in her posing, but on her stand, she can take on very dynamic stances. Off the stand, the Black Lantern Wonder Woman tips, but not as easily as most DC Direct figures. On her stand, she is stable and very poseable.
The Black Lantern Wonder Woman figure comes with only thirteen points of articulation, which is good even for a DC Direct figure. Black Lantern Wonder Woman has joints at the knees, groin socket, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists and head. The shoulders are proper ball and socket joints, while the elbows and knees are both hinge joints. The head is on a ball and socket joint, which would allow her to look in virtually any direction! The groin socket allows for an appropriate range of motion.
Collectibility
The Black Lantern Wonder Woman is part of the DC Direct Blackest Night Series 4 line which was fairly uncommon, as it was usually only distributed through comic book shops and specialty stores like FYE. Black Lantern Wonder Woman is one of the many heroes in the Blackest Night line and this is one of several Wonder Woman figures DC Direct produced. The Black Lantern Wonder Woman figure is unique to this series and has exploded in value, probably due to its rarity and quality.
Overview
The Black Lantern Wonder Woman is surprisingly incredible and well worth picking up, even at secondary market prices!
For other Blackest Night figures, please check out my reviews of:
Wave 3 Orange Lantern Larfleeze
Limited Edition Boxed Set
Wave 5 Nekron
9/10
For other toy reviews, please check out my index page!
© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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