Monday, December 4, 2017

Awesome Aquaman! Hallmark Gets The New Justice League Ornament Right!


The Good: Awesome sculpt, Good balance, Fair price
The Bad: Coloring on the skin tones
The Basics: The 2017 Justice League Aquaman ornament is wonderful in every aspect, save the skin tones!


Aquaman has never been a big commercial draw for most fans of DC Comics. In fact, it is somewhat surprising with all of the various DC Comics-themed Hallmark Christmas ornaments that Aquaman has not yet been a major release. That Harley Quinn was made into an ornament before Aquaman is somewhat surprising. But, for 2017, Aquaman made the cut from Hallmark, thanks to the new version of the unpopular character from the blockbuster film Justice League!

For those unfamiliar with him, Aquaman is one of the superhuman people who is recruited by Bruce Wayne in Justice League (reviewed here!)! This version of Arthur Curry is a tattooed, bearded, trident-weilding man reminiscent of a merman, but with legs. Portrayed by Jason Momoa, this rendition of Aquaman is a cool hero that fits the younger, sexier, team of the new film.

The 2017 Justice League is a decent sculpt and accents well the three previous DC Cinematic Universe character ornaments produced last year!

Basics

The Justice League Aquaman ornament faithfully presents Aquaman in his new tight black pants and bare, but very tattooed chest. The ornament, released in 2017, is pretty awesome for an ornament based upon the costume used in Zack Snyder’s Justice League film. Measuring four and a half inches wide by three and one-half inches tall and two inches deep, the Justice League Aquaman ornament is one of a handful of DC super hero-based ornaments released by Hallmark in stores in 2017 and it was intended to be a companion piece to the Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice ornaments from last year. The Justice League Aquaman ornament was affordable and looked pretty awesome.

The Hallmark Aquaman ornament is made of durable plastic. Aquaman’s trident, face and muscles are all immaculately sculpted. This version of Aquaman looks like he is mid-leap or swimming with great velocity through the water. The action pose is appropriate to the action/adventure stylings of Justice League. The facial sculpt looks very much like Jason Momoa and Hallmark got the detailing right on such things as the hair texturing to look wonderful.

The very basic coloring of the Justice League Aquaman ornament is the only unimpressive aspect of the Aquaman ornament. While the coloring of the costume, hair and tattoos is incredible, Aquaman's skin tones look far too pale for the character. The lighter skin coloring looks unrealistic and that is a bit disappointing compared to the quality of the rest of the ornament.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the 2017 Justice League Aquaman ornament could have a sound chip or a light-up function. He has neither, which is disappointing because of how Jason Momoa had so many of the film's best lines. Given the lead time Hallmark has on its ornaments, it might have been impractical for the company to produce a sound chip for the Aquaman ornament, but it still would have been cool!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake 2017 Justice League Aquaman ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. For those creating the ultimate superhero Christmas Tree, this Aquaman ornament is a good choice, except for those who want a more traditional rendition of the hero. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top of Aquaman's back. From there, the ornament looks well-balanced and hangs nicely level, in its action pose.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all major franchises like DC comics, The Wizard Of Oz and Harry Potter. The Justice League Aquaman ornament was slightly overproduced, but seems to be selling out at several Hallmark Gold Crown stores before the end of the season. As a result, the Aquaman ornament is likely to become a decent investment piece for fans!

Overview

Fans of Aquaman, Jason Momoa’s portrayal of Aquaman, Jason Momoa, and DC comics characters are likely to be thrilled by most of the aspects of the 2017 Aquaman ornament and want to add it to their collection!

For other DC Universe Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2017 Wonder WomanDC SuperHero Girls ornament
2017 The Guardian Of Gotham City ornament
2016 Catwoman Batman television series (Limited Edition)
2016 Supergirl DC SuperHero Girls ornament
2016 Batman Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice ornament
2016 Superman Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice ornament
2016 Wonder Woman Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice ornament
2016 Batmobile Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice ornament
2015 The Joker Batman television series (Limited Edition)
2015 Lynda Carter As Wonder Woman
2014 Bane The Dark Knight Rises (Limited Edition)
2014 1989 Batmobile
2014 Defender Of Mankind Superman
2013 Man Of Steel
2013 The Joker The Dark Knight Rises
2013 Descending Upon Gotham City Batman ornament
2012 The Bat The Dark Knight Rises Limited Edition Ornament
2012 Catwoman ornament
2012 "Beware My Power" Green Lantern ornament
2012 The Dark Knight Rises
2011 Batman Takes Flight
2011 Green Lantern
2010 Limited Edition Harley Quinn
2009 Wonder Woman ornament

8.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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