Review: DC Direct Trinity Ra's al Ghul

Some of you may remember that I reviewed the "Hush" Ra's al Ghul a while back. Ra's al Ghul is one of my favorite Batman villains - he used to be my favorite, but most of his recent comic appearances have left me a little cold. The nuanced relationship he had with Batman has deteriorated as both characters have gone in different directions.
It doesn't help, I suppose, that Batman's currently pushing up daisies in a cave while Black Hand licks his skull (or something).
But I'll always have the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini animated series, which started with Denny O'Neil's original story and developed the character from there, avoiding most of the pitfalls the comics have fallen into over the years. A lot of Ghul's success on the show was due to the voice work by David Warner, who captured the character perfectly.
At any rate, I found myself in a Manhattan comic book store at the right time and came across the Trinity version of the character at a very reasonable price. Trinity was a mini-series written and drawn by Matt Wagner (there's also a more recent series by the same name by Kurt Busiek which focuses on the same characters... but that's something different).
Personally, I love Matt Wagner's artistic style, but I don't think it always translates well to three dimensions. Ironically, I think it COULD translate better than it usually does: some of the sculptors who have taken up his work are too eager to recreate his use of lines and angles. As a result, some of the figures - I'm really talking about the Batman and Wonder Woman from this line, incidentally - look a little silly. The challenge when going from two to three dimensions is knowing when to abandon details and let the added depth take over.
The Trinity figures, like the Hush ones, are produced by DC Direct and sold at comic book stores everywhere.
It doesn't help, I suppose, that Batman's currently pushing up daisies in a cave while Black Hand licks his skull (or something).
But I'll always have the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini animated series, which started with Denny O'Neil's original story and developed the character from there, avoiding most of the pitfalls the comics have fallen into over the years. A lot of Ghul's success on the show was due to the voice work by David Warner, who captured the character perfectly.
At any rate, I found myself in a Manhattan comic book store at the right time and came across the Trinity version of the character at a very reasonable price. Trinity was a mini-series written and drawn by Matt Wagner (there's also a more recent series by the same name by Kurt Busiek which focuses on the same characters... but that's something different).
Personally, I love Matt Wagner's artistic style, but I don't think it always translates well to three dimensions. Ironically, I think it COULD translate better than it usually does: some of the sculptors who have taken up his work are too eager to recreate his use of lines and angles. As a result, some of the figures - I'm really talking about the Batman and Wonder Woman from this line, incidentally - look a little silly. The challenge when going from two to three dimensions is knowing when to abandon details and let the added depth take over.
The Trinity figures, like the Hush ones, are produced by DC Direct and sold at comic book stores everywhere.
Appearance and Construction: 8/10

There's nothing wrong with an eight, of course, but from the neck down, this is a nine. The body and cape are absolutely topnotch work, with no construction issues or problems at all. Granted, the character's design makes it a little easier than some, but there aren't a lot of mistakes or bad choices here.
The undershirt, tie, and vest are all excellently produced, though the paint gets a little sloppy between the vest and shirt. The sculpted look of the sleeves is fantastic though, as is the lower portion of the vest. The use of a real chain is also greatly appreciated, as it gives the figure some complexity and realism.
The work on the pants and boots mirrors the work that was done on the upper half. And, if anything, the cape exceeds these expectations. The clasp on the front is a little wobbly, but that's hardly noticeable.
It's the head that drags the figure down a touch. This isn't to say the head is bad - it's very good, in fact - but it's not quite on par with the rest. Part of this is due to the design being used, which just doesn't work as well with this kind of figure. There's some great conceptual work here: the character's owl-like features are played up, as are the subtle similarities between his design and Batman's. But, by drawing attention to these choices, the sculptor places the character in an awkward halfway point between realism and animated.
Again, this isn't a huge issue, but the contrast is problematic, particularly up close. In addition, the gray paint on his hair is too clean. This is probably another case where DC Direct was trying to follow the design laid out in the comic. In two dimensions, I think this works, but in three, it just cheapens the look of the figure.
Even so, this is a solid eight out of ten: a good figure with a few problems.
The undershirt, tie, and vest are all excellently produced, though the paint gets a little sloppy between the vest and shirt. The sculpted look of the sleeves is fantastic though, as is the lower portion of the vest. The use of a real chain is also greatly appreciated, as it gives the figure some complexity and realism.
The work on the pants and boots mirrors the work that was done on the upper half. And, if anything, the cape exceeds these expectations. The clasp on the front is a little wobbly, but that's hardly noticeable.
It's the head that drags the figure down a touch. This isn't to say the head is bad - it's very good, in fact - but it's not quite on par with the rest. Part of this is due to the design being used, which just doesn't work as well with this kind of figure. There's some great conceptual work here: the character's owl-like features are played up, as are the subtle similarities between his design and Batman's. But, by drawing attention to these choices, the sculptor places the character in an awkward halfway point between realism and animated.
Again, this isn't a huge issue, but the contrast is problematic, particularly up close. In addition, the gray paint on his hair is too clean. This is probably another case where DC Direct was trying to follow the design laid out in the comic. In two dimensions, I think this works, but in three, it just cheapens the look of the figure.
Even so, this is a solid eight out of ten: a good figure with a few problems.
Packaging and Extras: ----
Ah, the box: the toy delivery method that brings my DC Direct figures in one piece. Rather than more than one piece. Okay, to be honest, in the past six months I've had a much better track record with DC Direct overall. It's been a long time since I had a wave of bad luck, but I'm not quite through griping about it yet. Here's a picture of a box, incidentally:
I like the color scheme, the design, and even the font. It's such a shame I had to trash the packaging the second I tore the figure out of his shell. Such a shame.
For those of you who might be wondering, rest assured whenever I say "trashed" I do, in fact, mean recycled, at least as far as the cardboard's concerned.
Besides the excess landfill, Ra's comes with two extras: and alternate hand with a hooded falcon and a base. Lets us start with the base this time. These are more or less an assumed component of any DC Direct figure at this point. The base packed here is fairly straightforward: a simple blue circle with the title of the series written across it. It's nothing spectacular, but it does the job. The alternate hand is more interesting. First of all, I love the concept. Ra's, as most Batman readers know, is something of an environmentalist himself. He has a ruthless devotion to the natural world, which he loves. Now, to be honest, I've never read Trinity, so, for all I know, things don't end well for the falcon. Either way, I think this is an effective way to represent the character, and I appreciate the choice of hands. I'm certainly displaying mine with falcon. Even so, I generally expect two extras for these figures. Had he come with a sword as well, I'd be happy to talk about a potential bonus, but that would be a little too generous, particularly considering how generic his base is. |
Play and Display: ----

You know what I want? I want DC Direct to increase their articulation so that once - just once - they blow this category out of the water.
What you get is what you'd expect: the standard range of DC Direct articulation. He's better than a lot of the figures they put out, but nowhere near where he could be.
You've got your ball-jointed head and shoulders, all of which work, but not exceptionally well. Then there are the pins on the knees and elbows, none of which bend quite as far as you want them to. The waist is a 'T' style set of joints. The wrists and ankles are all cut, which is certainly better than SOME DC Direct figures. In fact, the ankles do give you some posing options, but not as many as pins would provide.
The requisite disappointment comes at the stomach: the vest offers a perfect opportunity for a completely hidden cut joint, and DC Direct opted not to take it. Pity.
The figure balances well enough, which is really what I need these to do. On top of that, the extra hand offers some options. But there's a lot more that would be needed to talk about a bonus.
What you get is what you'd expect: the standard range of DC Direct articulation. He's better than a lot of the figures they put out, but nowhere near where he could be.
You've got your ball-jointed head and shoulders, all of which work, but not exceptionally well. Then there are the pins on the knees and elbows, none of which bend quite as far as you want them to. The waist is a 'T' style set of joints. The wrists and ankles are all cut, which is certainly better than SOME DC Direct figures. In fact, the ankles do give you some posing options, but not as many as pins would provide.
The requisite disappointment comes at the stomach: the vest offers a perfect opportunity for a completely hidden cut joint, and DC Direct opted not to take it. Pity.
The figure balances well enough, which is really what I need these to do. On top of that, the extra hand offers some options. But there's a lot more that would be needed to talk about a bonus.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 8/10

There's no denying that DC Direct knows how to sculpt and paint a beautiful figure, but they take their "collectible" image a touch further than most collectors I know want. Sure, we want toys that look incredible, but they should still be toys, at least in a manner of speaking.
Ra's started in the sixteen dollar range: I'm sure you could find him for even more online or in some specialty shops. I don't think he's worth that much unless you really liked Trinity. But, as is often the case with DC Direct figures without the word "Batman" on the package, there wasn't enough interest to clear him off the shelves. So, some time went by and he dropped to eight. Then six.
Then one day I stopped by a comic store and found him marked down to three. I grabbed him, along with a few other DC Direct figures I'll be reviewing later, and went to the register. Turns out they were having a sale that day: 20% off. So, much to my amazement, I got Ra's here for a whopping $2.40.
God I love this hobby.
By the way, I'm including a comparison shot of this Ra's along with the one from Hush below. I prefer the head sculpt on the Hush version. In fact, overall I think the Hush figure's appearance works better, even though I'm more a fan of the Trinity costume. Keep in mind that the Hush figure is missing the cut wrists and ankles, though. Ultimately, I'd say it's a toss up: they're both good figures with pluses and minuses.
Ra's started in the sixteen dollar range: I'm sure you could find him for even more online or in some specialty shops. I don't think he's worth that much unless you really liked Trinity. But, as is often the case with DC Direct figures without the word "Batman" on the package, there wasn't enough interest to clear him off the shelves. So, some time went by and he dropped to eight. Then six.
Then one day I stopped by a comic store and found him marked down to three. I grabbed him, along with a few other DC Direct figures I'll be reviewing later, and went to the register. Turns out they were having a sale that day: 20% off. So, much to my amazement, I got Ra's here for a whopping $2.40.
God I love this hobby.
By the way, I'm including a comparison shot of this Ra's along with the one from Hush below. I prefer the head sculpt on the Hush version. In fact, overall I think the Hush figure's appearance works better, even though I'm more a fan of the Trinity costume. Keep in mind that the Hush figure is missing the cut wrists and ankles, though. Ultimately, I'd say it's a toss up: they're both good figures with pluses and minuses.
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But who has the time to run a search? Instead, just head on over to my blog. Sure, it's probably not the BEST site online, but look how easy it is: the link is RIGHT HERE. Go ahead: click it. It's the American way.