Review: DC Universe Classics: Blue Devil
I think the question most people have about Blue Devil is, "Who the hell is that?" Well, he's Blue Devil, an actor/special effects expert who became mystically fused with a suit he made for a movie. Like most suits in the DC Universe, this included bulletproof armor and mechanical servos or something.
Then, things went wrong when Blue Devil struck a bargain with Neron, another devil. Blue Devil agreed to perform a bit of harmless mayhem and destruction for Neron by taking out an unmanned substation in the desert. No one was there, so he assumed no one would be hurt. Yeah. Maybe not the best assumption to make when dealing with the powers of Hell.
So, in typical domino fashion, the power loss caused a chain of events, and one of Blue Devil's devil's closest friends wound up dead. Then, Blue Devil himself challenged Neron in Hell, a fight that didn't go well for the actor. Of course, since he was already in Hell, and his soul was pretty much damned at that point, he was resurrected in record time, ready for a rematch with Neron.
And that's how Daniel Cassidy went from a special effects artist to a full-fledged, evil-hunting demon. Think that's weird? Read the rest of his bio.
This is one of the DC Universe Classics figures I was really intending to skip, until I realized I could sort of complete Trigon if I picked him up (why "sort of?" you ask. Well, that'll have to wait for another review). Anyway, I know Blue Devil from Underworld Unleashed, a really bizarre but kind of brilliant crossover from the 90's. He's not on my list of top 50 superheroes, but I do think he's cool, and you can never have enough mystical heroes in your toy collection.
Then, things went wrong when Blue Devil struck a bargain with Neron, another devil. Blue Devil agreed to perform a bit of harmless mayhem and destruction for Neron by taking out an unmanned substation in the desert. No one was there, so he assumed no one would be hurt. Yeah. Maybe not the best assumption to make when dealing with the powers of Hell.
So, in typical domino fashion, the power loss caused a chain of events, and one of Blue Devil's devil's closest friends wound up dead. Then, Blue Devil himself challenged Neron in Hell, a fight that didn't go well for the actor. Of course, since he was already in Hell, and his soul was pretty much damned at that point, he was resurrected in record time, ready for a rematch with Neron.
And that's how Daniel Cassidy went from a special effects artist to a full-fledged, evil-hunting demon. Think that's weird? Read the rest of his bio.
This is one of the DC Universe Classics figures I was really intending to skip, until I realized I could sort of complete Trigon if I picked him up (why "sort of?" you ask. Well, that'll have to wait for another review). Anyway, I know Blue Devil from Underworld Unleashed, a really bizarre but kind of brilliant crossover from the 90's. He's not on my list of top 50 superheroes, but I do think he's cool, and you can never have enough mystical heroes in your toy collection.
Appearance and Construction: 7/10
This is right on the edge between a seven and an eight. In fact, the quality of sculpt and paint is probably better than several figures I've rated at an eight. The deciding factor here, as usual, is overall impression. And, while Blue Devil's good, there's something overly toyish about the figure.
This Blue Devil is just a little too bright and happy, both in color and in expression. I'm sure there's precedent for this, but it makes the figure look silly. My assumption is that the design was chosen to convey the fact that, despite his horns, Cassidy's one of the good guys. But it hardly seems necessary to belabor this point: collectors know the character, and if kids don't, it's their business if they want to pretend he's fighting Batman. Back when Mattel released Etrigan in series one, no one seemed to care whether the character came off as a hero or villain, and the toy was better for it.
That said, the work here is solid. The head sculpt, while not what I really want, is well executed, and the added bits (cuffs, collar, etc.) are all good. The paint is a little sloppy in places, but it's something you only notice on close inspection.
This is a long way from the best of the line, but it's not at all a bad figure.
This Blue Devil is just a little too bright and happy, both in color and in expression. I'm sure there's precedent for this, but it makes the figure look silly. My assumption is that the design was chosen to convey the fact that, despite his horns, Cassidy's one of the good guys. But it hardly seems necessary to belabor this point: collectors know the character, and if kids don't, it's their business if they want to pretend he's fighting Batman. Back when Mattel released Etrigan in series one, no one seemed to care whether the character came off as a hero or villain, and the toy was better for it.
That said, the work here is solid. The head sculpt, while not what I really want, is well executed, and the added bits (cuffs, collar, etc.) are all good. The paint is a little sloppy in places, but it's something you only notice on close inspection.
This is a long way from the best of the line, but it's not at all a bad figure.
Packaging and Extras: +1
Here's the new packaging, same as the old packaging. Well, not really. The heroes in the background are new, and they've made some changes to advertise the collectible buttons.
I'm not as happy about the changes to the back. The bio and stats are still very much appreciated, but the redesign means you no longer get a breakdown of which figures come with which Collect & Connect parts.
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Why is that an issue? Because it was nice to be able to tell, at a glance, which figures you needed, especially since you DON'T actually need them all. One of these comes with a figure stand, which you can skip. And, if you're not planning to buy everything, you may still want the head for a custom project. Sure, you can look all this up online, but it was easier when you could just turn the package over. Blue Devil has a good assortment. His main accessory is his trident, which could have used some painted detail, but is still very cool. The Collect & Connect piece is the upper body of Trigon. It's easily the largest such piece in the wave. While I doubt that matters to most people, it does mean it cost a bit more to put out, and that counts for something. In addition, Mattel is including Trigon's cape, which has custom potential written all over it. |
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The last extra is by far the least: you get a collectible button. While I like the concept, these are too small and too muted in color to be worth much.
I was a little harsh in the appearance section, so I'm going to be nice here. While the price tag is painful, the huge chunk of Trigon, along with the cape and decent trident, is right on the line between justifying a bonus point. Honestly, that stupid button might be the straw that broke the camel's back.
Play and Display: +1
Here, again, for your reading pleasure, is the list of standard DC Universe Classics joints. I can't bring myself to type it out again, so I'm just copying from my review of John Steward:
"Ball-jointed shoulders that work, ball-jointed head that doesn't (well, it turns side to side and you can get a little up and down motion right in the center, but it's really closer to a cut), pins on the elbows, knees, and ankles, cuts on the wrists, biceps, upper legs, and waist, a hinge in the abs, and finally those weird hips that function like ball-joints without ruining the sculpt."
Actually, the head joint of Blue Devil is a little worse than usual: the sculpt limits the range of movement. Also, the ab joint barely works on mine, but that's probably just my figure.
Despite all that, it's still a very good level of articulation, considering what's out there. This line always picks up a point here, except in cases where there's a serious issue I can't overlook. And, fortunately, that's not the case here.
"Ball-jointed shoulders that work, ball-jointed head that doesn't (well, it turns side to side and you can get a little up and down motion right in the center, but it's really closer to a cut), pins on the elbows, knees, and ankles, cuts on the wrists, biceps, upper legs, and waist, a hinge in the abs, and finally those weird hips that function like ball-joints without ruining the sculpt."
Actually, the head joint of Blue Devil is a little worse than usual: the sculpt limits the range of movement. Also, the ab joint barely works on mine, but that's probably just my figure.
Despite all that, it's still a very good level of articulation, considering what's out there. This line always picks up a point here, except in cases where there's a serious issue I can't overlook. And, fortunately, that's not the case here.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 9/10
Compared to most DCUC figures I have, Blue Devil isn't exceptional. But then a mediocre DC Universe Classics figure is still a lot better than most toys out there. After all, there's a reason this line is the cornerstone of my collection.
Anyway, I found Blue Devil at K-Mart for $14.49, which is actually a lot less than I'm used to paying for these. Like I said, I picked this up because I wanted Trigon. Even so, it's nice having another toy on the DC shelf. Assuming, of course, the DC shelf doesn't collapse under its own weight. Probably won't happen. Probably.
Is this really worth fourteen or fifteen bucks? Eh. Probably not, but the torso of Trigon helps a little. If you're not putting him together, though, I don't think there's any way to justify the purchase unless you're a really big Blue Devil fan.
And that ends my "blue period" here at the Clearance Bin. I'm pretty sure I've now reviewed every DC Universe Classics figure with "blue" in their name in the last few weeks. Unless I'm forgetting someone.
Anyway, I found Blue Devil at K-Mart for $14.49, which is actually a lot less than I'm used to paying for these. Like I said, I picked this up because I wanted Trigon. Even so, it's nice having another toy on the DC shelf. Assuming, of course, the DC shelf doesn't collapse under its own weight. Probably won't happen. Probably.
Is this really worth fourteen or fifteen bucks? Eh. Probably not, but the torso of Trigon helps a little. If you're not putting him together, though, I don't think there's any way to justify the purchase unless you're a really big Blue Devil fan.
And that ends my "blue period" here at the Clearance Bin. I'm pretty sure I've now reviewed every DC Universe Classics figure with "blue" in their name in the last few weeks. Unless I'm forgetting someone.
