DC Universe Infinite Heroes Crisis Catwoman Selina Kyle

DCU Infinite Heroes Catwoman



Catwoman is one of the more expensive Infinite Heroes figures. She was available with Killer Croc, two SWAT officers, Batman and Clayf...I mean Jason Todd Hush. Gotham City Patrol is the pack's name, I believe.







Catwoman here is featured in her Darwyn Cooke, modern look. She uses the same standard body all female DC Infinite Heroes figures use. She looks really nice...buuuuut...





Is it just me or do I find the V-crotch shape in female action figures kind of sexist? They don't articulate well. Female action figures as of the making of this figure have gone past this particular technology. She doesn't have any meaningful articulation that allows us to show her acrobatic prowess. She's a cool figure but for such a special 6 pack, she deserved so much better. We would not get a super articulated Catwoman figure until Microman made them, and after that, until Mattel gave us Movie Master TDKR figures. This was as good as it got at that time. Could be worse. You could be stuck in an Infinite Heroes world without her...



She was essential to the Hush storyline. Speaking of essential figures...where's Mr. Freeze in this line? Or Batgirl? Or Cassie Cain? I know Mattel wanted to produce all sorts of DCU figures, but I'm a biased denizens of Gotham City fan, and I wish we had gotten Clayface, Freeze and the original Batgirl in this line. Can't have perfection! This line gave us a gigantic diversity of figures, which can still be found at cheap prices. Catwoman is more expensive, and despite her misgivings, if you're a IH fan, this is a figure you need to get, otherwise your Gotham City will feel rather...incomplete.

DC Universe Infinite Heroes Crisis Comissioner Gordon & Gotham City SWAT 3 figure pack!

DCU IH Comissioner Gordon and Gotham City SWAT 3 pack



This line has shortcomings...But they were the first to introduce Gotham City Cops and the third time Commissioner Gordon has been made available in plastic form! For those of you who are Gothamites, this is your chance to army-build some generic SWAT figures or police figures in the 3.75 scale! But let's look at Gordon, shall we?









Perhaps my favorite figure in the line, this is one of the best plastic representations of Gordon in plastic form. I liked the armored version from Dark Victory, but this shows him as a plainclothes commander, complete with trenchcoat. I really do wish he came with a gun!



So I gave him one from some...3.75 inch tall figure.



The figure can hold down a pose, but it's nothing special. It is different from all the others though! Completely new mold!



"..."

"Batman we need you help with a case!"

"..."

"That's quiet, even for you! What's wrong?"

"The shades. Take them off. It's nighttime"

Maybe the Batsignal's too bright or something.









Aside from Gordon this is the first time we've got Gotham City Police Department figures represented in any way or form! While they are not very articulate due to their hard plastic tunics, these are awesome! I love them! Finally, The Batman is not alone! I liked them so much I went ahead and bought several!





I really wish I could have them kneel over and stuff! They are really stiff! But they come with a polise baton and an automatic gun. Funny story, too! I bought four of these used, so as it is customary, I went ahead and washed them. Two of their batons fell down the drain! Boy was I angry. Be careful with their weapons! They are quite small! The baton can be attached to the officer's belt, which is really cool.



I think it's awesome that Infinite Heroes went the extra mile to give us GCPD SWAT figures so that we can take pictures like these. Don't forget that the only hero in Gotham ISN'T Batman, but the men in blue who work to protect Gotham City day and night. GCPD SWAT figures were available in a three pack with Gordon or in the six pack with Croc and Catwoman...speaking of which...

DC Universe Infinite Heroes Crisis Series 1 Figure 13 Batwoman

DCU IH Batwoman



Batwoman is a character I have never been a fan of. She is rehashed from a character that was created waaaayyy back in the day, and while she is a bad-ass I don't consider her a part of the bat-family. She just hijacked the Bat-mantle...because it's Gotham! What is it about Gotham? Is it the water?







This is the first Batwoman figure. There are at least two more out there that I know of. This is one of the few comic book characters that represent their LGBTQIA++ readers, and this is where we should take notice. Some see it as a gimmick to attract readers. But I see it like a move in a modern direction. We sometimes forget that those who take up the mantle and become superheroes also have private lives. They have feelings and love people. While Kathy Kane is a total bad-ass, she has a soft spot for people like the New Question: Renee Montoya. This was 4-6 years ago as of this writing. I don't know what Batwoman is up to after the new 52. I do love her costume though. It's vintage yet modern and can be scary too.



The problem with Infinite Hero female figures is this outdated "V" crotch. I think the "V" crotch is sexist, and by the time this figure was released, other female figures already had super articulation on their hips. It just doesn't look natural. I first noticed this back in 1992 with the Batman Returns Catwoman. I felt like she moved in a way that was not natural. The "v" crotch has hurt the female figures in this line and Batwoman is no exception. She is constrained and unable to show just how strong and agile she is in this form. Thankfully as of the time of this writing the problem has been...uh...mostly corrected. (the "V" crotch has crossed over into all manner of characters...) I still feel that in a line that is trying to pioneer super articulation in DC figures at the 3.75 inch scale manages to fail at it. Baroness from GiJoe in 1986 has better articulation. Also she doesn't have elbow articulation while every other figure in the line does...Ugh.



At this point I don't know what the line is trying to achieve. They released a ton of figures. While Batwoman is an excellent, welcome addition...when it comes to Gothamites they only released Batmans, one Robin, Nightwing in two costumes and Batwoman, which was available as a single or in a 3 pack with Robin and Nightwing in the brown-red suit. I also don't get why their female figures are so limited in articulation, and most importantly: Why didn't they release Batgirl? This following picture feels like a weird Batfamily...



Is this the Bat-family we deserve or the one we were being sold at the time? I no longer know what's up or what's down. Thankfully we got the next review.

DC Universe Infinite Heroes Hush (Tommy Elliot and ???)

DCU IH Hush Tommy Elliot and ???



The story of Hush is often a convoluted one. Hush is one of the worst supervillains Batman has ever faced. Thomas Elliot was Bruce Wayne's childhood friend, but he was a sociopath who killed his family to inherit their fortune. He is aware of who Batman is and his entire life has been one big revenge scheme upon Bruce Wayne and Batman. The second Hush figure ever, this was available in two different variants...but first we'll look at Tommy Elliot.







The original figure did not come with guns, but the person I bought this from has very generously provided me with two guns in perfect scale.





Hush is as articulated as the rest Infinite Heroes figures. The Mattel Multiverse line brought us another 3.75 inch tall Hush figure that is a little bit more articulated than this one. We'll look at that later.



Probably Hush's worst crime wasn't reviving ??? from the grave. It was stealing Selina Kyle's heart. But back to ???...





Jason Todd's re-appearance was Hush unmasked. Except it was not as it appeared. Elliot knew Batman so well he knew this was his greatest tragedy, and brought Clayface and Riddler into it...So Clayface played one of his best roles ever: Jason Todd AS Hush. Jason Todd Hush was available in a six pack with several Gotham related figures.








Identical to Hush except that is has a marked off "R". It still makes for a good Jason Todd figure. I wish they had given us a Red Hood figure but the line took off in a different direction by the time Jason Todd was actually revealed.



"I just love seeing the whole family together!"

DC Universe Infinite Heroes Killer Croc

DCU IH Killer Croc









All Infinite Hero figures are highly detailed, but Killer Croc is arguably one of the best figures from the Batman universe. He is also one of the most expensive ones as he was available only in a six pack featuring Catwoman, Batman, Gordon and two cops, I believe.



Like most Batman villains, there are several versions of the Rogues' Gallery, but Killer Croc's has the best explanation. Every figure is different, and this figure is based on the Hush years (anyone remember when he fell in love with his doctor and she offered herself as a sacrifice? sheesh...). The figure is highly articulated and expressive even though his teeth are most often badly painted and stuck in that very neutral mold...



Croc is worth two scrawny Infinite Hero figures alone! While he isn't tall, he is big!



See what I mean? This figure can't be found under $20. I got it for around $40 about five years ago. I should have waited. It's a nice figure, but only good if you're an Infinite Hero collector, or if you're a Batman collector. I personally really like the aesthetic of this entire line. One Batman or one figure by itself seems pretty...eh. This is a very nice comics based line, and that's been one of my favorite things from Mattel in that whole 2004-2008 era.

DC Universe Infinite Heroes Series 1 Figure 22 Scarecrow

DCU IH Scarecrow









Heavily based on the Hush and Super Friends costume, this is one of my favorite Scarecrow figures. This is THE Scarecrow. It can't get any truer than this. It is easy to acquire and most people just pass on it, but this is the quintessential Scarecrow toy, though it is a bit small for most of what our collection entails. At 3.5 inches tall, this version of Scarecrow is better than the one I reviewed a few weeks back from the Gotham Knights version, though that one just happens to be based on that particular movie design.



Once again, Infinite Hero figures are totally devoid of accessories. I would have liked to see a mini skull or a scythe. There isn't much else to say about it really except that...it's the Scarecrow. I really like the big hat. One of the things I didn't like about Nolan's Scarecrow is that he never wore a hat. Scarecrow needs his hat, regardless of iteration.



Scarecrow is articulated enough to pull off the whole "violent dances" that he employs to scare his victims. And the figure pulls them off really well!



Probably one of the reasons why I like this Scarecrow is because most other Scarecrow figures feature less than 8 points of articulation, making them really stiff figures. Most people think of The Scarecrow as a really stiff villain, but he's actually quite agile! This is one of the first figures depicting him with super articulation. The 2004 one though, which will be reviewed eventually, is even better. But aesthetically, this is one of the best Scarecrows out there.