For the most part, I’m a strong supporter of Mattel’s DC Universe Classics figures. Despite what others might say, I think Mattel delivers amazing additions to this line 99% of the time. That’s why I don’t have (much of) a problem paying the high prices and spending day after day searching these things down at retail. But recently, I was extremely disappointed in what could have been an awesome toy…The Creeper.
Now, the Creeper should have been a great figure. He’s unique enough to stand out, features bright, eye-catching colors, and sports stylish striped green underwear. It sounds like a cinch for the perfect addition to wave 16. I’m gonna try to be as objective as possible, so I’ll start with the Creeper’s good points.
Let’s see…good points…good points…Okay, I’ve got some. First off, his paint is very nicely done. Mattel did a wonderful job bringing forth the Creeper’s bright red, green, and yellow color scheme. Every color seems the appropriate shade, and there even seems to be a bit of depth the yellow of the body and the red of the boots and gloves. Mattel also did a nice job with a lot of the detail work. The black lines on the Creeper’s green undies are painted on flawlessly (at least on my figure). Additionally, he’s got individually painted teeth, which add a lot to the head.
I’m also a fan of the Creeper’s arm/hand articulation. I usually don’t go too ga-ga over the double-hinged elbows/knees, but it really works on the Creeper’s elbows and allows for some crazy arm poses that are appropriate for the character. Likewise, he’s got ball-jointed swivel wrists, with allow for a lot more movement. Unfortunately, this nice articulation doesn’t carry down to the Creeper’s legs. This leads to the first of my complaints about him.
What the fuck is up with these legs? The Creeper’s got double-hinged knee joints, which sounds great in theory. However, because they’re so low on his legs, the bottom knee joint runs right into the black fur coming off of the Creeper’s boots. The result? You can only use the top knee joint, which bends about 70 degrees. Don’t expect to have him do any realistic crouching poses. About the best you can hope for is an “Elvis passed out on the toilet”-type of pose. He’ll be stiff and straight-legged forever…at least, I can’t get him to do anything interesting.
And that’s another gripe I have. This guy just seems too tall and lanky. Now, the Creeper’s certainly not a chubby character, but I wouldn’t go so far as to assign a Joker-like physique to him either. Mattel sculpted the Creeper as a tall, gangly guy who looks like he could serve as a jaundiced stand-in for Lincoln. It wouldn’t be so bad if I could get him in a Spider-Man-ish crouching pose to hide things a little bit, but it can’t be done. So I’m stuck with this big, yellow stick of a super hero just standing there taking up space.
And taking up space, that’s another thing about this guy that bugs me. Part of the Creeper’s trademark look is the big, red boa that he wears on his back like a tail. It’s nicely sculpted here, with lots of detail. However, it kind of pokes out in the back like a hairy tail. This may not seem like a big deal, but it effectively means that the Creeper ends up taking up a lot of space behind him. It may not bother most folks, but it really gets on my nerves.
My last problem with this figure is his eyes. When I first saw the prototype images for the Creeper, he seemed to have one big eye. It made him look like some sort of yellow drunk and I was glad to see that it didn’t carry over into the finished product. What did happen on the finished product was that the Creeper ended up with narrow, cat-like pupils. It may not sound like a big deal, but it looks pretty bad in my opinion. I can see what Mattel was going for – sort of a maniacal, crazy-eyed appearance. But it just didn’t work in this case. It’s a shame, too, because it’s obvious that Mattel put a LOT of work into the paint on his face. Why not just give him regular, round pupils? Oh well. This is probably another one of those nitpicky things that won’t bother most people.
All and all, I have to say that I’m pretty disappointed in this figure. I think the main reason is that he could have been SO great. A well-executed Creeper figure would have been one of the standout pieces in the DCUC line. Instead, I’m stuck with a skinny, yellow madman who will forever occupy the back row of my DCUC display. If you’re trying to complete the (awesome) Bane Collect & Connect figure for this wave, then you’ll need a Creeper. But if you’re not after the C&C part, you can definitely pass on this piece of crap.
With this being a pretty negative review, I do feel sort of a need to end it on a positive note. It’s true, the Creeper’s no treat to own. However, the rest of wave 16 is OUTSTANDING. I guess that one stinker in the bunch is a small price to pay for a set of figures that is otherwise perfect.
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