DC has finally released the first wave of their new DC Artists Alley designer vinyl figures and we got an up close and personal look at Chris Uminga’s cut but creepy designs. Uminga’s unique designs blend horror with your favorite Saturday morning cartoons and add a pinch of street art to give these statues a truly one of a kind look that will have any collector foaming at the mouth to get their hands on one. These 6.75 inch figures feature DC’s most iconic characters Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman but with a villainous twist.
The Superman statue is not the Man of Steel but instead his arch nemesis, Lex Luthor, dawning the classic Superman duds but with his own twisted spin. The bald head, bulging eyes and evil smirk draw you in as the villain’s signature green and purple color scheme give this statue enough pop to wow any passer-by. As you move in close the details really shine and the colors become more vibrant, especially in the “S” which features a little extra sparkle for your viewing pleasure. Head on this piece is really something special but the profile does leave a little bit to be desired, I mostly blame this on the lack of hair and let’s be honest you are going to be displaying this bad boy with his side showing. Ready to do battle with the Man of Tomorrow, this Lex Luthor is as deadly as he is adorable.
Wonder Woman’s best friend turned greatest enemy, Cheetah, puts on the Amazon’s classic costume and is ready to make her presence known. With her lasso of truth by her side, this villain really brings the darkness to Wonder Woman’s look as the costume trades in the patriotic red, white and blue design for a much more sinister black, brown, and gold. Luckily juxtaposed with her bright orange, dotted skin. I really find the change in colors to be the most dramatic departure for this piece but it all works well to bring the villain in hero’s clothing to life. Her flowing hair and clinched first pose make for a great head on view but again the side profile is lacking as the right fist blocks her face a bit, I also found the ear to ear smile a little out of place for this character and would have preferred a gritting grin with a few fangs showing. Out of all the figures we will look at in this post this one may be the least dynamic but any fan of the character will be excited to see her featured in this way.
Finally, we have the Clown Prince of Crime doing what he does best, making a mockery of The Dark Knight as he modifies the Caped Crusaders costume to his own twisted whims. This is by far my favorite piece of the set as The Joker turns The Batman into a colorfully scary work of art. There is little not to love about this piece and it seems to have more details than the other two. The green, purple, red and yellow color scheme is immediately eye-catching from any distance but as you move in closer you notice things that make this statute uniquely evil. The hands and cape feature what I can only assume is bright red blood spatter while the Batman logo is filled with hash marks to signify his victims. The head sculpt is the most frightening of the bunch as the Joker’s classic smile speaks the cowl while the eyes stare longingly into your soul, it also appears he may be sticking his tongue out a bit in a bid to really upstage his heroic counterpart. If you can only pick up one of these, this dastardly take on Gotham’s savior is really the only choice.
Considering their limited quantity of 1000 units per piece and the $40 price tag, if you can find one of these statues I recommend diving on top of it and clinging to it for dear life until you reach the check out counter. Uminga has really outdone himself with these villain variants and considering all the different variations in his Artist Alley line (Standard, Black, and White, Zombie, Glow in the Dark, SDCC Exclusive) these do the best job featuring his dark but delightful style as Uminga was made to make the malevolent marvelous, and let’s face it, its always more fun to be the bad guy.