A recent announcement by Mcfarlane about a clever way to keep the Batman Retro line fully stocked with upcoming figures has been to introduce the New Adventures of Batman series into the line so that there are now two classic shows that are being pulled from. I have no idea this show even existed before this wave of figures was announced, but at only around 16 episodes in total I went through the show in all of its cheesy, vintage, children's show glory. While not the pinacle of what Batman tv can be, it was plenty entertaining for when it came out, with some fun designs for many classic characters that can greatly go beyond the line up we have so far!
Honorable mention: Zarbor
To start off with an honorable mention: Zarbor is from the same dimension as Bat-Mite, yet much more malicious in his attempts at evil whereas Bat-Mite was a lovable, comedic foil for the dynamic duo in the series. Zarbor headlined the final three episodes of the show, bringing together lots of villains from the whole run, making him basically the final big bad of this show's run. At his size it wouldn't make sense for him to be released on his own; however, packing him in as an accessory like Bat-Mite works.
5. Penguin
Not straying too far from a recognizable design is Penguin, who is spouting some of the bright blues of his early comic appearances, with a exaggerated facial proportions that would make for one of the best headsculpts so far (alongside the Joker in wave 1). He was one of those villains Zarbor assembled by the end of the series, meaning he'd fit in well alongside Joker, and hopefully other villains down the line.
4. Clayface
Appearing first in an episode teaming up with Catwoman, this version of Clayface is not dissimilar to Karlo's depiction nowadays, meaning that in terms of an addition to the retro shelf he would stand out well with his design. A gray hulking man of clay and mud, somehow not the wackiest of the villains to come from this series!
3. Chameleon
One of my favorite episodes involved that of the Chameleon, who showed off so many abilities and tricks throughout that it seemed as though he must've had powers to pull any of it off. In the end, he was revealed to be a robot, not entirely surprising as an explanation for being able to do what he did. His extreme proportions, bright colors, and possibilities for swappable body pieces make him an exciting possible figure in the line.
2. Catwoman
Another long-time Batman villain from the mythos who appeared in the show, Catwoman's design strayed a bit further from the usual with a bright orange catsuit emblazoned with a feline on the chest. She was the only prominent female villain on the show, but garnered some of the most screentime amongst her fellow villains. Teaming up with Clayface, sending a feline robot after Batgirl, and teaming up with the others alongside Zarbor; this version of Catwoman was front and center for much of the series, definitely deserving of a spot in wave 2 of this show's retro line release.
1. Sweet Tooth
Tragically only making one small appearance in the show's run was Sweet Tooth, one of the first villains of the series and one who I greatly enjoyed for how wacky and over the top he was. An extreme obsession with sweets, chocolate, and his scheme ended the episode with Batman and Robin lecturing about keeping your teeth clean in a humorous string of dialogue. This guy's design also reminds me a lot of Big Jack Horner from Puss in Boots 2, one of my favorite Universal Pictures villains of recent times, making me wonder if I'd have to buy two Sweet Tooth's to use his head for another custom figure.
Comments
Post a Comment