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Alfred

By Hervé St-Louis
June 23, 2005 - 09:26

The characters of the third wave of action figures based on the Hush storyline that appeared in the Batman comics also coincide loosely with those who appeared in the Batman Begins film. This is the first Alfred action figure by DC Direct. Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler anc confidante first appeared in Batman # 16 in the May-June issue of 1943. Alfred is the man who raised Bruce Wayne after a criminal murdered his parents when he was a child.

Likeness

This Alfred action figure is based on artist Jim Lee’s rendition within the Hush storyline. Alfred is slender bald and aging. Jim Lee’s Alfred is similar to the way many comic book artists have depicted him over the years. In fact Jim Lee reused the inversed egg shape for Alfred’s skull that’s been common in the character’s design. Besides that, Alfred sports a traditional English butler’s tuxedo with a bow tie.

Sculpt

This sculpt is nice. Sculptor Tim Bruckner improved Jim Lee’s design by making Alfred look as human as possible, while basing his work off Jim Lee’s work. One major problem with Alfred is the length of his limbs. His arms are too short. His should be lower. His knees are too low, making his thighs too long. Alfred’s back is hunched, but that’s not a problem. In fact it looks normal for his body language and age.

Paint

The paint job is inconsistent. The black paint covering Alfred’s left foot is already fading. The painters wanted to give Alfred human qualities by making his nose pink. However, they simply coloured his nose pink without fading the edges of the pink with the adjacent skin tones. Alfred looks like he got a sunburn on his nose. Strands of painted hairs cover Alfred’s balding skull. It looks ridiculous. Sculpt hair is nicer.

Scale

Alfred will fit with any Batman Hush action figure. A little shorter than the Hush Nightwing, Alfred also looks good with other Batman action figures such as the Silver Age Batman and Robin set, Mattel’s Batman action figures, The Birds of Prey set, the Silver Age Batgirl and Joker set as well the Silver Age Penguin and Catwoman set. Alfred’s thin head makes him look awkward next to figures such as the First Appearance Batgirl.

Stability

Finding a way to pose Alfred without his action figure stand was difficult. His knees and hips have to bend to make his soles flat. His balance is precarious because he is slim and a bit top heavy. However, once I found a position, he remains solid. For added stability, one can use the Batman’s action figure stand, however, Alfred’s foot doesn’t fit entirely within the peg. In the end, Alfred’s better off without the stand.

Articulation

Alfred has eleven articulations at the neck, the shoulders, the elbows, the wrists, the hips and the knees. Alfred’s neck has a ball-joint allowing his head to take nod left, right, forward and back. His shoulders lack ball joints. All DC Direct action figures with jackets usually lack ball joint shoulders. The other articulations are stiff.

Plastic

Alfred consists of PVC. The jacket’s back is thinner than the upper part. They have glued the hip section with the torso. The type of PVC used with Alfred is though and will not bend easily under warm weather.

Props

Except his action figure stand, Alfred lacks any props. DC Direct should have inserted a platter with a couple of martini and entrees that fit in his hands. It would have been in character.

Packaging

DC Direct uses fancy packaging for the Hush line. It is more expensive than clear card packages. There’s a clear plastic front to look at the figures. The box is sealable. Opening the figure is arduous because DC Direct now glues the plastic casing holding the figure on the card without piercing holes in the cardboard from which the wires tying the figures can come out of. In the past opening a Hush action figure was easier.

Cost

Hush Action figures may cost less overall because stores and DC Direct ordered and produced so many. However, I have seen movie theatre selling them for twice the cost of a regular comic book store to movie goers going to see Batman Begins. If you are new with collection DC Direct action figures, get your figure from a store that sells them for at least $12. In a sense, it’s great to see these figures distributed where the public goes, but buyers beware.

Availability

This wave is as popular as the other ones. Given that each character appears in the Batman Begin movie, they make perfect tie-ins. There have been several Alfred action figures but none with this quality and sculpt. Alfred being a popular secondary character, don’t expect this figure to stay long. DC Direct will probably re-offer this figure if it sells out. However, it is doubtful that they will release a new sculpt.

Last Updated: July 21, 2024 - 13:40