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DCDirect Superboy

By Hervé St-Louis
May 23, 2005 - 09:10

The current Superboy first appeared in the Return of Superman storyline after the death of Superman in 1993. Originally thought to be partly cloned from Superman and artificially grown to adulthood, it appears that Conner Kent shares part of his DNA with Lex Luthor as well. A former member of Young Justice, he is the first Superboy to ever have been a member of the Teen Titans. This is also the third Superboy DC Direct action figure.

Likeness

Doing away with the super hero costume, the shades and the spunky hair cut, this Superboy closely resembles the character from the Teen Titans redesigned by Barry Kitson, the series’ first artist. He sports a T-shirt with a Superman logo, and a pair of jeans. Physically, he’s more buffed than the second Superboy action figure, based on the same incarnation of the character.

Sculpt

A great sculpt, although the figure looks down. Superboy looks calm but tough. This is not an action figure one would pose in a flying or even a punching pose. His face looks young enough. Superboy doesn’t looks like he could become the next man of Steel, but younger. His physiques is makes him larger than other characters. He’s almost like a bouncer. His thick neck fits with his above average muscular shape.

Paint

The paint job is fine and clean. Superboy’s jeans have fake stoned look. Most of his body is coloured simply. There are no hues in his hair, face or shirt. A styled Superman logo is plastered on his shirt. Blue highlights in his hair would have added more value. Fortunately, Superboy’s shoes have a fake polished leather look.

Scale

Shorter than the Modern Superman action figure, Deathstroke and many JLA DCDirect figures, Superboy is taller than the Teen Titans’ Robin, and Kid Flash. Reasonably, a kid his age could be taller, especially if he shares the gene of a six-foot super hero. Of course, he is shorter than the New Teen Titans’ Cyborg and Starfire. Among each figure of the two waves released so far, all Modern Teen Titans fit well.

Stability

Superboy is stable, although his center of balance is precarious, due to his leaning head. His chest is top heavy but not enough to unbalance the figure. His soles are flat, allowing him to have a good grip on any surface. With his Teen Titans’ action figure stand, the figure is even more stable.

Articulation

Superboy has ten articulations at the neck, ball-joint shoulders, biceps curls, the elbows, the hips, and the knees. The shoulders have ball-points. Additional articulations at the neck would have been great. The knee articulations are looser than others.

Plastic

All Contemporary Teen Titans action figures consist of softer PVC than other DCDirect action figures. Yet the stock is good enough on Superboy. This type of PVC bends easily in warmer weather so beware.

Packaging

Each Contemporary Teen Titans action figure shares the same card with a brief résumé of their lives. To cut more costs, DCDirect pasted clear plastic stickers on each card to identify the characters. Contemporary Teen Titans’ action figures have some of the more compact action figures’ bubble cards. If you want to display some on a wall, they will not take more much place.

Cost

Superboy costs the same as other DCDirect Teen Titans action figures. Prices vary per retailer depending on wether they ordered inner cases, master cases or figures individually. Figures packed in master cases cost less to retailers, as they order more. Prices are not unified for this figure, so good deals can be found online and in live stores.

Availability

The second Contemporary Teen Titans line is popular, but not as much as the first line that featured popular characters such as Robin and Deathstroke. DCDirect allows retailers to send back unsold stock, suggesting that sales are not spectacular throughout the line. However, Superboy is the most popular figure from this wave. However, other Superboy action figures in other costumes are still available from DCDirect.

Last Updated: July 21, 2024 - 13:40