DC Multiverse Batwoman figure review

Batwoman has been one of the more interesting new additions to the Bat Family in awhile. I wasn’t a huge fan of her pre-Flashpoint portrayals, but became a huge fan in James Tynion IV’s Detective Comics run. There, Kate Kane really evolved into a complex character with an atypical relationship to Batman.

I was excited about adding Batwoman to my collection and she’s a strong choice for the rebooted DC Multiverse line. That’s enough buildup, let’s see how the figure stacks up.

Packaging:  Still not tired of this nifty angled blue packaging set up. The bios are very time specific in Rebirth and I think Mattel and DC are missing a big opportunity by not putting the issue based on this particular look.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend the Rebirth Detective Comics run. Keeping that tie to the source material, this side package art is from Eddy Barrows, the artist most synonymous with this run.

Likeness:  I thought Batwoman would look good in the original DC Classics style, but her figure is vastly improved aesthetically just from the switch to the newer female body. She’s no waif and looks ready to kick some serious tail. I love the head sculpt as it comes across like Kate has had enough and preparing to end the fight.

We also have an unmasked portrait, which was a nice bonus. This is a more pleasant looking Kate than I’ve come to expect, but it looks good.

Mattel largely used the new female body I previously reviewed with the Jessica Cruz figure. That means some detail like the gloves and boots are achieved with paintwork and are not sculpted. That always gives the figure somewhat of a cheap look, but the transitions from red to black are sharp enough it’s not as glaring as it could be on other figures.

Important elements like her utility belt and cape are separate pieces as you’d expect. The cape is made of the same soft material seen on the Rebirth Superman and doesn’t restrict movement at all.

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Scale:  Batwoman is just a little taller than Jessica Cruz thanks to her red wig, but she’s also looking up at Superman. These new Multiverse figures won’t scale in properly with the DC Classics figures so you’re basically collecting an all new line.

Paint:  As I mentioned earlier the paintwork has to do a lot of extra work since it has to mimic sculpted parts. The line work on the figure is pretty solid from the bat logo tampo to the edges of the mask. I know some people had issues with the unmasked sculpt, but it turned out fine on my figure right down to the lipstick.

I was very impressed that Mattel got Kate’s paler skin tone just right. Batwoman definitely doesn’t see as much sun as say Superman.

Articulation:  These new bodies are so much better for articulation than the DC Classics line. That’s very noticeable with an athletic vigilante fighter like Batwoman.

She’s able to do side kicks, elbow smashes and big upper cuts. The hair actually doesn’t get in the way of posing thanks to the smart sculpting of how it lays. Batwoman is missing just a tad more range in her elbows to really be able to pull off some effective punches.

The lack of the pivoting ankle articulation prevents some poses that would be very useful for a melee fighter like Batwoman. All in all, I really like the fluidity of this figure.

Batwoman has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• elbows
• wrists
• torso
• hips
• thighs
• knees
• ankles

Accessories:  Beyond the additional head, Batwoman doesn’t come with any other character specific accessories. No grapple gun or batarang. I borrowed Batgirl’s batarang for this picture though and it fit with no trouble.

Still, the lack of accessories was a bit surprising considering the random accessories Cruz’s figure included.

Unlike the Marvel Legends figures, the neck peg and head hole make for a shaky pairing. I was very concerned I was going to snap the neck peg trying to get the head flush even after dunking it in hot water. It’s a nice gesture, but I doubt I’ll be swapping the heads out too often.

The big accessory draw here is the head and lower torso for the Collect and Connect Clayface.

Worth it? Batwoman has been one of the hardest figures in the line to consistently find for the retail price of $20.  There’s no need to pay more than that as you can find her online with a little patience.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Where to get it?  Go play the lottery if you manage to find Batwoman in stores. If you’re like the rest of us you’ll have to just have to get her on Amazon.com.