POP! Heroes: White Lantern Flash

I mentioned a while ago that I had at least one more Flash POP to review on here – well, here he is!

First released a year-ish ago in conjunction with White Lantern Superman, I initially passed on this Flash. Of course, now that I’ve got the (glow) versions of Batman and Wonder Woman, I’m incredibly annoyed at myself for not getting the glow Flash and Supes back then – but hey, if that’s the worst thing that happened to me all week, I’m doing pretty well.  

But I was in Geelong a couple of months ago and came across this non-glow version in the Popcultcha store, and thought it was time to take the plunge. So now it’s quite possible that I’ll get White Lantern Supes too, though we’ll have to wait and see… 

This figure uses the same mould as the original Flash, New 52 Flash, New 52 Reverse Flash, Black Flash, Blue Lantern Flash, Reverse-Flash and Black Lantern Reverse-Flash – in other words, the exact same mould as all of the non-TV series Flash POPs. Funko sure is getting th
eir money’s worth from this mould; the only other mould I can think of that they’ve used this much is their original Batman, who is currently available in 3049235804+ different colour schemes (plus chases and retailer variants).  

  

The concept is good but the execution is lacking. The basic paint is cleanly executed across most areas, but the body is kind of dirty, possibly dropped on the ground at the factory. The tampographs on the other hand, though – they’re not great. The chest one has been stamped on properly, but the belt and wrists are pretty darn sloppy. The black lines are uneven and the silver is pretty sloppy. It’s disappointing – if you want to go ahead with a purchase, make sure you inspect it carefully. I’d be less disappointed if this was the glow version, but from a distance it’s still a striking colour scheme. He’ll look good on the shelf. However, in tandem with the QC problems with White Lantern Wonder Woman, it's made me very hesitant about picking up White Lantern Superman to complete the collection.

    

For someone who barely reads the Flash outside of his Justice League appearances, I’ve somehow managed to buy the same mould four different times. Batman is my favourite superhero, and I only own two of him! Fortunately, I’m not a big fan of the Black Lantern Reverse-Flash POP that came out just recently, so I’ve saved myself a bit of money there. White Lantern Flash is definitely not an essential purchase, but you may find him an interesting one. And I'd like to see more of the White Lanterns, particularly some of the harder to find moulds, like Green Lantern and Hawkman.  

POP! Heroes: White Lantern Wonder Woman (glow version)

Company: Funko

Series: POP! Heroes

Year: 2015

A couple of months back I picked up White Lantern Batman, and I mentioned that Wonder Woman was on the way too. Initially I thought it was an SDCC exclusive (and it was certainly selling at exclusive prices for a few weeks there on eBay) but it’s now received a wider release.

As might be expected, she re-uses the same mould as the original release. If you read my earlier review, you’ll know this a little bit mixed. When compared to Black Widow or Scarlet Witch, she’s a little underwhelming. Add to this that her neck/head connection isn’t quite properly assembled, and it’s even more irritating. I ordered this online and so I didn’t get to pick it out myself – well, that’s the risk you take, I guess. With that said, just today I saw three more instore and they all had the same issue. Curiously, the non-glow ones don't have this problem. 

There are two versions available – regular and glow in the dark. I went with glow in the dark, as with White Lantern Batman, one looked pretty much like the other. The difference is a little more pronounced with this figure. Though I like the glow, I wonder (lol) if I should have actually gone with the regular version. No, actually, I’m happy with my decision. It’s a rare day that glow isn’t the best option. Her leotard, boots, tiara and bracelets all glow quite well, though to varying degrees of brightness. 

Paint is not as bad as the original, but it is very sloppy on the body. Flesh-toned paint is splashed around inappropriately, and there are splashes of silver too. I was able to scrape some of it off, but managed to damage the White Lantern logo in the process…only slightly, but this is why I generally prefer to see how POPs look in person before I buy them.             

Much like White Lantern Batman, White Lantern Wonder Woman is not essential. The design is fun, and the control art on the box looks good – but it’s an old figure that is showing its age. Given her prominence in the DC Universe, Wonder Woman needs an updated and improved figure. A Lynda Carter one would be good, but I suspect we’ll see a Gal Gadot first to coincide with the imminent release of Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Till then, I'd suggest the regular or New 52 version instead, but it's a fun addition to the Rainbow Lantern POPs.   

POP! Heroes: White Lantern Batman

Company: Funko

Year: 2015

Series: POP! Heroes

I’ve mentioned before on here that between late 2006 and early 2008 was my prime time for buying comics. It was a good time to join the scene; DC had just undergone a mini-reboot with Infinite Crisis and a few key titles had relaunched at issue #1.

The seeds were being sown for the next company-wide event – Blackest Night. I dipped out of comic collecting for a variety of reasons just prior to its proper beginning, but I’ve read the odd bits and pieces of it in the years that have followed, and it was (like most of these company-wide crossovers) okay but not amazing. The backstory is far too convoluted to get into here, but let’s assume that you’re familiar-ish with Green Lantern. Remember that oath he recites when he’s charging his ring? Specifically, the line about “Blackest Night”? Well, turns out that wasn’t just some ritualistic hyperbole – Blackest Night was a prophecy of a real, and pretty horrific, event to come.   

And so came the era of the “Rainbow Lanterns” – pretty much every colour got its very own Lantern Corps, including the White Lanterns, who arose to save the DC Universe…or something. I’ve got mixed feelings about the story itself, but it did give us a few cool spins on characters – one of them being this White Lantern Batman.

It’s a repaint; as far as I can tell it’s exactly the same Batman that was released back in 2010 (even though the foot is stamped as “2014”), but with a new coat of paint and some glow-in-the-dark moulding. It’s not to my taste as an everyday look for Batman, but it’s an interesting novelty.  

However this novelty should be slightly tempered. Appropriately, given that it’s an old mould, it has some of the “Old Funko” problems too. The eyes are not quite painted properly and there is some overspill of glue on his left leg where it has been glued in. Your mileage will vary according to the figure you get of course, but make sure you check it carefully in the store.

There are currently three White Lantern POPs available – Superman, The Flash and Batman. Wonder Woman is apparently on the way too (as an SDCC Exclusive in both regular and glow in the dark form). Given that it’s a relatively easy repaint, I’d be surprised if we don’t get a few more Rainbow Lanterns in the future.

   

White Lantern Batman is not essential, but the glow-in-the-dark feature is fun. He doesn’t come highly recommended but he is a cool variant for Batman obsessives.