If you look in the dictionary under “famous guy and his relationship with someone he’s never met, heard of, or cared about,” there would be nothing there.
That’s not how dictionaries work, and I think less of you for not knowing that.
But if you were to ask me what my relationship with Todd McFarlane, my first answer would be, “non-existent.” My second answer would be, “well, it’s complicated.”
I probably touched on this before. Maybe even a couple times.
You have to understand, when Todd first broke on to the comic scene, he grabbed us all by the throat with his interpretations of Batman, Hulk, Wolverine, and a few other guest spots before landing on Spider-Man. For the first time I was aware of, Marvel gave an artist with no track record of writing his own monthly title.
And it sold. Not because the stories were fantastic, but because Todd’s art still commanded respect.
It stood to reason that when he and a few other young talents started their own little company called “Image,” a bunch of us were on board.
Unlike the other attempts we’d seen up until then, we all knew Image was the real deal.
It was also the only line to have Todd’s new series, Spawn.
And boy did we buy it. It blossomed into a second monthly (curse of), a big screen rendition, and an HBO cartoon series.
It was a big deal.
Something else it launched was Todd’s own toy line. Sure, some of the early figures kind of look silly now, but please take my word for it, there was NOTHING else on the shelves like his stuff. Whether Spawn or his tiny horror dioramas, I bought them all. I think the scuplts on some of those figures still look spectacular (Sam and Twitch, for instance).
However, I also am aware that “special variant this and that” comics and figures greatly contributed to the bottom falling out of our passion. It closed a lot of comic shops and independent toy stores. I’d be lying if I said Todd and his team didn’t contribute to that.
I guess I turned my back on him until around 2015 when I got back into collecting. My frustration was real as I picked up McFarlane figure after figure only to see staggeringly little articulation.
When he picked up the DC line, I feared the worst.
When I heard it was a 1:10 scale line, I told the entire internet I was out before I even got in.
I don’t know what happened. I know I bought The Batman Who Laughs even before I read the story because I just knew he looked cool.
That was all I was going to buy.
I think my friend Mark suggested I read the Dark Knights storyline and since he always has excellent suggestions (he turned me on to Hickman’s Avengers/Infinity run long before Endgame was a thing), I did. After that, I decided I just wanted the main Dark Knights.
It didn’t take long to realize there was no Merciless figure.
What’s that? Oh? A Collect and Connect? Well… damn.
“I guess I need to buy the wave then.”
That was all it took. In for a penny, in for a pound. By the time you read this, I’ll have every figure through the Bane CNC wave, except for gold releases. I’m sure I’ll pick them up if the stars align.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say Batman Year 2 isn’t one of my favorites which is why I loved the CaC wave that’s gave me the Reaper from that epic story. Todd was a large reason for that memory from my youth.
I know this is a long intro, but I’ve gone from despising the DC Multiverse line to stressing where I’m going to put them all.
One last aside and we’ll get started. The DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman is a Target exclusive. I found him in store on accident.
Picked him up.
Stared at him.
Felt like a kid again.
Realized I didn’t collect the line.
Walked around the store with him.
Finally put him back.
Left the store.
Fast forward a month or so, and I had to pay aftermarket prices for him because I routinely make bad decisions.
Let’s start our first McFarlane DC Multiverse figure review!
What comes in the DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman Box?
Tricky, tricky, tricky. I’ll explain in a minute.
In the DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman box, we get the Flashpoint Batman figure, two pistols, a stand, and here’s the tricky part… a collectible card.
When I opened up The Batman Who Laughs and saw that card, I thought, “How childish. I’ve not cared about this kind of crap since I was 12.”
I’ll be damned if those cards didn’t start tickling my dopamine centers and was a big part of why I went all in on the line.
Here is the figure:
Here are the guns:
Finally, a few detailed closeups for your enjoyment.
I dig the soul patch, but doesn’t that make his secret identity harder to conceal? I suppose in an endtimes scenario, secret identities are out the window.
Bat Boots made for inserting inside people. 
I really like the detail Todd put into the gauntlets. 
Another gauntlet close-up. 
What doesn’t work with the DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman?
Out of the gate, the first think I noticed was the splotchy paint apps underneath the line of the cowl. As far as the paint apps goes, that’s the worst of it, which isn’t horrible.
I love the look of the cape on the DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman, I am always a sucker for Batman’s shoulders popping up like bat wings. Todd did that in Year 2, and Porter did it in JLA. I’m sure others have done it, but I’ve always loved it, so it’s nice to see here.
The downside is it seriously hampers his arm/shoulder articulation. I don’t know how to fix that so I have no advice on this, but I also don’t run a large toy making company. I’m sure McFarlane has folks that can figure this out.
Another concern thing is the articulation. I can’t get too fussy because having acquired the whole line in a month, I got to see the articulation evolution of these figures unfold in almost real-time as I opened the boxes. I am convinced it will get better, but it seemed like the butterfly joints on the DC Multiverse Flashpoint batman aren’t really doing much to increase his range of motion. Repositioning the wrist pegs is a pain, and trying to get ankle pivot is risking breaking the figure (as I did with my Rebirth Joker).
The legs barely move into a kicking pose of any kind. Hell, as you can see by the pictures, I had a dickens of a time getting him to even stand straight up. There is almost zero next articulation. he can look side to side, but he can’t cock his head, look up, or down. Booooo!
A huge issue for me are hand options. It’s almost expected now. For instance, the Gold Label McFarlane designed Batman has two gripping hands for the knives. That’s great, but why no fists?
It’s not an isolated issue, because the DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman figure has the same issue. Gun holding hands, but again, no fists? Maybe a relaxed hand?
They’re selling to, whether they want to acknowledge it or not, adult collectors. If I have to pay another dollar or two so we can have additional hands, fantastic.
I won’t mention alternate headsculpts because my own headsculpt will explode. All I’m saying is, imagine a battle damaged cowl option.
I really dislike plastic capes, but I am not sure I’ve seen anyone mass produce a decent cloth cape yet for a $20 figure.
Are these DC Multiverse figures leaps and bounds above his Walking Dead figures? Yes.
I was hoping he’d implement some articulation from the Fortnite line and it appears he did, but a lot of it is hindered by the sculpt itself.
However, following Todd’s work my entire life, I know he is a perfectionist. He didn’t take on this license thinking he’d do it half-ass, and I have a feeling we are at the start of a new DC domestic figure golden age thanks to Mr. McFarlane. One can only hope.
What works with the DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman figure?
Todd McFarlane is an artist. So everything he’s always done has had the craftsmanship of an artist. Sometimes when joints and articulation gets in the way of that art, he eschews them. Fortunately, he seems to be moving past that.
The sculpts on these figures are amazing, and the DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman may have one of the best sculpts released so far. He looks phenomenal. The guns look like guns, as opposed to some wacky bright yellow color or something like what Hasbro would have done.
The bottom line here is he just looks fantastic whether by himself, or on a shelf with other figures.
Should you purchase the DC Multiverse Flashpoint Batman?
As you may have guessed by now, I am a little biased. The truth is I just love everything about this figure.
Please don’t misunderstand, I’d prefer he was six inches. I also don’t understand how Thomas Wayne is a bad guy in the last stories I read him in, because when we last saw this iteration of him in Flashpoint, he died a hero, killing Reverse Flash so Barry could save everyone.
That aside, yes, if you can find him, buy him. Here are a couple links to get you pointed in the right direction:
As always, let’s wrap this up with a few more pictures!
Not your daddy’s Batman. Except that he’s Batman’s daddy. 
“Please, I’ll give you anything you want! HERE! Take the money!” 
“No thanks. Haven’t you heard?” *BLAM* 
“I’m a millionaire.”
I was reading this through while editing, and I realized I refer to Todd McFarlane a lot as “Todd.” It isn’t because I know him personally, but I would bet that a lot of comic fans in my age group do the same thing. We grew up with him, so a lot of us feel as if we know him through his art. No disrespect intended, Mr. McFarlane.
