If you’re reading these words, I assume you’re a collector. If so, you probably already know the story I’m about to tell you, but if you’re not a collector, buckle up.
I feel like preordering has only become more convoluted since I first got back into the hobby in 2015, and this story is more often the rule as opposed to the exception.
If you recall in my Armored Batman review, I mentioned what my classic Batman looked like. Needless to say, when I saw the solicits for the DC Multiverse Batman Year 2 figure, I was beyond hyped.
I’ve long since accepted that if it’s a figure you want, probably other people want it, and if you don’t get in on the Preorder in the first hour or so (sometimes MINUTES) you lose out. I’ve made my peace with that.
However, the new phenomenon takes it one step further. Now snagging a preorder is no longer a tacit agreement that the item will be available for you.
In the case of the DC Multiverse Batman Year 2 figure, I preordered one for me and another for one of the kids.
It was a Target Exclusive, so as soon as the preorder opened up, I whipped out my handy-dandy Target app and placed the order within minutes. All was well for a few months.
Then one day, Target sent an email asking me to approve the wait. Ok, did it. The next week, they canceled the order. lolwut??
I went into the app, and now the sold-out preorders were once again available to be preordered.
Gee, I wonder where the new stock allocation came from?
Understanding this is all part of that figure life now, I IMMEDIATELY preordered him again. The same thing happened. Two more times.
I shouldn’t allow a toy purchase to be that stressful for me, but there it was… me sitting in a meeting at work silently MF’ing target.
That was the end of my bad luck with the figure. Others were not so lucky, but more on that later.
What comes in the DC Multiverse Batman Year 2 box?
There were two versions of this figure, both exactly the same. However, the one that was three times as expensive came with Todd’s autograph on the box. Initially, I debated on getting that, but in hindsight, I was super happy I did not. In the end, I knew I wanted this figure out of the box and on display, and I don’t save domestic boxes as a rule.
The figure came packed with a lot of action figure goodness. We get a Batman figure!
He comes with two capes, a cloth one, and of course, the super-hard plastic one that grabbed my attention in the first place.
He comes with a Batarang. You may notice there is no picture of it. That’s because I am 98% convinced I never took it out of the box and accidentally tossed it. I’m hoping I’m wrong but all signs are indicating I am not.
However, I can describe it to you fairly well. Imagine an object in your hand about the size of a Big Mac. Same thickness and width. Now imagine that Big Mac had blue bat wings.
That’s roughly, to scale, the size of the Batarang in the box. See? I used words to describe it because I’m a writer.
He comes with four hands total. He has two angst-driven hands.
He has a gripping hand to hold his flying Big Mac.
Finally, he has a singular fist. A single fist. Again.
There is a two-piece blue stand used to support his cape in the diorama. I gave up on it, though I did read that if you line up the spaces on the stand with the spaces in the cape it works. I had already given up by then so I cannot confirm.
The included dioramas in McFarlane’s two packs and deluxe figures have been welcomed additions to my collection, and the one that came with the DC Multiverse Batman Year 2 figure is no exception. In fact, it may be my favorite.
There’s a Who’s Who of dead people on the base. Selina, Jason, Tim, Barbara, Martha, and Thomas. No Jim, Damien, or Alfred. Sure, you could argue that Damien wasn’t a “thing” then, but in Year 2, neither was Tim or Jason. Lastly, there’s no Dick.
I just wanted to type that last sentence.
Seriously though, this piece of plastic is actually pretty cool. There are a lot of details on this thing that are easy to overlook. Fortunately, you and I are friends, so I took some pictures for you.
Here are a few other close-up shots for your viewing pleasure.
What doesn’t work with the DC Multiverse Batman Year 2 figure?
While the preordering system isn’t a shortcoming of the figure itself, the rest of the story after mine ended? That is a shortcoming.
You see, like hundreds, if not thousands of other collectors who got the runaround I spoke of in the opening screed, a few of us (not me) went through all of that trouble to finally get the figure, open the box, and the arms FELL APART WHEN REMOVING THEM FROM THE PACKAGE.
C’mon, man, that’s unacceptable. I get it, mistakes happen. But to couple that with a lack of availability to replace the product with, and man, that is a Julia Child’s size recipe for bad feelings.
I know it seems silly to mention a problem I never experienced, but so many collectors have had to deal with this… far too many to be dismissed as “people not being careful.”
Please understand, just because this didn’t happen to me doesn’t mean I don’t know the pain. Rebirth Joker, Robin King, Damien Wayne, Dawn Breaker (from the two pack), Injustice Flash, Injustice Grodd, Hazmat Batman, and probably several others all broke, right out of the package.
As I also previously mentioned, the stand for the cape is annoying. The lack of a second fist? Annoying. The gap between his neck and chest when using the soft goods cape? Annoying.
Another negative? The paint apps were not great in a few places. For instance, mine has a black line right through the middle of the white eyeball.
The next spot is more egregious, thanks to the arm peg.
Finally, why is there no ab crunch? Why wouldn’t we want our Batman to be able to pull off dynamic poses?
Despite those many grievances, the arm thing is seriously offensive to me as a collector. We pay out the nose for some of these figures. Is it too much to ask that they don’t disintegrate when we open them?
What works with the DC Multiverse Batman Year 2 figure?
This is a great Batman figure. Despite the paint apps, and the preordering debacles, it really is a well-done Batman. For a Gen X’er like me, owning a 3D piece of Todd’s art is everything my teenage self would have wanted.
The buck of the figure appears to be the same used for the Three Jokers Batman, which is one of the best Batman molds I’ve seen from Mcfarlane Toys. That’s quite a statement when you consider 97% of all McFarlane toys appear to be Batman as far as I can tell.
The hard cape is no joke. You could seriously hurt another human being with this thing. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this cape is what makes this figure pop off of your shelf as real art should.
His articulation is not bad at all (save for the ab crunch, or lack thereof), with decent amounts of foot pivot and the softgoods cape provides you with more options than the usual hard rubber capes we get.
Should you purchase the DC Multiverse Batman Year 2 figure?
This may be the first time I’ve done this to a figure that I really do love almost all aspects of, but I cannot recommend this figure.
Not only will you pay through the nose at aftermarket prices, but there’s also a significant chance that for your hard-earned coin, you could end up with disintegrating Batarms.
The preorder issues are over for now, but the quality control issues are still a thing.
If you do decide to pony up the cash and grab him, approach it from the mindset I started taking when I saw the horror stories… tell yourself, “It’s ok if the arms melt, because I am going to display him in his hard plastic cape anyway.”
After that warning, if you’re still looking, check the bay!
Here are some more pictures for your professional work blowing-off sessions.
