Zatanna Bombshells – DC Collectibles
Designed by Ant Lucia.
Sculpted by Tim Miller.
Stands at approximately 10.4" high.
Limited edition size of 5200.
RRP: 124.95 USD.
"Ssertssim fo cigam!"
Intro.
The Bombshell line continues with this latest release: magical sorceress, Zatanna Zatara! The pin-up style is once again designed by emerging artist, Ant Lucia, who DC seems to have taken a real liking to.
The line is going strong. Really strong, in fact. We’ve had Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Batgirl, Black Canary, Stargirl, Harley Quinn again (Christmas variant) and now Zatanna. Arriving next month is Hawkgirl, and Mera, Lois Lane and Batwoman are arriving later in the year. DC released a video showcasing the long process behind the making of this line, which you can check out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fysFQEP3EsA
And back to Zatanna:
Sculpt. 8.5
Tim Miller returns to sculpt this piece, having done most of the other pieces. There’s a lot to like about the scultpwork. The costume is wonderfully done, with the corset having exceptional detail. The hair and hat is also nicely done. The clear, magical smoke looks fantastic as well, and really adds some “oomph” to the piece. My
favourite part, however, is the little John Constantine-turned-rabbit. He is adorable! The fun part about this statue is it’s almost a diorama, with a whole scene playing out.
However, as much as I love the work, I think the face didn’t come out as nicely as it could have. She has a great little smirk, but her eyes seem rather large and it kind of throws me off. Now that I’ve mentioned it, I also noticed that Hawkgirl, Mera and Batwoman seem to suffer from the larger eyes. Maybe Miller saw Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes” movie and was a little too inspired by it.
Paint and Mixed Media. 8.0
Zatanna came out with a wonderfully even paint job. Lot’s of clean cuts and solid colours. Although she’s got a mostly black costume, there are some nice shades of colours that really work well together. There is, however, a little sloppiness here and there, but it's usually a tiny bit over a line that's hardly noticeable unless you're reaaaally looking for it.
The clear-ish resin used for the smoke is also wonderfully done, similar to Mera and Starfire’s bases from the Cover Girls line. The Constantine-rabbit is also painted nicely, which was a nice surprising considering they didn’t raise the price for the added parts of the statue.
Design. 8.0
I’ve really bee enjoying the pin-up works of Ant Lucia, and I think with Zatanna, he does a wonderful job capturing the essence of the character while taking it back in time for a 40’s theme. However, I’m such a fan of her classic costume, it’s hard to see Zatanna in anything different.
The following photo contains an image of the initial prototype shown. The smoke in the final product differs, as it only raises straight up, and not into her wand.
It is kind of a shame to see the smoke reduced so heavily from the artwork, ESPECIALLY considering it was actually there for the initial prototypes. I guess DC needed to cut some costs so the smoke is a lot smaller in the final piece.
Production and Build Quality. 7.5
The statue is built quite nicely and is quite strong. There are a few fragile points. Firstly the little wand in her hand is prone to breakage, so watch out there. Secondly, the tip of the smoke is reaaaaaaaally fragile. Mine’s actually a little cracked and is close to breaking off, but isn’t noticeable enough for me to worry just yet.
Overall. 8.0
Zatanna is a charming choice for this line and she has come out very nicely. She fits in, thematically, with the rest of the girls and adds some real variety to an otherwise very bright cast of characters.
The sculpt and paintwork is wonderfully done, and the piece is great value once you consider how it’s almost like a small diorama that’s staging a scene without an increased price. I would highly recommend you pick one of these up to go along with Black Canary – they seem to play off each other quite nicely and the recent Bruce Timm story, ‘Bloodspell’, has shown me what a great team the two of them are.
Anyway, what do you guys think? Do you like this addition to the Bombshells? Are you still collecting them, or have you given up? Who else are you hoping shows up as a future Bombshell?
While everything here is great, I can’t help but mention that it isn’t on par with the other popular Zatanna statue: the Cover Girls by Adam Hughes, which is truly a
character defining statue.
