Sideshow Collectibles – Darkseid Premium Format exclusive – Statueforum Review
The team behind the design and development of the Darkseid Premium Format are as follows: Walter O’Neil, Pablo Viggiano, Earl Ellis, Alfred Paredes, and Kris Anka (Design), Adam Smith and Chadwick Anderson (mold and cast), Kat Sapene (paint) and the Sideshow Collectibles Design and Development Team.
With his arm stretched out, Darkseid stands a towering 26 inches tall. The statue is also approximately 18 inches wide and 14 inches deep, and weighs approximately 20 pounds. Both the exclusive (edition size of 500) and the regular edition (edition size of 1000) retail at $599.99. Sideshow began shipping out this statue to clients in mid-December, 2016.
As I write this review, the regular edition is still available for purchase on the Sideshow website.
Sculpture: Let me preface things by saying this piece has definite presence. There’s no mistaking the insidious intentions of the tyrannical ruler of Apokolips. The sculptors have successfully presented the fanbase with a definitive classic era Darkseid. It’s a delightfully intimidating pose of the New God, even if not remarkably original. Frankly, it’s hard to find anything substantially amiss with the sculpture itself -- that is, unless you’re among those who were hoping for a New-52 interpretation where Darkseid is presented as a much taller and more physically imposing figure. However, that is not the Darkseid presented here so it shouldn’t impact one’s appreciation for this work of art.
Incidentally, ever since Sideshow presented sneak peaks of the despotic sovereign of the Fourth World Universe to its market base, many people questioned if he was in scale with the Superman premium format statue, even if identified as the Kirby era Darkseid. He largely is. I realize that doesn’t quite sound like a definitive answer, and that’s because there is some room for improvement in this area. Yes, Darkseid could be larger in size, largely because that’s what most people see (or want to see) when they envision Darkseid displayed next to Superman – but it shouldn’t be a deal breaker. What Sideshow could have done to alleviate the fanbase of this plaguing doubt regarding scale was to provide a taller base. In this review, I posted a pic of Darkseid resting on a lazy Susan (the rotating platform I use for reviews) and he looks marvellous. The question of scale is all but removed by adding an inch and a half to the base. The suggestion, which I intend to follow, is to consider adding an under-base to the base, if only to add some height to Darkseid. The elevated visual may present as more dynamic, at least to me. However, it seems unfair to slight a sculpture which in and of itself looks good because it does not display as well as some might prefer with a previously release statue as that might create an artistic limitation. Then again, it stands to reason that most people buying the Darkseid statue likely have the Superman PF. Vicious circle, I know.
Which bring me to the proverbial base. I’m not quite sure what coloring the development team was going for here, and at the risk of sounding flippant, the base looks more like a burnt cheese dish than molten lava. While I recognize the effort in depicting the fire pits of Apokolips, I don’t think it quite hit the mark. I would have preferred brighter colors, and perhaps adding something more creative to the base like something resembling alien technology. After all, this is Jack Kirby’s universe. His work is largely defined by doodads and doohickeys. This struck me as a missed (or rushed) opportunity. The spewing lava add-on is valiant attempt at bringing some excitement to the base but in the end, it’s just okay.
Sideshow offers the fanbase two distinct portraits, i.e., a sinister snarling portrait and an angry portrait (the latter is only available with the exclusive), both of which look fabulous. Each portrait feature Darkseid’s piercing red eyes as if he was about to unleash his omega beams upon an unsuspecting foe. I really like the attention to detail on Darkseid’s stone-like skin, which had to be a challenge to accomplish as those crevice lines are literally everywhere. The costume design is spot-on too, and even features a boom tube attached to his belt. The sculptors successfully pulled off the costume folds and musculature outlines as well.
There’s something unmistakably classic about this pose. At the risk of sounding biased, I think it’s definitive of the silver and bronze age era. This is another one of those moments, I think, where the museum pose was the ideal pose. Right now, I’m employing the sinister portrait as I think the pose and mood best exemplifies it. While I think the pose works well with the angry portrait too, ultimately I think the more menacingly pensive portrait presented a more compelling narrative for that interpretation of the character.
The statue comes in 7 pieces: The Darkseid body, a right and left forearm, two portraits, a spewing lava piece, and the base.
Rating: 8.5/10
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Paint/Mixed media: The mat paint applications on the sculpture are relatively uncomplicated, basically Bowenesque overall, which is another way of saying simple by design and execution but faithful to the comics look. This shouldn’t be misinterpreted as a negative as that simpler style and rendition works well here. There were no paint spots over lines, or off-centered eyes, or other paint imperfections we sometimes see on sculpts, which is another positive. Nice shadowing effects on the body. The paints on his teeth could be more duteous but it’s adequate. The paints on the base, as noted earlier, leave much to be desired and may take something away from the overall appeal of the piece for some fans as the base could look more like the fire pits of Apokolips.
There’s no cloth-like material used on this sculpture, however, the spewing lava is made of a more colorful resin, which looks okay.
Rating 7.5/10
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Production and Build quality: I was really surprised at how hollow the base felt. I honestly felt I might puncture a hole through if I held it too tightly. While I’m not a fan of heavy pieces in general, I’m even less of a fan of unusually thin pieces as it increases the risk of damage. However, the sculpt feels solid, which a plus. It fit really easily on the base. Sadly, one of the magnets was protruding out of one of the arm sockets which made it impossible to correctly place his right forearm on to the body. There’s this noticeable gap there at the moment. I contacted Sideshow and requested a replacement body. Hopefully, they’ll come through for me as this is a nice piece and I would like to keep it. At today’s going rate of $600 for a PF, we shouldn’t settle for less.
There’s no tilting or imbalance to the statue or cause to be concerned about long term leaning issues, though I do have some long-term concern about that hollow base. Then again, it could be much ado about nothing. Other than the magnet issues on his right arm, the magnets in general are strong. The portrait/body seams aren’t noticeable. It’s very easy to put together too.
Rating 7.5/10
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Design: In my opinion, the classic pose typically wins over the action pose as it’s the type of pose you can display with most things in most places. The inspiration for the classic pose works here, even if it lacks in originality. The base is really the main downside here. However, to be honest, it would be nice to see a pose we haven’t seen before on other pieces as well, but it's certainly not a deal breaker either.
Rating: 8/10
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Overall, I think this piece does what it set out to do despite the noted shortcomings. While I’ve certainly been more impressed by other Sideshow releases (i.e., the recent Black Spiderman PF, for example), I think there’s enough going on here to make Darkseid and Superman fans happy. I think this is one of those pieces which may grow on you in time. If you can get past the scale issue, or find an under-base, you should be happy with this one. I like it.
Overall rating: 7.9/10 (B+)
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