While they’re not due out until May of 2008, Mezco (one of my favorite companies for many, many reasons) has released press images from their upcoming series of action figures, based on the Emmy Award-winning show Heroes - which I love, no matter what any entitled internet nerd message board says. The writers may be on strike, but my loyalty is strong, for now.

Mezco’s figural output is very diverse, ranging from horror to cartoon to classic movie properties, and their figures from the first Hellboy movie were some of the best character likenesses I’d ever seen. This, paired with great quality control and excellent articulation, makes Mezco one of the quieter companies to watch. While the license to make Heroes figures was long-rumored to to have shifted between McFarlane Toys and NECA, both great companies in different ways, I’m pleased that Mezco ultimately landed it.

One might ask, “Why do we need action figures from a show that really doesn’t have THAT much action?” Historically, that’s not such a bad question, especially when the show in question is complex, episodic, and on in prime time. McFarlane’s Lost figures went unsold in many areas, and eventually hit discount aisles before fans of the show expressed any interest. At this time, the line is barely making it through a second series, leaving the cast woefully incomplete. Lost viewers as a whole, it would seem, just aren’t toy buyers. McFarlane released a scene-specific statue or two from 24, and China-based Hot Toys made a few 1/6th scale figures based on Prison Break - all very specialty market items, produced in relatively low quantities. Mezco is hoping that Heroes’ decidedly more nerdy audience IS of the toy-buying ilk - which I’m also hoping, because I don’t intend on collecting a toy line that dies halfway through again, leaving families and teams incomplete. You burned me, Adult Swim figures, and I’ve never recovered.

The first line of Heroes figures will have five characters. Because they’re regular people who change clothes and get haircuts, there’s no ONE outfit that suits them best and makes them more recognizable (something which is a lot more obvious when dealing with costumed heroes or cartoons) - but Mezco does a pretty good job making them all unique in their personality-appropriate clothing. And satisfying their messenger bag fetish by giving them to three of the male characters, and nary a purse to the one female. And non-viewers? Beware of spoilers below.

We have Peter Petrelli, the mimic who absorbs and retains the powers of anyone around him, whether he likes it or not (or is even aware of it), as well as stealing the hearts and underpants of just about every female viewer. Peter is seen with his first season bangs. There will also be a second version of him, exclusive to retailers who order from previews Magazine, which will include a base to make him appear to be flying.

We have Hiro Nakamura, the Japanese sci-fi and comic nerd who can move through space and time, his altruistic motives sculpted gracefully by the comic heroes that he admires. And yet, despite what the uninformed media might imply about comic book readers, his attitudes towards women are completely healthy.

There’s also Claire Bennet (later, Butler), whose blood has powers that can almost instantly heal herself and others. While she’s rarely seen in her cheerleader outfit, the whole ‘save the cheerleader, save the world’ thing was too pervasive to ignore.

Next is doctor Mohinder Suresh, who has no obvious powers of his own, but (usually) works towards the preservation and privacy of these people with special powers, with or without the aid of The Corporation, whose secretive motives keep him guessing.

Finally, there’s the series villain, Sylar (aka Gabriel Grey), who eats the brains of anyone whose powers he wants. He’s unrepentantly selfish and creepy, barely sympathetic, and we all love him. Again, he’s sculpted in an outfit that we rarely see him in, but is darkly appropriate to his character.

The first series lacks everyone’s favorite Noah Bennet, Hiro’s friend Ando, Matt Parkman, Isaac Mendez, Mr. Linderman, Nathan Petrelli, The Haitian, Adam, or even Mr. Muggles, so it’s vital that the line sells well, else we’ll never get the rest of these important characters. Being such a character-driven story, it would be a shame to miss out on any. Each figure in the line comes with a handful of accessories, as well as small reproductions of the paintings that played vital clues in the show.

As far as the character likenesses are concerned, fans have already expressed displeasure at some of the unusual appearances. We can tell who they’re supposed to be, but they’re not really floored by the accuracy. Others have commented that they appear to be half-realistic, and half-Tim Sale - the comic artist who provided and lot of the art for the show, as well as the clue-paintings. Sale’s artwork has been made into figures before, in DC Direct’s Batman : Long Halloween and Dark Victory series, and a Batman Black and White statue as well, and it’s true enough that these figures bear some of the same telltale angles. And yes, Mezco has also shown a proclivity towards some very interpretive figures.

Will this public outcry cause Mezco to revisit the figures before the scheduled release date? Will they settle on one style or another, instead of this odd hybrid? Will I buy them anyhow? I think we all know the answer to that last one. Come May, keep an eye out at your local FYE, Spencer Gifts, or comic shop, where these are most likely to pop up.

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Article Tags: action figures, Claire Bennet, Heroes, Hiro Nakamura, Mezco, Mohinder Suresh, Peter Petrelli, Sylar, tv series

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This entry was posted on Sunday, January 13th, 2008 at 2:00 am and is filed under collecting fyi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.