Funko POP Constantine DC Super Heroes 255 (Free Comic Book Day Edition)

If you've read my posts for a while, you'll know that I'm an avid collector of all things Hellblazer.  So when Hellblazer main character John Constantine started showing up in both the TV series Legends of Tomorrow and in the DC Animated Universe, I naturally readied myself for a stream of new merchandise.  And while there's certainly been some (as my archives can attest), there hadn't been a Funko figure until just a couple of months ago.

It was much to my irritation that the figure ended up being released as a limited run edition of 20,000 (sold in comic shops on Free Comic Book Day, 4 May, 2019), because while I'm happy with my one Pop of Constantine, with a minor paint job, the design would also be perfect as Pete Wisdom (a Marvel Comics character with a similar style but with black hair and coat).  And while I'd be happy to customize a regular release, the idea of paying extra for a limited run figure just to turn it into something else just isn't something I'm comfortable doing.

But either way, let's take a look at this one!

SooSoo Toys Paranormal Detective (John Constantine by another name)

Being unboxed today is a non-licensed (but clearly brand-inspired) figure from SooSoo Toys. SooSoo Toys produces 1/6th scale multi-jointed action figures (the same scale as both the similar style Hot Toys figures and standard Barbies). Their bodies general have between 15 and 17 points of articulation, generally come with multi-piece fabric outfits, and retail in the range of $130-$160 USD.

The figure I bought is named "Paranormal Detective" but is clearly meant to be the DC Comics character John Constantine.  The box art and head sculpt are very clearly designed to resemble Matt Ryan, the actor who plays the character on the TV series "Legends of Tomorrow" (and who played him in the short-lived series "Constantine" and who voices the same character in the animated films "Justice League Dark" and "Constantine: City of Demons"). If you've followed the blog for a while you'll know that I'm always drawn to Hellblazer/Constantine collectibles.

Yet Another John Constantine Mini-Figure

I was reading comic book reviews when I noticed a mention that an animated film version of Justice League Dark had been produced. Being a bit of a fan of the comics, I went to check it out - and discovered that the deluxe edition came with a vinyl figure of John Constantine. So of course I bought that one. Let's take a look!

Out of the Box: Eaglemoss Hellblazer/John Constantine

We got a break from the rain today, so I took advantage of the dry-but-overcast weather to take some photos of the newest member of my Hellblazer collection, an Eaglemoss figurine.

Eaglemoss puts out 1:21 scale die-cast lead figurines from a variety of genre/media franchises (I've posted about my Eaglemoss Captain Britain figure here before), and allows buyers to purchase subscriptions to their lines.  Each figure also comes with a biographical magazine featuring the character of the month. On their own, the figures usually retail for between $15 and $25 USD.

Personally, my interests are too narrow for a subscription, so I've always waited for the reviews to come in and then picked up the ones I wanted on the secondary market. Since I've never wanted to pay a premium for any of them, that often means waiting forever until a deal comes along - but this time I lucked out and found this one at a reasonable price on eBay the first time I looked!

Out of the Box: Justice League Dark John Constantine (DC Collectibles)

Being unboxed today is the action figure counterpart to the John Constantine statue that I opened a couple of weeks ago.  As mentioned in that post, I do own the old DC Direct figure, but as he's in storage back in Canada I won't be able to compare the two directly.  That said, I can confirm that this new figure has much more detailed sculpting and much more impressive articulation.

As far as I can tell, this wasn't a terribly popular release: I first noticed this guy at my local comic book shop about a year ago with an asking price of $25USD, and he seems to have languished there ever since.  Every now and then I'd consider picking him up, but having been disappointed in the quality of DC's figures before I held off, until I noticed an online sale that had him listed for a 66% discount.  Even then I waited a week before clicking the buy button - but in the end I gave in and this review is the result!

Out of the Box: John Constantine (DC Collectibles)

I have a few of the Hellblazer-related collectibles from the late '90s in storage (you can see the DC Direct action figure in the background of the introductory photo from my first ever post on this blog), but not being a fan of the non-Vertigo/post New 52 version of the character (and I still haven't gotten around to checking out the full run of last year's TV series), I haven't picked up anything new for years.  But having recently reread Peter Milligan's run on the old series, I was weakened by nostalgia and when I saw a sale on the new John Constantine statue from DC Collectibles on Big Bay Toystore, I ended up ordering this statue.

Before I get into the review, can I just take a minute to complain about some of the box openings I watched while waiting for this statue to ship? Nearly all of them call John a Londoner (one even referred to him as a "Cockney magician") - but the character is supposed to be from Liverpool! 

*ahem* But never mind that, on with the figure!