This year at San Diego Comic-Con, Mattel offered an 80 page Giant Batman: The Strange Lives of Batman Figure Box Set that includes a classic Batman, a Negative Suit Batman from Detective Comics #284, a Zebra Stipe Batman from Detective Comics #275, and a Rainbow Batman from Detective Comics #241. This set also has some extra heads and pieces that gives you additional Batman figures, including The Alien Batman, Batman’s Robot Twin, Batman’s Secret Identity (Bruce Wayne head) and RIP Van Batman. This set comes packaged in an old Silver Age box, which is an amazingly detailed package. This year, Batman is celebrating his 80th birthday at DC Comics, and this set is a great tribute to such an iconic character.
Before we left for San Diego Comic-Con, Mattel had overnighted us several of this years exclusives, which included this Batman box set, the Masters of the Universe: Origins He-Man 2-pack, and each of the Hot Wheels exclusives, which we had covered it all in a video unboxing and review. This years exclusives are going to be memorable for years to come, as not only this box offers four great versions of Batman from over his eight decade history, but also the return of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe with this years 2-pack and many more figures to come in 2020. As you know, the DC license will move over to McFarlane Toys beginning in January, and Mattel has one more wave coming that includes Killer Croc as the Collect & Connect figure, along with Alfred Pennyworth, Batman (Grayson), Red Robin (Drake) figure, Red Hood (Todd) figure, KB Beast, and Katana that were all on display at SDCC, and available to pre-order now at Entertainment Earth, BigBadToyStore, Megalopolis: City Of Collectibles, and Amazon.com.
Thank you to Mattel for sending their San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Exclusive – Giant Batman: The Strange Lives Of Batman Box Set for review.
Availability: San Diego Comic-Con 2019
The packaging for this set is detailed in our pre-San Diego Comic-Con video that showcased many of Mattel’s exclusives. The packaging is amazing, and highlights many of Batman’s lives in DC Comics. The box is huge, and includes a slip cover. Inside the box has a Silver Age look and feel to it, with nicely done artwork and colors and the layout is beyond impressive. On the back of the box are some credits to all the great people responsible for bringing this last DC Multiverse box set together, and this set wraps up almost two decades of 6″ DC figures with a bang. These are versions of Batman we never thought we’d own, and this is a perfect way to celebrate Batman’s 80th Anniversary.
The Batman figures all share parts of existing 6″ DC Multiverse figures that Mattel has been offering over the past few years since the transition from DC Universe Classics. Interestingly enough, we learned that Zebra Batman is one version that the DC team at Mattel wanted to do since the days of DC Universe Classics, but couldn’t because of the cost of all the deco required. We’re thrilled that they finally got to do this figure, and they did it right.
All four Batman’s share the same figure sculpt that helps to bring costs down, and each one has unique deco and based on a different era in Batman’s history. Both Zebra and Rainbow Batman obviously have the most detailed deco, that is also on their fabric capes. Negative Batman is in translucent black plastic that allows light to pass through, with some white deco on his head, Bat symbol on his chest, and legs. Classic Batman is nicely detailed in his light grey and blue outfit, with a blue and black cowl. Classic Batman has a swappable face pieces for Robot Batman, RIP Van Batman with the beard, and the head pops off to become Alien Batman and Bruce Wayne.
The multiple options here are a nice surprise that wasn’t previously announced with this set was revealed, and really gives you some great options and additional characters for various displays that otherwise would probably never would see the light of day as individually offered figures.
Overall, this set accomplishes a lot and gives you some great Batman figures that you don’t already have. Zebra and Rainbow Batman are obviously the most eye appealing figures in the wave and both have such nice paint applications. Negative Batman is a fun release, and Classic Batman is the most recognizable figure in this set, and we are especially thrilled with the extra interchangeable face plates and heads this figure is compatible with. The set also has a posted located on the top insert of the box. The quality of the set is really nice, and this is a great set for die-hard Batman fans and collectors.
If you attended San Diego Comic-Con, hopefully you were able to purchase one of these at the Mattel booth, or at least took advantage of the pre-sale to get your order shipped after the show (hopefully you remembered to check in at the show). Otherwise, you can only grab this set on eBay as this and all of Mattel’s exclusives were only offered to attendees.
Purchase:
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