After finally awakening from some sort of year-long event comic stupor, DC and Mattel announced near the end of the first quarter of 2007 that they were releasing their answer to Marvel’s and Hasbro’s pre-school toy line, Spider-Man and Friends, with the aptly named DC Superfriends. I happened to come across one at the new Target in my area and since I’m a fanboy in both heart and soul, I picked up a Batman fig, ya know, for the kid. (It also didn’t hurt that it was marked down to $3.50 from its normal eight buck retail price for some odd reason).

After cracking it open when the boy went to bed (with the promise to let him play with it in the morning), I gave the figure the once over a couple of times just to see how well DC/Mattel’s work translated into the pre-kiddie toy market. Here’s the breakdown:

The Positives:

• Nice mold and solid construction of moving parts
• Minimal points of articulation
• Cloth cape is a nice touch
• Figure is sized well for little hands

The Negatives:

• There is an annoying square in Batman’s back but since the mold is the same for both regular and deluxe figures, allowing the exchanging of accessories, it is understood.
• The regular accessory is as powerful as Tom Cruise’s popularity in Germany (meaning none)
• Collector card is fanciful cardboard

Overall, I’d give it a Thumbs up. Now, I have to go out and buy one for the boy.

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