DC Collectibles Dark Nights Metal: The Merciless review

Based on the art of Greg Capullo

Sculpted by Djordje Djokovic

“My whole life, I had been afraid of doing what I knew needed to be done. Afraid to give all of myself to the battle. The helmet showed me that my codes and rules were naive. That all that truly mattered was victory. And now I would finally take it for myself.”

Rocking into our world from the pages of DARK NIGHTS: METAL comes the bloodthirsty Merciless. A nightmarish fusion of Batman and Ares, this member of the Dark Knights is a supremely powerful warmonger, taking all of the best tactical skills of Batman and pairing them with the might of Ares.

This 8.46″ tall polyresin statue is menacingly detailed based on the art in the miniseries. From the stunning, amplified Ares Bat-helmet that corrupted the Caped Crusader to the chains highlighting the blazing blue armor to the God Killer sword, it will command the room no matter where it stands.

Limited Edition of 5,000

Measures Approximately 8.46″ Tall

$85.00 US • On Sale June 2019 from DC Collectibles

Review

What if Ares forged a helmet that amplified his abilities a hundredfold… but then Batman put it on and became drunk with power? The Merciless is what you’d get. Again, it wasn’t a great origin story for this evil Batman, but at least he looks friggin’ awesome. It’s just a shame we saw so little of him in the main Dark Nights: Metal story, because a bad guy this formidable looking deserves additional screen time! Still, even though we only saw a few brief glimpses of The Merciless from penciller Greg Capullo, inker Jonathan Glapion, and colorist FCO Plascencia, sculptor Djordje Djokovic skillfully realized their artwork in spectacular fashion with this remarkable statue.

The Merciless arrives in a box to match that of The Dawnbreaker, featuring vivid, high-quality images of the statue on all sides, plus preview photographs of other statues available from the Dark Nights: Metal line. The Merciless is comprised of three pieces: the villain himself, a painted metal blade, and a black, octagonal base with a red bat-pentagram pattern etched into its surface. These pieces are wrapped in plastic and fitted into a two-piece Styrofoam shell for safe shipping.

The metal sword sports ornate detailing carved into both sides of the blade, and it is coated in a golden finish that stands out well against the character’s shiny blue armor. You’ll want to fit the sword into place beneath Merciless’s palms when you insert the foot pin into the octagonal base, not that it’s impossible to position the sword afterward, it’s just easier to do it this way since the hilt must be placed so tightly against the hands. There’s even a subtle notch at the head of the base that the point of the sword falls into for added peace of mind. You’ll not have to worry about heavy footsteps in your home jostling this accessory loose from its proper place!

I love the layers of armor, it has so many fabulous elements to admire. The thick black lines between the plates add depth and match the heavy inks we saw in the comic, but it’s the faux dimples that lend the “metal” a hand-hammered texture that really takes this statue to the next level of believability. DC Collectibles throwing on a pair of genuine metal chains to make this a mixed-media work of art was smart, and it was probably a heck of a lot easier than molding polyresin chains onto the body. However, it’s the overall paint that really catches the eye here. Matte gray was employed for the tattered skirt, but nothing so dull is brushed on the armor. No, the armor is a metallic teal that glimmers under minimal light to give The Merciless and ethereal quality.

Truthfully, I struggle to find things I don’t like. I suppose the WW (for Wonder Woman) bat symbol on the chest is rather silly, but that’s true to the design we saw in the source material. The lower half of The Merciless’s face was often hidden in shadow (and it was a different helmet in his one-shot origin comic) so some artistic liberties had to be taken with the mouth guard, but the extra-deep grooves and heavy black shading create the illusion of the same shrouded appearance we saw in Capullo’s art and I’m cool with it. If I had to nitpick anything (and I do) I’d say the collar/neck guard could have been taller, more exaggerated. Otherwise, the pose is intimidating, the paint is phenomenal, build-quality of the polyresin is solid, and it’s about as close to the (surprisingly few) images we saw in Dark Nights: Metal as you can get, to my eyes.

Overall

You don’t even need to know about or care what Dark Nights: Metal is to appreciate how cool this statue looks. The shimmering blue armor, the real metal chains, the golden blade with decorative etching… It’s a spectacular, eye-catching piece that’s sure to grab everyone’s attention whether you display it with the rest of the evil Batmen (sold separately) or all by itself. I was hesitant to tell readers to pick up the creepy and grotesque Dawnbreaker, but Merciless is a statue you should run out and buy ASAP if you’re interested, because I bet its limited run of 5,000 will sell out fast.


DISCLAIMER: Batman News received this collectible from the manufacturer for the purpose of review.


AlertMe

Fun Jug Media, LLC (operating Batman-News.com) has affiliate partnerships with various companies. These do not at any time have any influence on the editorial content of Batman News. Fun Jug Media LLC may earn a commission from these links.