Diamond Select just added another evil Batman to its lineup of Dark Nights: Metal Dark Multiversal madmen, and this time, it’s the Dawnbreaker—a nightmare Bruce Wayne who—on that fateful day in Crime Alley—acquired a Green Lantern ring and used it to exact vengeance on Joe Chill and, indeed, the world. I’ve been fairly impressed with each of Diamond’s takes on these alternate-reality Bruces and Bryce Wayne, and as Dawnbreaker was one of my favorites from the event, I’ve been interested to see how he turned out in the Gallery line. So…how did he?
Different than DC Collectibles
If you’ve been reading both mine and Andrew’s Metal collectible reviews, you’ve probably already noticed this, but the DC Collectibles takes on these evil Batmans are a bit different. Those are based on Greg Capullo’s actual artwork from the core Metal event. DST’s take seems more aimed at a quasi-realism—something more akin to Ethan Van Sciver’s renderings of these characters. The DC Collectibles stuff is also made of polyresin, and reflects that with a higher price point.
So which should you get? It really comes down to which aesthetic you’re after. If you really dig Capullo’s designs and want a set that rings true, then DC Collectibles is the way to go. If you like a more “real-life” take on these Batmans, check out DST. One small warning, though: DST has yet to announce Merciless, Murder Machine, or Devastator, so there’s a chance that you could end up with an incomplete set. But if you like each character on his or her own, and you like the aesthetic, you have your orders.
A good sculpt
The sculpt is, unsurprisingly, fantastic. The quality of the mold is excellent of course, but the design—the pose, the musculature, etc—these are all right on the money, as well. Dawnbreaker’s face is a little deformed in the comics, and they captured this messiness well here, too. The goggles, hoses, the Bat-emblem, the gloves, boots and all of that—they all look great.
The base is one of my favorite parts. Translucent plastic is hit or miss in the Gallery line, with some examples looking pretty great, and others looking pretty…not great. But the bat constructs here look fantastic. I LOVE the bigger ones, where you can see the rodenty snouts and fur.
Paint—par for the course
The paint job is what you would expect if you’ve owned pieces in the Gallery line. The big picture looks great, and most of the details do, too, but there are screwups and sloppy lines if you’re looking for them. If you’re a stickler, the mistakes will grate on you; but if, like me, you usually look at your statue at a distance that hides the problems, you should like it just fine.
Overall
Diamond Select’s takes on the evil Batmans of Dark Nights: Metal have all been quite good, and Dawnbreaker is no exception. The sculpt and paint are very nice—with the usual caveats about up-close sloppiness—and the bat-construct base is a stand-out in the series. If these characters are your speed, go get your Dawnbreaker now, wherever Diamond Select Toys are sold.
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