DC Direct Diana Prince 2011

Wonder Woman has had a rather.. difficult history. DC Comics has never really been sure what to do with her, which has led to some fantastic storylines and some terrible storylines. She rocked the air waves in the 1970s, and hasn't been seen in any live action adaptation since. Her comics have set sales records and nearly been canceled more times that could be counted. She is absolutely a walking contradiction.. but no one can deny she doesn't make for some fantastic plastic toys!

To be clear, this isn't specifically Wonder Woman. Instead, this is Wonder Woman's Princess Diana posing as Diana Prince, a government agent. Part of the major storyline, One Year Later, the idea was that Wonder Woman wanted to experience life as a regular "mortal" and adopted her secret identity as an agent for the Department of Metahuman Affairs. Wonder Girl became Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman was trapped by a spell, yadda yadda. It really wasn't that great of a story, but her Metahuman Affairs outfit was pretty cool, so I was happy to pick up this figure of her.

Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston in 1941. Marston was credited as discovering systolic blood pressure, which led to the creation of the polygraph machine. He also got involved in a number of feminist debates, and believed in a natural dominance/submission existence between men and women. This would be why Wonder Woman spent a good 70% of her time bound in some way, shape, or form.

Absolutely none of that has anything to do with this figure. I just find it interesting. The figure itself is pretty awesome. It was created by DC Direct in 2011, as part of their larger Wonder Woman line. As with most DC Direct figures, you're getting a great sculpt and lacking articulation. For someone like me, who likes to put figures on the shelf so that they look appealing, that's really not a big loss. For some who want dynamic poses and want to have a great deal of control over how it is displayed, it can be more of a loss.

What can't be denied is that the paint is fantastic. There is a pearlescent white applied to msot of the figure, and it just glistens in the light. My photos don't nearly do the effect justice. It is just beautiful. Every sculpted curve is highlighted, with a light blue paint applied to offset the large patches of white.

The glasses that she is wearing have translucent lenses which work really well. They highlight the well-painted eyes, giving her a serious demeanor that make you believe that she could be some kind of special agent for the government in charge of controlling meta-human events. Combined with her smooth skin tone and bright red lips, there is a humanity and personality that is brought out by her sculpt that lesser artists would never be able to add. It is fantastically well done, and I applaud the sculptor.

The harness is sculpted on, but the belt is added separately. The belt, though, is sized really well and seems like it could be part of her overall sculpt. It's rare to see add-on items that fit quite this well, and I applaud DC Direct for managing to pull it off so well. Unfortunately, I do have to state some disappointment regarding her accessories. She comes with two clear batons. It seems as if they batons should be able to connect together, but I could never get them to do so. Assuming they should be separate, there is a different problem as one of her hands is sculpted in a fist, negating her ability to handle both at the same time. On the plus side, it looks pretty good tucked into her belt.

Diana Prince wasn't a big seller, and can still easily be found without too much effort. She is also still pretty affordable, if you look at eBay or stores that hold some of the older modern figures. The batons could be a bit of a problem for younger children, but the figure doesn't suffer by not having the batons, so you could always just make them disappear. Otherwise, as with most DC Direct (now DC Collectibles) figures, the lack of articulation helps make the figure very solid and capable of withholding a lot of play. And besides, how often can you buy a figure of a figure inspired by bondage psychology for your children to play with? OK.. I admit.. that might not be the best sell.

Still, this is a fantastic figure with incredibly well-sculpted details. It's one of those rare figures where it doesn't really matter who the sculpt is actually supposed to be. With no knowledge of the storyline whatsoever, the figure can still be enjoyed as art and still enjoyed as a toy.