DC Comics introduced Parallax in the Green Lantern series after the death of Superman. He was Hal Jordan, the pride of the Green lantern turned evil by the destruction of Coast City by a Superman villain. Parallax slaughtered several Green Lanterns and tried to change the course of history. He returned for the event known as Zero Hour and was killed by Green Arrow later. The Parallax version of Hal Jordan has reappeared recently.
Likeness
Except for the cape which has not always been present Parallax is the same as in the comic books. The Parallax action figure resembles the current interpretation seen in Green Lantern Rebirth, although there are ver few alterations to the characters’ costume.
Sculpt
As a grandstanding character, Parallax looks majestic with his large shoulder pads and huge flowing cape. His chest is puffed out and his knees are straightened out to the max. Parallax’s feet are too short compared with his body though.
Paint
The paint job is decent but not perfect. There are paint spots on the figure. All emerald green areas have a metallic sheen. Parallax’s hairs have lighter highlights and white sideburns. The paint application of his face’s skin tone is thick and covers the plastic’s base colour entirely. It looks rushed. White paint is on his rubber cape and it looks like white out instead of paint. The application on the cape bleeds.
Scale
All figures in this wave are smaller than in former DCDirect waves. Here Parallax fits well with other figures such as Blackhand, the new Green Lantern and the Guardians. However, next to the Silver Age Green Lantern or the Hard Travelling Heroes’ Green Lantern, he is smaller. The main issue is the smaller heads of the characters. Parallax’s head has proportions that will fit well with Hush action figures.
Stability
Parallax is stable, but his cape is heavy and easily makes him fall. His ankles are articulated which weakens his stability. The cape is so heavy than it can fall of the character, although it’s glued to the character’s back. The best way to position him is to use the Green Lantern action figure stand that comes with the character. However, the action figure stand doesn’t allow Parallax’s feet to fit completely.
Articulation
Parallax has thirteen articulations at the neck, the shoulders, the elbows, the wrists, the hips, the knees and the ankles. The head and the shoulders have ball-joint articulations. The ankle articulation is unnecessary and only makes the figure unstable. The knees’ articulations are weak and can become loose easily.
Plastic
Parallax’s plastic looks strong, however don’t pull too hard on his joints, like his wrists, as it could easily break. The shoulder pads are in another type of lighter PVC. The cape is in rubber-like material. If the shoulder pads are unglued, they can easily be fixed with plastic glue.
Props
Parallax only comes with a Green Lantern style round action figure stand. It’s transparent with white paint. The transparent base is in green plastic. There are no other props. DCDirect should have included a Green Lantern power ring like they did with previous Green Lantern action figures.
Packaging
The figure comes in a pack glued on a cardboard.
Cost
The figure can retail from anywhere from $12 to $25, depending on the retailer. Price differences are caused by how retailers ordered the figures, and how many. Figures in this wave came in inner cases and outer cases. Retailers could also order them individually. This will affect the figure’s final price.
Availability
The figure is popular and part of the rebirth of the Green Lantern comic book franchise by DC Comics. There have been Parallax figures in the past but of a different scale. As Parallax has been “phased out” from DC Comics, it is unlikely that another figure of this character will be available. Green Lantern action figures are always very popular for DCDirect, so I’d suggest fans to purchase this one quickly.
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