GREEN LANTERN – KYLE RAYNER
JLA: CLASSIFIED (DC DIRECT)
Despite getting into comics and such in the ‘90s, my first and favorite Green Lantern was *not* the then current holder of the role, Kyle Rayner. I was aware of Kyle. I had figures of Kyle (although, my small child brain hadn’t initially processed that he and Hal were not one and the same). But I didn’t like him much. At least not originally. I’ve acquired an appreciation for him in more recent years, and also acquired a few more figures as well.
THE FIGURE ITSELF
Kyle was released in Series 2 of DC Direct’s JLA: Classified line. The whole assortment was ‘90s-themed, so Kyle in his classic costume was a perfect fit. The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 11 points of articulation. Mobility was never at the forefront on these particular figures, and Kyle’s not really much of an exception. He’s good for standing there and maybe some slight adjustments to the arms, but not much beyond that. As with all of the figures in this line, Kyle’s sculpt is based on the style of Ed McGuinness. I’m not actually sure McGuinness ever drew Kyle in this costume, or even at all, but he does seem to fit MgGuinness’s bolder illustration sensibilities. I mean, he’s definitely a bit more of a beefcake than Kyle tends to be, but isn’t everyone when illustrated by Ed McGuinness. He ends up using a lot of the same pieces as the Superman Blue/Red, but does get some unique parts for his head, gloves, and boots. The head is actually one of my favorites from this subset of figures. Apart from being perhaps slightly serious in expression for Kyle, it does a solid job of capturing the character, right down to his floppy ‘90s hair, and that goofy crab-mask thing. Kyle’s paintwork is very clean, and very sharp. The metallic green is actually a lot better than the sorts of metallic greens that you usually see, being much brighter and thus truer to the comics. I also dig the slightly pearlescent finish to the white, which contrasts well with the flat black paint on the base body. Kyle’s only accessory was a JLA: Classified-branded display stand. A power battery might have been cool, but with the hands both being fists, I guess he couldn’t hold it anyway.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
At the time of this figure’s release, I was pretty well invested in DC Universe Classics, so I wasn’t really picking up any DCD figures. As such, this guy went under my radar. I’ve not really seen the figure since, but always was interesting in tracking him down at some point. I ended up finding him loose at House of Fun this past November. He’s a rather stylized figure, and certainly requires you to like this particular group of figures. For me, I quite like him, and I’m happy to add another Kyle figure to my collection.