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Just like Wonder Woman, Catwoman, and Zatanna, Vixen joins a long list of DC Comics’ female elite as she is added to the Women of the DC Universe bust series. The woman who would later become Vixen is known as Mari McCabe, and receives her powers from the Tantu Totem she wears around her neck. The totem gives the wearer the abilities of any and every animal, but will only grant its full power to those that protect the innocent. The mystical totem was in her father’s possession until he was murdered by his brother, who wanted the power for himself. Marie, now an orphan, fled Africa for America, and as time passed she ended up becoming a very successful model. However, on a trip home to Africa she stole the Tantu Totem back from her uncle, using it to become Vixen and eventually avenging her father’s death.

Manufacturer: DC Direct
Sculptor: Barsom after Terry Dodson
Height: 5.75″
Release: November 2009
Retail Price: US $55.00

Vixen is a cold-cast porcelain bust displaying the Justice League member thigh high in the savannah of Africa, swirling around her and serving as the base. Now due to the simplicity of her costume, there wasn’t much room for error as far as the paint job goes. The more intricate parts like the tooth belt and the zipper trim have very little to no paint bleed, which is great considering how small these parts are. Even the Tantu Totem around her neck was done quite well, though there is some yellow paint bleed towards the back of the neck from the high collar on her costume.

Her earrings are a separate attached piece, which make for a better look than having them painted onto the actual bust. Just know that there is risk of them breaking off of the sculpt, so be careful when removing her from the package. Now, I expected there to be problems with the hair, but it looks pretty good and the dark brown highlights keep it from being just a plain and boring paint job. On many other busts and statues I’ve seen shoddy work on the eyes, but hers look great, especially in the smaller areas of the pupils with the three different colors. The base is pretty simple, yet still manages to catch the eye and looks to be in motion with the different blades of grass swaying to different sides of Vixen. Plus, where other busts make the character look like they were cut in half in a magic show, this looks more natural since she’s standing in the thick grass.

The actual sculpt by Barsom is almost spot on when compared to the art by Terry Dodson which is on the side of the box. However, there is something that I can’t quite put my finger on about Vixen’s face. The shape of it actually seems to come at you very angular depending on how you have her placed.  So just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, I did get the opinions of several others and it was pointed out to me that maybe the smirk is more exaggerated in the sculpt than on Dodson’s picture. I’ll also say that his interpretation of the costume is a bit more “conservative” than the actual sculpted piece. Barsom did capture the essence of Terry Dodson’s sketch and it stands right up there with the pieces based off of the Adam Hughes drawings.

The Vixen bust is limited to 2,500 pieces, which is lower than some of the other characters, but she also isn’t as widely recognized as Wonder Woman, Power Girl, and Catwoman, so it makes perfect sense. She is ready for display right out of the box as with many busts, and the number of the piece is underneath the base. Remember to take care when removing her from the box at first, because you don’t want the earrings to snag and pop off.

Vixen definitely deserves to be in the line up with the other Women of the DC Universe busts, and I would give this one a 4 out of 5. It’s just that issue with the face that I have, otherwise the piece is basically flawless; though I would have liked it if Barsom would have added the claws on the tips of her fingers just to make her a bit more fierce. If this series of busts is one you’re trying to complete, Vixen would be a welcome addition to your shelf.

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net