Here we have Spawn in-hand, based on his guest appearance in Mortal Kombat 11. The heavy texturing and added realism from the game's visuals no doubt are what makes this distinct from the comic look, but it still contrasts with how most comic-inspired movie designs have this MCUfication to them; instead, we get this symbiotic texture to the design about his almost Venom-like traits. The asymmetry of the armor as well as the cape, is also unique to Spawn overall, from the ragged rips to the different leg and forearm pieces and even the uneven collar. The chains are a nice touch, and the white also has this organic look to it in making Spawn look less pristine yet still feel like him. And while wired capes would be a nice touch, I know Spawn looks better with the one he has, as it better captures his worn and messed-up appearance. Plus, it doesn't look that great if you saw his Call of Duty design.
His head sculpt may be textured with wrinkles to make him look less like a mask; this is still a classic design for Spawn, regardless. It's a case where you can't improve on perfection. His articulation is standard for the line we've seen with the DC Multiverse line, but the neck is slightly hindered (and only slightly) from his collar), the arms could be hindered somewhat from the cape, the right hand can't hinge outward much due to the armor piece, and the right boot having some limitations for any ankle rocking. He comes with a sword that bears his logo, and it's almost like it could be pressed to have some lights and sounds (the way adult collector roleplay toys work, not the flashing lights from mainline stuff).
For a comparison with the other Spawn on my shelves, this is the prototype version with the luchador mask, the simpler costume design, and the proper asymmetry. I bet you could look at this out of context and think that the Spawn we got in Mortal Kombat is either "nuthin liek teh comicz" or a modernized design too deviated from the old design. I say that since Spawn began his life as an edgy character design that contrasts with the designs we usually see from prior eras. Makes me wonder what Spawn would have been like if he had debuted in the 70s and had these sci-fi elements that a teenage Todd once conceived of long before delving into comic books.
As for Batman, this is meant to better resemble how he appeared in the crossover comic. The figure is a reuse of the Three Jokers body, which has been commonly retooled into other Batman figures over the years. We'll get into those versions of the buck, but this figure is a pretty solid take on the character even without the context of this being part of the crossover. The proportions are generally good, even if the legs are not as bulky as the upper body. I also love that the figure has a more marigold shade of yellow on the logo and belt, with said logo almost having that curvature that we've seen on the second Keaton suit and the first Kilmer suit. The shoulder spikes are an uncommon touch that I love, though the cape is not only PVC instead of cloth but also much heavier in comparison. Reminds me of the struggles I had in posing the original Action Comics 1000 tooling. The colors are more in line with Adam West's, mostly from the shades of blue and gray. Though the spikes are a little more extreme, this still feels like a normal enough Batman figure for anyone to get if they don't care much about Spawn.
His head sculpt is mean and pouty, with a bit of black shading to simulate how Batman's mask used to be colored. It's not too noticeable, but it still helps make the sculpt feel complete, somehow. The articulation is the same as with Spawn's, though the cape does limit the shoulders in range. In addition to his more splayed-open hands, he also has a right hand meant to hold his oversized batarang and one as a closed fist.
One thing that I have to criticize about the figure is that the hands that originally came on the Three Jokers version do not match the ones we got from the Year Two version. I say that since the suit is meant to have details reminiscent of the Michael Keaton suit design, with more intricate texturing and ridges instead of the smoother extremities Batman costumes normally have in the comics. I wish Todd did something about those gloves, just so we can get some normal synergy between them, and that is a genuine complaint to have towards the line.
On a side note, these are the following versions of the Three Jokers Batman mold that we have. The original version was mostly black and gray, though he has no black trunks. The proportions make him more like a comic-style Affleck, though the aforementioned Keaton details come from this being how he was depicted in the storyline. The all black version better matches the Keaton resemblance, though it should be worth mentioning that he does not have any proper resemblance to the JLA comic artwork done by Troika. In fact, this figure and Superman have character cards that don't match their figures compared to the other parts of the Plastic Man BAF-wave. Between TJ and JLA, we have the Year Two version that was part of a unique display base with the option to display him either with a cloth cape (with no wiring implemented) or a plastic, super stylized cape as he stands over the graves of the people he cared about. Sadly, his boots are inaccurate, which annoys me since he needs to have a point instead of being flat and more generic.
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We also got different kinds of Year Two Batman figures, one being the black and grey version, almost comparable to the Animated Series (down to the blue shading), and another with blue replacing the black. A gun holster is strapped to the chest, since he comes with a pistol as well as a scythe to simulate the twisted role he's dealt with briefly in the comic story at that point. I don't plan to get these right away, but I do appreciate them in a way for how the capes have this pre-posed 90s toy vibe. That may be the intent if you pose him in a certain action-crouch look.
The actual Batman/Spawn crossover set gives us a more comic-accurate design with a more stylized cape and bigger eyes for the undead Al Simmons, while Batman himself better matches the JLA comic run compared to the one I just looked at. This includes longer ears, black instead of blue, and very, very dark gray. The head sculpt does match one of the comic panels from that comic run, but the overbite and the way his mouth is sculpted look very unusual. Spawn comes with a much longer sword that resembles a meat cleaver, they have their own display stands with specific printing, and their backdrop has both an image of the comic art used for the crossover as well as a background filled with skulls that may or may not be AI-generated. If the latter's the case, can we please make a more convincing pile of skulls instead of whatever we got instead? You're better off using the comic art as a mini-poster instead.
Overall, both figures are strong offerings for each character, from Spawn being a simple yet perfect reimagining of his classic design in MK11 to this Batman being the best version of the Three Jokers mold. While the articulation limitations can be annoying and the accessories somewhat lacking, I still love the sculptwork put into Spawn as well as the paintwork, and the combination of a new head, the right shades of blue and gray, and a gestural, if heavy, cape adds some new life into a version of the Three Jokers sculpt that I initially didn't care about after owning Knightfall until now. And if I'm going to get this figure, why not get a Spawn to go with it? They may not be the exact match due to their different aesthetics, but it still works regardless. Batman could be shorter than Spawn, though.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for both)
As a bonus, here is a review of Soul Catcher, this character is fairly new in the Spawn comic series. He is barely known beyond his wealth, power, and possession of ancient books he transcribed in various languages. He tried to see himself as a comparable person to Spawn himself, but the brooding vigilante keeps telling him to fuck off. Despite his badass gas mask and cloaked design, he loses regularly to other characters. Shame since he has a pretty cool outfit despite it having that gritty Call of Duty looking ass promo art mercenary feeling out of context. Maybe that's why some would not care too much about a dude like this compared to the Violator or Cy-Gor. To his credit, I love the textures applied to the cloak, and the costume has a great level of paint on the parts strapped onto him, in addition to the buckles and harnesses that give him a militaristic look. Hell, even the gas mask is an awesome addition, with a tube going around him in a way that's not too intrusive.
His head sculpt is mostly covered up by the gas mask, but I do like that for a $22-ish figure, there is a nice level of paint work and detailing to make this look as life-like as possible. I do wish the lenses had a gloss to them, but maybe their being pitch black to contrast with the rest of the mask works fine enough. The articulation is the same, though not as inhibited by the cape (at least on the left side). He comes with both a slick rifle for him to hold as well as a pistol that goes into a holster that could grip it better when not in use, honestly.
That being said, with how little I know of the character in addition to him being a bit of a punching bag to various Spawn characters, he comes across as more of a bonus from the seller, whom I got him and Spawn from. Hell, I paid nearly $30 for both, so this definitely comes across like that. It's a case where the figure looks good and what not, but my lack of knowledge in him beyond existing in a comic book series he doesn't stand out too much from does make him feel like a toy you could skip unless you're a bigger completionist or are fully invested in the non-classic Spawn stuff.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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