Figure of the Day: Day 1,259: Blackhole

BLACKHOLE and Stormtrooper
The Legacy Collection Comic Packs Wave 7
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 89780
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #13
Includes: Stormtrooper, torture droid, blaster, smoke stand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: March 2010
Appearances: Star Wars newspaper strips

Bio: Shadow stormtroopers capture Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia on Vorzyd V. The Rebels are on the planet, also known as the Gambler's World, to stop the evil Empire's main source of income. After kidnapping the Rebels, the stormtroopers speak with Blackhole, the Imperial Intelligence Director, who orders the prisoners interrogated by an IT-O Droid. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's desk.

Commentary: It took nearly 30 years for the world to see a figure of Blackhole and sadly it doesn't really look like his original mysterious nebulous incarnation. Of course, an oddly shaped black blob with stars in it probably wouldn't make for a very exciting toy, but an unarticulated 2-inch PVC is a real drag in a comic 2-pack. This figure is really more of an accessory than a legit action figure, even by this column's increasingly lax standards. So for $15, a Stormtrooper repaint and this guy is actually pretty lame.

The character of Blackhole has evolved much suddenly, so instead of being this shadowy figure he's now Cronal or Lord Shadowspawn or all of the above, so rather than being a decrepid old man or an undeveloped thing, he's a muscular shirtless dude. The sculpting is pretty good, but this is basically a notch and a half above those red or blue holograph figures from 2006-- as a "bonus" it's not bad, but it's nothing special. He does look like the character in the essential guides a bit, but not much like the comic which came with this set. (The same can be said for the Stormtrooper.) I will say his deco is quite nice-- cast in clear plastic, the figure is painted black with bright silver stars. The effect is quite good and unique to this figure, and as deco goes it's one of those nice surprises where Hasbro managed to take a weak figure and turn it into something that looks great. They have wonderful deco artists there.

Collector's Notes: This figure is in release-- possibly limited release-- right now. So go get it if you want, because the comic pack SKU is gonna be phased out pretty darned quickly. As someone who actively dug the Russ Manning stories I was personally hoping for a real figure with joints or at least something scale to the other figures, but this is probably the only version of this character that you'll ever see.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,259: April 12, 2010