And Image Comics were unleashed on the world. Back then, Malibu Comics still existed, and published the work of the upstarts - Todd McFarlane, Erik Larson, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino and others - under the Image imprint. In an article on the Chicago Comic-Con in July of 1992, the Chicago Tribune said "But something strange is going on this time around. Sure, the biggies such as Marvel Entertainment Group and DC Comics will be there, but the talk of the industry this year is Image Comics, the company that is scaring the big guys."

Turns out, there was reason to be scared. Now McFarlane Toys has produced a series of four figures commemorating the 10th anniversary - Spawn, Ripclaw, Savage Dragon and Shadowhawk. All four of these characters were early hits (or in the case of Ripclaw, members of a team comic that was an early hit).

Today's review covers the Savage Dragon and Shadowhawk figures. I reviewed the Spawn and Ripclaw last week at my other site.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Image 10th Anniversary Savage Dragon and Shadowhawk"

Both of these figures come from books that were early successes for Image. Alas, Shadowhawk did not remain that way, and has long since gone the way of the buffalo. However, Savage Dragon still keeps cranking along today, and is certainly one of the most unique superheroes in comics.

These figures are specialty shop/comic shop only releases, so you won't be seeing them at the local Toys R Us. There are some decent on-line options, including Aisle Sniper, where they are about $13 each.

Packaging - ***1/2
McToys has been using a clamshell style packaging with insert artwork. This isn't collector-friendly packaging in my traditional sense, since you'll have to tear it up to remove the figure. But this style of packaging has really grown on me over the last few lines, and it does work well for both the opener and the collector.

The hard shell is unlikely to damage easily, and makes for easy storage. The figures also are displayed well inside, so the MOCer is happy. And while opening them might take a little effort, the sturdy packaging is likely to keep the toys in tip top shape in transit and on the shelf for the opener.

Sculpting - Dragon ***1/2, Shadowhawk **1/2
The basic sculpting of both figures follows the usual tradition of excellent work by McToys. Shadowhawk takes a hit here not because of detail or general appearance, but because of his goofy pose and less flexible design.

Savage Dragon has plenty of detail work, almost too much. There's far more texture to his shirt and jeans than I've ever seen in the real world, but it doesn't hurt the figure's appearance. The muscles, size and proportions are all accurate to the source material, and yes, he really is drawn that bizarrely. The design of the pose is dynamic without being constipated, and the sculpt works well with the articulation to give you enough posing options.

Shadowhawk also has great detail, but fails in the design category. Here's an example of how the sculpt and articulation don't work well together, and the figure is close to a statue even with a number of points of articulation. I'm also going to mention his unmentionables - Shadowhawk is packin'. Or maybe he's just the first truly intelligent superhero, and he wears one hell of a massive cup.

Paint - ***
The paint ops are clean on both the figures and the bases, but the patented McFarlane paint wash is over done this time around. I've commented in the past on how difficult getting a paint wash just right can be, bringing out the sculpting details without looking over done. This time Savage Dragon proves my point.

He has a heavy wash over the entire figure, and while it does bring out some of the muscle detail, it over-emphasizes all the texture detail in the clothing. That hurts the appearance of the figure somewhat, although the strong sculpt still holds its own. Shadowhawk isn't quite as bad, but suffers from some of the same issues.

Articulation - Dragon ***, Shadowhawk **
Savage Dragon sports a couple more points than Shadowhawk, and his sculpted pose allows a least a little more variation in poses. He has neck, ball jointed shoulders, cut wrists, chest, waist and hips. Shadowhawk only has neck, ball jointed shoulders, waist and hips.

The lack of articulation really does hurt Shadowhawk, who is basically a statue due to the style and pose. With the Dragon, you get a some decent upper body articulation, and the sculpt isn't as much of a hindrance to different looks. Shadowhawk's neck joint is particularly useless, since the head looks pretty silly in any position other than the default.

I'm not quite sure what the chest joint on the Dragon is for. It doesn't provide much in mobility or poseability, but it does hurt the upper body sculpt. That's a point they could have dropped without hurting the overall score.

Accessories - **1/2
The biggest flaw with the accessories is the lack thereof. Both figures only come with a display base, and while the bases are nice, at this price point you'd expect a little something extra, particularly with superheroes.

The base for the Dragon is your gritty alley scene, while Shadowhawk is on top of a typical rooftop. Both have lots of detail, are a decent size, and the figures stand on them quite easily. The sculpting is solid, with good paint ops, and the bases themselves deserve more stars than **1/2. But overall the accessories category takes a hit simply because of the lack of any additional items at this price.

Value - ***
$13 isn't cheap, but you are getting some great sculpts in a comic shop only type release. The value scores for figures like Spawn though are going to be much higher due to the excellent articulation and perfect base. For a simplier figure with a simpler base like these, it's not quite as great of a deal.

Still, other companies like Winston, Marvel Select and DC Direct have tried to give you pretty much the same or worse at a $15 price point, so you can't argue to much with the sticker.

Overall - Savage Dragon ***, Shadowhawk **1/2
If you read my reviews of the other two figures, Spawn and Ripclaw, you'll notice that they both scored better than these two. That's due to the exceptional work on Spawn, who clearly deserved a four star ranking, and the wonderful Ripclaw sculpt.

These two are decent, and if you're a big fan of the Dragon than this figure is a definite must. It is a fin above the old Playmates version, and will please the comic fans quite a bit. But Shadowhawk is for the die hard fan only, of which there can't be too many left.

Where to Buy -
Your local comic shop is you best bricks and mortar opportunity. On-line:

- Aisle Sniper has them in stock and ready to go for $13 each plus shipping. That's where I picked my set up.