Reading – The DC Comics Action Figure Archive

Scott Beatty’s The DC Comics Action Figure Archive* isn’t the best book about action figures that I own, but it’s the most complete collection of DC Universe action figures in a single book that I’ve ever seen. 208-pages long and packed with hundreds of photographs, this hardcover book (Chronicle Books, 2007) is a decent read but not exactly as complete as it could have been.

Over 600 Photos for Over 1,400 Action Figures

The book tells you right on the back cover that it’s incomplete. With over 1,400 action figures listed inside, but only 600 or so photographs, it’s immediately obvious that not every figure is shown. That’s unfortunate, since at $40 the book’s not really all that great of a deal as it exists . . . but if every figure had been shown the book would be worth $75 or even $100. The review at toymania.com nails the problem squarely on the head:

“Basically, over half of the figures are only documented with text, so using it to identify loose figures you may find will be hit-or-miss.”

And what is worse is that most of the missing photos are for the older and more obscure action figures. Not exactly a surprise, since those are the figures that are harder to find in good enough condition for photographs, but I expected more from Chronicle Books since they usually produce awesome, beautiful books that are loaded with photos of hard-to-find items (their GI Joe: The Complete Story of America’s Favorite Man of Action** is an example of what I expect from Chronicle).

This shortage of photos doesn’t destroy the book, but it’s a big enough downcheck that it’s the first thing I thought of when I sat down to write this brief reading post/review of the book.

It’s Actually a Fun Book

Once you get past the photo issue, The DC Comics Action Figure Archive is a fun book to flip through. Designed more like a coffee table book than a dry textbook or reference book, the book is attractively presented and each figure’s listing includes manufacturer, series, year of release, scale, points of articulation, and accessories. And there’s even a short “articulation guide” (see photo, above) that gives very, very bare details on articulation. Just remember that this is not an instructional manual that will teach you about the different types of articulation.

The book’s missing any real historical information on the different action figures — I wish Beatty had put a quarter of the amount of work into this book that Benjamin Holcomb invested in his spectacular Mego 8″ Superheroes: World’s Greatest Toys!*** — but it does have the assorted bit of trivia and a few fun sidebars. And you can have your own wacky fun with the book by counting the number of pages of Batman action figures (26-pages, and that’s Batman and not just characters from his comics/cartoons/shows/etc.), counting the number of Wonder Woman figures, or trying to spot how many figures were released in a single year. It’s a dumb way to pass the time, sure, but it’s fun.

Closing Thoughts

The book’s not worth the full $40 retail price, but fortunately it’s not too tough to find at less than $40 these days. (Amazon lists copies as low as $10.)

The review of the book at about.com isn’t glowing, but the reviewer’s thoughts do pretty much mirror mine:

“Something to thumb through on a lazy Sunday afternoon. A great book to keep on the shelf and refer to every now and then, but that’s about it.”

I’m not about to give this book a strong recommendation, but if you’re a fan of books about toys then this is worth around $20 or $25. A hardcore DC fan would likely still enjoy the book at $30 or $35, but there’s no way that it’s worth $40. Especially since it’s now two years old (and doesn’t include a single one of the Infinite Heroes or DC Universe Classics action figures from recent years).

I love books, but it’s getting to the point where websites are better for toy photos and information than books will ever be. Beatty could have made this a must-own book if he had invested some time in writing about the history of the different toys, but instead what we got was a photo book. And an incomplete one at that.

*Affiliate link: Orders using this link earn battlegrip.com cash, which is applied to buying toys.
**Affiliate link: Orders using this link earn battlegrip.com cash, which is applied to buying toys.
***Affiliate link: Orders using this link earn battlegrip.com cash, which is applied to buying toys.