#133 - Daredevil/Sin-Eater
By day, blind attorney Matt Murdock fights for justice within the system. But when a crazed gunman is loose on the streets of New York City, it will take all of Daredevil's super-senses and agility to stop him.
Minimates Series 43 was based entirely on the famous "Death of Jean DeWolff" story, which features Daredevil just as much as it does Spider-Man - in fact, it's the story where the two really meet. Amazingly, this is the first plain red DD since Series 1 (even if he's been given the thick black shadows that many artists draw him with). He has muscular details on his chest and legs, but nothing at all on the back of the figure. In addition to the usual billy clubs in the holster on his leg, he also comes with a new hook-and-string version.
Matt Murdock had as much of a role to play in the story as Daredevil did, so the Minimate gives us the option to have him, as well. Of course there's the extra hair piece (not one any of the previous Daredevils came with), and his face is painted with glasses - the first Matt Murdock to ever do that! The lenses are grey, not red, because that's the way it used to be done.
Once, sin-eaters removed the sins of the dying so they could pass in peace, but there's nothing peaceful about the methods employed by this criminal. Can Daredevil and Spider-Man figure out his identity in time?
Well, even if they can't, we're about to tell it to you. Despite the fact that the story is set up as a mystery, there's no way to review the toy without giving it away, so you've been warned: the next few paragraphs are going to blow the reveal. But not yet. Sin-Eater has a completely ghastly costume, but it fits with the "villains have to dress opposite to the heroes" thing: he's wearing green and purple. Purple sweatshirt, purple pants, green gloves, boots and ski mask... who designed this? It's supposed to just be normal clothes, isn't it? Where do you buy purple pants? [The 1970s --ed.] He's armed with his weapon of choice, a sawed-off shotgun. It's a new piece.
The ski mask is a separate head cap, and can be removed to reveal the face of the man beneath. Turns out it's - spoiler alert! - Stan Carter. Okay, that name doesn't mean anything to you, but trust us, that's who it is. He's a middle-aged guy, as evidenced by the Reed Richards-style white hair at his temples (but it's not Reed, because the white continues around the back).
But that's not all! If you're a big comics nerd, you know that the reason Eddie Brock hates Spider-Man was because he (Eddie) had written a big expose about the Sin-Eater, but identified the wrong man: Emil Gregg, a serial confessor who believed he was Sin-Eater, but actually just lived next to him and heard him through the wall. When Spidey caught the real Sin-Eater, Brock's career was ruined. The set includes a second head with the glasses and long, stringy hair of Gregg, so you can make this Sin-Eater be either guy you want!
It's not the first DD in red since series one. . .
http://www.figurerealm.com/actionfigure.php?FID=10305&figure=daredevilmarvelknightsghostridermarvelknights
Yeah, I saw that. It's just a re-release of the Series 1 DD, though...
The wave one DD didn't have the chest musculature nor the detail on the mask. It lacks the paint apps on the feet, though, and uses the peg-hole feet instead of the original flats. It was the only set from the Target wave that wasn't a re-release of characters available elsewhere.
Huh. The alternate head for Sin-Eater is... really surprising. I mean, it's a neat little pack-in and I always appreciate extra Minimate heads, but... I can't imagine anyone was clamoring for it (... and I don't think if it wasn't included anyone would've even thought of it).
But hey, kudos for not cutting corners.
You're right. That's definitely more of a "wow, what? Really?" than a "yeah that's right"...