In the late ’90s, McFarlane Toys picked up several comic book licenses, and among them was Joseph Linsner’s Dawn. Dawn is Linsner’s trademark goddess, and she’s appeared in loads of his comics, art prints, and collectibles, as well as being a staple of the costume community at Dragon*Con in every year. Here’s a retro review of McFarlane’s Dawn figure, complete with photos.
Nearly every time you see Dawn in a comic or art print, she’s in a different outfit. Nevertheless there are a few things about her that remain iconic, such as her red hair covering her right eye, the eternally present tears under her left eye, a rose that usually appears somewhere on here, and a frequent linkage to the incarnation of Death, as well as to masks of drama. All of those elements are present in McFarlane’s fantastic representation of the character.
Dawn is in the 6″ scale and comes with a detailed display base depicting a street with a thorny tentacle sort of thing bursting up from it. Roses and skulls adorn the growth, and there’s a slot in the top where a sword accessory can be inserted. A comedy mask and a tragedy mask can be arranged on the sword, and a horned Death skull fits atop the sword hilt. It all comes together to make a nicely detailed, simple display.
The details in the design, sculpting, and painting on the base as well as on Dawn herself are very impressive. Dawn’s outfit has padded leggings that show the creases very believably, and there are armor elements on her hips, arms, and feet. Her chestpiece is made from a transparent plastic that is adorned with a green skull pattern very fitting for the character.
There have been a couple more Dawn action figures made by other companies after this one, but McFarlane’s Dawn is still the best action figure representation of the character.
Check out the rest of the photos:
( McFarlane Dawn Action Figure Flickr Set )
