Anakin Skywalker/Durge - TLC - Comic Packs (2)

Anakin accompanies Obi-Wan to the Karthakk system, where they hope to prevent the assassination of a Corellian merchant. They board the merchant's damaged space yacht – and walk right into a trap set by Durge, a centuries-old bounty hunter. Anakin battles the powerful Durge in a grueling contest of strength and cunning. Durge has wired the ship with explosives and escapes before the blast, but the bounty hunter makes a fatal error when he underestimates Anakin's skill with the Force.

The introduction of Durge into the Clone Wars storyline was a successful move by Lucasfilm. An immediately favorite character, Durge was part evil, part bully, part bounty hunter and part invincible enemy. Even when he succumbed to battle against the Jedi, he always seemed to come back. Durge battled some of the toughest Jedi in the galaxy including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. In fact, his encounter with Obi-Wan Kenobi made for some of the most exhilarating action packed sequences in Tartakovsky's Clone Wars micro-series. Even in the Clone Wars, Tartakovsky left us with a cliffhanger that Durge may indeed not be fully defeated. Durge has also been a character of significance in Hasbro's line of action figures too. He got two separate releases in the original 2003 Clone Wars line as both a deluxe and basic figure. (There are good and bad points to both.) And he also was released as an animated figure in the 2003 TARGET exclusive action figure line (and subsequent general rerelease in 2005). Always towering over most action figures, Durge is an imposing foe and someone with whom not be against in political ideology (or spiritual ideology).

So how did the Comic Packs interpretation of Durge turn out? Well, it's a mixed bag. With the success of the Comic Packs line, Hasbro creates a nice action figure of Durge but he doesn't appear too faithful to any source we have come across. The results are probably equally good and they are bad, although we are leaning to good more than bad. The unfortunate thing that grabs our attention immediately is his small stature. He is essentially as tall as the included Anakin Skywalker figure. If you look in any source of the Clone Wars (comics, books, Tartakovsky's series) you will see that Durge absolutely towers over all the other characters. Hasbro decided to ignore this detail and while they made a very good action figure, Durge isn't authentic as far as height is concerned for this to be considered the definitive version of him. He is beautifully colored and Hasbro added a great option of giving him a removable helmet, only to unveil a very scary visage. His left hand is huge and very creepy and it is clear that he has strength that exceeds most humans. Durge has two functioning holsters that house his very large pistols, but he can only hold one gun at a time thanks to his oversized extremity. His helmet is very reminiscent of a bucket or pail, but it looks really good on him. He has the standard symbol painted on his chest and it looks great against his very metallic looking body armor.

Anakin Skywalker is a bizarre action figure too. He has very strange coloring which is not consistent with how we know he looks. And the extra color in the robes seems to wash out his face which in turn makes him look a bit anemic. He is based on the Anakin Skywalker (Clone Wars Commander) figure from 2005's ROTS Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions set, but this time besides being repainted also has an all-new head. Hasbro didn't properly ensure good attachment and the head gets knocked off very easily with the slightest movement you give it. The neck joint is much too fat for the size of the hole in the new portrait and it is such a shame because this is an action figure that needs more mobility in the head. But on the other hand, Anakin's battle worn outer robe is quite impressive as Hasbro decided to punch a few holes in it to make it seem more believable that he saw some battles. So, while Anakin Skywalker is a good figure, you may need an adjustment period to get totally used to his new look. The Anakin Skywalker/Durge Comic Packs set is a great product and while it is not free from flaws, it does succeed in so many ways. If you want the best Durge, we recommend the Deluxe version from 2003. It does lack in some aspects, but due to the reduced height of this new Durge, we have to say that this one falls short (no pun intended). But then again, there are some details that Hasbro captured that make it worth its shortcomings. You will have to decide for yourself however.