LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes Green Lantern Jessica Cruz Polybag 30617 Review

Today we will be taking a closer look at the LEGO DC Super Heroes Polybag Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, set number 30617. This set came out in 2018, has 4 pieces, and was designed for people 6 and up.

Who is Jessica Cruz

While Cruz’s name is mentioned and we get to see her right hand in a single panel of the 2013 issue of Green Lantern #20, it was not until Justice League #31 in 2014 that she got her first full appearance. Jessica was traumatized when she and a friend accidently witnessed a mobster burying a dead body. Her friend was killed but she escaped. Her anxiety from this event caused the Ring of Volthoom to seek her out and take control of her body. With the help of Batman she was able to overcome the power of the evil ring. During the Darkseid War she proved her bravery and willpower causing the Green Lantern ring to enlist her in the Corps. This would make her the first human female to become a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She is also a member of the Justice League, which is where she makes her LEGO debut.

The Movie

The Jessica Cruz Polybag was a free insert in the “LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman - Rage of Atlantis” Blu-Ray and DVD boxed sets. The story revolves around Aquaman losing the throne of Atlantis and then he and the Justice League having to fight the Red Lantern Corps to save Atlantis and the world. Jessica Cruz is new to the League and must overcome her low self-confidence. This is a nice kid friendly twist on the adult PTSD backstory she suffers in the comics.

Leg Piece

The leg piece is an interesting design. The lower half of Jessica Cruz’s costume is black with knee high white boots. This is true in the comic books and the animated LEGO movie this character is based on. For the minifigure, LEGO used a black plastic for the hips and white plastic for the legs. They then printed black pants onto the front of the white legs. The boots in front are the white plastic and not from printing. Unfortunately, this technique left the sides and back of the leg completely white. This ruins the accuracy of the costume design. Also, by printing what should be the mostly black costume onto the white plastic legs there are a lot of unfinished sections. A white line can be seen near the middle of the leg where the curved and flat parts meet and the center groin area. If you bend the leg to pose your minifigure, even more of this white plastic takes over the suit. This flaw was on Bricklinks sample image and my minifigure. Making this a limitation of their machine’s printing ability and not just a fluke on a few minifigures. This is an original piece that only appears on this minifigure and I hope it stays that way. This is NOT the quality and attention to detail I have come to expect from LEGO.

The Torso

Thankfully, the torso piece lives up to the high standards LEGO has shown in creating their products. The original torso is where we start seeing the green coloring that is mandatory for a Green Lantern costume. Bright green was used for the outfit and dark green lines were placed on the front and back to show the muscles under the skin tight outfit. The green part of the costume is almost like a thin layer of armor and we can see the black fabric on the sides. While the cartoon version had shoulder pads and many comic versions of her character also have green shoulder pads, the minifigure used solid black arms. She was given white hands for her gloves. The green lantern logo is printed in the middle of a white circle in the center of her chest.

The Head Piece

The dual printed medium nougat head piece gives us two great facial expressions. The eyes with black female eyebrows and lashes is a common printing style found on lots of minifigures, but the green lantern logo on her right eye makes it unique and instantly recognizable. I love when you can tell what character a head piece belongs to, without any of the other minifigure pieces. Dark red was used for her lips. The second face gives us a drastically different appearance for our minifigure. It could be for when she was possessed by the Ring of Volthoom and known as Power Ring or she is just harnessing the full power of her current ring but completely in control. I love how the snarl on her mouth isn’t just the lips and teeth but a dark nougat line forming the line of her face as the skin moves with her mouth. The eyes are now green with the ring’s power flowing through her entire body. We see another dark nougat line between the eyes to show us her furrowed brow. The eyebrows are even more arched to show us her raw emotions. I love this head piece. It is probably my favorite part of the minifigure.

The Hair Piece

The hair piece brings us to our first and only non original piece. As of now, 143 minifigures have this hairstyle and 11 of those are also in black. I’m not sure the reason, but I LOVE these over the shoulder hair pieces that partly cover the minifigure’s face. The way the hair waves down the front and falls down the back is so life-like. While Jessica’s hair often falls in front of her face in the comics, this is more exaggerated on the minifigure. However, this is the exact piece the animators from the movie used when designing her hair.

No Accessories

It’s not surprising that there was nothing else included in this polybag. These free movie inserts rarely do. However, it is disappointing to not get a ring or a lantern. Even a small build would be nice. I have always thought the Lanterns are the perfect minifigures to be released with small builds, because their powers have them creating green objects out of their rings.

Conclusion

I love this minifigure. LEGO did a great job transforming the comic book heroine into minifigure form. Fans will instantly recognize this character. As a disclaimer, I am excited every time LEGO finds a way to give us another Green Lantern minifigure. I want more Lanterns. I want all the colors. I bought a Blu-Ray I’m not going to watch for Jessica Cruz, a book I don’t plan on reading to get Jon Stewart and two different LEGO sets to get Hal Jordan, Simon Baz and Sinestro. Keep them coming!