SUPER7 Releases MF DOOM Operation Doomsday ReAction Figure
The latest figure in the Bay Area design house’s toy line is the supervillain himself. Wave 1 pays tribute to the the 1999 debut LP.
Founded in 2001, San Francisco-based design house, Super7 has made a name for itself by producing pop culture-related collectibles over the last 2 decades. Although their output includes everything from apparel and accessories to retro Halloween masks and drinkware, Super7 is primarily known for toys, with their ReAction figure line being their trademark. Produced in the 3.75-inch scale first popularized by the original Kenner Star Wars line, ReAction figures typically represent characters and indviduals from popular culture. But while locking down contracts for officially licensed Transformers, Muppets, GI Joe, and Godzilla is impressive, the real standouts are the more obscure releases that most other companies never pursue. Beyond the products capitalizing on the nostalgia of mainstream film and entertainment, there are now ReAction figures for 80s skateboard crew, the Bones Brigade, along with figures representing mascots and imagery for bands like Motorhead, Gratefuld Dead, Descendents, Napalm Death, Venom, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Circle Jerks, Misfits, Social Distortion, and Agnostic Front. As the licenses grow, music-related figures have become a major component of the line with the hip hop figures being among my favorites. At this point, Beastie Boys, Run The Jewels, Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, Old Dirty Bastard, Slick Rick, and Biz Markie are among those who have been represented; some with multiple variations. One particularly successful collaboration for the company has been with Czarface, the comic-themed hip hop supergroup consisting of Boston duo, DJ 7L and Esoteric with WU Tang‘s Inspectah Deck. To date, the company has put out several waves of Czarface ReAction figures as well as a playset and shirts, while even being involved with the group’s Saucony shoe collab. But no matter how many social media posts Super7 makes announcing some new exciting release, commenters never miss an opportunity to suggest or demand something else. From all of the collabs that I’ve seen requested, none have been more prominent, consistent, or adamant than those demanding a figure of former Czarface collaborator, MF DOOM. Today, those pleas have finally been answered.
When rapper/producer, Daniel Dumile resurfaced using the alter-ego of MF DOOM at open mics in the late 90s, most people didn’t realize he was the same artist they’d grown to know as Zev Love X. As teenagers, Daniel and his brother Subroc co-founded the project KMD, later becoming friends with MC Serch and Pete Nice of 3rd Bass. KMD signed their own major label deal partially on the back of the notoriety gained by appearing in the video for the 3rd Bass track, “The Gas Face,” which featured Zev supplying the closing verse. After Sub was hit and killed crossing the Nassau Expressway, Daniel was forced to put the finishing touches on KMD‘s sophomore effort, Black Bastards, by himself. Now universally regarded as an underground classic, the LP was rejected and ultimately resulted in Dumile being dropped from the label following backlash regarding the controversial cover art that he’d illustrated for it. Shaken by these events, he effectively vanished for a number of years, even sleeping on benches and becoming virtually homeless. Due to his surname, Dumile was already referred to as “DOOM” by those who knew him, but he embraced the moniker more wholly after his experiences in the industry. Incorporating elements of the Fantastic 4‘s metal-headed nemesis, MF DOOM would embody the persona of a masked supervillain scarred by an industry that discarded him and set on “destroying” the rap game. He was done with the superficial shit and, as he explained in a 2011 Redbull Music Academy interview, the mask was a projection of his mindset that “it don’t matter what I look like. It don’t matter what the artist look like; it’s more what the artist sound like.” Perhaps it’s a bit ironic then that in pursuing this aim, DOOM spawned one of the most beloved and recognizable aesthetics that hip hop has ever, or will ever, produce.
Dumile began his transition into MF DOOM by utilizing things like bandanas and stockings to shield his identity. He would later begin work with friend and fellow graffiti writer, KEO (aka LORD SCOTCH 79 – born Blake Lethem) to develop the now-iconic mask, but the evolution came with time. The biggest development came when KEO got a hold of a prop helmet from the movie Gladiator, removed the face-plate, and had a metal sculptor friend shape it out into the basis of what we now associate with the supervillain emcee. Prior to that, his mask wasn’t even metal. The first incarnation was actually constructed from a plastic mask of the wrestler KANE that KEO modified and spray-painted silver. This was the mask featured in the video for the track, “Question Mark” from the debut MF DOOM LP, Operation: Doomsday [1999, Fondle ‘Em records]. KEO is also credited as the creator of the cover art on that release, but as he explains it, the whole concept and everything came directly from Dumile. Being an incredibly talented visual artist himself, he would bring KEO sketches which Lethem would then scan into the computer and “flip,” since Daniel didn’t have access or the skills to fuck with that computer technology. The imagery which they went with was essentially a straight-up rendering of Marvel’s Dr. Doom holding a mic in a green hoodie. This later proved problematic, when Stones Throw Records tried to reissue it in 2011 and, due to legal complications, Jason Jagel was tapped to paint a recreation of the cover art featuring a version of the more updated gladiator-style DOOM mask.
The new MF DOOM Super7 ReAction figure is a big deal for fans, but while this collab feels like a no-brainer for all of us who have been clamoring for it, that doesn’t mean it was inevitable. As a property, Dumile‘s legacy isn’t something that his estate takes lightly and collaborations are few and far between. Sure, there is plenty of unofficial merch, including a growing number of bootleg action figures on the web, but officially licensed products from sources outside of his own Gas Drawls website don’t surface very often. The 2007 Nike MF DOOM Dunk High Pro SB and the Clark’s Originals x MF DOOM Wallabee shoes from 2014 are two very specific examples of incredibly tasteful and brilliantly executed collaborations that continue to fetch really insane prices on the secondary market. Of course, the DOOM imagery lends itself perfectly to the toy world and, in 2007, Kid Robot teamed with Stones Throw on a Madvillain art toy that sold out the very same day it was released. The majority of us out here who don’t own one have long pined for a rerelease, if not simply someone else to step up and deliver a new figure. While I’m sure plenty have been interested in producing something, that doesn’t mean that they were going to lock that license down to actually follow through with it [Scartoccio from Concrete Jungle has been trying to get the okay to release a DOOM statue for years]. The inclusion of a makeshift bootleg DOOM figure alongside a Czarface figure in their “Bomb Thrown” video 5 years ago directed even more focus toward Super7 to be the one to do it.
The Bay Area toy company hinted at the DOOM figure and announced the release time would be this morning June 26th, but we didn’t really get to see the full imagery until they went live. Once it did, these things sold out within minutes. They were also offered over on Gas Drawls in conjunction with an array of new Operation Doomsday-related clothing items like hoodies T-Shirts and even a baby onesie. The figures have since sold out on Gas Drawls, as well, along with a batch that was offered through Get On Down, but before you decide to spend upwards of $100 or more on eBay, history dictates that this isn’t necessarily your final opportunity to own one of these.
Similar conditions took place with other high-demand ReAction figures like their first Czarface variant, but after the initial dump, select other retailers received an allotment of their own. If you’re looking to scoop one and missed the boat, the first thing that I would suggest is signing up for restock notifications on all 3 of these sites previously mentioned. I’d also keep my eye out for places like Brooklyn Vegan, which is a music retailer that also stocks a lot of these music-related ReAction figures. Outlets like DeepDiscount and PopMarket are also notorious for selling similar items. The first run of prototype-style Bones Brigade figures were even being offered through select skate shops that have an online presence. One thing to remember is that there was a time when the first ODB figure looked like it was gone for good, but now it’s fairly easy to find. Another important thing to mention is that these Operation Doomsday figures are specifically listed as “Wave 1” implying that more MF DOOM figures should be on the horizon. This is simply the Operation Doomsday figure and with DOOM having so many other great releases, collaboration projects (Madvillain, Dangerdoom, JJ DOOM, etc), and various aliases (Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah), this is only the first release in what could be a really impressive run. In time, we might be getting anything from a gold-masked DOOM to a three-headed kaiju. In other words, there’s a pretty high chance that shit might get bananas.
As for this drop itself, there are a few things that stuck out to me immediately. The first is that these figures were priced at $25, which is a noticeable jump from the usual $20 price tag on ReAction figures, let alone the previous $18 they used to cost. As of right now, this new price doesn’t appear to apply for all figures across the line, so it might be something worked out with the DOOM estate in particular. Since I’m always happy to help support Dumile‘s widow and family, this really isn’t much of a drawback for me. The other thing that is a little weird is the fact that this is supposed to be an Operation Doomsday figure, yet it’s sporting a modified gladiator mask, which conflicts with its own backing card featuring the Marvel-style cover art. Making the mask even less era appropriate is the fact that it not only has the post-Madvillain temple spikes, but the jewel in the forehead that didn’t start appearing until at least around 2011. The back of the card also pictures an illustration of this later-era mask surrounded by text and backstory related to Operation Doomsday.
I’m still planning to scoop this up and am excited to see what future waves may hold, but the release of this figure opens the possibility for something even more exciting. Aside from the 3.75-inch figures, Super7 is known for their highly detailed deluxe 7-inch Ultimates! figures which come with various accessories and include interchangeable heads and hands. One huge positive about the Ultimates! is they have an open preorder, so you don’t need to scramble before they sell out. The downside is that the lead time to manufacture them can take up to a year or more. We’re currently waiting on both the ODB and Czarface Ultimates! and I’m expecting that it’s only a matter of time before we see DOOM get the same treatment.