When one thinks of comic book publishers, the two big companies come to mind: DC and Marvel Comics. But there are other smaller companies out there that put out equally interesting material as well: Image Comics, Top Cow, Dark Horse Comics, even the 2000 A.D. line. One such company made headways in 2000 by delivering more fantasy and adventure type stories. CrossGen Entertainment was a breath of fresh air among the populace of superhero adventuring. This company focused more on a blend of fantasy with science fiction. But considering that all these characters were not as well-known as the Big Two, these smaller comic book publishers decided to get together and put their best characters together in a new HeroClix; therefore, Indy HeroClix was born.

One series I really enjoyed from CrossGen was called Sojourn. The protagonist is a woman named Arwyn who is on a quest to stop the resurrected and evil warlord Mordath. She needs to travel across the lands of the planet Quin and acquire all five shards of a magic arrow that once defeated Mordath. The interesting aspect of the story is Mordath. He is resurrected by unknown means because he bears the symbol of the Sigil. Throughout the universe, different people have been branded with this powerful symbol and have used its power to do good. Mordath is the exception as he is evil to the core and Arwyn wants to bring him down.

The regular Indy HeroClix set features four versions of Arwyn. The first three—Rookie (yellow ring), Experienced (blue ring) and Veteran (red ring)—has Arwyn holding a sword. The fourth version—Unique (silver ring)—has Arwyn holding her most prominent weapon: her bow and arrows. WizKids also developed a fifth version that was only available through Wizard magazine. This Limited Edition Arwyn has one advantage over all the versions making her a bit more powerful than her other incarnations.

Arwyn is armed with the mighty Bow of Ayden. This powerful weapon allows Arwyn's magical arrows to do some heavy damage either with her Running Shot (allowing her to move at half speed and doing a long range attack in one move) or Ranged Combat Expert (giving her long ranged attack an extra powerful +2 damage). She also comes equipped with Energy Explosion all the way down her dial! If the attack on the enemy is successful, any other opponent adjacent to the target also receives damage even though that damage is reduced to just +1. A great advantage Arwyn has over others is her Willpower ability. This optional ability allows her to make a second attack on her next turn without being penalized for it.

The sculpt for this figure is identical to her Unique counterpart except for one small detail—she has a dog Kreeg with her. It doesn't add anything extra to her abilities at all but it does show how loyal Kreeg is to her. But looking at the stats on her dial makes one wonder why she is a bit more expensive than Unique Arwyn. Her range is cut down by two from 10 to 8, her attack is down 1, and her speed is down 2. So what makes her a bit more special? It all comes down to her CrossGen team ability which none of her other versions have at all. When someone attacks Arwyn, that opponent automatically takes +1 damage, regardless of what defensive power that character has at the time. So while Arwyn's dial is not deep (six clicks out of twelve), she will always do damage to her opponent even if she gets KO'ed in the end. This is why she costs more than her other versions and a bit more valuable in gameplay.

This version of Arwyn is exclusive only through Wizard magazine and was available only through a mail away offer. She is now available on Wizard's online website for a great deal. For collectors, this is a great way to get her now if you missed her the first time.

Most of the characters in Indy HeroClix have low point values, short dials but multiple powers. Many characters can fit into a small team and do some great damage. Arwyn happens to be a bit more expensive than the average but considering what she is capable of doing to her opponents, her point value is still a bargain. Just be prepared to get into a real fight as this woman can really dish out the damage.


Product Details
Set: Indy HeroClix
Rank: Unique
Point Value: 84
Collector's Number: 223
Rarity: Limited Edition
Team Affiliation: CrossGen


________________________________________________________________


Related Reviews
DC HeroClix
Hypertime: Starter Set  ||  Experienced Harley Quinn (#035)
Icons: Limited Edition Professor Zoom (#209)
Collateral Damage: Limited Edition Ultimate Clayface (#220) 

Marvel HeroClix
Infinity Challenge: Starter Set  ||  Booster Pack  ||  Sentinel
Xplosion: Booster Pack
Ultimates: Booster Pack


______________________________________________________________


This is part of my 2009 Funny Pages Write-Off that runs until the end of July. Enjoy!


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1.00