Pulp Arcana Studios: The Lion Doesn't Sleep Tonight

AWOK Gladiator Atreiu

Howdy Planeteers! We’ve had some good times with Hasbro during Mighty Marvel March, but there are so many other interesting companies and compelling lines out there. Today, I wanted to get back to introducing you all to figure lines you may not be familiar with, show you something cool and see if it sparked your interest the same way it sparked mine.

Animal Warriors of the Kingdom is a line that has interested me for a while. Made by Spero Toys, Animal Warriors of the Kingdom (AWOK) is a fantasy line featuring anthropomorphic characters in a primal world of warriors and empires. Starting out as a Kickstarter, it’s been going strong for a few years now.

One of the things that grabbed my attention so much for this line is their design aesthetic. AWOK figures seem to have this perfect balance between modern collectible figure detail and articulation combined with a toyetic feel that gives me pure 80s toy vibes. The bright colors, slightly exaggerated proportions, and mixture of animal and human elements feels right at home alongside Masters of the Universe or Thundercats, yet the detailed character designs are clearly modern. This combination is massively appealing to me, and so I decided that I needed to take the plunge and try out this line. So come with me, Planeteers, and we will take a look at Gladiator Atreiu from Animal Warriors of the Kingdom, and see if he can deliver on this promise of retro joy in a modern package.

A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief:

Artifact Identified:

Gladiator Atreiu

Animal Warriors of the Kingdom

Spero Toys

OUT OF THE CRATE:

Spero’s packaging for their AWOK figures is simple, but effective. The white and blue color scheme is eye-catching, and honestly, kind of a nice change from the fairly wide-spread use of black that seems to dominate most action figure packaging. It is clean and striking, with the AWOK logo presented below the plastic window.

The majority of the front of the box is given over to a clear window displaying the figure and accessories. Spero knows their figures look great and want to lead with that, and it is the right call. This particular figure, with his gold color and blue markings, pops, even against the orange and red patterned background behind him. The result is an emphasis on the figure that makes you want to get him out and get posing almost immediately.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:

Free from the box, Gladiator Atreiu looks really good. There are a number of versions of this particular character, as he is one of the main heroic characters in the line. This particular look is from a section of the story where he is fighting in a gladiatorial arena, hence the “gladiator” aspect to his name. When I was selecting a figure from the line to get, it was this particular look that spoke to me.

My favorite aspect of this particular figure are the dark blue markings and warpaint on the face, chest, and arms. These touches of color pop. The ones of the face especially do a great job of not only bringing a little more complexity to the facial features, but it also helps the orange, feline eyes stand out. This is what convinced me to get Gladiator Atreiu over the other figures offered from Spero, with the figure in hand, I am definitely convinced I made the right choice.

Atreiu is a lion-like humanoid. The cat-like features are prominent in the facial sculpt. Now, there are obviously going to be comparisons to the classic 80’s figure line, Thundercats, which to me absolutely feels like the origin point for this line. Different from the Thundercats line though, AWOK figures lean much more heavily into the distinct animal aesthetic of each character. The feline nose and mouth on Atreiu, the pointed ears, and the sculpted fur on the body all push the look much more in the direction of lion rather than man. It is a hallmark of the line, and while at first I was a little worried that this would make it harder for this figure to meld with other lines for photos, I think it does fit fairly well.

The design aesthetic is noticeably a bit cartoony however. It does not become goofy at all, but it is not going to have the same grittiness that you see in things like Savage Crucible’s lizardman figures for instance. This is both the greatest asset to the design and perhaps its biggest weakness. This very much looks like a toy. While on a shelf as part of a collection, that is a great thing, but for photography, where I am often trying to blend that line between figure and realism a little bit, this sits squarely in the realm of figure.

The accessories that come with the figure are excellent. Gladiator Atreiu comes with a variety of extra hands, a large sword, vicious looking short sword, and one of the best spears I have seen. These particular weapons have a sort of tarnished metal look to them that I think is fantastic. They look amazing, and not only work well with the figure, but also have a realistic enough look that they could be used with other lines. I am not sure if that will be the case with accessories from other AWOK figures, but I kinda love these.

MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:

When I got my Atreiu, I was excited to get him out and get to posing him. As I did, I found the articulation is really good, but somehow not quite as great as I was hoping. I can’t quite put my finger on why though, and that is a little frustrating. In the past, I have mentioned how some figures seem to be greater than the sum of their parts. It feels like this is slightly the opposite. Everything is good, but not quite great.

There are good, double joints at the knees and elbows. However, even with the relatively minimal armor, I couldn’t quite get the full range of motion I wanted. It is almost there, but not exactly. The joints are pinned, and while that is far from any sort of deal-breaker, it is worth noting, as many lines are now fully pinless.

Neck movement again is good, and I could get some decent expressive poses with the head. However, I did find that the single shoulder pauldron on the right shoulder did interfere with the beard at times, and get in the way a bit when I was trying for more exaggerated poses. Again, good, but falling a little short of great.

I do really like the ab crunch though. It does have a swivel in the torso that allows a deep crunch, and I found that this gave me some posing options for combat poses. These joints are sometimes a mixed bag when I see them on say a Marvel Legends. They give great range, but the cut tends to be really noticeable, especially on a figure with a bare torso. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this looks in a neutral position, while still giving that good movement.

RECOVERED EVIDENCE:

FINAL RECKONING:

Honestly, this is kind of a hard one for me to figure out, if you will forgive the pun. On the one hand, this is objectively a really good figure. It looks great, especially if you love either the anthropomorphic aspect or the sort of retro-toy vibes that is clearly part of its DNA. The paint apps are good, the accessories are really nice, and the articulation is strong. I like it a lot.

But this was a figure I couldn’t wait to get in hand. That I expected to sit on my desk and be something I was constantly fiddling with and playing with. And it just hasn’t been. I’ve had the figure for a few weeks now, and I have not posed it nearly as much as I thought. One of my favorite terms in the action figure collecting community is “hand candy.” It refers to a figure that is just really satisfying to pose and play with and hard to put it down. I wanted this to be pure hand candy. For me, it wasn’t.

I’ll also add, even though it is a bit of a niche thing, that photographing it was an interesting challenge. While I loved the shots I got in my review lightbox, I found it difficult to get a “glamour shot” with background and diorama work and such. It might be due to that particular aesthetic, but I couldn’t get something I was really happy with. Instead, for this one, I opted to take him outside and get him against a natural backdrop with some sunlight. Again, not really a problem. But not exactly what I was hoping for.