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Brightest Day Figure Review:

Captain Boomerang

Like a bad penny that always turns up, a boomerang also comes back around. Captain Boomerang is no exception and returns to the DCU in the Brightest Day Storyline. But how does this version fare on the map?

Click Full Story below to find out!

Note: This article makes no mention of Collateral Damage Captain Boomerang (Owen Mercer, pictured above), the son of Digger Harkness who was introduced in Identity Crisis and has an entirely different power set. This article is only comparing the Original Captain Boomerang to the reborn Captain Boomerang (and other Sharpshooters).
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On the "Useful Sharpshooter scale" Brightest Day Boomerang falls somewhere below Hitman, but above Jonah Hex, in the range of ~60 point figures. Before we begin talking about Captain Boomerang, let's look at his biggest competition for pure game mechanics.

aa022 E Hitman
Team: Calculator
Range: 6
Points: 61
Keywords: Gotham City, Soldier

7 9 16 2

7 10 16 2

6 10 16 2

6 9 15 2

6 8 15 2

5 8 14 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Attack) Guns Blazing: Give Hitman a power action. He makes two separate ranged combat attacks as free actions (making two separate attack rolls against two different target opposing characters). Resolve the first attack before making the second; if he loses Guns Blazing before making the second attack, he can't make the second attack.
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A Wild Card TA, and the Gotham keyword make him useful filler on Bat Ally and Enemy teams. Tommy's just plain mean surrounded by three Enhancement loaded AA Gotham Detectives, able to use Guns Blazing to dish out 10 damage per turn with a 12 attack.

On the other end of the cheap sharpshooter spectrum there's Jonah Hex, who's Wanted Poster trait almost makes up for his 9AV, but doesn't do anything to offset the bounty hunter's 1 damage and low defenses. Should Hex get Outsidered, or Outwit he's left shooting blanks.

jh001 V Jonah Hex
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 8
Points: 65
Keywords: Past, Soldier

7 9 15 1

7 9 15 1

7 8 14 2

7 8 14 2

6 8 16 1

6 8 16 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Special) Wanted Poster: At the beginning of the game, choose an opposing character. Jonah Hex modifies his attack value by +2 when attacking the chosen character.
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I'll admit comparing the Confederate Soldier to a boomerang thrower isn't exactly apples to apples, or even Kangaroos to Koalas. Still, Brightest Day Captain Boomerang has a lot to offer. Take a look.

bd005 V Captain Boomerang
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 61
Keywords: Brightest Day, Rogues

8 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 10 17 2

7 9 16 1

6 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Attack) Boomerang's Path: Give Captain Boomerang a power action and choose up to 6 different squares within line of fire (ignoring characters for this purpose.) Each square must be different, adjacent to the previously chosen square, and the first and last squares chosen must be adjacent to this character. Make an attack roll and compare the result to each character occupying a chosen square. Each character hit this way is dealt 2 damage.

Boomerang's Path defines the Captain's ranged abilities nicely, making him a dire threat to swarms. That he can still throw when based by opponents and also attack Stealthy figures is just icing on the awesome Aussie cake. That's right, I said he can attack Stealthy figures - Boomerang's Path does not target characters using LoF.

There's been some confusion as to how the power works. Think of it like an actual Boomerang. CB throws the weapon, picking up to 6 squares for the "path" of the Boomerang to follow, with the stipulation that the first, and last square have to be adjacent to him - he has to throw and catch it after all.

Still, the way the card is worded it evokes other questions. Does it activate Shape Change? Super Senses? What gets used in determining defense, Combat Reflexes or Energy Shield/Deflection?

Rather than sort it out, I'll let the RA explain:

Back to the figure itself: Captain Boomernag's 10 attack and Running shot give incentive to push and while he can use RCE on adjacent opponents he'll want to hang back to get more milage from ES/D. Final click Regeneration lets him bounce back to his top, like a Boomerang coming back around.

There's no arguing that Brightest Day's Boomerang is an improvement on the 78 point Justice League version, Sharpshooter alone makes up for most of the difference, and Boomernag's Path is a far better upgrade from Boomerang, which was burried on the back half of the dial, and likely never used often.

jl026 V Captain Boomerang
Team: Calculator
Range: 8
Points: 78
Keywords: Rogues, Secret Society of Super Villains, Suicide Squad

8 10 16 2

8 9 16 2

7 9 17 2

7 9 17 2

7 9 16 2

6 8 15 2

6 8 14 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Speed) Boomerang: Give Captain Boomerang a power action and make a ranged combat attack against a target opposing character. If the attack succeeds and the result of the attack roll is doubles, after the resolution of the attack Captain Boomerang can immediately make a second ranged combat attack against a different target opposing character as if he occupied the square occupied by the first target. If he loses Boomerang before making the second attack, he can't make the second attack.
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Despite some setbacks, JL Boomerang holds his own against the reborn Captain, with more Keywords and an actual TA. Some of the power and ability combinations of the original will be missed. Borrowing the Suicide Squad TA when Masterminding damage to KO a teammate was not only an effective way to earn a healing boost, but also comic accurate as Digger would throw anyone under a bus to save his own skin.

The Justice League version yearns to be pushed off his top click for better damage potential at the sacrifice of AV. He almost demands Perplex on that top click to open with three damage. Furthermore Boomerang 1.0 is easily shut down by adjacent opponents, something Boomerbutt v2 never has a problem with (aside from Outwit).

It's a testament to good dial design that there will be times when I will reach for the original Justice League version (mostly when I'm playing the Suicide Squad). Sure Digger's a little clunky, but has style (and Energy Explosion). However whenever I'm making a Rogues build, the Sharpshooter and Boomerang's Path Special Power win out.

This is one HOT figure, I can't wait to use, I think his SP is Amazing. Last night Tyroclix used him with great efficiency, according to him, he performed exactly as I hoped.

Digger is the Man!!

Watch out Flasher!

Great article Mouse.

I used him last night and he did well - by well I mean for his point cost. I was using the card's wording and not the pending rewrite so it was an attack roll and not a Ranged Combat Attack so no ES/D nor (more importantly) Hindering Terrain modifier.

His attack values need help. And while pushing him to get good is an idea, it leaves him vulnerable to a quick KO with such a short life.

That being said, for the points, I went with using his SP over Regenerating since I was based by Carnage, Symbiote, and Ben Reilly. He had the potential to deal 5 clicks of damage (He did manage to KO Symbiote). I like him.

I like that when he's down to 1 damage with RCE, he can still deal 2 damage with the SP, should the RCE be countered.

I have used him once now. He is pretty handy for the points. One note though;

His special doesn't specify opposing characters, thus he hits teammates. (Which works out if, for example, Hawkgirl is carrying say, the Red Lantern Object, and you want her to drop it before swinging.)

This is a nice little write-up. I appreciate having the option of a lower point Digger for Suicide Squad teams.

As an aside: I reviewed some of my Suicide Squad builds from the last year, and there were a few that could use the new Captain Boomerang with some other jiggery-pokery of other characters. On pure Suicide Squad teams, I think the JL version wins out...especially if he is teamed with Nightshade.

That being said, if we get some revisited Suicide Squad members with alternate point values (I'm thinking of a Deadshot with a dial/cost similar to Comedian-006), the Brightest Digger will begin to factor into some of my classic builds.

Captain Boomerang is good, I like him so far, he has done well for me.

Expect that to be errata (per the RA quote in the article).

yea, his sp is awesome. makes him a must play when i play a BD team

does anyone else think his sp would be great for a captain america figure? with his shield bouncing around and always seeming to come back like a boomerang?? just wondering

Umm... this isn't a HoT figure. He's not even from the same universe as Thor, and he's going to be in an upcoming DC set...

Great addition to the Rogues!

I really like both the new and the old. Considering I play mostly 3-player battles, the 2 damage on the old version makes him not a target, which is always good.

Damage is overrated anyways, when you can stun with EE.

Hey does Armor Piercing work on the special power ?