Review of Joker - Arkham Asylum

Introduction

Hot Toys produces a wide variety of figures, but these days they tend to be part of the big three - movie characters from Marvel, Star Wars, or DC. We don't get a lot of the outliers any more, so when we do, it's always a pleasant change of pace.

Hot Toys does do video game characters on occasion, and their latest Joker is direct from the game Arkham Asylum. They've produced several Batmen from the Arkham video game series - one of my favorites is still Arkham City - and it's nice to have a Joker to counter them on the shelf.

This guy will run you around $230 depending on the retailer, and he's currently shipping.

Packaging - ***1/2
Nothing new, but it's attractive and well made. I like the game artwork on the cover, and the wrap around lid works well. It's all collector friendly too, and you'll have very little trouble removing the figure and accessories.

Sculpting - ***1/2
While this is not a 'real' character, but rather a video game extreme, he still has a lot of realism to his portrait. Hot Toys is the right company to bring that realism to life in a plastic version, with tons of fine detail work in the hair and skin textures.

The eyes are alive with malevolent desires. The wrinkles and creases belay his true intentions - the smiling face is far from joyful. That extra little piece of hair curling down over his forehead adds just the right touch to the overall hair sculpt, and the single piece head/neck design allows for better flow and consistency. By having his eyes look upward, they've added a ton of personality to the expression.

But I didn't go with a perfect score in this category, and it's the teeth that hold him back. They are a little bit too small and lack definition. They are the one weak link in an otherwise excellent portrait.

The figure is pretty tall, coming in at almost 12 1/2" to the very tip of his funky Mohawk.

Paint - ****
The wild hair color looks great, and there's a very subtle transition from the hair to the white skin. The red added to the lips and face extends the grin in a maniacal way, and the darker circles around the eyes increases the madness in his appearance. There's some bleed into the eyes, but with this character it works, upping the ante on his sinister look.

Of course, the paint work on the accessories is amazing as well. The finest details are brought to life with the paint, and the various extras - particularly the dart gun - look great.

Articulation - ***1/2
This is a very lean, very lanky, very long body. The thin legs and wiry frame work perfectly for this particular version of the character, and there's no interference from the suit or shoes.

I did knock off a half star for the one piece head/neck. While it looks better - and I gave them credit earlier for that - it is always going to be slightly less articulated. Thankfully, the shoulders, elbows and wrists allow for excellent, natural arm poses, and the hips, knees and ankles work fantastic. The ankles are worth a special note, thanks to their terrific rocker movement.

The suit does restrict the torso articulation a little - you won't get a ton of tilt or lean to the side. But you should have no issue finding fluid, natural poses, particularly with these accessories.

Accessories - ***1/2
He comes with a nice set of goodies, particularly useful for him in displays.

There are hands of course, 6 in total. There's a set of fists, a set of wide splayed hands, a gun grip right, and a mid-grip right. They sway easily enough, and there were a few extra wrist pegs just in case.

He has a wild pair of hypnotizing glasses, like something you bought out of a back of a comic in 1970.  There's a large gun, and a smaller dart gun with three darts. The sculpt and paint work on the dart gun is particularly amazing, and it's a very cool extra.

When Batman catches him, as you know he will, there's a set of working handcuffs, with a real metal chain. And he has the chattering teeth, but this time there's a bomb sculpted in the mouth!

There's the usual display stand with crotch support, and the artwork on the base is very nice, and will match up nicely with other game-themed releases. There's also the cardboard backdrop, showing the Arkham Asylum gate, but don't get too excited. These narrow backdrops aren't particularly useful, and if you're on the fence, it's not the sort of extra that will push you over.

Outfit - ****
The Joker is a dapper dude, no doubt about it. But this suit is showing a little wear around the edges, just like it should.

The tailoring on the pants and short jacket is fantastic, particularly considering the slender body. The fit is tight and clean, and perfectly in scale. There's a patch on one knee - some of the tattered look coming through.

The green shirt has some excellent detail work, right down to the tiny neatly sewn buttons, but it does tend to ride up on the front of his chest. I found that if you work the collar up the neck once in awhile, it looks quite a bit better.

The shirt has some blood spatter around the waist, a nice if gruesome touch. The belt has a real metal chain, and the shoes, with their sculpted spats, are quite impressive. Even the bow tie is properly scaled, and the sculpted flower on his lapel adds just the right touch of color to his ensemble.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Plenty of articulation and a nice assortment of useful accessories makes for a very fun figure, no matter the audience.  Collectors should have a great time posing and reposing him as their mood changes, and even kids could give him a play date...if he wasn't so expensive.

Value - **
I'm having a little trouble justifying the $240 price tag, no matter how much I like the figure. I have to believe that a video game license is not as expensive as the DC film license, and yet this figure is pulling in top dollar. He's about $40 over average for me.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. Everything here is sturdy and well made, and I had no fear of breakage or damage.

Overall - ***1/2
I don't pick up every Hot Toys video game figure, not even every one based on a Batman game. But this Joker was just too cool looking to pass up, and I'm glad I took the plunge. The sculpt, paint, costume, and accessories are all great...I just wish the price wasn't pushing the top end of the market.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow also has him in stock for $230.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Hot Toys has produced plenty of Jokers in the past, including the tuxedo Leto version, purple coat Leto, Arkham Asylum Leto, Mime Nicholson, regular Nicholson, and a wide variety of Ledger Jokers. And if you're looking for something a bit more comic book, check out this Sideshow release.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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