Review of Joker - White Knight Joker
Batman Black and White Statue

Introduction

The Batman: Black and White statue series continues its epic run with the latest release of a Sean Murphy style Joker. It's based on artwork from the comic Batman: White Knight, in which the roles of the Joker and Batman are reversed. We've already gotten the Batman in this series based on the comic, and this Joker follows it up.

This guy is a limited edition of 5000, and will run you $70 at most retailers.

Packaging - ***
Nothing too special. The current design, minus the annoying angled corner on the box. The interior hard foam trays hold the two piece statue safely, and it's all relatively collector friendly. While it's a limited edition, there's no Certificate of Authenticity and no mention of the edition on the box. However, both the edition size and specific number are on the bottom of the base.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The insane, wild eyed look of the Joker - even when he's a 'good guy' - comes through beautifully. The large grin and extreme expression work for me, and I particularly like the dynamic stance. In one hand, a straight razor, in the other, a mini-Batman. Details that could have been merely painted are sculpted into the statue, and the slash marks and suspenders on the torso add a lot of depth to the appearance, as does the curled out sleeves and boot tops.

He stands about 6 1/2 inches tall without the base, fitting in nicely with the overall series and particularly the Batman mate.

Paint - **
Unfortunately, things are pretty sloppy this time around. I like the overall palette, with a nice mix of black, white, and gray, but edges are fuzzy and poorly defined, and there's enough slop on the face to really hurt the final look, even in hand.

On the plus side, I do like the work on the right wrist (although it is a decal), as well as the highlighting on the various slashes/folds. It gives it a comic book, 2D, cross hatched feel, something rarely done well.

Value - ***
They've been keeping these guys around $70 for quite some time now, and while I'd like to see better paint work, I have to admit that it's still a mighty good price point.

Things to Watch Out For -
As always, take some care when inserting the metal foot peg into the much softer poly-resin base. Otherwise, you should be good to go.

Overall - ***
I like the odd duck releases like this, stuff outside the normal 'canon' story lines and styles. The art translated extremely well, and the design is solid. Pair him up with the corresponding Batman on the shelf, and they make a terrific pair.

That being said, there's more paint issues this time than I prefer. While I appreciate their efforts in keeping these affordable, they have to avoid cutting the quality too far.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - **
Value - ***
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth comes in at $70 as well.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Earlier Batman Black and White statues include the recent animated Batgirl, and the Sean Murphy Batman. Other recent Batman Black and White statues include the Klaus Johnson, Jiro Kuwata, Gerard Way Joker, the Gerard Way Batman, the Cloonan, the Spy vs Spy release, John Romita Jr's artwork, the Breyfogle, the Jason Fabok version, and the Sprang Joker and Batman. There's lots before that as well - you should also hit the Search Reviews page to find them and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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