Review of Batman Black and White Statue
Becky Cloonan

Introduction

While I still love the Batman Black and White series of statues from DC Collectibles, it's been awhile since we had a really unique, eye catching, dynamic design. But their latest release, based on the artwork and style of Becky Cloonan, is one that will certainly grab your attention.

Ms. Cloonan is the first woman artist to handle the main Batman series for DC, and she's also a double threat. Not only is she a terrific artist, but she's a fantastic writer as well, with a number of Eisner Awards. I'm also pretty sure she's the first female artist - although I haven't gone back through every release to double check - to be turned into one of the Black and White statues.

This release will run you around $70 at most comic and online shops, and has just started shipping. It's a limited edition of 5000.

Packaging - ***
The usual. I'm not a huge fan of the basic, plain design, but the interior eggshell trays are made from a sturdy, dense styrofoam, and it's all collector friendly. There's no Certificate of Authenticity, and I didn't see any edition indicators on the box, but the edition size and number are printed on the bottom of the statue base.

Sculpting - ****
It's been awhile since the pose and design of one of these has really 'wow'ed me. Lots of standard fighting stances, all gritty and grim...but not much in the way of uniqueness. But here's a design that breaks the streak of ho-hum.

It might not be for everyone because of that, but I love it. The flowing, intricate cape is a little Spawn-esque, and a lot dynamic. He appears to be floating, with both feet slightly above the ground, and the steel post that keeps him afloat is well hidden. The overall texturing and detail work is good, and claw-like hands evoke more of the bat theme.

This one is pretty big overall, thanks to that cape. Like most, the character is about 7" tall, but the overall statue is closer to 9 1/2". While he's well muscled, he's also more svelte than many of the more recent, chunky Batmen in this series, and the tiny belt is less obtrusive.

Paint - **1/2
As much as I love the sculpt, the paint lets it down.

There's a general sloppiness to the edges, but the larger swaths of color are at least consistent in coverage and finish. They've mixed in gloss and matte finishes to add some more visual pop, a common trick with these statues.

The belt color is a little too close to the suit color for my tastes, but that's a minor nit. The big huge nit that really, really bugs me is the edge along the face, where it meets the mask. The skin color is clearly up on the mask itself, making the face look wide and flat, and goofing up the appearance of the chin completely. Argh!

Value - ***
Somehow, DC Collectibles has managed to keep this series very affordable. At $70, you're getting a better than average value, compared to other statues in this scale and style on the market, even from the same company. Add in the nature of a limited edition - even when 5000 is really not that limited - and you get a better than average score here.

Things to Watch Out For -
Be extra careful when handling the cape, and always take your time inserting the metal peg into the softer resin base. Otherwise, you should be good to go.

Overall - ***
While I love just about every release in this series for one reason or another, they don't always stand out in the crowd. This is one that definitely will, with a very dynamic, unique, and interesting design.  If they just hadn't screwed up the paint work, particularly around the chin, it would be one of my favorites in the series over the last couple years.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth follows the pattern at $70.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've checked out a lot of the Batman Black and White statues, including 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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