Review of Todd McFarlane
Batman Black and White Statue

Introduction

The news broke just a couple weeks ago - DC Direct (aka DC Collectibles) is no more. We'll have to wait and see what Warner Brothers does to market their licenses going forward, and whether the more popular series they were producing, like the Batman Black and White statues, see any continuation. There are several of these on pre-order right now, and I'm crossing my fingers that this release won't be the last.

This release is the much anticipated Todd McFarlane Batman. He's 'deluxe', and comes with a price tag to match, around $135 at many retailers.  DC was also anticipating his popularity, and already put a version 2 up for pre-order at the same price. This second release has a slightly different color scheme, and the name "DC Direct" is on the bottom of the base for the only time in the history of the series.

This is the 100th unique statue in the line (they did several with multiple versions over the years), making him a milestone. Sadly, he may be another milestone, if it turns out he was also their last.

Packaging - ***
This is the usual box, nothing particularly unique. The single piece statue is safely cradled inside high quality foam trays, and it's all collector friendly.

Sculpting - **1/2
If you're only interested in this one statue, you're assessment of the sculpt is likely to be much different than mine. The design is all about the cape of course, and there's a lot of it. In fact, this is a huge hunk of solid cape, with a little head popped on top. It does follow the McFarlane style though, and it is quite impressive in size, coming in at about 10 1/2" tall.

But for those of us collecting this not as a single statue but as a next and perhaps final piece of the set, that huge size is the problem. He's completely out of wack with the rest of the series, which are usually in the 7" or so range. It's not just the height, but the enormous bulk of the thing, commanding over the others. If it weren't for the paint scheme, you'd probably wouldn't realize it was suppose to be part of the series.

I finally have the entire collection out on a shelf, and he doesn't fit in with the rest of the series well at all.  I'm docking them for it, because some level of consistency in scale has been a key for the success of this line.

Paint - ***
The comic book style highlighting, and the various blacks and grays, look good. There's a little slop, and not all the edges are as clean as I'd like (particularly at this price point), but it's not awful.  Using the various colors to highlight the details and create false shadows, much like they would on a comic panel, makes this one stand out. There's a handful of rub marks, and some sloppy edges, but it's basic B work.

Value - *1/2
While this statue is larger than any previous release, the price tag is larger still. Most of the series has been $75 or so, but with prices in the $120 - $130 range, this guy is far more expensive. Other than the McFarlane name, I'm not sure if the added cost is justified.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. You don't have to assemble this one, so you should have no issues.

Overall - **1/2
I haven't heard whether any of the remaining releases are going to make it out or not. I know that my retailer hasn't cancelled any of the pre-orders yet, but time will tell.

This release is not my least favorite in the entire series. I could name a dozen that I like less. But it is a disappointment, since McFarlane is such an iconic artist and his run on Batman is fairly memorable. Had the scale on this statue made a bit more sense in the context of the rest of the series, I think the design would have been fine.

I'm hoping this isn't the end of the series. There were several up coming statues that looked amazing, and it would be a major disappointment if they never see the light of day.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him at $135.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent Batman Black and White statue reviews include Doug Mahnke, Marc Silvestri, and Joe Maduriera.

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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