Review of Batman Black and White Statue
Joe Madureira

Introduction

Joe Madureira is best known for his artwork in the Marvel comic book universe, but he has dabbled in DC as well. The latest statue in the long running series Batman: Black and White comes from such a dabble - the variant cover for Justice League Rebirth #1.

These have just started shipping, and will run you around $70 depending on the retailer. This is a limited edition of 5000.

Packaging - ***
Thankfully they went to back to a normal rectangular box awhile ago - dropping the weird angled edge on one side - but there's nothing particularly unique about the package. It is collector friendly of course, but there's no mention of the limited edition nature or size, and there's no Certificate of Authenticity.  The edition size and specific number are printed on the bottom of the statue base.

Sculpting - ***1/2
As a cover, I didn't think it was all that, but I have to admit to really liking the singular pose of Batman, translated into three dimensions. There's a heft to the musculature, and a cat-like feel to the dynamic pose. He's ready to spring, moments from battle, and the entire flow of the statue, from the pose to the expression to the flair of the cape, fits the expected outcome.

There's some nice surface detail too, with many of the lines, wrinkles, and patterns cut into the statue. Many of these sculpted details work in concert with the paint job to create a 'pencil art' feel, something I really like. They do it occasionally with this series, and it's always effective.

He's crouched, but with the base comes in at about 5" tall. He'll fit in great, scale-wise, with the rest of the series.

Paint - ***1/2
Using a very comic book style of gray-scale, they've managed to create a terrific looking statue within the confines of the palette. Like the cross hatch sculpt details, this paint job is intended to create a very specific look, as though you're seeing him right on a panel. It works, and is another technique used only occasionally but to great effect.

The work here is also much cleaner than we've seen in recent releases, a big plus. Very little slop, and the edges and cut lines are relatively neat. If they can maintain this level of paint quality at the current price point, I'm a happy camper.

Value - ***
They've managed to keep these guys around $60 - $70 for a long time now, and while the paint quality slips at times, this release shows no signs of that.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. The statue and base are one piece this time, so no assembly required.

Overall - ***1/2
In the roller coaster ride that is the Black and White series, this is one of those pleasant peaks. I didn't have a strong opinion about this one before I opened the box, and it's always nice to be pleasantly surprised. The detail of the sculpt, combined with the cross hatch style and clean paint, make this a terrific addition to the popular series.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him for $70 as well.

Related Links -
My most recent review of one of these statues was the Marc Silvestri, but I've done a lot of others including the Rocafort, the White Knight Joker. the animated Batgirl, the Sean Murphy Batman, 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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