Packaging - ***
The boxes work well, cradling the statue inside safely with some reasonable graphics on the exterior. Of course, I prefer windows so that you can see the actual statue (or bust) that you're buying before you buy, and some additional background text on the whole Black and White concept would be nice, but the packaging is decent.
Sculpting - ***
Sculpted by Paul Harding based on Matt Wagner's work, this is a statue that
(like the rest of the series) will appeal to some and not so much to
others. Such is real art.
The style is a bit rougher, thicker and blockier than some may like, and
that's where my issues lie. The sculpt actually matches up pretty well
with the comic art, so if you're a big fan of Wagner's version, you shouldn't
be disappointed.
There's not a lot of detail work, which does match up with the
artwork. The wrinkling of the cape is extremely well done though,
especially around the hands where they are gripping the fabric, and there's
some more nice detail work in the pouches on the belt.
Scale on these guys allows them to fit in fairly well with 7" scale
action figures, and you could conceivably display them with some of the other
DC Direct action figures. I'd stick with keeping them together though on
their own shelf.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint is fairly straight forward, consisting of black and gray. But
they've used a nice gloss finish on the emblem, gloves and boots, allowing
them to stand out from the more matte cape and cowl.
All the paint is extremely clean and neat, with sharp cuts between the few
colors that are here. This is a solid quality job at this price point,
and hard core statue collectors won't be disappointed.
Design - ***
I'm not too sure about this pose. Some of the black and white statues
have poses that just leap off the shelf at you, grabbing your immediate
attention. Others have been fairly dull and uninspired. For me,
this version, with his cape held out to either side and looking slightly
downward, is someplace in the middle.
Value - **1/2
I'm grading this guy around $50, which is probably about what you'll pay. Find it closer to $40, and you can add another half star. That price range is about right for a statue in this scale, with comic book detail and style. The edition sizes aren't extremely low, so most of these haven't gone nuts on the secondary market, but they haven't gotten extremely cheap either, which is a good indication that the asking price is about right for what you're getting.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing, really. This line has had very consistent quality, so what you see on one statue tends to be what you see on every statue.
Overall - ***
This isn't my favorite of the entire line, obviously. But it is a good
representation of Wagner's artwork, and it is a very different pose than the
rest of the line up. That's important, because it makes the shelf a
whole lot more visually interesting.
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