|
Packaging - ***
Pretty much the same box we've seen with every release, with different
character photos. There's no Certificate of Authenticity, but the
edition number is on the bottom of the box and the bottom of the
statue. No window either, but that's been true of the entire run.
Sculpting - ***1/2
Mr. Bermejo has done quite a bit of work on the Batman series,
including the graphic novel titled "Joker", done in 2008. The sculpt
and design here is clearly based on that work. I don't recall this exact pose in the book, but there was a scene very similar where the Joker is leaving Arkham, and it looks like this design is a amalgamation of a couple panels. And
while this is clearly not Ledger as the Joker (the graphic novel was
released the same year), you can clearly see the similarities between
Bermejo's artwork and Nolan's vision. I enjoy the realism and
sharp detail of Bermejo's work, and the Joker graphic novel is not just
a great story, but a great looking one. The talented Jean St. Jean has
done a nice job translating the design into three dimensional resin,
and has captured the hyper-detail in the wrinkling and scarring of the
face extremely well. Unlike the recent Tony Daniel's Bats,
I love this pose. There's just the right amount of dynamic movement in
the design, with the blowing coat tails and determined gait. He seems
intent on evil doing, and nothing is getting in his way. The
statue and base are one piece this time, so no need to assemble on your
end. He's a bit on the larger side, similar to the Bermejo Bats, so
he'll look best posed near him on the shelf. These are all in that 6 -
7" scale, some being more in line with 6", some with 7". This guy tends
more toward the latter.
Paint - *** Obviously,
the Joker is done up in grayscale tones largely, although there are
some fairly white areas (his face), and others that are very black (his
coat). There's plenty of intentional slop here, particularly on
the face paint, where the work is intended to make him look rough and
slightly off kilter. It's a bit too heavy handed in this area for me
though, with too much dark paint in the detailed wrinkles and scars. The
work from the neck down is excellent though, and there's a great touch
that is difficult to see in photos. The interior of the coat, seen only
where it is blowing upward, has a gloss black 'lining' that looks
terrific in person.
Value - **1/2
At around $70, he's a reasonable, average value compared to other
statues currently on the market. If you start paying $80 or more, you
can drop another half star off this score. With a **1/2, that means
this score has no appreciable effect on my Overall score either up or
down.
Things to Watch Out For - Not a thing!
Overall - ***1/2 For those that like Bermejo's work,
particularly those that picked up the Batman Black and White Bermejo
Batman earlier, this is a terrific addition. It makes a nice companion
to the earlier statue, and gives us a terrific modern age rendition of
the clown prince.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Alter Ego Comics has him listed at $68. - Fanboy Collectibles has him at $68.
- Urban
Collector has him at $68 as well.
- Big Bad Toy Store is at $70. - Things From Another World has him at $72. - Entertainment
Earth has him at $73.
- Capstone Comics has him at $80.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
Related
Links - Other Batman Black and White statue reviews include: - just recently, I checked out the Tony Daniel Batman. - prior to that it was Arkham Asylum.
- back before the holidays, I looked at the cool
Man-bat, and don't forget the other black and white Joker by a Lee - Jim Lee.
- before that, we had the Quitely version of
Batman, the Bermejo, the McGuinness
version, the Dave Mazzucchelli
version, the Penguin, Gotham Knight 2 version, the Bruce Timm version, the Ethan Van Sciver version, the Aparo, the Neal Adams and George Perez versions, the Gotham Knight, Bob
Kane, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Matt
Wagner, Mike Mignola, and Kelley Jones. *whew*
Discussion:
Want to chat about this
review? Try out one of these terrific
forums where I'll be
discussing it!
Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find
thousands more just like it!
KEEP
SCROLLING DOWN FOR MORE
PHOTOS!
|