Review of Catwoman - Gotham City Stories Statue

Introduction

Back in the foggy past when the dinosaurs ruled the earth and there were still Warner Brothers stores at the local mall, I bought a series of cool wall hanger animated DC characters. Once displayed, they ended up some of my favorite items because of their unique look.

So when DC Direct announced their new version of DC wall hangers, called Gotham City Stories, I knew I'd bite. I reviewed the first release (Batman, of course) awhile back, and now the second in the series is out - Catwoman. She'll be followed up shortly by Joker and then a Robin/Harley release. I haven't heard of any additional announcements yet, but time will tell.

The Edition Size on this one is 2000, and she runs around $75 - $85, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
These are boxed, in sturdy Styrofoam, but without any sort of viewing window.

The exterior gives you info on the edition size, the artist, and the other statues in the series. The work looks good, although it's fairly standard and not particularly unique.

There's also a Certificate of Authenticity, done on paper rather than card stock. It's fairly large (about 4x6), and printed only on one side.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Catwoman is a bit more demure in her exit than Batman or the Joker. She's sitting on the ledge, with her whip wrapped around a convenient architectural outcropping, ready to swing her legs over and out. Her puddy tat partner is also on the ledge, although I have no idea how she's going to carry that cat with her, swinging over the city.

While her exit might be demure, her costume is not. Her zipper is appropriately low - Batman has his yellow oval to catch your eye, Catwoman has her cleavage. Of course, this only works if her implants are made of Kevlar.

The face sculpt is pretty but tough, with a moderate expression. Her goggles are on her forehead, to avoid blocking your view of her pretty eyes.

There's also lots of detail work on the window backdrop itself. The textured surface looks very much like old world brick, and there is a cat-like symbol above the window, mimicking the bat that was above the Batman window.

The glass looks like the real deal, and they even remembered to include the perfectly cut circle, which she would have used to gain entry in the first place.

These aren't huge, running about 6" square. On the back is both a set of wall hangers plus a pull out leg if you'd rather prop them photo frame style on the desk.

One of my favorite aspects of these is the similarity. These could all be windows in the same building, which means that you can place them side by side, or one over the other, and create the look of a building facade. The ultimate would be to design more than one to interact when displayed together, but still look appropriate if they were displayed individually - there's your challenge, DCD!

Paint - **1/2
While I'm quite happy with the general appearance of the sculpt, the paint work isn't quite up to the quality expected, particularly at this price point.

There's more slop here than I like, particularly around the silver goggles. The work on the cat is a bit weak as well, and there were more air bubbles and wrinkles in the background sticker than there should be. Again, these aren't cheap toys, and there's an expectation that you'll get $80 worth of quality.

Value - **
These are cute, no doubt about it. They'll be fun hanging on the wall, especially as a set. But I have to say this $80 price tag is feeling a bit much, particularly when the Batman: Black and White statues can generally be had for less.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing, short of dropping it on the floor.

Overall - ***
While the price is a bit steep and the paint work needs improvement, I have to say that I'm enjoying the concept. I love the old animated character hangers that Warner Brothers did, and these will look great on the wall with them.

With only two more announced however, I fear we might not see much beyond the Robin/Harley battle set. While having Catwoman, Batman and Robin climb out a window makes sense, I'm not sure how many other characters would apply. Let's face it, even the Joker is a bit of a stretch, and the only other truly logical character I can think of is Nightwing. But maybe we can simply get other window scenes - how about Two Face threatening to drop some poor guy out of a window?

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has her for $88.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've also reviewed the first release, Batman.

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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