Review of Batman Black & White Statue - Jae Lee Design

Introduction

Time for another Batman Black and White review!  This time around it's a design based on the artwork of Jae Lee, who is working on the Batman/Superman series. I'm not sure why it took so long for this guy to show up at my door, since he started shipping back in September. But better late than never, and you can pick him up from your local comic shop or favorite online retailer for around $65 or so.

Packaging - ***
They've stuck with the same basic design, and the egg carton foam trays work great at keeping this guy safe and sound. That's critical, because the spikes on the gloves and the sharp tips of the cape can be broken quite easily.

They've also gone back to a numbered limited edition with these, although 'limited' is a stretch.  This guy is one of 5200, but there's no Certificate of Authenticity. The edition size and individual number is printed on the bottom of the base, as well as the exterior of the box.

Sculpting - ***
I'm torn on this one, because I really like the art of Jae Lee, and I really like the work of Jonathan Mathews. But there's some aesthetic issues this time for me holding him back from a higher score.

The pose is excellent from the neck down. I like the walking forward look, particularly with the swirling cape around his legs. There's menace and determination in the stance, and some wonderful clean cuts to the musculature that helps define the artistic style of Lee.

But it's that pose of the head that's throwing it off. It's not un-Lee like - there are plenty of examples of panels with Batman and other characters looking upward. I'm betting this exact pose is from a cover or specific critical panel, but even without a specific reference it's not a surprising design. But...I'm not digging it.

The mouth is open, there's a worried look in the eyes (from the way the eyebrows and wrinkles are done), and something about it just doesn't work for me. Of course, this is purely an aesthetic, artistic issue, which means your mileage could vary quite a bit.

These statues are generally in 1/12 scale, and this guy is just about 7" tall, including the base.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is quite clean, easily hitting the mark for expectations at this price point. There's the occasional sloppy edge, but overall the work is solid.

I particularly like the shading and use of distinct but minimal tones. This simplistic style - simple even for a gray scale figure - works extremely well with this pose.

Value - ***
Somehow they've managed to keep these in that same $60 - $70 range, after they went up in price a couple years ago.  They actually made it up into the eighties at one point with an SRP of $90, but have dropped back into a reasonable $60 - $70 range. How often does that happen?

Things to Watch Out For -
The spikes on the gloves are very long and very thin, a recipe for disaster if you aren't careful. The very tips of the flowing cape are also fragile, so handle this one with extra care.

If you're taking photos of this guy, there's one other thing to watch out for. Because of the pose of the head, torso and right arm, you can get some pretty unsettling angles. Crop with care, or expect people to make cracks about just what Batman might be doing.

Overall - ***
This will likely be a statue that creates differing opinions. There's no doubt the quality is up there, from the sharply defined sculpt to the solid paint work, and you can't argue with the price.

But for me, the pose just isn't working. It's the skyward look, which might not be out of the ordinary for Lee, but seems off when done in a permanently gazing statue.

I'm glad I have him - I'm a completist with this series, don't you know - but I'll be displaying him on a shelf below eye level. That's one way to make this pose work perfectly!

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth  is also at $70.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Batman Black and White reviews include the recent Zombie Batman, the terrific Harley, the Earth 1 and 2 Batmen, the Capullo Joker, Allred, Bane, Batman Beyond, Bolland Joker, Jock and Cooke versions of Batman, New 52 Jim Lee Batman, Sam Keith version, the Mignola variant, the humorous version based on artwork by Sergio Aragones, the Gleason and Chiang versions, the Finch version, the Bermejo Joker, the Tony Daniel Batman, the Arkham Asylum version, the cool Man-bat, and don't forget the other black and white Joker from 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*

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