|
Packaging -
***
It's the usual box, with the usual artwork and photos. It appears to be
slightly smaller than usual though, which is always a good thing.
Nothing wrong with less waste. Of course, if you're like me, when it
comes to statue boxes you end up keeping them anyway, so that means
smaller boxes take up less space.
Sculpting - ***
While the last few statues have been based on artists from earlier
periods, this one returns to a much more modern artist. Van Sciver is
probably better known for his work on Green Lantern, but he draws a
mean Bats too.
I
think the basic style and flow matches his work quite well, although
unlike some of the past statues, I don't recall this exact stance or
pose. If this is from a specific panel, send along the info and I'll
update with it.
EDIT:
Thanks to reader Matt, I now know where this pose is from: "The pose is
from the Superman Batman Vol. 5 The Enemies Among Us. It was the
main cover art for the series."
Villafane has done a very nice
job adding in the
right touch of detailing, particularly in the cape and cowl.
The
detailing on the musculature looks great, as does the slightly more
complex belt.
I wasn't too sure about this
pose, since he looks like he's doing step aerobics, but what sold me
on it in person is the cape. There's almost a McFarlane energy to the
way it envelopes him, and it really makes this one stand out.
Bats
only stands about 5 1/2" without the base, but because of his hunched
pose, it's tough to tell at first if that fits in with the rest of the
line. He seemed too
short when I pulled him out, and I when I compared him to a couple of
the other recent releases it was obvious - he IS too short. I knocked
off a half star for this issue alone. He's not a dwarf, but the
difference is noticeable.
It's
interesting to note that the statue pictured on the box is very
different than the final product in two obvious ways. First, there
isn't nearly as much texture on the costume. The sculpted statue on the
box looks much rougher all around. And two, the symbol on his chest has
a sculpted edge in the one on the front of the box, while the final
version has only a painted symbol. In this case, I prefer how the final
version looks.
Paint - ***1/2
If there's one area that causes me grief with these statues, it's the
paint. Rarely am I all that disappointed with the sculpts or designs,
but the paint can sometimes let me down.
Not this time, and in fact, this
is one of the nicer paint jobs we've seen on the whole series.
They've
used the trick of different finishes on different areas of black to
give the statue a bit more visual pop. For example, the gloves have a
bright gloss finish, while the cape and cowl have a flatter, matte
appearance.
The lines and edges are fairly
clean and neat, with
no bleed or slop anywhere. The symbol on his chest is centered pretty
well, but if you look closely, it does seem *slightly* tilted to his
right. On extremely close inspection, you can find some edges that
could have been slightly better (like the top of his boots), but it's
minor enough that most folks aren't going to notice.
They've also used the gloss
paint on the buckle of the belt, which is a very nice touch.
Design - ***1/2
I wanted to make special note of the design here, because they've done
something slightly different to make this one stand out.
They've
actually incorporated the base into the overall statue, with the cape
itself flowing down along the edges. I really like that concept, and
it's similar to the Aparo statue, which was stepping of the base with
one foot. I don't want them to over do the idea, but doing subtle
things to include the base into the overall design is a terrific idea.
By
the way, Van Sciver likes to incorporate hidden words and images in his
art, so I searched around the wrinkles of Batman's cape to see what
might be there. I came up empty. If you do stumble on something, let me
know.
Value - **
Unfortunately, these statues have reached that $65 mark at most
retailers. Some are charging as much as $80 or more, especially LCS'.
I'm assuming you pay around that $65 mark, which is a good $10 - $15 to
much. Get this guy for under $60, and you won't feel as sharp a pinch
when you open him up and realize he stands less than 6" tall.
Things To Watch Out For
-
You always want to be careful with these when attaching the softer
resin foot to the hard metal post in the base. It's pretty easy to
damage the foot if you don't take your time - don't force anything! Pay
particular attention this time to how the cape should line up around
the base, to avoid chipping it.
Overall - ***
I generally like the Batman Black and White statues, and I think DC
Direct has produced a terrific series that looks great together.
Occasionally, there's one that scores lower on my list, usually because
of the paint work. Fortunately, this time that wasn't an issue, and I'm
really happy to see them experimenting a bit with the overall designs.
Had
he not been on the short side, this statue would have pulled another
half star. I like the design, but please don't let DCD's scale issues
creep into this series too.
|
Stumble It!
