Review of Lee Bermejo Batman Black and White statue

Introduction

In the not too distant future, I'm going to have my basement remodel complete. Then, in the slightly more distant but not yet *too* distant future, I'll have my displays set up again out in the 'barn', better known (at least to me) as the 'Crawford Institute'. I swear I'll get this all done before I'm dead.

One of the displays I'm most looking forward to setting up is the complete Batman Black and White statue series. I can't wait to have the entire run together in one place, and I think the end result is going to look terrific.

The latest in the series is based on the artwork of Lee Bermejo and sculpted by Jean St. Jean. This is an edition of 3500.

Bermejo has worked on Bats in a couple different series, including Batman: Deathblow, but the pose is very much based on the Gotham Nights cover art. Bermejo is well known for his very realistic style of art, often gruesome and always very, very detailed. I had my doubts on how well that style could be translated to this series of statues, which have been less detailed and textured in the past. Taking on Bermejo's design was a new task, but bringing in the talented Jean St. Jean was the smart move.

Packaging - ***
It's the usual box, with hard Styrofoam interior. No Certificate of Authenticity, but the edition number is on the bottom of the box as well as the base of the statue.

Sculpting - ****
I wasn't sure just how this version would turn out, since the art style is a bit of a departure from many of the past releases. There's a lot of gritty detail and realism to Bermejo's work, and capturing that in the statue series presented some unique problems.

Jean St. Jean did the work here, and as always, did an amazing job. The suit has far more texture and detail than most of the past releases, especially the back of the long, flowing cape. It almost has an old school Mcfarlane Spawn look to it, reaching out toward you like a sentient attacker.

I also love the shape of the cowl, ears and jawline. Again, this is a less comic-booky styled Batman, with more human proportions.

I wasn't sold on the gritting teeth look at first, but it's growing on me. Usually this expression comes off as constipated, but there's something about the shape of the mouth and set of the eyes that gives it a much more menacing appearance.

I've also mentioned before that I like it when the sculptor acknowledges the existence of the display stand. They've done that here by placing one foot off the stand with the other on top. The statue and stand are separate pieces as well, with a metal foot peg to keep him in place.

Another excellent feature is the separately sculpted cowl/shoulders, cape and symbol. This creates a sharp relief line between them, and allows them to stand out visually, even when they are all done in basic black. It also matches the artwork far better than trying to sculpt them as a single piece.

He's a *smidge* big for the series, but not as out of place as some of the past releases have been. He's more of a 7" scale than the traditional 6" scale, but the hunched pose helps offset some of the added size.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is very clean and sharp, particularly around the face and teeth. There's a nice use of varying finishes, and I love the high gloss bat symbol on his chest, sculpted as a separate piece as well.

I'm not really digging the darker color on the crotch and inside thighs, because it gives the costume a bit of a 'chaps' appearance. I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling it.

The wash works well to bring out the detailed sculpt however, which is particularly important with this design.

Value - **1/2
You aren't going to feel like Scrooge McDuck or Mr. Burns when you buy this, but you won't fell ripped off either, especially at under $65. The quality here, both in sculpt and paint, makes up for the fairly high price for a statue this size.

Things to Watch Out For -
It's always a good idea to remember that the statue isn't attached to the base - forget that, and you'll be sorry when you pick it up!

Overall - ***1/2
Another great addition to the series!  I was worried that they'd have a tough time pulling off Bermejo's style, but those worries were clearly misplaced. And while this one is under the standard Batman: Black and White label, they could have easily called it "Gotham Knights 3".

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth his him for $74.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've looked at plenty of these in the past:

- the most recent was the McGuinness version.

- Then there's 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.

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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