Review of Batman Black and White Statue - Mike Allred Design

Introduction

I've lost track of the full number of Batman Black and White statues that DC Collectibles (previously DC Direct) has released over the last few years. There's an awful lot, that's for sure, and one of these days, hopefully very soon, I'll have mine finally all on display together. I suspect it's going to make quite the shelf(s).

The latest in that long line is a version designed by Mike Allred. Allred's most famous work is his creation, Madman, an indie comic character from the early 1990's.

Allred's style is reminiscent of the artwork of the 50's and 60's, and has a bit of that pop culture look to it. That makes him a perfect artist for an early style Batman in this series.

This guy is now shipping, and will run you around $70 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - **1/2
Nothing particularly exciting here. Same boring white box, no Certificate of Authenticity (remember, these are no longer 'limited'), and they even went with the cheaper less dense Styrofoam for the trays. 

Sculpting - ***1/2
Allred's designs are usually svelte, not over muscled or 'roided up. That means his take on Batman will remind you of a more Silver Age style, which is definitely not a bad thing. We've had quite a few bulked up bruisers in this series, and the occasional skinny dude is a nice change of pace.

What's also very nice is that Allred's style is very distinct, somewhat like Mignola (although not quite THAT distinct), so that most comic fans will instinctively recognize his touch.

The pose is dynamic, but not overly so, and I love the flow of the cape and the boomerang sized batarang in his right hand.

The statue stands about 7 1/4" with the base, which might seem slightly small, but that's not a scale issue - it's an effect of Allred's style.

Paint - ***
The paint job is a smidge sloppy this time around, particularly around the eyes and exposed face. I always want the sharpest edges possible, but with a cowl that's particularly important.

As usual, I really like the mixture of gloss and matte finishes, especially with the black. While the gloves, emblem and boots are nice and shiny, the cowl and cape are much more muted, and I think the contrast works perfectly.

Value - ***
The price on these seems to be yo-yo-ing, and I'm not sure why. A couple releases ago, they were down around $65 - $70, then they jumped back to $85 - $90. Now this one is back under $70. I don't know the scoop, but at least this one is on the good side of the up and down.

Things to Watch Out For -
Whenever you have the two piece statues, you'll want to take care putting the metal posts in the holes. They can scratch and chip the base pretty easily.

Overall - ***1/2
While I had a few issues with the paint, there's a couple other aspects to this statue that elevates him above average.

First, it's the Allred design. As I said, it's one that's very eye catching and recognizable, important when you have a 100+ statues together (it's something like that now, isn't it?). 

Second, the price is back where it really belongs, in that $70 range. That's a welcome relief for collector's who seem to be getting hammered more and more where it really counts.

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

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 -
I've covered quite a few of these:

- Bane was the most recent.

- before that was the 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 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*

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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