Straight out of the pages of the underwhelming
All Star Batman and Robin comic comes a statue based on the series, sculpted by prolific John G. Mathews. The piece finds it self not only in competition with the wide variety of the Batman pieces DC releases monthly, but also a very similar silver age version of the statue. Does this piece stand out, or is it simply lost in the unending line of batman statues, busts, and toys?
Statue Concept:
Well, this the concept takes the best, and only good thing, out of the comic series that inspires it, Jim Lee's fantastic art. Based on a sketch drawn by Jim Lee, the statue has Batman and Robin in rooftop vigil standing on some roof in Gotham. The sketch is simply fantastic if you're a Lee fan. Mixing a classic pose with a modern artist works better than you might imagine.
The Sculpts:
This is one of the better Batman sculpts to come out in long while (outside the B&W series), and I feel a much better representative of Jim Lee's art than the Jim Lee Batman FS that was released a few years ago. In fact, the sculpt itself is signficantly different from that version so that it does not feel you're getting the same sculpt again. The musculature of the arms and chest is good and not too bulky. The legs are also not out of proportion nor too large either. The face is perfect, with a square-jawed, intense look of a man on a mission. What I'm also happy about is how good the costume came out. The gloves and boots are nice, the utility belt perfect, and the flaring cape magnificent. Nothing seems out of place, and the sculpt has a nice fluid look to it. The Batman makes the piece.
But, Robin, unfortantlely, doesn't seem as nicely sculpted. Standing in a crouched postition, Robin is ready to make his own leap off the roof, and displays a more youthful look. His body also fits more in mold of a sleek acrobatist than the muscular Batman. While there is nothing wrong with the sculpt, it has the feel more of an add-on than anything else. He simply is not as amazing as Batman. His face is also a bit older than the young teen Lee sketched. The base, while adequate, is nothing more than that. Most of it is simply a roof top, and the attached skyline seems rather amateurish compared to the rest of the sculpt.
The Paint-Job:
A fine, fine paint job on this one. Both Robin's and Batman's gloves and boots are painted in a shiney green and black, respectively (evne though a shiney green makes no sense in Robin's footwear). The costumes are also painted very well, and the flesh tones realistic, if not simplistic. Nothing major to complain about in this department.
Over-All Value:
Well, there are several factors that contribute this to not ranking high on the over-all factor. First, and foremost, this is the umpteenth version of Batman releaed by DC direct, and not even the first Jim Lee style piece. While its nice to have sidekick Robin around for the show, there is already a silver age version of this exact pose (just different artist style) on the market and released not too long ago. And lets not forget price point, even with two figures, a $195.00 msrp is a bit steep given its size. In a day and age where Bowen, SS, and HH are both releasing larger and larger sculpts, we should at least see DC lower their price point on these smaller pieces, if not make them a bit bigger.
On the other hand, one thing I must say I like about this statue is the OPTION of having Robin in it. For all us Robin haters, you can always choose to remove the boy wonder from this piece.
Conclusion:
Well its a given to say this statue is perhaps the best thing to come out of All-Star Batman and Robin, and will probably remain so until Clay Moore decides to sculpt a bra and panties Vicki Vale from issue one. While I love this statue, its high msrp, small height, and along with the tons of Batman product on the market (such as the excellent Batman: B&W series), I can only give this a
three out of five stars rating. I think Jim Lee and Batman fans will dig this, but others may see no good reason to get it with the glut of Batman product on the market.
