Scott
Snyder’s “Death of the Family” is not only a classic Joker
story, it is one of the best I have read.
It’s
hard to go into something with the amount of hype this one had
without being cynical. Let’s face it – comics today are not what
they used to be. Everything that happens is considered an “event”
and even the slightest change to a character calls for a press
release that ruins the surprise and 84 variant covers.
But
they weren’t variants. And the story was truly memorable. The
change to Joker – apparent with just a glance at this figure –
was mostly cosmetic, but the real surprise came with the reveal of
his endgame. I won’t ruin it for you if you haven’t read it, but
Snyder truly characterized Joker as well as anybody ever has. For me,
this narrative is right up there with “The Killing Joke”, which I
think anybody would agree is the seminal Joker story.
Side
Note: If you don’t, please mention it in the Comments! And tell me
which one you think is the best.
I
mostly stopped collecting DC’s in-house action figure lines a few
years ago; with the exception of the excellent line based on the
Arkham
video games. But this Joker was so interesting and gruesome I had to
have it. Besides, I doubted very much that Mattel was going to make
an action figure of a guy who had cut off his own face and then
reattached it Leatherface-style.
Side
Note: At the time I ordered this figure I also had no idea that
Mattel’s 6” line was going to go straight down the toilet and
that they would be launching a 4” line in its place. Not that it
would have made any difference, I just thought I’d comment.
Speaking
of which, I am absolutely furious about the 4” movie figures that
are coming out. Mattel is releasing Michael Keaton as Batman,
Christopher Reeve as Superman, Danny DeVito as Penguin, Michelle
Pfeiffer as Catwoman, and Terrance Stamp as General Zod. Each of
those is a figure I would have happily purchased in the 6” scale.
But I don’t collect superheroes at 4”. Seriously – I’m
pissed.
First
Glance:
Typically the point of DC Collectibles’ action figures is to
represent a particular artist’s style. This Joker is Greg Capullo
all the way. I knew he was going to be a must-have, but in hand it’s
an even more impressive figure.
Articulation:
Joker basically has the same articulation as most DCC figures. There
are always a few variations here and there, but the company sticks to
the same general design.
Head
– ball joint
Shoulders
– ball joints
Biceps
- swivels
Elbows
–pivots
Wrists
– swivels
Waist
– swivel
Hips
– pivots
Knees
–pivots
Ankles
– swivels
I
hate to be super-pissed about the first thing I discuss, but I am so
fucking tired of these Joker figures that can’t look straight
ahead. I don’t know what fucking idiot has made the decision that
all Joker figures need to be shoe-gazing Kurt Cobain clones, but I am
sick of it. “Hush” Joker is like this, Arkham
Asylum
Joker is like this. And now New 52 Joker. It’s enough to make you
crazy. So yeah – his head basically just swivels left to right with
very little up and down motion. Argh.
The
shoulders are a different story. Joker’s shoulders have a great
range of motion – much more than any other DCD/DCC figure I own.
The
bicep swivels are also nice, since they are concealed in the sleeves
of Joker’s speed suit. Same goes for the wrist swivels – they’re
in the gloves.
The
hip pivots are a bit deeper than some other figures, but still not
very functional. Because of this, the knee joints don’t matter a
whole lot to me. They bend as deeply as they need to. The ankles
swivel just fine.
All
of the joints on my figure are free and functional. This isn’t a
super-poseable Joker, but it is a step up from where DCD was a few
years ago.
Sculpt:
Obviously Joker is a 100% new sculpt.
The
head is absolutely grotesque and the clearest representation of
Capullo’s rendition of Joker. The hair has a lot of form and
detail, perfectly capturing the look of the comics - the middle part
in the front and the way it is gathered up under the strap of the
mask in the back. The skin mask is wrinkled and torn and pulled tight
across the exposed muscles of Joker’s face. His teeth are big and
slightly misshapen. Not grossly so, but what you would expect from a
psychopath. The beady, devious eyes set deep inside of the mask add
to the effect. I’m not as crazy about the gigantic ears on
Capullo’s rendition of Joker, but they are a signature and are done
well.
This
Joker is wearing the speed suit or coveralls or whatever that were
his fashion choice for this particular story arc. The wrinkles,
seams, and pockets are well defined. The shape of the garment is
great - the wide sleeves and the too-short legs make Joker look even
taller and lankier than he is. It’s a nice effect. The socks have a
sculpted texture and the shoes are clunky-looking work shoes. I do
have a concern about these feet. They are molded from a softer
plastic and I worry that over time they will warp under the weight of
the figure and cause what I like to refer to as “The NECA Lean”.
Well, I don’t like
to refer to it. I wish I never
had to refer to it because I can’t stand when an otherwise
perfectly good figure… uh… can’t stand.
Joker’s
neck and arms are skinny and somehow menacing. His neck juts forward,
which is part of the problem with the figure not being able to look
straight ahead. I like
the pose, but the joint should be more accommodating.
The
gloves are big and thick and I’m sure there’s something
psychologically disturbing about large hands. The cuffs and seams
look great. The right hand is an open fist and the left is slightly
more open. Obviously the ideal is interchangeable hands of varying
poses, but DCC hit a happy medium with these.
Coloring:
This is one area where DC Collectibles typically excels. Going along
with capturing a specific artists’ style is getting the coloring
right as well.
From
a distance Joker’s head looks pretty good, but once you get up
close there are a few minor issues. The gaps between his teeth are
flesh-colored rather than black, which makes it look like he has a
bunch of teeth mashed into a wad of flesh. The line between his
exposed muscle and the white of the skin mask isn’t distinct all
the way around. And on the right side it looks like a portion of the
business securing his mask in place went unpainted, so it looks like
there’s nothing attached there. Otherwise the head does look good.
The teeth are a nasty yellow, the hair has a dark wash that makes it
look filthy, and the buckle on the mask strap is nicely done. Joker’s
eyes are particularly good, as they’re placed in the middle of
exposed muscle behind the mask.
Joker’s
speed suit is a purple that almost looks blue (especially against my
purple background). I believe they offered an orange variant as a
convention Exclusive. This one looks great. It has a wash that is
just enough to make it look worn, but not ridiculously filthy. The
lettering on the back and on the name patch is a bit uneven, but
that’s reflective of the source art. The paint is applied well in
both cases.
The
socks, shoes, and gloves are all pretty basic, but do have dark
washes that look good. His gloves match the brown of his tool belt.
Flair:
Joker has a tool belt that is partially a separate piece and
partially part of the figure sculpt. And I can’t think of much more
terrifying than Joker with a belt full of tools.
The
half and half sculpt is a total success because of how smoothly the
parts are joined. The buckle looks great and the way it is slung low
on his left hip adds a lot to the profile of the figure. I love how
big and bulbous the pouches are – they actually look functional.
There are a bunch of tools sculpted in that look fantastic. The
sculpt is done so well that you can’t immediately tell they are
part of the belt. The paint is also expertly done – there’s no
bleeding into the belt and the tool parts are all well defined. The
only issue I have with this piece is that the strap on the back is
painted purple rather than brown so it looks like the back pouches
are just sort of suspended without support. I might actually try to
mix up a little paint and fix that.
Accessories:
Joker comes with a pipe wrench, a hand saw, a ball peen hammer, and
pliers. Again, these are probably the most terrifying items Joker
could have come with.
Each
tool looks awesome and has a ton of detail. They are molded out of a
soft plastic. This is fine for everything except the saw, which is
pretty bendy and doesn’t hold its shape very well. Everything has a
great paint job. The wrench has some silver parts and some scuffing.
The pliers have grips that almost look rubbery. These are some of the
nicest accessories I’ve seen in a while; better even than the stuff
NECA has been doing.
Joker
can hold all of these pieces, though some work better than others.
They also all fit in the tool belt.
Packaging:
DCC’s new style window box. I’m not a big fan of these. They’re
too big, the figures seem buried inside, and the graphics just aren’t
exciting. I think it’s a disadvantage to have your package dwarfing
your figures, but I suppose they want a standard size. So with a wide
range of profiles and body types I suppose this is the best option.
What’s
on the back isn’t so much a bio as a blurb. It’s kind of boring
and I don’t like the arrogance of the statement “Perfectly
captured” (correct thought it might be). In all honesty, I think it
would have been a good idea to explain a bit of the story and why
Joker is wearing coveralls instead of his traditional suit. And maybe
why he has a skin mask.
Value:
This Joker seems to run between $19.99 and $24.99. He can pass as a
twenty dollar figure, but twenty-five bucks is pushing it for any
6” scale release. I feel good about what I paid for him, which was
a decent bit less than the twenty thanks to my comic shop discount.
Overall:
This would be a damned fine Joker if it weren’t for the head that
can’t look forward and that paint mistake on the tool belt.
Otherwise he’s perfect.
4
out of 5
If
you want crazy Leatherface Joker, this is probably your only option.
The poor decision making on the head drives me nuts, but I’m still
happy to have him on the shelf. You can probably still order one from
your local comic shop, but BigBad and Entertainment Earth have him in
stock if that’s not an option.
Phantom
Troublemaker vs. 31 Days of Halloween
I’m
changing the format a bit this year in order to more accurately
portray SyFy’s schedule and also to preserve my sanity. I had the
genius idea to cut and paste the schedule directly from SyFy’s page
rather than typing it out in my own format. This has saved me an
awful lot of time and also means that individual episodes are listed
rather than blocks of programming like previous years. So what I’m
going to do is provide commentary where I feel it is needed rather
than posting next to every single entry. Don’t worry – you’re
getting the same amount of hilarious, then kind of funny, then
labored, then thoroughly disenchanted Phantom content. Just in a
different way.
Like
last year, I am covering the programming from the time this posts
until the time of the next post. That means that on Fridays you are
going to be treated to a shit-ton of this stuff.
Let’s
do it!
Oct
24 11:00 AM Syfy Original Movie Monsterwolf
Aside
from the 9 AM movie, Blood
Monkey,
this seems to be werewolf day on SyFy. And I am totally down with
that. Moreover, I am actually off today, so I will be enjoying at
least a few of these gems. I absolutely love the name Monsterwolf.
Oct
24 01:00 PM 31 Days Of Halloween Movie Wolvesbayne
This
ridiculous spelling would seem to denote some sort of Gen X,
rave-oriented tale. My best guess is that it’s a Blade ripoff, but
about werewolves.
Oct
24 03:00 PM 31 Days Of Halloween Movie War Wolves
Can’t
be as good as Dog
soldiers,
but might be okay. I’m still waiting for an adaptation of Jerry
Ahern’s classic, WerewolveSS.
Yes – that’s exactly what you think it is.
Oct
24 05:00 PM 31 Days Of Halloween Movie An American Werewolf In
London
No
matter how many times I watch this movie the nightmare scene still
scares me and the transformation scene transfixes me utterly.
Oct
24 07:00 PM 31 Days Of Halloween Movie Underworld: Evolution
Oct
24 09:00 PM 31 Days Of Halloween Movie Underworld: Rise Of The
Lycans
What’s
the deal with SyFy only showing sequels of some franchises? Are they
just that much cheaper to license (or whatever it is TV stations do
to be able to show movies)? Just once I’d like to see a marathon of
every movie in a franchise. I mean, not this
franchise. Rise
of the Lycans
is awful. But maybe something else, like Ginger
Snaps.
Those are great fucking movies.
Oct
24 11:00 PM Syfy Original Movie Red: Werewolf Hunter
As
appealing as I find Felicia Day – especially with her new haircut:
Mmmmm,
nice!
I
could not get into this movie. I’ll certainly give it another shot,
but I remember not liking it at all when it premiered.
Oct
25 01:00 AM 31 Days Of Halloween Movie Leprechaun
Oct
25 03:00 AM Syfy Original Movie Leprechaun's Revenge
Wrong
holiday, knuckleheads.
Oct
25 05:00 AM Ghost Whisperer Gravesitter
One
more. Just because:
Oct
25 06:00 AM Paid Programming
Oct
25 08:00 AM Syfy Original Movie Warbirds
Today’s
theme is Scary Flying Things! For awhile, anyway. In my Perfect
World, this movie would be about genetically altered, cyborg
ostriches that get out of hand and attack… I don’t know… Kansas
or something.
Oct
25 10:00 AM Syfy Original Movie Pterodactyl
Sometimes
when I see the word “pterodactyl” I think of Jurassic
Park III
and the scene where we finally got some flying dinosaurs (though they
weren’t actually pterodactyls). Sometimes I think of Pterry, Pee
Wee Herman’s friend. Other times I think about the guy that decided
a word that elicited thoughts of “terror” and “dactyl” (I
don’t know what that’s supposed to evoke, but it sounded sinister
when I was a kid) needed a “p” at the beginning. “P” doesn’t
make anything
scarier. Scientists are weirdos.
TERRORDACTKILL
That’s
way better.
-Phantom
Well, that looks a bit more startling than I had in mind. Not that I'm all that familiar with that particular story line. But hearing about the toy, you already have a certain mental image of what he's gonna look like. A little better than I had in mind. Also agree with your disappointment with his "shoe stare". Give me something else!
ReplyDeletePS Ghost Whisperer...really? Haha
Yeah - if they were going to just blatantly rip off Leatherface's look it needed to be good. And it is. I really like it. Definitely check out the story someday when they collect it. And don't you speak ill of Ms. Hewitt! Or Love-Hewitt. Or whatever.
ReplyDeleteThat show's not bad! Really... Okay, I'm not sure. she's just super hot.