I’ve
been saying for years that in my opinion every depiction of The Joker
in media is valid.
He’s been portrayed so many different ways just
in the comics that I feel like Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath
Ledger, and whatever the heck Jared Leto ends up doing are all within
the definition of the character. More so than Batman, these very
different portrayals could even be the same individual.
Sometimes Joker is playing a childish prank, sometimes he’s trying
to murder an entire city full of people.
But
if I had to pick one single portrayal of the character as my
favorite, one actor that has truly captured the mania, glee, and
menace of the Joker, the winner is Mark Hamill.
Even
Batman only had Adam West and Michael Keaton. West’s portrayal,
while beloved, was campy and far enough removed from the modern,
darker Batman to not factor in. Keaton’s Batman was much closer to
DC’s vision for the Dark Knight Detective at the time, but the
character that B:TAS
presented skewed so much closer to the comics than what Tim Burton’s
movie had done that from the start we knew this was something
different and special.
And
then there was the Joker. Cesar Romero’s Joker is the one most of
us had grown up with. He looked the part and laughed a lot, but
otherwise wasn’t nearly as distinctive as ’66 Batman’s
other mainstay villains. In 1989 Jack Nicholson’s Joker was the
star of his movie. We all loved Batman, but the most compelling
imagery and merchandise was that of the Clown Prince of Crime.
Nicholson’s Joker was off-spec from the comics, but was a massive
force of nature and personality. He was violent and charismatic and
visually imposing. He would be a tough act to follow.
Obviously
we all know now that Mark Hamill is phenomenal. He has played one of
the most innocent and virtuous characters in cinematic history as
well as two completely different kinds of crazy with the live-action
Trickster and the animated Joker. There are many more roles and
ranges between those three extremes, but those are the ones we all
know. And Hamill’s Joker is like no other character ever portrayed.
As much as I love Nicholson’s and as near and dear as Romero’s is
to me, neither of them would have been the Joker without the makeup
and the wardrobe. But Mark Hamill – who performed without the
makeup and the wardrobe – created a voice and a presence that is
undeniably that of Batman’s ultimate nemesis. Even without the
visual trappings, there’s no mistaking that voice.
FIRST
GLANCE
My
first thought was “Where is his collar?”, but ten seconds of
internet searching showed me that the Animated Series design did not
feature a distinct collar. That’s really a pretty crappy first
thought to have had, but I was taking these pictures right after
playing with the phenomenal Mezco
One:12 Collective Batman,
so I was being extra picky.
Like
the other DC Animated figures so far, Joker’s head is particularly
striking. The designs on all of these characters are so simple, yet I
feel like it would be very easy to get them wrong in the 3D form.
This likeness is just fantastic. It does make me hope that when DCC
produces the New
Adventures
version we get some extra heads with different facial expressions,
like many of the toy companies have done with Jack Skellington over
the years. I might be misremembering, but I think that later Joker
was much
more expressive than this one. I’m not saying that Animated
Series
Joker didn’t make different faces, but when I think about the
differences I picture a vast array of looks from the simpler Joker.
PACKAGING
It’s
the DCC blister card, just like every other release from the line
(except for the forthcoming Man-Bat, which I am very excited to write
about). I love the design and how easy it is to open. But the best
part is the creator credits that DC Collectibles prints right there
on the front:
LOOKS
I
love the hair. The hair is perfect.
It’s
funny – in the Robin
review
I mentioned the smile first, but Joker’s review gets a hair
commendation. Obviously this Joker’s smile is spot-on, and I’ll
get to it in a minute, but the shape of and paint on the hair is just
excellent. In many instances the color of things in Batman:
The Animated Series
was determined by highlights and small patches of color. Joker has
green hair, but it is colored as black except for that very
specifically-shaped streak at the front and sides, depending on how
he’s standing. This figure captures that perfectly.
The
eyes are pure malice. They’re so much better than the eyes of the
old Kenner figure (great though that figure is) and I think it’s
because these eyes are too creepy and evil to give to a child. The US
government that doesn’t allow projectiles to fire more than eight
inches and has eliminated sharp edges from toys would never
allow a figure this terrifying to be produced as anything other than
an Adult Collectible.
Okay,
now the mouth. It’s rendered in incredible detail. They stopped
just shy of sculpting each individual tooth, but the rows of teeth
are sculpted. The lips are thick and definitive, which allows the red
to sit just inside them and look even more defined than if just the
outside were colored. That may sound a little confusing, but once you
see this fiend in person you’ll know what I mean.
I’ve
already spent three paragraphs talking about the head, so I might as
well do one more. The nose and ears protrude nicely from the head and
are much more distinctive than you would get at a smaller scale. All
of the features have plenty of little details to make this head
unique and recognizable as Mister J.
It’s
a good thing the head inspired me to write so much, because once you
get past that this is pretty much just a guy in a suit. The upper
body has that “V” shape that is so specific to this style of
animation. The jacket has wide shoulders and lapels with Joker’s
signature flower on the front. Both that and the string tie look
independent, like separate sculpts. It’s a nice effect that adds to
the perceived quality of this figure.
Another
wrong instinct that I had was that the tails on his coat were too
short. They’re not. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like
them to be longer, but that would be inaccurate. I’d bet they were
animated shorter because it makes them easier to deal with when in
motion.
Joker’s
hands are encased in almost comically oversized gloves. They look
good and also tremendously creepy. Those are stranglin’ hands.
These make me realize that I would have had no idea what to say if
somebody had asked me what color this Joker’s hands should be prior
to my getting this figure. The white seemed odd at first, but is
correct. New
Adventures
Joker had purple gloves and as I’m writing this review I’m
realizing that I might prefer that version. More on that whenever DCC
releases it.
Joker’s
trousers are big and baggy. They look great, but the narrowness and
depth of the shape makes those fugly hip joints absolutely atrocious
when the figure is posed. I’m also not a fan of how high up on the
ankles the trousers are. This actually is off-spec and looks weird.
They definitely could have been a bit longer and improved the look fo
the figure significantly. As-is it looks like Joker is anticipating a
flood. Which, granted, he may be.
The
colors are very simple on this figure. A such, it was very important
that they be right and they are. His suit is a uniform purple (that’s
really more lavender) despite the use of different plastics. The
whites are all vibrant and the painted details – lips, hair,
flower, tie, etc. – are tightly done. Even the painted white spats
on his shoes are solid and don’t have any black showing through.
ACCESSORIES
Joker
comes with a stand, four extra hands, a necklace, a screwdriver, a
comb, a telescope, and a space helmet.
The
stand is the dual-support variety that DCC has been packing in with
the larger figures. It’s adjustable both horizontally and
vertically. The prongs that hold the figure can also be adjusted.
There’s a neat character turnaround on the base that also
illustrates that the coat tails are, in fact, correct.
The
hands are flaking paint like crazy. But the plastic underneath is
white, so it isn’t a huge deal. It’s mostly around the hinges.
These swap out easily and stay in place. The extras are in various
poses to interact with the other accessories. I do find it odd that
one set is clearly posed to hold pistols but there are no pistols.
It’s just odd that there aren’t
guns. Maybe Joker never used guns in the cartoon. I’m honestly not
sure.
The
random stuff almost certainly isn’t random. I’m not a Batman:
The Animated Series
episode guide, so I can’t tell you which episodes these appeared
in. They all look good and interact well with the figure except for
the telescope. If he’s actually supposed to be able to look through
it… well, that’s a fail. I will say that considering Batman’s
origin the pearl necklace is kind of demented.
I
love space helmets, especially big, fishbowl style ones. I don’t
recall what episode this appeared in, either (Googling “Joker Space
Helmet” produces some weird but irrelevant stuff) and I don’t
care. Space helmet. It’s nice and clear and looks great.
FUN
As
long as you avoid posing those fugly hip joints certain ways this
figure is lots of fun.
There’s
plenty of articulation to achieve most poses you might want the Joker
to assume. My favorite is standing straight, slightly bent at the
waist, with his arms behind his back. There’s a sort of
condescending menace there.
I
don’t necessarily appreciate the accessories that the figure came
with, but I did have fun figuring out ways for it to interact with
them. I’m sure I’ll have more appreciation for them when I have
context. As of now they just seem like a random assortment of things
that Joker stole out of somebody’s drawer while he was lacing their
house with explosives. Which is, perhaps, appropriate anyway.
OVERALL
I’ve
got to believe that there was a better assortment of accessories that
could have been packed in with Mister J. Throw all of this out and
give is the jet pack from Mask
of the Phantasm
(although that probably warrants a whole new figure).
Still,
this is a fantastic Animated
Series
Joker. I may have realized that I prefer the later version, but this
is definitely the more iconic and probably well-known version. I
daresay this might be the most recognizable Joker ever made to most
people. It’s a good figure. If you’re a fan of the Clown Prince
of Crime then this is a must-have.
4
out of 5
And
if you must have it, please go to Amazon and buy it so you can help
out Needless Things!:
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