Batman: The Animated Series is my favorite cartoon if not one of my favorite TV shows of all time. It’s nearly perfect portrayal of the Dark Knight and his rouges inspired not only my love for Batman but my love for all things comic book. Luckily for me, there seems to have been a recent resurgence in nostalgia for this particular period of the Batman mythos and thus we are seeing more toys, figures, and statues hit shelves than when the show was actually on airing. One such piece is the Diamond Select Batman: The Animated Series Resin Joker Bust.
The bust stands about 6″ tall and is sculpted by Varner Studios featuring the iconic Joker look from the animated series. Smiling ear to ear, displaying the uncomfortable charm that accompanies the Joker, this bust has everything fans of the show will know and love. From the slicked back, light green hair to his signature purple suit equipped with his pink poison flower, the design of this statue is spot on as it sits on an appropriate art deco base. The status’ lines are very centered and the focus of the statue without a doubt is the diabolical grin, highlighted with giant yellow teeth and stunning red lipstick. The head is definitely my favorite part, every time I look at it I expect to hear Mark Hamill’s voice cackling at me as I walk by.
The piece itself doesn’t feel as solid as it looks and once you pick it up, you immediately begin to feel and see its flaws. As I mentioned it’s missing the weigh most of us want out of statue this size, although a different material may have been more expensive, the missing weight gives the statue a cheap feel that no collector likes to have in his/her pieces. The resin also gives the look a very flat feel. This is especially apparent in the hands of the statue and props they are holding. The card fan is my least favorite part of the entire piece as its completely devoid of any real details and looks as if they forgot to finish painting it.
Fans of Batman: The Animated Series will love this piece and display it proudly as it nearly perfectly encapsulates the Dark Knights greatest villain as depicted in the cartoon. There are only minor flaws that most casual fans will be happy to ignore in order to display this manically charming statue. Collectors may find the quality isn’t worth the self-space but it’s a hard piece to pass up if you grew up on Hamill’s Clown Prince of Crime.