Geeky Goods Review: Batman Black and White Statue : Rafael Albuquerque's Batman

Published November 15, 2016

“We are who we choose to be Bruce, not who the past expects us to be…” – Dick Grayson

In a world where there are versions of Batman with “Shark Repellent Bat-spray” and Bat Nipples , DC Collectibles decided not to let the past define them and to allowed this version of the character to be awesome – and bless them for that.

In keeping with the series intention to render the Dark Knight in the different styles of master artists the latest entry in the Batman Black and White line of Statues is the Rafael Albuquerque version of The Dark Knight himself.

I have previously argued for the merits of the Batman Black and White line and you can read the argument under cover of my review for the Batman Black and White Lee Bermejo Harley Quinn statue.

It’s not hard to understand why this particular line is one of the longest running lines offered by DC Collectibles – these guys are killing it! If you haven’t already started collecting these, you need to get cracking asap.

Before I go on, a quick shout out to Shane and Karyn from Cosmic Comics for gifting me with this statue and thus making this review possible.

The name Rafael Albuquerque causes quite a stir wherever it is mentioned. His art is characterised by its dark undertones and use of splashes to create almost ephemeral works of art. In fact you may remember his name from a little while ago when his proposed variant cover for Batgirl issue 17 last year resulted in some serious public backlash for depicting the Joker holding a captured Batgirl as a tribute to Alan Moore’s work on “The Killing Joke”.

Some sectors lost their bananas because the cover harkened back to a darker times in Batgirl’s mythos and was supposedly very anti-feminist.

Well, you know what they say right? Art is measured by its ability to illicit emotion in the audience.

Well, Batgirl drama aside, Albuquerque’s work does just that and he boasts a large and very varied portfolio of works.

Which brings us to today’s piece of cold cast porcelain goodness – The Batman Black and White Statue : Rafael Albuquerque Batman by DC Collectibles.

The embodiment of “Watchful Protector”

As always for our statues, we will have a look at the Two A’s (ie Aesthetics and Aish-Factor).

AESTHETICS

Albuquerque’s version of Batman depicts the hero with a very stoic and determined visage while kitted out in a very practical combat-gear centered outfit. Honestly I was impressed by this costume as it has a very “real world” feel to it. The costume appears to be cobbled together with the placing of various pieces of what resembles riot gear showcasing Batman in a real world – hyper realistic battle armour.

The statue stands at roughly 18 cm to the top of the head and extends to just under 22cm to the top of the swirling cape, making it quite imposing for a Black and White Statue.

As you can see from the pictures in the gallery below, the paintwork on this statue is very impressive and the range of different shades of blacks and grays across the white porcelain adds great depth and character to the statue.

In addition, the use of lighter grays in certain areas creates an effect that looks almost as though a shadow is being cast across the figure.

The paint work and paint style also has the effect of accentuating and highlighting the finely sculpted details across the statue.

The fine details are contrasted by the wind swept cape which adds a sense of drama to this very stoic and determined looking Batman.

Still on the topic of the cape, I like that the sculpt incorporates the use of the base with Batman standing with one leg placed on the base and the scalloped edges of the cape cascading over the remainder of the base.

Unfortunately, while that particular feature is aesthetically pleasing, it is slightly impractical in its execution as the sculpting of the cape makes positioning the figure (and in particular the process of inserting his leg peg into its hole) very difficult indeed.

I had a bit of a challenge getting the figure’s foot pegs into the base so I would be careful when doing that because I accidentally broke off one of the scallops on mine. Nothing a little q-bond couldn’t fix because it was a clean break, but no less irritating.

Sigh – The Price of My Clutziness

While I feel that a slight modification of the sculpt to leave some leeway for cape and the positioning of the base would have been ideal, I am prepared to chalk this one down to a user fail. Word to the wise – be careful and align the parts before insertion, unlike most things in life, going in at an angle is not going to leave you smiling.

AISH! – Factor

Is it a smirk or a shadow? A shadow of a smirk?

As argued before, the Black and White statue line generally represents good value for money for a cold cast porcelain figure.

These statues retail at anywhere between R 1500 and R 1700 which is a pretty good price for a numbered statue. Hopefully the Rand will fare better against the dollar in the not too distant future and we will see some lower prices across the board.

This particular one is a first edition release (hence being numbered). While Albuquerque’s art is spellbinding to say the least, a lot of people are not familiar enough with his work which is not likely to be brought back for a second release as we see with some of the other statues released in the line. Against this background, don’t risk it- run along and buy yourself one for your collection.

I do believe that there should have been some more thinking about how to execute the cascading cape pieces to avoid damage.

Other than that, given the pose and the intricately designed costume which is a slight departure from what we normally see with Batman, I can’t fault this figure in the least as a display piece and have to say that this statue elicits an imposing “AAAAIIIIISSSSHHHH!!!”

Where to from here?

I got my statue from Cosmic Comics who can be reached at:

coolstuff@absamail.co.za or www.cosmiccomics.co.za

With the X-mas rush coming up soon, don’t be shy to ask them about their payment plans. Tell them to put you on the “Zaidy plan” in your best “Bale’s Batman Voice” and you may even get a small time discount.

"We are who we choose to be Bruce, not who the past expects us to be..." - Dick Grayson In a world where there are versions of Batman with "Shark Repellent Bat-spray" and Bat Nipples , DC Collectibles decided not to let the past define them and to allowed this version of the character to be awesome - and bless them for that. In keeping with the series intention to render the Dark Knight in the different styles of master artists the latest entry in the Batman Black and White line of Statues is the Rafael Albuquerque version of The Dark Knight himself. I have previously argued for the merits of the Batman Black and White line and you can read the argument under cover of my review for the Batman Black and White Lee Bermejo Harley Quinn statue. It’s not hard to understand why this particular line is one of the longest running lines offered by DC Collectibles - these guys are killing it! If you haven’t already started collecting these, you need to get cracking asap. Before I go on, a quick shout out to Shane and Karyn from Cosmic Comics for gifting me with this statue and thus making this review possible. The name Rafael Albuquerque causes quite a stir wherever it is mentioned. His art is characterised by its dark undertones and use of splashes to create almost ephemeral works of art. In fact you may remember his name from a little while ago when his proposed variant cover for Batgirl issue 17 last year resulted in some serious public backlash for depicting the Joker holding a captured Batgirl as a tribute to Alan Moore’s work on “The Killing Joke”. Some sectors lost their bananas because the cover harkened back to a darker times in Batgirl’s mythos and was supposedly very anti-feminist. Well, you know what they say right? Art is measured by its ability to illicit emotion in the audience. Well, Batgirl drama aside, Albuquerque’s work does just that and he boasts a large and very varied portfolio of works. Which brings us to today’s piece of cold cast porcelain goodness - The Batman Black and White Statue : Rafael Albuquerque Batman by DC Collectibles. [caption id="attachment_156632" align="aligncenter" width="876"] The embodiment of "Watchful Protector"[/caption] As always for our statues, we will have a look at the Two A’s (ie Aesthetics and Aish-Factor). AESTHETICS Albuquerque’s version of Batman depicts the hero with a very stoic and determined visage while kitted out in a very practical combat-gear centered outfit. Honestly I was impressed by this costume as it has a very “real world” feel to it. The costume appears to be cobbled together with the placing of various pieces of what resembles riot gear showcasing Batman in a real world – hyper realistic battle armour. The statue stands at roughly 18 cm to the top of the head and extends to just under 22cm to the top of the swirling cape, making it quite imposing for a Black…

Geeky Goods Review: Batman Black and White Statue : Rafael Albuquerque’s Batman

2016-11-15

Darth Zady Bun

Batsui For Who?

Total

93 93

A masterfully crafted version of batman as depicted in Rafael Albuquerque's signature style. Bold and dynamic yet stoic and brooding all at once. A must have.

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Packaging – Front

Packaging – Reverse

First Glance – Front

First Glance – Reverse

Dimensions

Left View

Right View

Reverse

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Darth Zady Bun

Geeky Goods Editor

Zaid is a story teller, traveller, artist, entertainer and comic culture geek of note.

Powered by chocolate, and guided by an ever growing bucket (and collectibles) list, he finances his addiction to geek merchandise, comic books, action figures and all the cold cast porcelain and PVC pieces of heaven he can buy by giving (mostly) legal advice. He is also rumoured to have once eaten an entire pack of Marie Biscuits with a single mug of Five Roses Tea.

Witnesses deny the incident.

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