 
Batman is one of mine and Stephanie’s favorite
characters.
This statue came out in 1992. At
the time, I couldn’t afford the $150 price tag, and they quickly sold out.
Every time I did come across one later, I was broke.
Because of the high demand for the piece, it eventually started “booking
out” at $1000 in collectors’ magazines.
I found this one on E-Bay for $600.
The bonus of the purchase, aside from the $400 savings, was that it
was signed by the sculptor Randy Bowen.
As you can see, the detail is quite nice and the pose is very “Batman-esque.”
This statue was the beginning of a change in comic statues.
The sculpting work and paint job, as well as the posing, showed a more
serious intent in the statue than many creators used in prior pieces.
The market refocused its efforts to more artistic offerings and left
behind the flat paint jobs and static posing it had employed in the past. Back
to Index |
Batgirl came out a few years ago and goes well with the Batman on the
gargoyle. Back to Index |
This
is a new one I just got. It’s based on a Batman graphic novel called “Red Rain.”
Batman is turned into a vampire in order to fight off an attack on
Gotham City. Back to Index |
This Catwoman statue was designed to go with the gargoyle Batman and the Batgirl. Before
Stephanie and I got married we each owned one of these, so we’ve since sold
one. Back to Index |
This
statue is based on Frank Miller’s incomparable “Batman – The Dark
Knight Returns” graphic novel. If
you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing a milestone in comic art and
storytelling. It is the major
turning point that marked the change of comics from the campy kid stuff of
yesterday to the adult art form you see today. |
This
is a very recent one, called “Dark Knight Strikes.”
This one is trying to depict a more intense, violent Batman.
Not my favorite, but still a good piece. Back to
Index
|
Harley!
To tell the truth, I am more a Joker and Harley Quinn fan than of
Batman. I love this statue.
Harley Quinn is a character created solely for the “Batman Animated
Series” on Fox. She was
created to be Joker’s girlfriend/sidekick.
Adoring fans bought her way into the regular comic series about 1½
years ago. Alex Ross did a full
color painted cover depicting Joker and Harley that is absolutely fantastic.
I use a bmp of it for my wallpaper. Back to Index |
I’m
not too sure about this piece that I bought in 1988 at a flea market in North
Carolina. It’s a musical
figurine with a DC copyright of 1978. The
tune it plays is “The Shadow of Your Smile.”
If anyone has any information about it and its origins/value, let me
know (not that I would ever part with it). Back to Index |
Alas,
poor Yorick, I knew him well. And
he died with a smile. I first
fell in love with the Joker after reading “The Killing Joke” by Alan
Moore. Moore told an excellent
story that explored the origin of the Joker and the key events that shaped
his personality. This statue
shows the Joker at his best. To the Joker, death is a pal and life is a great joke – and
only the Joker gets the punch line. Back to Index |
I
loved the detailing on this statue. It
was also designed to go with the gargoyle Batman.
The rooftop that Robin has landed on shows gravel moved where his
forward foot slid to a stop. Back to Index
|
 
Cthulhlu
saves (in case he’s hungry later). This
statue is based on the Lord of Chaos from the mythos created by HP Lovecraft.
This deity is also known as “The One Who Sleeps.”
I have been a big fan of Lovecraft for years.
See more on this in the Lovecraft section of this site. Back
to Index |
  
DC
Comics created a physical form to several aspects of life, and named them the
Endless. In the Vertigo comics
line established by DC, these seven embodiments of primal needs/actions are a
group of siblings named Death, Destruction, Delirium, Desire, Despair, Dream,
and Destiny. Each has his/her
own characteristics, personalities and abilities.
This statue is of Death. Rather
than the traditional grim reaper, creator Neil Gaiman gave her the perpetual
cheeriness of Mary Poppins, combined with a chilling matter-of-factness.
She understands her role in the Endless, and neither enjoys it nor
dislikes it. She simply does the
job assigned to her. Back to Index |
This
is Destiny of the Endless, probably the most enigmatic character of the
seven. He is eternally chained
to the book of what was, what is, what will be and what might be.
Even though he is blind, he sees all that happens on this and every
other world. Back to Index |
This
is Dream of the Endless. Although the position of each of the Endless is, as the name
implies, perpetual, it sometimes comes to pass that an Endless is destroyed
and replaced. This is the
original Dream, known as Morpheus, the Dream King.
He rules over the realm of Dream and is very close to his sister,
Death. As storytelling is
considered an extension of dreaming, he is also Prince of Stories.
This statue is based on a story in Sandman #50 (the comic series).
The entire story is beautifully written and illustrated, and is set in
an Arabian Knights setting. Now the bad news. We recently bought a
house and in the move my wife broke this statue. I will be looking for a
replacement at a later date. Back to Index |
 
This
pair actually form bookends. The first is Morpheus of the Endless. All of the Endless are “immortal” provided they adhere to
certain rules. Morpheus broke
the cardinal rule by taking the life of a family member, his son Orpheus.
By doing so, he put himself under the power of the Furies, also called
the “Kindly Ones,” whose job it is to avenge such crimes.
Morpheus died and was replaced by a once mortal boy named Daniel, seen
in the second statue. Daniel
held a unique position in the realm of dream; his mother lived in the dream
world for years while pregnant with him (time held still when she entered the
realm, so she remained pregnant for several years while Daniel absorbed the
power of his surroundings). Spiritually,
Morpheus always considered Daniel his own child. Back
to Index |
“I
want to drink your blood.” Yes, this is a statue of the king of vampires.
This one was designed by Universal Studios and depicts Bela Lugosi as
Dracula. Back to Index |
This
is Grendel, the Spirit of Vengeance. I
love the detailing in this statue, the shading and fine work.
This statue sold out instantly and was recast later for a second
distribution. This is from the
first casting. Back to Index |
This
statue is of Kyle Rainer, the latest Green Lantern of Earth.
He’s young and inexperienced, but is learning to handle his
responsibilities and powers quite well. Back to Index |
 
Eric
Magnus Lensher, also known as Magneto of the comic book X-Men, was in a Nazi
concentration camp during WWII. His mutant ability to control magnetism manifested itself
while he and his family were being executed and thrown into a mass grave.
The manifestation of his mutant powers was the only thing that saved
his life. Unfortunately, he
wasn’t able to save his family as well.
As an adult he has fought the persecution of mutants by non-mutants,
seeing the battle as akin to the persecution that killed his family. Back
to Index |
 
This
statue is another one that both I and my wife owned one of before we got
married. This one is based on a
famous fantasy painting by Frank Frazetta called “The Princess.”
I believe the painting was originally used as a cover for one of Edgar
Rice Burroughs’ John Carter novels. The
detail work is immaculate on this piece.
The hand paint job, combined with the exquisite sculpting work makes
this the best put-together statue we own, and Stephanie’s personal
favorite. Back to Index |
This
is Rogue of the X-Men. Her
mutant ability is to absorb the memories and abilities of anyone she touches.
Unfortunately for her, she can’t control her powers and any physical
contact causes her power to kick in. The
person touched is rendered unconscious or worse, depending on how long
contact is made. Her first such
“victim” is still in a coma from an innocent “first kiss.” Back
to index |
Shi
is a character from an independent comic company.
She is a master of the martial arts and a master assassin.
Interestingly, this is the second Shi statue I’ve owned, as the
first one became “damaged” when the composite started to degrade.
Cold-cast porcelain is actually a high-quality resin mixed with large
amounts of powdered porcelain. The
resin makes for clean casting, while the porcelain holds minute detail better
than most resins. The result is
a substance with the look, feel, and qualities of porcelain, while having the
ability to be cast all in one piece (with a few exceptions).
I’m not sure what happened from a chemical standpoint, but my first
Shi statue started gradually listing to the side as the legs softened.
It happened so slowly that it took a while for me to convince myself
it really was leaning. The studio said such a thing was impossible, but apparently
changed its mind when I sent it to them - it wouldn’t fit back into the
pre-molded box it came in because it was no longer the same shape as it had
been. Back to Index |
This
is the Flash, the “Fastest Man on Earth.”
It’s not a great statue, but a very dynamic pose for the Scarlet
Speedster. He’s so fast he can
drop something, run all around the planet, and catch it before it hits the
ground. Back to Index |
This
is Storm, also from the X-Men. This
statue was issued exclusively by KB Toys and sold out quite quickly.
As most collectors obtain such statues from comic book stores, this
piece is a bit unusual and difficult to find.
The posing is fantastic (the figure is flying and it’s actually a
whisp of her hair that supports the figure on the base) and the paint job is
interesting. Back to Index |
This
is the Swamp Thing. He is
actually an Earth Elemental. He
is one with the planet’s heart and with Mother Nature.
This picture doesn’t do this statue justice, and it’s another one
of my favorites. The color
shading and detail work are flawless. Back to Index |
Wonder
Woman was a must have. DC Comics has neglected her in the action figure department,
so when I saw this statue, I knew I would have to have one. Back
to Index |
