
In Dark Nights: Metal, our heroes learn that everything they’ve ever dreaded split off into its own dark universe where nightmare became reality. And when Bruce Wayne mulled over the most terrifying consequences of killing the Joker, The Batman Who Laughs was breathed into existence. This grim take on the Caped Crusader is a Batman that was poisoned by a toxin that floated on the Clown Prince’s dying breath. Joker’s literal last laugh transformed Batman into a twisted amalgamation of our hero and his greatest enemy.
First Impression
Scrutinized
I really like the menacing pose of The Batman Who Laughs. He’s mid-swing here, whipping a length of chain that you can adjust however you see fit. The outstretched left hand with its fingers curled like Saruman playing with a palantir also does wonders to up the sculpture’s dread factor. And his base has a little something extra that other Batman Black & White figures don’t! Rather than sport the same ol’ same ol’ black and white bat symbol, the foundation sports a unique polyresin sculpt of a collared cape belonging to one of TBWL’s many slave Jason Todds (yeah, this character is pretty damn disturbing).
Browsing Amazon reviews and YouTube unboxing videos, I saw that the reception for the original run of this collectible was incredibly positive except for a few pieces that were not painted quite as carefully as their brethren. In the case of this sample of the 2nd edition, I think that the paint application is mostly fine. My copy has some white/gray tone that bled out from the mouth and onto the corner of the cowl, but that’s rather minor. The outline of his lipstick is also a little faint in spaces as well, but only noticeable from about 6-12 inches away. And while I’ve harped on about the glossiness of this piece, he does still have a matte finish to his skin and a metallic texture on the spiked visor. His hands even have dingy highlights on the raised surfaces to further delineate the character from his spandex-like wardrobe. And I haven’t really praised the costume well enough. There are a variety of subtle hues used here to make the various straps and buckles stand out from the rest of the uniform. And I love how the scallops/tails of the jacket flow out to still create that batwing motif and really sell the perverse union of Joker and Caped Crusader. However, I have to note that there are a couple of small bubbles in the gray paint of the shoulder pads that can be seen on close inspection.
Overall
If you missed out on the initial run of 5,000 matte-finished Batman Who Laughs statues and you are cool with the glistening, glossy finish of this new model, I believe you will be totally satisfied with your purchase. This is a really creepy, eye-catching piece that perfectly captures one of the most horrifying, nightmarish depictions of Batman.
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