I’m repeating myself yet again, but Diamond Select’s Vinimates have really grown on me. I’ve got probably over twenty of them now, and I don’t see myself stopping while DST is still making them. Our contact shipped a box of goodies out a week or two ago, and amidst some fantastic Godzilla stuff, there were these:
DC has had the largest share of Diamond’s Vinimate game by a long shot, and Batman has had more versions than any other character. It is not surprising, then, that DST would turn to three of the most talked about Batmans of the past year: Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo’s Damned Batman, Sean Murphy’s White Knight Batman, and everybody’s favorite Bruce Wayne gone-wrong, The Batman Who Laughs.
Damned Batman, no Damned Batawang
Unfortunately, Batman: Damned is best known for its half-light reveal of the Bat-piece in issue one. It wasn’t what the book was about, and it was here and gone before you knew it, but evidently, all it takes is one tiny panel of Bruce Wang to set the world on fire.
The Vinimate version is fully-clothed, and it’s actually a mighty-fine take on Bermejo’s Batman. The Bat-emblem that we first saw in Noel is here, as is the textured look of the suit and the short ears. The stance is a good one, whether you like Bermejo’s Batman or not, and I love the lines on the face. Good stuff. If I were buying for myself, I might pass this one over, but now that I’ve actually got it, I like it quite a bit—and I’m not Bermejo’s biggest fan.
A Dark Knight fit for a White Knight
Sean Murphy’s Batman: White Knight was a smash success, and it deserved it: the artwork was phenomenal—both aesthetically and in terms of storytelling—and the story was largely excellent, tackling complex social issues with nuance, and playing with the Batman mythos in compelling ways.
The Vinimate captures a number of the distinct features of the Murphy suit: the high collar, Bat-emblem, short gloves, high boots, and diverse assortment of items on the belt. He’s even got the stubbly face! If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a huge fan of Murphy’s stuff, so this Vinimate definitely works.
Dark Multiverse, bright lipstick
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Metal, and I’m not the biggest fan of its most famous child, The Batman Who Laughs. I’m probably ambivalent on his aesthetic, but overall, I dislike the character and the frequency with which DC shoves him into stories nowadays.
The thing is, though, I tend to like seeing distinct character aesthetics applied to distinct collectible aesthetics. I felt this way about the Justice League tactical Batman design: hated the ears and goggles in the film, but absolutely loved Funko’s Pop! and Dorbz versions. Then there’s the Harley Quinn Vinimates I’ve reviewed, which are some of my favorite collectibles, bar-none—even though the current version of the character is near the bottom of my personal heap. And that’s kinda-sorta where I’m at with TBWL. I don’t hate the design, of course, but I do dislike the character. But in this form, with his familiar costume applied to the can-head, ball-hand, box-bodied Vinimate aesthetic, he’s won me over.
As with the Bermejo and Murphy versions above, this one ticks off the boxes of notable costume features: the spiked headband, shoulder pads, leather jacket—complete with gratuitous chest-strappery—it’s all here. The grin looks ripped from the page, and it’s just an all-around cool-looking toy. His outfit, which has now become fairly meh to me in the comics, has new life in this form. I’d say that’s a win for Diamond Select.
Overall
Diamond Select’s latest round of DC Vinimates are a slam dunk. Whether or not you like these takes on Batman in the comics, they all seem fresh and fun when adapted to the Vinimate look, They’re solid, reasonably well-painted, and at $9.99 a piece, easy to add to your collection. You can find them in stores now.
DISCLAIMER: Batman News received these collectibles from Diamond for the purpose of review.
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