For as much as fans–us included–revere Batman: The Animated Series, Batman-centric cartoons have not fared nearly as well. I don’t know anyone personally who has strong feelings about Beware the Batman, for example. But that doesn’t mean a few cool looks didn’t come out of it. Case in point is Beware the Batman‘s take on the DC assassin Deathstroke, which manages to capture the essence of the character while streamlining his overall look. Diamond Select chose this version of Deathstroke for its series of resin character busts.
This six-inch tall resin bust shows Deathstroke wielding a katana-style sword and wearing his trademark orange-and-blue mask. Like our previous review, this bust is limited to 3,000 pieces, with each piece hand-numbered on both underside of the bust itself and on an included authenticity card. Barry Bradfield designed the statue, and Varner Studios sculpted it for Diamond Select. The bust retails for $59.99 on the Diamond Select site, but you can find it on Amazon for a bit less.
Precise Paint
There’s a lot I dig about this particular entry in Diamond Select’s collection. It’s unmistakably Deathstroke, but without the Liefeldian number of tiny pockets, grenades, and other accessories he often comes with that, for some reason, his opponents just never grab and pull on. This is just a great-looking super-ninja.
The model makes good use of contrast between the gray plating of his armor and the black fabric that connects it all, and the paint is impressively precise across the model, helping drive home that this is armor, not just a muscle shirt or something. I also like that around his eyes you can see hints of skin. It’s a nice reminder that there’s a human under the mask, not a robot. I also like the action-packed pose that looks like he’s mid-combat with Batman (or Green Arrow, use your imagination).
If you checked out–or even picked up–the Harley Quinn “Harlequinade” bust we previously reviewed, Deathstroke fits right in next to her. Despite being from a different animated series, he stands atop a similarly-styled base, which mimics the Art Deco architecture of the Animated Series’ version of Gotham City.
Not Sharp Enough
The only significant issue I take with the bust is that Deathstroke’s sword is ever-so-slightly curved along the flat of the blade. It could be plastic, but it doesn’t feel like it, and I can’t find a seam between his hand and his sword. The problem here is that I can see the curve from where it’s currently sitting on my desk, this isn’t a microscopic detail. If it is resin as I suspect, there’s not really a way to bend it back. It could be that this happened due to packaging, so your experience may vary.
At the same time, it’s not a total dealbreaker, because the character looks otherwise good, and the sword is just part of the overall package. I’m still happy to see it on my shelf.
DISCLAIMER: Diamond Select supplied us with the Deathstroke resin bust for the purpose of this review.
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