Rant Review: DC Multiverse Batman- The Dark Knight Returns Joker figure

(I have a concussion as I type this, so you'll have to forgive any odd phrasing that may pop up in the course of this review. If anything, it'll probably just amount to some typos I don't catch.)

As someone who was an avid collector of Mattel's DC Superheroes and DC Universe Classics lines, I've bought surprisingly few of their DC action figures in the last several years. This is due to several factors, chief among them the rising prices and increasingly poor execution of many of their products. Let's face it, while $20 has become a pretty standard price for a mass market figure in the six-ish inch scale, it's still a nice chunk of cash for one toy. That alone would make me more selective, as I don't have a whole hell of a lot of disposable income, but couple it with Mattel's cheapness compromising more and more of their figures, and there just haven't been many of them that I felt warranted their bloated price tags. There have been quite a few that I wanted based on prototype photos, but any desire I had to own them dissipated once I saw the actual figures in person. It's a disappointing turn of events, but hey, at least it saved me money!

Obviously, there have been a few exceptions. The small subset of figures based on the seminal Batman story The Dark Knight Returns, spread throughout their Batman Legacy and DC Multiverse lines over the years, are among them. Mattel addressed the one glaring whole in that set with the release of the Joker as he appeared in that story.

The sculpt is very good overall, and both heads are excellent. Whichever head you choose to display him with, the Joker looks as if he stepped right off the printed page. One head has a calm expression, while the other captures the Joker at his maniacal best, with a removable batarang in his right eye, as seen in his climactic battle with the Dark Knight in book three of the story. His right hand is sculpted to hold the gun perfectly, but also holds the knife with no issues. Perhaps owing to the lack of paint apps on most of the figure, the heads feature much better attention to paint detail than most of Mattel's figures these days. Paint apps are clean and precise, with a nice wash over the skin that really captures its appearance in the source comic. The open-mouthed head has a gloss coat over the interior of the mouth to lend it a wet appearance. There is also a well done wash on the hair to bring out the sculpted details. The paint apps on the rest of the figure are basic, but overall, this is fairly impressive work for a mass market toy.

Articulation is more or less the standard for this line. The Joker has ball joints at the head, shoulders, and hips, swivel & hinge joints at the elbows and knees, swivels at the waist, wrists, and upper thighs, and hinges at each ankle. The lack of bicep swivels is made up for by the swivel/hinge elbows, and the missing abdominal hinge isn't an issue, since the suit coat would greatly hinder its movement anyway. The hips are the MOTUC style joints, which I prefer to the normal Mattel hip articulation. They are rather unsightly, but the long coat covers them without impeding their range of motion much. While the articulation is adequate, and you can get some very cool poses, it is a bit outdated; swivel & hinge wrists should be standard by now, along with double knee joints. Hasbro has been implementing these points of articulation on most of its Marvel figures for years, and Toy Biz before them, so it's frustrating that we DC figure collectors are still getting figures that omit them.

The Joker includes the previously mentioned alternate head, gun, and knife, along with a torso for the King Shark build-a-figure. Even if you don't give a damn about the BAF, it's still a solid set of accessories, and it's particularly nice to see Mattel including alternate heads on some of their mass market figures. Hopefully we'll see this more often going forward.

Despite a few mostly minor flaws, this is a great figure, and a real standout in Mattel's recent DC offerings. This Joker figure is a fantastic addition to anyone's collection, and is an absolute must for anyone who already has some of the previous DKR figures. He's a bit too large to work scale-wise with most of the DCUC figures, but he scales nicely with Mattel's DKR figures, which tend to run larger. Walmart currently has the price of DCM figures cut to $16, so that's the place to look if you want one. I suggest grabbing one now if you have any interest, as the price is likely to rise once the supply dries up. That's it for today! Barring any unforeseen delays, the regularly scheduled MOTUC review should return next Tuesday! For now, scroll down for more photos!

Rant Review: Batman- The Killing Joke animated movie

Virtually everyone has been clamoring for an animated adaptation of the classic Alan Moore/Brian Bolland tale Batman: The Killing Joke for years now, ideally with the iconic voices of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and the Joker. At long last, it has come to pass. The Killing Joke has been well-acquainted with controversy since its publication due to its content, and Bruce Timm, Brian Azzarello, Sam Liu & company have not shied away from it here. Indeed, the prologue they've added to the story includes a scene that doubles down on the controversy; more on that in the spoiler section later in this review. (Don't worry if you're avoiding spoilers, you'll have plenty of warning.) All of this results in DC's first animated movie to be stamped with an R rating.

Brushing all the controversy aside and judging the movie on its own merits, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The art style used differs from the source story, as Bolland's exquisitely detailed art is obviously too complex and labor-intensive to realistically be used in an animated film, but there are little details here and there that are evocative of his work. Despite its different look, the movie's visuals have the same sort of feel. The animation is often not as smooth as one would hope, however. This is an issue common among the newer DC animated movies, but one can't help being disappointed to see it here. Surely such a hotly anticipated project, a surefire hit, warranted a budget increase to deliver higher quality animation than we normally see with these releases? Alas, it is what it is, and while the animation is not as good as hoped, it still is far from bad, and it gets the job done.

Kevin Conroy simply IS Batman at this point, and it's always wonderful to have him back in the role. Even mediocre efforts such as Public Enemies are buoyed by his presence, so having him work with such well-written material is a pure pleasure. Tara Strong is quite good as Batgirl, as usual, having similarly made that role her own over the years. Veteran actor Ray Wise is a disappointment as Commisioner Gordon, however. His flat delivery of most of his lines mars the few key scenes Gordon has, and one of the story's most powerful moments is deflated due to the lackluster performance. Wise is a good actor, so this could simply be due to miscasting.

Mark Hamill has long been celebrated for his various performances as the Joker, and rightly so. His incredible performance in last year's Arkham Knight video game was his magnum opus, and while I can't say his performance in The Killing Joke surpasses that, it is definitely on the same level. His performance of the "Go Loony" song alone is worth the price of admission. Honestly, that is one of the most surreal parts of the original story, and everyone has been wondering how they would pull it off. While Hamill  croons it out beautifully, everyone involved deserves much appreciation for putting that scene together.

Now we're about to dive into the story, and this will involve some spoilers. Highlight the following paragraphs with your mouse to read, or skip down below if you'd rather avoid spoilers.

The prologue focuses on Batgirl and her working relationship with Batman. It's clear that she has some romantic feelings toward Bruce, and this culminates with the two having sex on a rooftop one night while working a case. The entire internet has exploded since this was made known, and I myself was a bit apprehensive about it. While there is a precedent in the animated Batman projects for a Bruce/Babs relationship-- see Mystery of the Batwoman-- it's never felt right. Putting the age difference aside, since it's honestly not as large a gap as many people seem to believe, Bruce is a mentor to Barbara. This position of authority he has over her lends a rather skeevy air to the whole idea of them pursuing any kind of romantic relationship. Not to mention that he's also her father's BFF, adding another layer of weirdness to the whole thing. However, as always, I resolved to wait and actually watch the movie before passing judgment on it. I'm happy to be able to say that the entire thing is handled well in the movie. Both characters immediately recognize it as a mistake, and it even leads to a scene where Bruce apologizes and behaves like an actual human for a damn minute. Barbara decides that she really doesn't need this whole thing in her life anymore, and decides to move on, returning her gear to Batman, and retiring as Batgirl. 

There's also an epilogue that shows Barbara back at home, and makes it very clear that she has begun her career as Oracle. This lends an air of hope to the movie, particularly to comic readers with some familiarity with the character. It's a nice coda that brings the story back to focusing on her, and helps a bit to mitigate her use as little more than a prop during the main story of TKJ. 

As for the main part of the story, it's exactly as readers remember, with a bit of additional dialogue and action here and there to flesh things out a bit.There are moments that are absolutely chilling, with many of the graphic novel's scenes beautifully realized. The minimal use of music is eerily effective for the most part, and the whole production is lifted by the (mostly) amazing performances. It's actually been quite a while since I've really enjoyed any of the DC animated movies-- right offhand, I think The Flashpoint Paradox was the last one-- but The Killing Joke is a return to the quality we used to get from these projects. It's one of the best animated movies carrying the DC logo, and I highly recommend watching it.

As a little aside, I can't help hoping that the movie is such a success that they'll see fit to release an alternate version with the coloring done in the style of the original version of the graphic novel, as demonstrated here. I like the realistic tones of the recolored version, which the movie emulates, but the surreal, garish colors of the original version have a macabre appeal of their own.

Comic Pick of the Week: Batman #36

Comic pick of the week is a weekly column in which I choose my favorite new comic of the week(imagine that!). I'll also name five other new releases I enjoyed. These are spoiler-free posts designed to make you wanna run out and buy some good comics, so read on with no worries of having the entire plot blown! 

This week's pick is Batman #36, part two of the epic Endgame story arc. Batman battles the Joker-ized Superman in an epic brawl through, below, and above Gotham City. This battle is a wonderful spectacle, beautifully rendered by the art team of Greg Capullo & Danny Miki and colorist FCO Plascencia. The twist near the issue's end is one of writer Scott Snyder's finest moments to date, and will have longtime readers scrambling for their back issues to scour them for the clues that whizzed right by them the first time around. 
The backup story by James Tynion IV and Graham Nolan(always nice to see him back in the Bat-verse) is another nice alternate "origin" of the Joker, displaying how manipulative and sadistic he can be. 
This issue is a real nail-biter from cover to cover, and well worth the cover price in an era where so many comics are simply far too pricey for their own good. 

Other comics I enjoyed this week: She-Hulk #10, Spider-Verse #1, Django/Zorro #1, Superior Iron Man #1, Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini #2.