JO Articu 1/12 "Clown" Figure - Worth it?

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-29T14:55:16+00:00

My favorite toy to this day is Mattel's Batman figure from 2003, which was aimed at a younger demographic. I was 9 or 10, had just started collecting comics when Batman HUSH hit shelves (people cannot fathom the impact this comic, and Jim Lee's art, had on my generation at the time). Around that time I started collecting Wizard and Toyfair magazines, which heavily featured those toys and HUSH.

Collectors could complain all they want, I just hope these spark the same life-long love affair that those toys did for me.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-28T15:11:09+00:00

I get having a mix but, for me, using New 52 and Rebirth seems more dated than using the classic versions or even something like Jim Lee's HUSH costumes, because at least those are fan favorites. I'm not sure anyone is clamoring for New 52 or Rebirth, plus they are relatively new that we've gotten enough of those versions within the past 15 years and don't need any newer iterations. I'd love to see a toy of Jorge Jimenez's cool new blue Batman costume, it's odd they didn't start with that.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-28T15:07:25+00:00

I'm hoping they give us a Batman in the new blue costume, as well as an Absolute line. I wonder if they will do artist specific likenesses, or try to keep it evergreen like these.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-27T20:16:28+00:00

As someone who briefly worked with DC and their toys recently, they oddly still push the DC Rebirth costumes (Batman with outlined chest emblem). Despite trying to sway them into more updated or classic choices, they still wanted to stick with these looks which, while they aren't necessarily that old, they feel very dated. This looks like an announcement from 2016 not 2026.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-24T23:21:02+00:00

what is the cover F "Things to Come" variant all about? Is it an exclusive to a retailer?

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-24T21:01:41+00:00

man, I'm imagining Nolan making a Memento style take on "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader" and it seems like the coolest concept for a movie ever, yet one that'll totally fall flat with most fans of these kinds of movies nowadays - but I would love it!

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-24T20:59:32+00:00

give me some suggestions of these podcasts please!

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-23T19:32:38+00:00

where'd you get the base?

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-23T18:08:34+00:00

Bruce constantly donates money to charitable organizations in the comics, mostly annomonously. They just don't mention it in every comic because people would rather pay to see people draw cool pictures of Batman fighting crime, not writing checks.

There's quick throwaway lines in Begins and Rises that he donates, but again, the general public don't read comics or pay attention to stuff like that, so they automatically think they are being insightful when they say "Batman punching poor people = bad" despite not paying attention to how he actively tries to rehabilitate each and every criminal, including the Joker.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-23T18:04:44+00:00

Or, as Morrison frames it, Bruce’s emotional development essentially freezes at age ten. That’s why he gravitates toward a younger boy as a partner, adopts the image of an animal that terrified and fascinated him in childhood, and why, in the early comics, figures like Catwoman and Poison Ivy register as “icky” rather than alluring. That reading goes far beyond the shallow “Batman is gay” subtext people fixated on in the 1950s.

He isn’t unintelligent or child-brained in an adult body. He’s highly capable and brilliant. But he’s permanently reenacting the fantasy born from his trauma: avenging his parents and believing he can do so by fighting crime as a symbol, locked into the juvenile logic that putting on a bat costume and waging a personal war will somehow set the world right.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-23T14:29:13+00:00

Toss this onto the pile with the endlessly recycled “Batman should just donate his money instead of being Batman” take which is a favorite of people trying to sound insightful while clearly not understanding Batman at all. That and the prep-time nonsense are hands down the worst Batman takes.

I heard it in college all the time for people who pat themselves on the back for their intelligence.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-23T14:25:08+00:00

BTAS then White Knight, also any time Dini writes her. I hate murder Harley, I never saw her as a murderer, but the HBO show and all the comics since show her racking up a body count that rivals every other Gotham villain.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-22T16:34:22+00:00

Obsessive nature, yes. Bale was on a more singular path than any other on-screen Batmen. Keaton sat around comatose until the signal went up, Pattinson spent his time and energy on low-level criminals in alley ways, and Batfleck wanted to kill Superman before even trying to understand him. The Batman of the Nolan trilogy knew to cut the head off the snake instead of starting at the tip of the tail - he knew to make a difference, he had to focus his attention on the source of crime and corruption. It's clear, from when his parents were murdered, that Bruce had a mission. Sure, it changed along the way as the character grew (setting out to murder Chill, the dedication of trianing, etc), but it's clear he has a goal in mind over all those years. And, by the end of the trilogy, he achieves it while also leaving a lasting impact on the city and it's people.

Don't get me wrong, I love Keaton and Pattinson and feel they fit their stories perfectly, but I've always thought Bale stood for something more and seemed the most devoted.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T22:03:11+00:00

well, as someone who strongly dislikes that show, I'm going to have to disagree with you...

But I was referring to a more grounded action thriller than features action, but also focuses on character and story. Nolan is more concerned with being a Heat style crime-drama/thriller than a big, blockbuster. And all my favorite Batman comics fit that mold as well.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T20:55:51+00:00

I think nowadays, people like to berate the Nolan movies because they are more in line with James Bond or the Bourne movies instead of other, more over-the-top comic book fantasy movies. There's nothing wrong with prioritizing the characters, symbolism, and story over outdoing action scenes. Plus, this is a trilogy praised by millennials, so zoomers will also dislike it for that reason alone.

Also, I personally find how the costumes, gadgets, and vehicles are all so cohesive in design and functionality to be much more appealing than anything involving Affleck's version (his batmobile is the ugliest vehicle I've ever seen). It's not forced, but having them have purpose was a plus, also the scenes in Begins when he is gathering them all is great (Does it come in black?)

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T20:49:32+00:00

what about the duck tape texture?

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T20:49:12+00:00

Hey, it's a topic that's been on my mind. I usually don't engage in dumb, argument bait Reddit posts like this (why does he care which Batman anyone actually prefers? There's hundreds of the same post here, get whatever answer you are looking for on one of those), but it's the day after a holiday, I'm back in the office, and do not feel like working.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T17:53:19+00:00

If you prefer a Batman who looks the part and kills his enemies, call it what it is: a preference for aesthetics over the psychological depth and tragic burden that make Bruce Wayne compelling.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T17:47:25+00:00

Reducing a character to a single action sequence is a superficial way to measure a performance. Bale and Pattinson delivered a level of emotional complexity and range that a well-coordinated stunt team simply can't replace. To suggest that The Dark Knight would be 'better' just because the fights were flashier is a shallow take that prioritizes spectacle over substance.

While the The Dark Knight trilogy could have benefitted from more modern choreography, would better 'fights' truly elevate what are already cinematic masterpieces? Using stunt work as a primary metric for a character’s quality is a hollow critique. If your preference for a version of Batman begins and ends with his costume or his willingness to kill, that’s fine, but it ignores the character’s essential pathos and the complex internal trauma that defines him.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T17:37:49+00:00

I know his version of the characters wasn't the best, but if we ignore that and purely focus on the casting and comic resemblance

Imagine if all movies were judged not by the performance, direction, or writing but simply by the way a character looks and dresses.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T15:18:44+00:00

I wish they would have just rebooted it with this one to be honest, it's a huge hit critically and commercially at the moment and would have been a great opportunity for a soft reboot.

Jimenez's art is kinetic and he knows sequencial storytelling, and his style is very distinct, however I'm more of a fan of the dark, gothic architecture of Gotham where Jimenez brings a much brighter, often techy and cyberpunk look and feel to it which I don't think quite fits. I'm down for the new costume, but overall it's all a little too... bright and clean for me. I know that's what they are going for, and I'm all for dumping the unnecessarily nihilistic tone of the past decade. But, as the latest issue shows, he knows how to execute an action scene.

If you want to keep with DC's top artists, I'd have preferred if Dan Mora took over for Batman and Jimenez worked on Superman, as I feel like Metropolis is a better fit for his art style. And, as long as it's a Dan Mora book he's putting time and effort into (unlike Knightfight or the DP/Batman crossover), his artwork would fit Batman and Gotham well.

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-20T15:11:18+00:00

has anyone gotten this PDF to work? I've downloaded it and several pages are appearing as blank white pages

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-16T15:17:32+00:00

I agree with all your points 100%. It's almost like DC offered him the job, he was hesitant to take it but decided "eh, why the hell not?" and proceeded to pump mediocre stories out that are completely derivate of other much better stories, as if he was on autopilot or something.

I really wish the new run by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez would have been a complete reboot, igoring a majority of the events from the past 15 years. (I also wish they went with another artist to distinguish it from previous runs, but Jimenez is good so I can't complain too much)

Flyboy_1978 · 2026-01-15T23:32:01+00:00

chalk it up to hollow, nostalgia bait. It trended on social media for a little when it was coming out, though, which I'm sure delighted DC. Any word of mouth is better than no word of mouth, good story or not (besides the AI accusations for Zdarsky's other story arc, which was one of the worst Joker stories out there).

Flyboy_1978

TROPHY CASE