Well, I’m not surprised, either. So there.
It’s been not quite a year since Mezco dropped Dark Knight Batman on my porch. And It’s made the rest of this year a very interesting one, as far as my collecting goes. So I obviously bought more of them — and I’m not going to concede a number — and I have distinctly noticed a change in my buying habits since.
Now, to be fair, there wasn’t a great deal of competition for Batman, as far as other Bat-figures go this year. The Arkham Knight version was accurate to the game, and extremely articulated, but that accuracy might have been a detriment — the design is not one of my favorites, and the head left much to be desired. The SH Figuarts Injustice Batman is my runner-up, and while, again, it’s maybe not the best design, hot damn, does he have the sculpt, articulation, and quality I’m just not getting most other places.
Mezco’s Batman, though? The bar has been set for me, and it’s holding strong.
In these 10-ish months, I have played the living hell out of this figure. Not posing, not “displaying.” I have straight-up played with this action figure more than any I can remember in recent years. And he has taken the punishment. My first opened Batman is still in service, kicking ass and taking names. His uniform has held up great — I had to tuck a sleeve back into his glove a few months back, but no tears. And a little soap and water has kept it looking good, should the action get a little grimey.
His brothers keep me changing color schemes, and the only Batman “customs” I’ve worked on this year are just variations of heads and color palettes. What was once a several-figure burden has been completely lifted, and I’ve been free to work on . . . other stuff.
Even better, my legion of Batmen have been joined by Judge Dredd and the Mutant Leader, and after seeing Spock, if there was any wavering in my faith in Mezco’s commitment to quality, there’s no sign of it now. And with the excitement building for what they have yet to reveal in 2016, there is no doubt that in my roster, Batman reigned supreme over this year for me.
