“I want you to remember, Clark … In all the years to come … In your most private moments … I want you to remember my hand at your throat … I want you to remember the one man who beat you … — Batman, The Dark Knight Returns
So much has been written about Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns that it seems the work is less a book and more a cultural weight hanging around DC Comics’ neck. Thirty years after the first issue hit the stands, this mini-series is still causing significant shockwaves across the comic book and pop-culture landscapes that we all love so much. Its influence was unmistakable in this summer’s Batman V Superman, so the series feels as relevant as ever. Despite all its influence, however, it’s sometimes difficult for me to remember what it was like reading those four issues as they came out in 1987. I mean, the “gritty” thing has been so done to death at this point that it’s become a joke, but in 1987 The Dark Knight Returns was like nothing else that came before it, and it hit me square in the face like an 18-wheeler careening on ice. It really did change comics almost overnight.
I read each issue again and again, and I made my friends read them too. My eyes drank in every panel Miller drew, and my favorite sequence was when Batman put on that suit of armor and gave Superman the kicking of a lifetime. So holding this figure in my hands right now feels like some kind of wish-fulfillment from the late ‘80s. And, fortunately, it mostly stacks up.
*Disclaimer: My DKR Superman is in storage following a move. I had hoped to include him in the pics here, but finding him right now is like searching for the Ark in that warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. So Deadshot, Bane, and Luke Cage will have to suffice.
The packaging is standard DC Multiverse fare, so if you’ve been down a toy aisle in the past year, then you basically know what to expect. The Frank Miller comic art on the package is kinda cool to see in the toy aisle of a major retailer, though.
This Batmen comes with two pieces of the New 52 Doomsday Collect and Connect figure, which pretty much looks like the regular Doomsday but with some horns added to his face. Not sure I’m going to build him or not. But with both the head and crotch/waist included, it feels like you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck here.
The figure looks like it stepped right off the pages of the original comic. The sculpt is faithful to Miller’s artwork, and the colors are also true to the source. The figure just looks great. The plastic used is also “softer” than I expected it to be. Meaning, the large, bulky chest overlay and his waist piece, including the belt, are made from a soft, pliable plastic. So the figure isn’t the heavy brick he looks like he’s going to be. I’m cool with that as long as the sculpt of the pieces is solid, and in this case it absolutely is. In terms of size/height, he’s about the size of the Marvel legends Luke Cage but has the girth of a Masters of the Universe Classics figure, so he’s on the larger end of the 6-inch scale.
Paint apps are sparse but sharp and clean. The colors used are faithful to the page, with different shades of gray and blue making up the bulk of the figure’s appearance. His bright yellow belt stands out like a bolt of lightening against a gray sky, which is in keeping, in a way, with the lightning motif throughout the series.
The only area where the figure isn’t so hot is the articulation. It’s adequate, to a degree, but it’s not great. There is no ab crunch, but his head seems to get a decent range of motion — he can look in all directions but “up.” His waist overlay hinders his hip movement quite a bit, and his knees barely get a 45-degree bend. He’s in dire need of some sort of ankle rocker too, since his feet only move forward and back at the ankle. This limits his ability to be put in action poses. His elbows, like his knees, only hit about the 45-degree mark, if that. They barely bend at all. So if you’re looking to pose him standing and waiting under that famous street light, you’re in luck. Action poses will require a lot of finesse, though.
Full articulation breakdown:
- Ball-jointed head
- Hinge-and-swivel shoulders and hips (I think)
- Swivel biceps, waist, mid-calves, and wrists
- Single-jointed elbow and knees
- Hinged ankles
His only accessory, apart from the Doomsday pieces, is the sonic gun he used to first weaken Superman in the comic. He can hold it well enough, but I’m not positive his left hand was actually sculpted with an accessory in mind. It’s just so awkward-looking. He’s basically holding it with two fingers and a thumb.
Overall I am thrilled to add this version of Batman to my shelves. I’ve wanted this figure to exist for decades, and even all of his articulation limitations cannot sully this for me. I’m not fully back on board the Mattel DC train, but I am in for whatever Dark Knight Returns figures they see fit to release.
Now to somehow dig my Superman out of storage and have these two go at each other!
This figure is hitting all the major retailers at the moment, and can also be purchased online at the following fine establishments: