Realizing that it is the 10th(!!!) anniversary of The Dark Knight has me a bit shook, you guys. Can it really be a decade since Heath Ledger blew our minds? Yeah, I guess it can, and thinking about the movie (and re-watching it this past weekend) has me feeling all the feels, both good and bad. Good in that I still LOVE this movie, and bad/sad that Ledger is no longer with us. But as usual, I tend to drown my pop culture woes in new action figures, and Medicom has teed up this new “Cop Version” of the Joker to help with the commemoration.
There is not much I likely have to offer in terms of commentary about TDK that has not already been said, so I will leave it mostly to that. As I said, I adore the movie (and the Nolan Trilogy overall), and while I normally do not buy comic book movie figures from import brands, there are some exceptions, and when Bandai, Figma, or Medicom come calling with figures based on TDK, I am going to respond. It seems like it was forever ago when this figure was first solicited (something common for MAFEX releases), and even with it being a couple of months behind (also common for MAFEX), this figure is still worth the wait, even if it missed the official anniversary of the movie release.
I don’t mind continuing a celebration, though, and aside from not ever really expecting to get a figure of this version of the Joker at this scale, I am pleased to note that Medicom keeps improving with the release of these figures, and overall, this one turned out great. As always, there are some things here and there that I would change or improve, but this is a solid release and I positive Batman/Joker/DC/comic/movie fans will be glad to add this one to the shelf. The figure itself is pretty “moment specific” to the flick, but it is based on a pivotal scene, and if you are a good little purchaser or previous Dark Knight MAFEX figures, you are rewarded with some new arms, hands, and alternate head for the standard Joker that was released awhile back.
At its foundation, this is a figure of a police officer outfitted in a dress uniform. This isn’t a daily uniform, but a pressed version with a tie and white gloves that is generally reserved for ceremonies, you know, like a parade? Everything looks screen accurate to when the Joker attempted to take out the mayor of Gotham, but subsequently shot and killed/didn’t really kill Jim Gordon. That scene ripped my guts out at first because I am such of fan of the Oldman Gordon, so it is nice to be able to highlight that moment, as I still remember it well. The uniform makes this figure pretty straight forward overall (with the badge and flag pin being nice details), but I assume it will be used and customized into some generic cops by collectors, so it will work well for that, too.
Now, my main fear and reservation with any new MAFEX figure is the construction and joint integrity. While they have been getting better, I have had some disastrous releases in the past (C-3PO stands out), but I am happy to say that all of the joints on this figure feel strong, and can hold reasonable poses (no less capable than any recently released import figure I have). Plus, the swappable hands stay on the pegs once attached. This has been a real bugger in the past with MAFEX figures as the pegs are generally just straight with little to no tension, but this one is good to go. Speaking of hands, for the cop figure, there are three sets of gloved hands: relaxed, fists, and gun toting. The first two sets are fine and don’t really need to do anything aside from just display, but the holding hands work well with the included rifle.
The no face paint/cop portrait is a highlight in terms of being unique to this specific look for the movie, and it is rendered well here. It is not perfect, and I think the shape of the head overall is a little off, but it is one of the better MAFEX “print” jobs, and there is a lot of detail. The expression and mouth scars are good, as is the expression. The eyes are VERY specific, and while the head overall looks better with the included removable hat (which I wish stayed on just a bit better), the eyes are particularly linked to this due to be pointed up just a bit. So, to get the most nature look from the figure, you need to angle the chin down just a bit and have the figure look up from under the hat. Once you have it posed, it looks cool, but I can see some feedback about it being too “in the moment” due to the specific positioning of the eyes.
As mentioned, you also get a new head, arms, and hands for the 2.0 standard Joker released awhile back. These piece allow you to recreate the Joker as he appeared in the interrogation scene with Batman and was without his outer coat and purple gloves. These are cool inclusions, and the patterning on the sleeves is well-executed and complex. The hands are for clapping or being flat on the desk, so those can be used to recreate some of the iconic still images from that scene. The head is pretty good, too (the likeness is not perfect) and again, meant to be specific to this scene. Like the cop head, the chin needs to be pointed down so the Joker can defiantly look up at Batman, and it works well for that, especially if he is seated. I do think this head can be used for general posing as well so it is nice to have varied expression possibilities for the standard Joker figure.
This is a neat release for TDK’s anniversary, and while it won’t be required for every collection due to being so scene specific, I am glad to have it. Medicom is continuing to improve with their MAFEX releases, and this is a nice example of the engineering and face printing (mostly) turning out well. The added bonus parts for the regular Joker figure are a nice way of blowing out a release with less opportunity for appropriate accessories, so I feel like I got my money’s worth. You can still lock down an order for this, so if you are fan of the Ledger Joker, I would recommend it.
