REVIEW: ReelArt Studios -- Neal Adams’ "Going Ape" Statue

A frenzied battle frozen in time...

For a great selection of fantasy figures and collectibles, check out the selection of products at fine retailers TopSecretToys.biz, Sideshow Collectibles, Attakus, ToyRocket.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, BriansToys.com, BigBadToyStore.com, CornerStoreComics.com, ToyWiz.com, WhiteWizardToys.com and StatueToys.com.

For a great selection of pop culture apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com.

There’s a thin line between collectibles and fine art. For even the simplest, most child-marketed action figure, we use descriptions of "sculpt" and "paint," and certainly the higher-end toys – the Four Horsemen’s work, say – must be thought of in terms of the artist’s interpretations, the decisions they’ve made. Most action figure sculptors went to art school, after all. And this is to say nothing of the sculptures and busts available which depict characters from comics, cinema, and so on.

Sculptures! Busts! These are art museum words. But you’ll never (or at least rarely) find a sculpture of Batman in an art auction. And why not? Is it because these sculptures are painted? The classical sculptures of Egypt and Greece were once painted. Because they’re mass-produced? Any art museum you go to will display objects that were, or are, made in hundreds of identical copies. No, ultimately, "collectible" sculptures are not regarded as fine art simply because of subject matter. Art collectors aren’t interested in busts of, say, Admiral Ackbar, and so such are not thought to be art in the culturally accepted sense.

Which is a pity, especially when you consider a piece like ReelArt Studios', in conjunction with Dark Horse Deluxe, recent sculpture of Neal Adams’ illustration “Going Ape”; this is as fine a piece of art as you’re likely to find, in your local comic shop or elsewhere.

“Going Ape” depicts the very Lord of the Apes himself, Tarzan, astride a huge, enraged simian. Tarzan is wrestling the creature, and he draws back a blood-soaked knife; the ape has a gash in his neck. Sometimes, when you’re Lord of the Apes, you have to rule strictly, it seems. The sculpt is ten inches tall, and is by Jason Spyda Adams, after a drawing by his father, Neal Adams. Neal Adams has a much-deserved reputation as a master illustrator, especially where ‘savage’ artwork – pieces depicting well-formed, partially-clothed persons in action poses, with or without terrifying wilderness beasts – is concerned. And Jason Spyda is swiftly making a name for himself in the model and sculpture world.

And you can certainly see why these two have the reputations they do; “Going Ape” is a masterful piece. If your humble reviewer had to choose just one word to describe it, it would be “kinetic.” This man and this creature, they are in motion. The flailing limbs, the tense muscles, the angular poses – this is a sculpture about action. It in fact is reminiscent of neoclassical sculptures of Greek heroes battling minotaurs, centaurs, and the like. It is simply that good. The ape’s face is mad with rage; Lord Greystoke’s is set with angry determination. Their battle is set on a circular base, with some fallen branches – which have remarkably good detail-work, by the way – and a rough, uneven earth. There is a certain, slight roughness to the sculpt of the combatants, as well; they are less detailed than the static ground, in places, and this is doubtless intentional. A bit of roughness to their lines gives them motion and power. This is a savage and impressive piece, and it would make Edgar Rice Burroughs proud.

The paint only enhances the overall effect. In particular, the detailing on the muscles of man and ape alike makes their strain, and their struggle, even more alive. Which is ideal; this is a sculpture of a wrestling match, and hence is all about the muscles. (Indeed, the ape is hairless in many places where an ape ought have hair; artistically, no doubt a decision made to emphasize his physique. In the narrative of the piece, maybe this gorilla has a disease? Oo – and maybe the disease drove him mad, forcing Tarzan to put him down!) Another striking part of the paint job here is the blood – a lurid splash on the ape’s neck, and a crimson gleam on Tarzan’s knife. The red is particularly effective in that almost all of the rest of the statue is in shades of brown, and properly so. The blood leaps out at you just as it should.

To top it all off, on the bottom of the base are the signatures of Adams and son, as well as the number of the sculpture you’ve got (the review copy is number 157). This number is repeated on the box. It’s quite a nice box, with pictures of the piece from various angles, as well as a reproduction of the illustration on which the sculpture is based. That’s an awfully good box! But it in fact obscures the sculpture, and that simply will not do.

The MSRP on the “Going Ape” sculpture is $175, though it may be found at many online retailers for $150 or so, sometimes even less. Such prices won’t last forever, though; this is an edition of 750, and as it sells out, its price will likely rise.

“Going Ape,” in spite of its humorous title, is nothing less than a work of art. It is the work of a father and son on the tops of their games; neither inspiration nor craftsmanship has been spared in its execution. It is simply an excellent piece of work in every respect. Tarzan enthusiasts and Neal Adams fans should certainly waste no time in getting their hands on one. And it is equally recommended to anyone who appreciates a fine sculpt of savage action, a frenzied battle frozen in time.

Visit the link below for more images of the "Going Ape" statue.

Review and Photos by Matthew Kessen

Review Sample Courtesy of Dark Horse

Going Ape Statue Photo Gallery