ADVANCE REVIEW: Play Arts Kai SDCC Exclusive Black & White Batman and Joker

[Jorge Pelaez]

The Caped Crusader and Clown Prince of Crime invade SDCC...

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This year Square Enix has extensively expanded their Play Arts Kai collection to include several other video game licenses such as Uncharted 3, God of War 3 and the best comic-based video game in the franchise, Arkham Asylum. With an incredibly successful first assortment and second shipping now, Batman fans have a lot of great Play Arts figures to look forward to however, there is yet another set which will only be available for purchase at Comic-Con this week and boy are these some awesome figures. The Dark Knight and Clown Prince of Crime will be available in a limited edition Black and White version and we are happy to share this advanced review of the figures with you today.

The limited edition of Batman and Joker are packaged within the same exact window box package as the colored versions. The box features an eye catching composition of visuals of Arkham Asylum and images of the action figures in several different poses. The window box features open panels on both sides and the top offering collectors a nice all around view of the figure inside. The dramatic and eye-catching package design will appeal to mint-in-box collectors and will entice openers to pick up a second set to display packaged. The Black and White exclusive Batman and Joker have a unique Black and White silhouette sticker which is placed on the left bottom corner of the plastic window in the front of the package.

The sculpted details on both Batman and Joker are rendered flawlessly and bring these two iconic comic characters to life in three-dimensional form. The texturing on Batman’s suit gives it a rough Kevlar-like look that is amazing and the cape has dynamic folds and wrinkles that significantly enhances the overall look of the figure. The piece of the cape which flows over Batman’s shoulders and connects into the seam of the cowl is made of a flexible rubber which does not restrict the shoulder joint movement as much as it were a solid material. The cape is composed of two separate parts which connect to the back of Batman’s back via two ball-swivel joints. There is an additional third cape piece which can be interchanged on the left back joint to create an awesome wind-blown effect. The head sculpt on Batman is flawless and looks like a carbon copy of the in-game look of the caped crusader. The utility belt and underwear are made of a flexible rubber material also which allows a wider range of movement for the legs.

The Joker is presented in his iconic pin-striped suit and pants with ruffled sleeves and pointy shoes. This is a great sculptural representation of the Clown Prince of Crime as he appears in the first Arkham Asylum video game. The portrait sculpt illustrates Joker cracking a sarcastic smile with his eyebrows raised which looks very similar to his look in the video game. The suit’s pin stripes are actually sculpted in rather than just painted on which adds a lot of depth to the figure overall. Joker features a tall and extremely slender physique which sticks out like a sore thumb when placed next to Batman’s Herculean body frame. When it comes to sculpt, no detail was spared on the Joker from his flashy pointy dress shoes to the sewn-in patches on his suit.

The black and white color applications on this set of figures is applied flawlessly and adds a unique classical and dramatic look to the hero and villain. Although both figures feature only black and white hues of paint, there is dry-brushing and airbrush shading all over the bodies to accentuate the fantastic sculpt work on both pieces.

The amount articulation on both the Batman and Joker figures is simply stunning. Both of the figures feature ratcheting joints at the elbows and ankles which helps lock-in poses very well and also assists with keeping the figures from falling over.

Batman includes two closed fists and one trigger hand that can hold the batarang and bat claw. Which are also included with the figure. The Joker includes a two-fingered trigger pistol and a set of open hands, a trigger hand and closed fist.

Whether you already own the original colored Play Arts versions of Batman and Joker or not, picking up this exclusive Black and White set should definitely be on your to-do list this week. Both of these figures are available for purchase now at the Square Enix booth during Comic-Con or at their website

Photos and Review by: Jorge Pelaez

Review Samples provided by: Square Enix

CLICK HERE TO SEE OVER 40 MORE IMAGES IN OUR PHOTO GALLERY

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