Monday, August 23, 2010

"Batman: Black and White" Mignola inspired statue

"Batman Black and White" refers both to a four-issue comic book anthology limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics, and three collections of 8-page black and white Batman stories, comprising the limited series and backup features from the "Batman: Gotham Knights" comic.

Several "Batman: Black and White" statues have been released by DC Direct based on the Batman designs by various artists for their contributions to the three volumes of "Black & White" stories.

Being a BIG fan of Mike Mignola, I couldn't resist this Batman Black & White Mike Mignola statue sculpted by Jonathan Matthews. Painted in monochromatic tones, this limited-edition statue reflects the mood of Batman Black & White.


This is where 2D art takes on a 3D form and the sculptor Jonathan Matthews certainly interpreted Mike Mignola's inspiration of the Dark Knight very well. I don't collect statues because of their HIGH prices and complete lack of articulation (lack? I meant ZERO, zilch, nada articulation whatsoever) plus non-fabric costume / outfit and accessories which meant paying for a piece of rock / paper weight BUT I just got hooked to this piece as in hook, line and sinker!



Mike Mignola's distinct style is so well captured here in 3D with his use of blacks, grays and large shadowed areas. Mignola's characters are usually bulky and rough-looking, and the feet of characters drawn by him are rarely defined clearly. His version of Batman doesn't even seem to have shoulders BUT I still like the way he rendered him, as well as how he interpreted other comic characters.


This is one statue that I really like a lot :) Enjoy the pictures














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11 comments:

  1. UnknownAugust 23, 2010 at 5:46 PM

    Neat .. this doest look like 3D at all x)

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  2. laME boyAugust 23, 2010 at 8:30 PM

    Looks amazingly awesome. Any details on the price?

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  3. alex teoAugust 23, 2010 at 10:42 PM

    thanks guys :) hey Zi Yi, this statue was released sometime ago and i'm not sure if it is still on sale

    saw one going for USD199 on e-bay and it isn't even mint in box (link: http://cgi.ebay.com/Batman-Black-And-White-Mike-Mignola-Statue-DC-Direct-/120612458641?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0)

    over at Statue Forum, someone asked why the spike for the Mignola one? answers included: Because of all the statues it's the best. Best style, translated probably the best from 2d to 3d. The sculptor did an incredible job of taking the 2-D source material and creating a 3-D rendering. This is a perfect translation of mignolas work. If you see this piece head on it looks flat, the sculptor did an amazing job on this piece.

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  4. ethanAugust 23, 2010 at 11:34 PM

    Trully amazing work...at every angle still looks 2D ..this is great artistic work.

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  5. The LeopardAugust 24, 2010 at 7:36 AM

    Absolutely mind-bendingly gorgeous!

    One of the most beautiful statues I've ever seen - and that includes Michaelangelo's David!

    Thanks for posting!

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  6. ethanAugust 24, 2010 at 10:23 AM

    Amazing work...can't imagine the 2D look at all angles :)

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  7. alex teoAugust 24, 2010 at 9:05 PM

    thanks guys, i'm just glad i was able to share. NICE to see so many of you have the same positive points on the statue

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  8. laME boyAugust 25, 2010 at 10:16 PM

    This thing should be in a museum or something.

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  9. alex teoAugust 26, 2010 at 6:55 PM

    It is in a museum, MY museum of TOYS ha ha LOLz It is really NICE but Unfortunately its a little small in size (only 7 inches tall) CHEERS thanks for looking

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  10. WayneMarch 19, 2012 at 7:00 PM

    As you must now be aware there is a variant version of this statue, DC cashing in on the sell out original I feel. What do you think? Did you buy the variant also? I have every statue in the series 41 in total, all mint with the packaging and boxes. I was thinking of selling them as a complete lot, i do not believe anyone has sold a complete collection of this type.

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  11. alex teoMarch 19, 2012 at 8:02 PM

    hi Wayne, I didn't buy the variant because I much prefer this first version with the "year one" bat symbol rather than the oval symbol on the re-release :)

    Wow! 41 statues - now that's a collection haha

    All the best with the sale CHEERS

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