Gotham City Stories - Part 1: Batman

DC Direct presents a series of statues which they have labeled 'dimensional display pieces.' The piece can be either hung on the wall or placed on the desk, and as you can see from the pic below, you can either place it by itself or purchase a complementary piece (to be released later) to go along with it.

Produced By DC Direct
Sculpted By Joseph Menna
Size 5.75"H x 5.75"w x 2.25"d
Type Porcelain Display Piece
Edition Size TBD
Release Date March 2010
Price $99.00

Zimm's Two Cents
Before I get into my review, I do want to throw out some "kudo" points out to DC Direct for offering something different then the typical statue and/or bust.

Points in Favor

• Little details add a lot. The Batarang and rope. The details around the window sill. You can see through the window pain.
• I like the colors - with good detail withing the bricks.
• It makes for a nice change to the standard statue and allows you to hang it on the wall.

Points Against

• While at first glance, I liked the Batman sculpting. The sculpting eventually looked very "stiff" to me.
• I think that this would look "off" hanging on the wall by itself. You may have to buy more of the series for it not look like a piece that you just 'stuck-up' on the wall.
• With the sneak peak of the other display pieces, they are all coming out of the same window. I think I would have preferred a little bit of a difference in the display backdrop. Thus, the window backdrop screams 'mass production' to me.

Quick Sidebar - which is neither a pro or con but a personal preference. I would have preferred to have Batman looking across at the other window with the Joker and/or Catwoman staring back. (Robert: It's your prerogative. You can hang them any way you like.)

Recommendation: Pass. DC Direct has some great busts and statues that I would prefer over this one; however, I hope that DC Direct improves on the concept over time.

Robert's Two Cents
I'm happy to see DC release something like this. It's not your typical statue/bust/collectible. Plus you don't have to use up valuable shelf space for these.

Points in Favor

• Good paint and color.
  
• It's cool! It's something different. You may need two or more to make them look decent, but I think it may be worth the investment.
  
• Great details. The walls and the windows are great. Look at the acid damage on the Joker one.
  

Points Against

• The Batman sculpt is a little weak.
• I agree with Zimm, that you need more than one and it would look awesome if you had Batman and Joker or Catwoman staring at one another across a corner or something.
  
• It reminds me of the Hee Haw bit where they all stick their heads out windows and chat. You could have fun with that though.
  

Recommendation: Buy. There are other pieces out there I'd like more than these, but if I were looking for another Batman collection, this would be the one this year. Unfortunately, I'm not buying more Batman. I'm saving my money for 12 inch Umbrella Academy.