Thanks a lot for the comparison, and showing head swaps options. Mattel’s one eyed manic face is definitely going onto the McFarlane body and getting a savage stabbing pose. The McFarlane head isn’t bad, it’s definitely a Joker, but I just don’t see Frank Miller’s Joker in this sculpt. Mattel did a better job IMHO.
Kool you kept all the packaging. The DKR Joker from Mattel has the best head sculpts. I was surprised by their effort. Just the breaking down of the body articulation was terrible.
A design like TDKR Joker is hard to find natural cuts for, to be sure. Even the MAFEX one suffers in that area. I think what throws me off about Mattel the most is the complete lack of upper thigh and the general bagginess of the jacket. It works; just threw me for a loop.
Yeah. One of the things I keep meaning to talk about in these Dark Knight Returns videos is the concept of art being On-Model or Off-Model. Which is to say, the characters are drawn consistently. Miller's work in the book is very Off-Model. There is a gist to how he draws the characters but it changes from panel to panel depending on what he is going for. Which is fine. It's his style, and the book is a masterpiece, but I do think that is why (by and large) you see such a vast disparity between toy companies when adapting these particular versions into action figure form. Compare that to how very precise a Greg Capullo style Batman or a Jim Lee Batman look. McFarlane may have based theirs on one panel, whereas DC Direct another, and Mattel another. All of them could be accurate in their way, but none of them feel entirely right either.
Articulation: DC Direct has good intentions hahaha I like your references, like the Godfather one. I do agree McFarlane's face is too bad and the overall look isn't doing for me, sadly, because I wanted that horse but I won't get this guy. Superman's face looks like it has Botox so I don't want him either xD
Yeah, the Joker and Superman heads are particularly rough on these. I'd sad they are the worst head sculpts for these versions of the characters I have ever seen. Carrie and Batman are spot on, though. Also, thanks! I am very proud of that joke lol
There are two versions (three, technically). Two single-carded ones that are the same sculpt, but one has a darker color scheme and the other has a more comics accurate one. Then there is a two-pack with Superman, but it is the same as the comics accurate version. Hope this one was worth the wait!
