The DC Universe Classics Wave 10 Joker might be the single most anticipated figure of 2009, and given the recent flurry of people hunting for him, the extreme Ebay prices, and growing community concern, he might be one of the most sought-after figures of all time. Claims like that mean it better be an amazing toy, so read on to see whether or not it is!
Name: Joker
Line: DC Universe Classics, Wave 10, Figure 3
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Fall 2009
Price: Retails: $13.00-$15.00, Online: $50.00+ on Ebay
Scale: 6.00 in. (Figure in 6.50 in. tall)
Accessories: Hammer, cane, fish, and playing cards
Collect & Connect Piece: Imperiex's right leg
If you purchased Gentleman Ghost from Wave 8 of DC Universe Classics, then you've seen some of the basic elements of Joker's sculpt before. Despite that reuse, these are still relatively new pieces, and joker adds even more variety on top of that with some smaller costume elements like his flower and his tie, not to mention the coat and head, all of which are brand new tooling. This unique flair really fits the character, and saves a figure that could have been too boring without it. Just imagine them trying to make a Joker out of the weaker Riddler/Clark Kent mold we've seen in the past; it wouldn't have turned out nearly so nicely. Joker's proportions are perfect, long and skinny, without any obvious problems. This looksexactly like the classic version of the Joker thanks to all the sculpt contributions working together.
And then there are a few design issues that are problematic with my figure too. For instance his neck is actually a separate piece between the torso and head (thanks to Gentleman Ghost who didn't have a head), and it's quite flimsy. Let me explain a little more clearly: there is a plastic neck attached to a hole in the torso, and then the head is attached via the standard double-ball piston to the neck. This middle neck piece is made of a soft plastic, so when you're trying to pose his head (which is limited to a swivel due to the standard design flaw), you're actually bending the flimsy middle neck piece instead, so mine is about to come out of his torso, and he can't really hold any tilted poses, because the flimsy neck just resets into the plastic's natural position. His collar appears to be even another piece separate from those, and it's attached a little crooked, unable to be straightened out. Okay, so that was a lot of text to describe a minor problem, but I thought it deserved mentioning anyway.
I'm super happy with how all the various details came out, thanks to the naturally hanging cloth wrinkles in his lower back, the folds along the back and bottom of his pants, the buttons on his shirt and vest, and even tiny indentations carved into the middle of his flower. The Four Horsemen sculpting team are great at capturing all these intricacies, and although many of the smaller details aren't visible at first glance, they help bring these toys to life after a closer inspection. Of course, there's one feature of this toy bringing him to life more than any other, and it's this astoundingly good head sculpt. This is a perfect rendition of the Joker that's about as classic as a head can be without actually taking on the style of a specific comic artist or actor likeness. He has a maniacal grin, severely pointed chin, crazy eyebrows, and deep-set wrinkles in his forehead. There is so much personality underneath his finely detailed hair, making this quite possibly the definitive Joker sculpt so far in toys this scale. It's truly the best of the best, and I doubt you'll be even slightly disappointed if you're a big Joker fan of old.
There are also a ton of accessories to consider here, and while none of them are absolutely stunning, they're still effective additions to the aesthetic repertoire of the Joker. First off is the giant green mallet, a throwback to Super Powers fans with a face sculpted onto the bottom, the letter "J" on both ends, and wood grain worked into the outside too. It seems to have a lot of detai, but something about it just looks off, though I suspect that's primarily due to the color, and not a sculpt problem. Joker also comes with a neat little smiling fish, a semi-soft looking stack of playing cards, and a package-warped cane with the Joker's head perched on top. He's able to hold the cane and hammer relatively well in his right hand (both are a tad loose, but he can hold them up on his own), but the deck of cards and fish are a bit more problematic, and his left hand is pretty much useless for holding anything other than the fish securely. There are definitely a few small problems with this toy, such as those mentioned, but thanks to the amazing face and accurate costume details, I think this is close to the perfect Joker in most people's book.
Sculpt Score: 9 / 10
Wow, what an unbelievable long sculpt section. I think I could do one sentence for every other category and still hit 1000 words. Anyway, Joker's paint. It's actually a little backwards with this figure, because the standard lately for DCUC seems to be weak paint on the body, but clean applications on the head, and Joker here is the exact opposite. All of the paint applications on his body are crisp and straight, like the distinct lines on his pants, clean cuts on his cuffs, and crisp color changes on his torso and shoes. Even the small buttons across the various spots on his body are well done, and his flower is attractive and problem-free to the naked eye as well. And then there is his head, which is a lot messier than usual.
The full head shot towards the bottom of the review will show a lot of the mistakes, but please do keep in mind, that image is about 10 times bigger than the actual toy, so any flaws are much more obvious there than in person. There are black specks across his face, the red lips are very sloppily applied around the edges(not a problem if you're a Ledger Joker fan), his pupils are randomly directed (I guess he is supposed to be a little crazy though, right?), and bottom lip is missing a giant streak of red. Then again, when I look at him in person, the problems are barely visible at all, so don't expect yours to look terrible, as it's more likely that mine is a deviation from the normal excellence in face paint that Mattel has been implementing as of late.
Joker's colors are all great choices and each matches well across all his different body parts. The purple isn't too overwhelming (important, since it's a majority of the figure), while the green and orange of his clothes complement it well. His face is a nice semi-white, and the hair and lips stand out like they should. I've already touched on the ugly solid green hammer, but it was an intentional design choice to honor Super Powers collectors from years past, so I won't dock any points there, especially since the other accessories have multiple paint applications that are crisp and show an obvious attention to detail.
Paint Score: 9 / 10
I'll try to stay a bit more brief here, to speed things along. Joker is missing a few key points of articulation that are standard to this line. Technically, he's made with them included, but sculpt elements keep them from working as planned. Each of the limited points is mentioned in the image above, and everything else has a full range of motion. The ankle hinges are limited by his pants, and his wrists are difficult to turn as well (the left won't do a full rotation), so those might be problems, although neither has been bugging me too much while posing Joker for these photos. The one spot that is bothering me, is the lack of waist articulation. I think there is a swivel in there somewhere, because I can manage to turn him about 2 degrees to each side, but I'm scared to push any further, and suspect he's just limited by the sculpt. Even though I'd love some sort of waist swivel, he's not useless without it, thanks to a number of other points, so you'll still be able to pose him in some pretty interesting ways. None of my joints are loose, none of them are sticky or fused, and each seems to be holding up well through a fair amount of usage, all important traits in this category. The neck problems were already touched on a bit, and getting his head to tilt is a chore, yet there is a bit of range possible there, to add just that smidgen more personality to his poses. This is a fun toy to play with and pose despite any of the above weaknesses, and that's really the most important thing.
Articulation Score: 8 / 10
Let's face it, Joker is probably one of the greatest villains of all time, and not just comic book villains either, all villains. I might rank him below Satan and Roseanne Barr himself, but that's it. He's an inherently fun character, who is the greatest threat to comics' greatest masked vigilante, Batman. Joker is instantly recognizable, plus he's much loved, and this toy benefits from that before you even start to talk about the plastic itself. Of course, the toy is pretty enjoyable too, coming out of the package with 4 separate accessories, all of which can be used to torment your Batman toys in one way or another. From weapons to goofy items, this Joker is loaded down with entertaining stuff to play with, and there are a ton of funny photos you could pose him for too. This means he's great on the shelf alongside other Bat-villains, or just fine on his own thanks to all the personality oozing out of him. The articulation isn't perfect, but it's enough to enable all the posing you'll probably want, along with making him an ease to take to the carpet for a battle royale or ten. Being able to collect and connect Imperiex with Joker's C&C piece is another little distraction to steal your time, and let me tell you firsthand, building Imperiex is in fact a joy (he's a surprise favorite C&C for me. The only negative here is actually trying to find a Joker figure, but if you're writing a review, you have to own him somehow, so that's sort of a non-factor here. It'll probably just make him that much more fun once you finally find him too!
Fun Score: 10 / 10
I paid $13 for Joker at Wal-Mart, which is the standard retail price for DC Universe Classics toys right now. If you've been following the after-market prices for this toy (and don't tell me you haven't been), you've probably noticed he's going for $50+ on Ebay. And while I think it's an awesome toy, I definitely don't think he's worth any more than $15, and even $13 isn't a super deal. It's not a particularly large figure, although he does seem durable and fall-resistant so far, and all the articulation is in good working order. Add in all the included accessories, and the various new tooling, and you can see how costs start to rise for this figure, making the $13 seem almost fair. Once the C&C piece is factored in, which is kind of like getting 1/6th of a free figure, I think $13 is actually a pretty good deal for this toy, especially considering its current rarity and the importance of the character.
Value Score: 9 / 10
9 / 10 - A toy that captured the look and feel of the Joker almost perfectly.
9 / 10 - Good paint applications and strong colors overcome a few small problems on his face.
8 / 10 - A few points are limited, but he still has plenty to pose and play.
10 / 10 - A good rendition of the "clown prince of crime", need I say more?
9 / 10 - Comes with lots of extras and some new tooling, at a reasonable price these days.
91 / 100 - This is a Wonderful Toy
I didn't think I actually liked Joker this much until I started writing the review and realized there weren't many flaws here. I don't know if I'm just looking through Wave 10-colored glasses, or if he's one of the best DC Universe Classics figures yet. Honestly, I think it's the latter.
-The Articulated One
This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment for a chance to win!
Articulated Discussion is also giving away three DC Universe Classics Wave 10 figures, so check out the DC Universe Classics Wave 10 Classified Contest to see how to win!
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