WHY SO SERIOUS?

Like many fans of Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, I eagerly snapped up any bit of info I could about its sequel... I confess that when I read about Heath Ledger being signed to play The Batman's greatest adversary, I balked. I could honestly say that, while he was a gifted performer, he hadn't been in any movies I liked. The more I read about Ledger & Nolan's take on the character, the more I was intrigued: Glasgow smile, cheap green hair dye, filthy, no ID... then, like everybody else, I was stunned by Ledger's complete transformation into The Joker.

Not only had Ledger become Batman's worst enemy, but also one of the greatest movie villains of all-time.

Completed in May 2013, The Clown Prince of Crime was made primarily from a Marvel Universe Professor X and a third party head. This project has been YEARS in the making, as I intended to make The Joker using the same pieces when they were released as Destro from a San Diego Comic Con exclusive. However, since the set the figure comes from routinely goes for $52-$65, it wasn't exactly in the budget. Then Hasbro was awesome and re-released the figure as Professor Chuck in their Marvel Universe line!

Professor X is easily the best suited body I've ever worked with, so much so that I used him for a couple other upcoming pieces. It was definitely worth the wait, and I can't imagine using anything else. To me, this is my "Perfect" Joker, so I don't see myself revisiting this incarnation of character anytime soon. I've created my own iteration of The Joker specifically for my Batman universe, and have the perfect parts in mind... guess what I'll be using? 

Just like his nemesis (and possible love interest?), Joker's one of those characters that've inspired a number of custom pieces by me, going all the way back to grade school. I'll spare you that work, but do have a snapshot of some things a little more recent:

L to R: Dark Knight Joker mk I, "Classic" Joker, Dark Knight Joker mk II

COMING UP: WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEARTS OF MEN? THE ONE HONEST COP IN GOTHAM CITY

THE GHOST WHO WALKS

Lee Falk's Phantom is a character I remember from an early age because of the Defenders of the Earth cartoon of the mid-80s. Unlike Batman or Spider-Man, however, I didn't become obsessed with The Ghost Who Walks. I never read stacks of his comics growing up... like any great concept, I was more into the idea of The Phantom, and where I could take him and his pulp comic brethren.

Completed in Spring 2013, Kit Walker here is composed almost entirely from common table scraps on my bench: 25th Anniversary Snake Eyes upper body and lower legs/boots, random Cobra Trooper upper legs, and a Destro head. The parts were laying out, and I saw the Destro head in just the right light to sell me.

While I kept The Phantom's rings and silver pistols, I ditched the striped undies and skull buckle in favor of a military-style web belt to ground the design more in reality...  While I can see a man wearing this basic uniform without being too costume-y, I still can't explain the purple. I did try to tone down the brightness (he's a "ghost," remember?), and was in no way inspired by the costume from the terrible Billy Zane film from 20 years ago, hahaha.

Now that I've completed one Defender, there's a lot of temptation to finish the team... there's always room for a Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician... and Ming the Merciless would be an amazing rogue, worthy of even The Batman...


NEXT TIME: WHY SO SERIOUS?