Across several DC Collectibles statue lines, the base is stored "flat" in a compartment in the "top" half of the Styrofoam brick. All the other parts are stored in the "bottom" half. The base is kept in place with a thin Styrofoam sheet.
DC Icons Wonder Woman statue base compartment
The Styrofoam sheets are easily damaged when statues are first opened. Also, my Bombshells Starfire statue had a sheet that was too thick, which made it difficult for me to remove the Styrofoam brick from the product box.
I decided to replace the base compartment covers for three of my statues. I found a listing on Amazon for 8-inch x 6-inch x 0.25-inch Styrofoam sheets, sold in sets of 10 or 20.
The Styrofoam sheets were easy to cut to size with a Swiss Army knife (just take your time and don't rush things). Voila!
I haven't written a movie review in a long while, but James Wan's 2018 Aquaman has motivated me to commit a few thoughts to this blog. I saw the movie on Saturday, December 15 while on a weekend trip to Dallas, TX. That was the Amazon Prime/Atom Tickets Sneak Preview, which grossed about $2.8 million. (For reference, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle grossed about $1.8 million during its Sneak Preview in 2017.) I saw it again on Saturday, December 22 at the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum in Austin, TX.
Although I read comics, I feel that movies should be appraised based on their merits as movies, regardless of any source materials. (If you think "the book was better", go read the book again instead of complaining about the movie.) Aquaman can be enjoyed by anyone, and it's especially worth the effort to see in giant IMAX venues (usually ones that were built as part of museum complexes rather than retrofitted multiplex auditoriums). IMAX is showing a version of the movie with 26% more height. Many of the underwater or water-related sequences are beneficiaries of the taller 1.90:1 aspect ratio, and in terms of pure visual spectacle, Aquaman is a sight to behold. Indeed, the movie is so big that I thought the aspect ratio was taller than it really is!
The Bob Bullock IMAX gave customers this mini poster:
Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) is the half-human/half-Atlantean son of lighthouse keeper Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison) and Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), Queen of Atlantis. Atlanna's other son, Orm (Patrick Wilson), wants to wage war against surface-based societies for polluting the oceans. Mera (Amber Heard) and Vulko (Willem Dafoe) seek Arthur's help in stopping Orm.
Aquaman is part of what's commonly known as the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), comprised of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. This one is easily the best of the lot. Wonder Woman was very good, but that movie's use of bait-&-switch villains resulted in excessive exposition during the third act, right when the action needed to be propulsive and relentless.
Orm is this movie's primary antagonist. Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a pawn in Orm's schemes (though the mid-credits footage promises that he'll have a larger role in a potential sequel). Orm was written as a charismatic but misguided leader, and Patrick Wilson plays the part well. Yes, Wilson arches his eyebrows and chews his dialogue, but Orm's anger against the surface world and bitterness towards other characters is understandable -- even relatable if you've ever been disappointed by relatives or friends.
Mera is the co-lead for much of the movie. Although she's supportive, she doesn't exist merely to be the hero's enabler. Rather, Mera has her own motivations and is a self-sufficient individual. I'm glad that Amber Heard was given more to do than just stand around as eye candy. (Plus, the filmmakers don't leer at her the way that Joss Whedon leered at Gal Gadot in his version of Justice League.)
Director James Wan with the lead actors
Director James Wan built his reputation as the director of several horror films, such as Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring. That background is evident when Arthur and Mera journey to the Kingdom of the Trench. Wan makes great use of off-screen space to show how Arthur and Mera are startled by these scary creatures. The shot of the heroes plunging into the ocean has an eerie beauty.
Wan's use of long takes is one of the movie's best pleasures. Long takes are a good way of generating tension in horror movies, which is probably why Wan used them for Aquaman, too. The long takes show how events take place simultaneously (such as during the Sicily action sequence). They also allow you to admire the hard work needed to plan, block, and execute complex movement.
Occasionally, Aquaman grinds to a halt during expository conversations. I wish that filmmakers would sprinkle information throughout a movie rather than packing everything into chunks at a time. Much of the time, "explanations" aren't even necessary. Mercifully, voiceover narration is used sparingly during bookends at the beginning and the end of the movie.
Given lead actor Jason Momoa's physical build, it's easy to assume that Aquaman is a typical, blustery action movie. Yet, it's really quite charming. The affection between Momoa and Temuera Morrison seems genuine. There's a bar scene early in the movie that has one of the best comedic payoffs I've seen in a long while. Momoa performs mini-hakas at least twice. Midway through the movie, there's a "date" montage in Sicily that shows Arthur's gentle side. Mera makes a mistake, but rather than correcting her, Arthur does the exact same thing as she does to make her feel welcome on dry land. I liked the moments when Arthur speaks Russian and a little Italian (even if the latter consists of single words).
Don't worry, Aquaman has plenty of red meat action. The movie uses Jason Momoa's physicality to full effect, especially during the submarine and Sicily sequences. In the former, Arthur lifts another man across his shoulders and charges down a hallway towards a narrow hatch (you can guess what happens next). In the latter, Arthur leaps into the air to knock a church bell aside to save a little girl. This Aquaman is powerful and more than equal to Wonder Woman and Superman in terms of pure strength.
Aquaman is my favorite live-action comic book superhero movie yet.
Sculptor Tim Miller has worked with several companies on a variety of intellectual properties, but since most of my statues are from DC Collectibles, my familiarity with his career is largely limited to the Bombshells line. I admit that I have a love/hate relationship with the Bombshells statues. I tend to like the concept more than the execution. This goes for both Ant Lucia's drawings and their physical manifestations.
My main concern is that Tim Miller's Bombshells face sculpts are so similar to each other. The Bombshells line started with the October 2013 release of Wonder Woman Version 1. In January of that year, DC Collectibles released the Before Watchmen Silk Spectre statue sculpted by Miller. Here're close-up shots of Miller's Silk Spectre and Bombshells face sculpts, in order of release:
Before Watchmen Silk Spectre
Bombshells Wonder Woman
Bombshells Supergirl
Bombshells Poison Ivy
Bombshells Zatanna
Bombshells Mera
Bombshells Batwoman
Bombshells Wonder Woman Holiday Variant
Bombshells Killer Frost
Bombshells Bumblebee
Bombshells Raven
Bombshells Harley Quinn Deluxe 1
Bombshells Joker's Daughter (Duela Dent)
I omitted the statues with goggles (purple Batgirl, Stargirl) or hair (Harley Quinn Version 1) covering their eyes because I want you to be able to see my primary concern about this sameness -- the eyes are too big in relation to the other facial features and even the overall heads. To me, the large eyes are suited to only one statue, the Harley Quinn Version 2 that showcases how zany/crazy the character is. Indeed, I think the Harley Quinn Version 2 is the best statue of the line so far.
Bombshells Harley Quinn Deluxe 1
Sculptor Erick Sosa's face sculpts have the opposite issue -- he sculpts eyes that are too small.
DC Icons Wonder Woman; DC Designer Series Trinity Diorama
On at least two of the Bombshells statues, Karen Palinko sculpted the heads even though Tim Miller sculpted the bodies. Unfortunately, Halloween Batgirl's entire head looks a tad big for the body. Jesse Quick turned out rather well, though.
Bombshells Halloween Batgirl
Bombshells Jesse Quick
DC Collectibles released four Bombshells statues in a row that weren't sculpted by Tim Miller during a stretch of time between 2017 and 2018. I assume he took some time in 2016-2017 to learn how to use digital sculpting software. His first full-statue digital sculpt, Big Barda, has eyes that are proportional to the rest of her head. Although I'm not familiar with digital sculpting programs, I'm guessing that they have proportionality metrics.
Every person has an individual style comprised of his/her background, personal preferences, and quirks. If you spend enough time studying statues, you can see sculptors' imprints across their body of work. With regards to statues of DC female characters, I think Karen Palinko's forensic signature is probably the strongest. Just as Joelle Jones has been drawing her own face for the Wave 4 Cover Girls, Palinko sculpts her own face on her statues.
Karen Palinko
I haven't found a lot of information about Karen Palinko on the Internet aside from an interview that was conducted in 2006. However, this particular post is really a photo essay about Palinko's face sculpts.
Catwoman Museum Statue (1/4-scale)
Arkham Videogame Series Poison Ivy Statue
Cover Girls Wave 3 Bleez, Raven, Zatanna, and Death Statues
Bombshells Halloween Batgirl and Jesse Quick (body sculpts by Tim Miller)
Karen Palinko has sculpted many others statues, busts, and action figures for DC Collectibles (including male characters). I try to avoid collecting statues that are smaller than 1/8-scale, though my favorite Wonder Woman: Art of War statue was sculpted by her. I even have the Artist Proof 1 of this statue! :)
I started collecting statues in July 2016. I was browsing at Barnes & Noble and saw the Cover Girls Wave 3 Artgerm Batgirl and Batwoman statues. I bought them then and there, and later the same week, I bought the Wave 3 Poison Ivy at a local comics shop. Here's the very first picture that I took of my statues:
Cover Girls Wave 3 Batgirl, Poison Ivy, and Batwoman
All three statues were sculpted by Jack Mathews. Indeed, he's sculpted most of the Cover Girls line, which started back in 2009. As we head into 2019, DC Collectibles has announced Wave 4 statues of Mera, Wonder Woman, and Black Canary, again all sculpted by Mathews.
Cover Girls Wave 4 Mera
Cover Girls Wave 4 Wonder Woman
Cover Girls Wave 4 Black Canary
For a while, I collected only the Wave 3 Cover Girls. I liked the idea of having "matching" statues (both in terms of art style and bases). Although other lines intrigued me, I usually found excuses to avoid them. Over time, I also realized that I simply liked Jack Mathews's work more than any other sculptor's. I don't think that women have to look "feminine" or "a certain way", but I think that Mathews's face sculpts are beautiful even when the facial expressions are fierce/angry or, in the Joelle Jones Batgirl's case, goofy. ^_^
Cover Girls Wave 4 Batgirl
Jack Mathews has been working with DC Collectibles for a long time, since before the Cover Girls line began in 2009. He used to be credited as John Mathews or John G. Mathews before he started using Jack Mathews, probably to avoid being confused with sculptor Jonathan Matthews.
It's been fascinating researching Jack Mathews's work. Many sculptors like Mathews started playing with physical materials in their hands when they were children. They used clay/wax and wires when they attended college. I found the following picture on Mathews's Instagram page. It's the first paint master for the Wave 3 Cover Girls Poison Ivy. The production piece's face is longer/narrower compared to this paint master.
Cover Girls Wave 3 Poison Ivy, First Paint Master
Cover Girls Wave 3 Poison Ivy, Production Master
Can you imagine having to remove the head, sculpt another face, re-attach the hair to the new face, attach the new head, and repaint over any neck seams? Ouch!
Jack Mathews made a full transition to digital sculpting sometime in 2016, when he created 2017's Bombshells Katana and Cover Girls Wave 3 Hawkgirl statues. I'm glad that he did this because I passed on a few of his hand-sculpted statues that had oddly-shaped faces (the right sides look like they had been yanked upwards).
Cover Girls Wave 3 Supergirl
Cover Girls Wave 3 Wonder Woman
Bombshells Power Girl
Mathews's digital Bombshells sculpts are my favorites in that particular line. I once read a comment on an online forum that his Bombshells busts look like supermodels cosplaying as DC characters.
Bombshells Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Mera Busts
Based on what I can see through social media, many sculptors are friends and even collaborators. Jack Mathews has worked with Sam Greenwell on some projects. They've also traded sculpting duties on some lines, such as the Wave 2 Cover Girls. Greenwell sculpted most of the Artists Alley Sho Murase figures, but Mathews sculpted Catwoman. Mathews is half-Japanese, and during a live unboxing video, he mentioned how happy he was to be able to interpret Murase's work in 3D since his mother also drew Japanese line art.
Artists Alley Sho Murase Catwoman (regular and holiday versions)
In addition to the Wave 4 Cover Girls, here are some of Jack Mathews's other statues scheduled for 2019:
DC Collectibles Designer Series Wonder Woman by Jenny Frison (1/6-scale)
Tweeterhead DC Super Powers Donna Troy (1/6-scale)
Tweeterhead DC Super Powers Catwoman (1/6-scale)
Tweeterhead DC Super Powers Starfire (1/6-scale)
Tweeterhead DC Super Powers Green Lantern Hal Jordan (1/6-scale)
Sideshow Collectibles Artgerm Supergirl with two face sculpts (1/4-scale)
