Batman and Superman Slug it Out in Kotobukiya’s Latest Statues

Since the conclusion of The Dark Knight Returns, one of the most iconic images at DC Comics has been that of Superman versus Batman on a city street. It's become such a part of the history between DC's two biggest male heroes that the fabled fight has been a major part of the promotion for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. The upcoming feature wears its DKR inspirations on its sleeve, despite protestations from the creatives that it has little to do with Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley's 80s epic. You can hardly find a piece of merchandising from the film that doesn't feature Batman in the infamous armor suit. Superman of course looks the same because he's Superman.

Kotobukiya is the latest licensee to get in on the Batman V Superman hype train, though it's hardly unexpected. Koto's had a longstanding working relationship with DC Comics that's led to a number of statues in all sorts of sizes and styles. Recently, Kotobukiya's gotten into separate statues that work in conjunction with one another to create a diorama of sorts. Like the Hulkbuster and Hulk ArtFX+ statues from Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Batman and Superman statues for BVS will be offered on their own, but can combine to create one bigger piece commemorating the fight between man and "god."

Both statues are at 1/10 scale, meaning each character is about 7" tall standing upright (not including the bases). Superman is obviously a little bigger given that he's poised to strike from the air above while bouncing off the lamppost. Batman's a little smaller given that he's crouching in anticipation of the attack. Separately, the two statues do look good. There's a lot of detail in each, and the flowing capes add a bit of dynamism that was missing from the Age of Ultron set.

When posed together though, the set does look exceptional. The poses are perfectly arranged and you can feel the tension between Bruce and Clark out there on the street. About the only thing that I'm not wild about with these (aside from opinions about the film itself) is the paint app on Batman. The armored suit is such a light grey and doesn't appear very metallic in the least. It looks like the suit has been collecting dust in the Batcave for years and Alfred forgot to dust it off before Bruce got dressed.

The Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Superman and Batman ArtFX+ statues are available for pre-order now for $69.99 each on Kotobukiya's store. Both are expected to arrive in May.

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