Rick Baker is a movie make up artist and special effects designer. His creations have featured in Hellboy and the Men in Black trilogy. His best known work is An American Werewolf in London. When you look at that line up, you get one recurring theme. Baker is very good at making creatures. He makes monsters from ancient legend, and freakish aliens from distant worlds. Sure, his makeup work has had him creating aged versions of Adam Sandler or a darkened Robert Downey Jr. but you have to wonder what would happen if you got an artist who can make realistic people and realistic monsters. What would his vision of a monstrous person look like?
DC Collectibles commissioned Rick Baker to make a scale bust of The Joker. Yes, to scale with the clown prince of crime. The idea of that in itself is quite scary. An artist known for putting in hyper realism on his people and realism in his creatures could make something terrifying. This Joker does that.
Baker intentionally sculpted this Joker to seem in between art styles of various depictions of the Joker, but also deeply real. The eyes are bloodshot and glaring. The hairline is receding. The teeth are yellowed and cracked from fights with Batman.
Durable Handicraft
As part of DC Collectibles promoting this very unique piece, they released a time lapse video of Rick Baker sculpting the piece out of clay. To see the sculpture start as a puddle of grey clay with two blank eyes sticking out of it really lets you see the creative growth. There isn’t a moment where it suddenly becomes the Joker, but you morbidly watch it become that figure of terror from decades of comics.
This looks to be quite an exclusive piece, only available direct from DC Collectibles. Each one signed by Rick and virtually massive. This is one of the most unique collectibles I’ve ever seen. Watch the time lapse right here.