Batman: The Bronze Age Statue by Kotobukiya

Sideshow Collectibles have released pre-order details of this awesome new statue by Kotobukiya titled “Batman: The Bronze Age“.

The different eras of comic history can be tracked through the evolution of the most important characters and Batman is no exception. Created at almost the start of The Golden Age of comics in 1939. The subsequent Silver Age (seen as running from 1956) saw Batman go through enforced changes due to plummeting sales in the superhero genre, criticism from the Comic Code Authority, and an attempt to lighten the tone with outlandish sci-fi influences. Sales continued to fall until the airing of the Batman TV show, but even then, there was pressure to match the comedic tone of the series.

Batman started The Bronze Age of comics in 1970 with a fight on his hands because work had already begun to reinvent the character and all it took was to take him back to the roots as created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. This was led by DC editor Julius Schwartz who brought in writer Dennis O’Neil and illustrator Neal Adams, who had seen great success on Green Lantern/Green Arrow. The mood in comics was changing towards darker, more socially relevant stories and O’Neil recognized that this suited Batman perfectly. Coincidentally the Comics Code Authority had relaxed its rules slightly.

In short, everything changed. Adams brought a sophisticated realism which soon became the DC “house style” that other illustrators adapted their work to suit. His interpretation of Batman was tall, lean, and athletic, with tall, pointed ears with a more serious look to his cowl.

Within a couple of years, O’Neil and Adams reintroduced Two-Face and created Man-Bat and Ra’s al Ghul in the seminal “Daughter of the Demon” storyline in Batman #232 (June 1971). Most significantly, in Batman #251, (September 1973) in a story entitled The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge! O’Neil and Adams re-introduced the Joker as an unstable, homicidal maniac and suddenly elevated him to the formidable arch nemesis that we know him to be to this day.

As the decade rolled on, the likes of Gene Colan, Walt Simonson, and Dick Giordano refined the look of the Batman universe, employing darker shadows and heavier linework. Social issues, such as racism and drug addiction entered the stories as well as defining characters and story arcs that influenced comics creators for years to come. It wasn’t until The Modern Age of comics, seen by most as starting in 1985, that DC finally saw sales finally start to increase. Batman’s popularity has grown exponentially due to the foundations laid in those fifteen years.

The Bronze Age was the era when things really started to get serious for Batman. For a statue to reflect the era it needed to be bold, and gritty, whilst also capturing the classic Neal Adams-Esque realism. “The Batman: The Bronze Age” statue by Kotobukiya captures it all perfectly. The coloring features duller shades of blue and grey but it’s highlighted in a way that accentuates the muscles and almost makes the cape shine. While not quite as lean as Adams illustrated him, Batman is more muscular, with an understated power stance and an unreadable expression. Then there’s that magnificent action of pulling on the glove as if he were trying on this suit for the first time. In a funny way, he was. It was the birth of the Dark Detective.

Batman had a lot of work to do.

Product information:

Images and press release courtesy of Sideshow Collectibles