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Bowen Batman On Gargoyle

By Hervé St-Louis
December 24, 2007 - 14:24

Before props and action figures of super heroes were popular staples at comic book stores and other novelty retailers, the ancestor of what collectors know as DC Direct released a Batman statue of Batman sitting on top of a gargoyle that was sculpted by Randy Bowen in 1991. I was one of those lucky one who ordered this statue 16 years ago and here’s my review of this early piece of delight.

Likeness

In the early 1990s, one of the most popular Batman artists was Kelly Jones. His figures were elongated and his Batman almost vampire-like. Many, like Todd MacFarlane used to draw Batman with a long cape that made no sense for a street fighter, as it would get in the way. The concept of Batman sitting on a gargoyle became a popular culture icon, just like Elvis Presley sitting on a toilet bowl.

This Batman is a mix of several influences. His shoulder pads are spiky, like many artists of the time and today like to portray him. His head is inspired by Dick Giordano with well balanced feature and ears that are just a little too high. Yet the neck and the way the cape drapes Batman’s body and the base of the gargoyle is clearly inspired by Jones. Once could argue that this statue captures Batman as he stretched out of the silver age and bronze age design, into a more stylized figure.



Sculpt

The sculpt is imposing, although Batman’s figure is almost nowhere to be found. His cape covers him almost entirely, yet his shape can be guessed underneath. His body is contorted in a weird way that would hurt most humans.  The gargoyle is strong and steady and the liquid-like Batman creeping all over it adds to the contrasts of the two. The gargoyle looks good, but it is too blocky and lacks gothic styling that would have made it more in line with Batman. Batman’s neck is extremely long.



Paint

The paint job is not great. Dirty and blacks are used instead of tones and shades. It makes the whole set look dirtier than it really is. The paint can chip too. Still, the base includes a frame with Batman’s name painted like copper.



Scale

If The Batman included in this set was an action figure, he would be in the seven-inch scale.  Everything measures about 13 inches.

Stability

This set is stable. The base of the statue is hollow inside. Each of the corners are padded with Velcro-like pads. There should be no problems with this set staying put.



Material

This set is made in porcelain and is extremely fragile. The edges of Batman’s ears and his cape are easy to break. There is a smaller version of this statue in resin that should be more durable.



Packaging

This statue was packed in a large box with foam holding the statue like a clamshell. There was sufficient packaging to make sure this statue would not break. Some idiots, like me, got rid of the box a while ago and are now faced with a challenge when it’s time to move this statue from location to location...

Cost

At the time, way back in 1991, I paid around $120 Canadian for this statue. That was a long time ago. Bids for this statue on auction sites have gone has high as $USD 1,500.



Availability

Of course, this set is no longer available from DC Comics nor DC Direct. At the time, only 5555 were said to have been produced. They were all numbered. Mine was # 5176. If a store still has a unit of this, it must be something they bought off another collector and not an original order. From time to times collectors sell theirs on auction sites. Do not ask me if mine is for sale. This item is rare because many collectors see no reason to part away with such an early well done statue, before vendors like DC Direct would release something new every month.

Last Updated: July 21, 2024 - 13:40