The Dark Knight Returns, Courtesy of Kotobukiya

Kotobukiya has released some new images and a release date for their upcoming Dark Knight Returns statue. Based on the artwork of Frank Miller and adapted directly from the final fight scene between Batman and The Joker, this statue is hands-down the finest interpretation I have ever seen of Miller’s iconic style. Get all the details on Kotobukiya’s latest ART-FX statue, plus lots of great photos– read on!

The best thing about Kotobukiya is how despite their diverse styles, they can always nail the transition from 2D image to 3D statue perfectly. Whether it’s the hyper-realism of their ART-FX series, the sexy and stylized Bishoujo, or their more recent foray into artist-specific statue designs. That’s exactly what we get with the Dark Knight Returns: Batman- Hunt the Dark Knight ART-FX Statue. Inspired by the landmark graphic novel that helped change the face of comics, Frank Miller’s iconic take on the Dark Knight translates better than ever before with this new statue. Like many other reasonable people, I’m no big fan of Frank Miller these days, but seeing this statue– as the husky, older Batman beats the pulp out of his arch enemy The Joker for the final time– instantly brings me back to the heyday of what may have been Miller’s finest work.

GALLERY: HUNT THE DARK KNIGHT ARTFX STATUE

Check out the full press release from Kotobukiya:

DC COMICS THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: BATMAN-HUNT THE DARK KNIGHT ARTFX STATUE
A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import!  As one of the most popular comic book superheroes of all time, it’s no surprise that the Dark Knight has appeared quite frequently in Kotobukiya’s lineup of DC Comics ARTFX Statues.  And now, Bruce Wayne is back in an incredible reimagining of one of the key scenes in Frank Miller’s masterpiece, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: BATMAN-HUNT THE DARK KNIGHT!  A four-issue miniseries released in 1986, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns tells the tale of a future world in which superheroes have retired.  An older, angrier Bruce Wayne puts on the costume once again to save Gotham City and in the process encounters one of his most hated enemies, the Joker!  Inspired by Miller’s gritty style, the duo presents a dark, dynamic vision that’ll look great on your shelf.

Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns Batman is much thicker and heavier than most representations of the character, and that’s quite apparent here.  The bulky Dark Knight kneels over the prone Joker, holding him down with one hand on his collar while pulling the other back in preparation for the final strike!  Perfectly recreating the artwork, the statue is intricately detailed with special attention to Batman’s powerful musculature, the rumpled clothing of the evil clown, the furious expression on the dark hero’s face, and of course Joker’s maniacal laughing.  The painting too reflects Miller’s artwork with stark colors and bold strokes.

Sculpted by Junnosuke Abe, The Dark Knight Returns: Batman-Hunt the Dark Knight stands nearly 12 inches tall (1/6th scale) on a special display base that really shows off the action of the scene.  Miller’s Dark Knight duo looks great on its own or alongside any of the other dynamic Batman statues from Kotobukiya like the Black Costume ARTFX Statue or the upcoming Batman Dark Knight Rises ARTFX Statue (sold separately)!

srp $129.99

Available September 2012.

TM & © DC Comics. (s12)