A limited edition release to coincide with DC Comics 75th anniversary, the Christopher Reeve as Superman bust represented a new direction for collectables division DC Direct by going retro. Indeed, the sculpture pictured above is only the second-ever officially licensed collectable from Superman: The Movie bearing the likeness of Reeve, (the 1/6 statue sculpted by Karen Palinko being the first) the line continuing to spawn similar tributes to Tim Burton’s Batman.
While the piece is nicely rendered by Adam Beane (reminiscent of Reeve in his earliest Fortress scenes) on a crystal base featuring the \S/ logo, its let down horribly by the paint-job and the sheer lack of attention to detail. While I admit not fully comprehending the purpose of display busts anyway this could have been a great, fun item but in honesty I’m a bigger fan of the box and purchased it only for completest sake.
Beane’s talents seem to have been way under-utilised here and one could make a convincing case that the 1/6 statue would have benefited more from his take on the celluloid Man Of Steel provided the finish was of equal standard. As is, IMHO its a chintzy companion piece to said statue and should only be of interest to die-hard fans. Having said that, a donation to the Christopher & Dana Reeve foundation is made with its every purchase and there can be no better recommendation than that…