I wish, I wish, I wish, I could care about this Eleven Studios Bruce Wayne Headsculpt. Don’t get me wrong, it looks amazing. Are these guys just modeling Hot Toys head sculpts and scaling them down? Whether they are printing them or sculpting them, they look amazing. The box it ships in is white with a magnet on the front to keep it closed. Very nice presentation.
Unfortunately, I’m not just buying a headsculpt, I’m buying into my own DCEU baggage.
As a whole, I prefer DC comics to Marvel comics. Don’t get me wrong, its a real Sophie’s Choice for me. My earliest comic memories from DC were the Satellite Era, or just before they made the move to the Satellite from the cave. Of course, I filled in gaps with back issues, but back when all I had were the spinners in the local drug store and my parent’s money, the Satellite Era dominated the racks. I loved the Justice League through the Justice League Detroit era, plain ol’ Justice League (which made me a life long fan of Kevin Maguire, Keith Giffen, and J. M. DeMatteis), Justice League International, Morrison’s JLA, Waid’s subsequent run, and Busiek’s. Geoff Johns’ New 52 run and even stuck around for some of Hitch’s run.
I think the Mezco regular BvS Batman and Tactical Batman were great offerings. That’s even without ANY Affleck sculpts, let alone the Eleven Studios Bruce Wayne Headsculpt.
Point being, I’m not a “casual.” So when I saw DC was setting up their own Cinematic Universe (the DCEU or DC Expanded Universe) I was stoked. Forget everything that came before, this was the new fire.
Then dumb ideas karate kicked Warner Brothers in the face and they lost their God damn minds. Rather than build up a shared universe slowly like Marvel, they decided they were going to get all caught up in a couple of years.
People didn’t respond well to the bulk of the DCEU. I enjoyed MoS, BvS, and JL. I also understand I am in the minority. They started with what should have been a lynchpin character, Batman, and made him “too old for this shit.” I understand the vision Snyder was shooting for, but you can’t have a tentpole character BEGIN his journey in your universe when he’s already 15 years older than everyone else. The only non-meta in the League you made too old. Solid. I am positive Affleck could have played him at LEAST a decade younger. The BvS version of Batman was the most amazing version of Batman I’d seen on film. The warehouse scene, him actually playing up the detective part of the “World’s Greatest Detective” were both fantastic departures from past film versions.
When people didn’t respond as they wanted, Warner Brothers decided to toss out the baby with the bathwater. Now they want to do stand alone movies, last I heard. In other words, in this film, it could be a different Batman or Superman than in the next movie. This tactic may have worked prior to the first Avenger’s movie when we thought seeing our favorite comic groups on the big screen was the fantastical wishes of a child. It won’t work now.
I’m not going to lie, I will see these movies. However, I can’t see going to any opening weekends. There is no investment in the characters if every time you see them, they’re someone different playing the role. Imagine if Chris Evans or RDJ bailed on their roles two movies in?
As someone who keeps his ear to the ground on these kinds of issues, all we know is the kid from Twilight is our new Bruce Wayne. I’ll give him a shot, and reserve judgment until I see his performance. I suppose I’m affable that way, but the downside is pretty overwhelming. When/if they make another Justice League movie, Ben Affleck will be gone. I am pretty sure Henry Cavill is done. We will have a different Cyborg and most likely another Flash by the way things are shaping up. The only two we will recognize is Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Of course, the way things seem to run at the WB, this could be incorrect by the time this article publishes.
So there you go… that’s how you change an uber fan into a casual. With no anchor characters for me to get attached to, I just don’t care what happens in the DC Cinematic Universe. Which brings me full circle. I was a different person when I ordered this excellent headsculpt.
The Eleven Studios Bruce Wayne Headsculpt really is a perfect Ben Affleck headsculpt. It will look good on my shelf and of course, I’m happy I have it. I just wish I cared about this version of the character as much as I did when I met him in 2016.
Now, let’s take a look at this excellent piece of art.
The mantle and Bat-Head have to come off, as the Eleven Studios piece comes with its own mantle. The Wayne headsculpt is kind of loose on the peg. I am sure some blue tack would fix it, but since he will be rotating in and out of displays and pictures, I am not trying to affix it on a permanent basis yet.
I know some of you are probably wondering if the head will fit on the original BvS Batman. You’re in luck, I checked. I couldn’t get the mantle off of that one. Ok, I could have, but I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t destroy it. I left the mantle on, but the head pops on with no issues.
This is a great headsculpt for a movie studio that isn’t sure what to do with some of the greatest Intellectual Properties to emerge from the 20th century. If you’re interested in this piece of Affleck perfection, you can get him here when it comes back in stock. Just think, if you get one, you can set up your own Jersey Girl diorama and isn’t that what we all want?
