A Fun Crisis to Have

My Hot Toys Dark Knight supposedly shipped on the 8th, and has not yet arrived. Assuming the 7-10 day predictions for USPS shipping are accurate, I should have him tomorrow through Wednesday. So while I anxiously await his arrival, and as I maintain my stance that I collect action figures-- NOT 12" DOLLS-- I'm starting to think about getting a Joker too.

Yeah, I know. This is how it starts.

However: I have been very loyal to my 2 collecting obsessions, Batman and Ghostbusters. So I think it acceptable to desire 12" ultra-detailed versions of any figure related to those lines (especially if a proton pack happens to light up!).

So supposing I save up enough money to get a Joker, here's the problem: I want him wearing "a purple suit and makeup, he's not the problem, he's a nobody." However, the original version of the Joker (conveniently the only Hot Toys figure in stock at my comic shop) is also version 1.0 of the facial sculpt, and while it is quite awesome, it doesn't capture the Joker perfectly.

The above photo is a production photo from Hot Toys website, and I think you can see what I mean. It's so close, but there's not enough scarring. Something is slightly off. But the clothing is spot on, and doesn't look overstuffed like one would imagine so many layers would. In short, this figure is a 9/10, and I'm only really comfortable with spending that much money on a 10/10. Or an 11/10 (Michael Crawford's review gives him ***1/2 out of ****). In essence, I'd be paying all of that money for an accurate representation of Joker's clothes. Hmm. Not entirely sure about that. So, keeping all of that in mind, I've got another option: Hot Toys Bank Robber Joker.

This head sculpt is incredible. The likeness to Heath Ledger-as-Joker is uncanny, and is almost too real to believe. Any issues regarding minimization of the scar damage has been remedied with sculpt v2.0, and this figure even comes with two heads; one for putting the mask on, and the one to the left. He also comes with a ton of accessories, which is a big plus.

However, and this is a big however, I don't want Bank Robber Joker, I want the Joker. I want the character from the comics, from the Animated Series, the one that gleefully murders innocent civilians throughout The Dark Knight. So it seems that if I were to get this version, I'd be spending the money for the face and duffel bag. Hmm. Not too sure about that either.

So what do I do? I could save up and get them both, but spending that insane amount of money on dolls (ahem, sorry, I collect action figures, NOT DOLLS) seems to border on the insane. I could get the first version and then try to get the head sculpt off of eBay, where scalpers are charging up to $80 for the head alone (that's REAL insanity). Plus, I want the accessories. I could get Bank Robber Joker and then try to get Version 1's clothing online, but I can't seem to find them anywhere. Sigh. What's a fanboy to do?

Oh well. The good news is that my Batman will be here this week, at which point I will post 12,000 photos and gush about how awesome he is. Then, once the excitement dies down, I'll start seriously thinking about which Joker to get.

It never ends.