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Quick-Fire Joker - Batman, Mattel Meat and Potatoes; 4.9 Perks; 5.0 Homer Factor; 5.0
						Description;  The Clown Prince of Crime at his most diabolical best. The figure is approximately 5" tall and has a sculpt heavily influenced by Brian Bolland's work from 'The Killing Joke.'  The figure also has decent articulation in the hips, knees, and ball-joints in the shoulders. The Joker is packed with a cane, and a giant pistol which fires two differnt types of 'bullets'.
	There's something about the Joker that's spooky as all hell.  Sure, Bane is bigger and meaner, and Ras Al Ghul is a criminal mastermind, but the Joker... it's the same reason you get spooked with Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King's 'It.'  There's just something, well, frankly DEMONIC about the suit... and that disturbing grin.  Although the Batman TV show turned the villain into comic relief (Caesar Romero didn't even shave his mustache off), the original incarnation of the Joker from 'Batman #1' was as dark as Batman himself.  Great Joker stories have come and gone, but the one many still remember is 'The Killing Joke.'  No, it wasn't a perfect Batman story, but if you want to look into the VERY messed-up psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime, this was it.  Alan Moore wrote a good story, but Brian Bolland's vision of the Joker was perfect; the exaggerated jaw, the long, lanky frame, and that grin which could frighten Satan.  And if you're going to re-launch Batman, you HAVE to have the Joker with him.   And no cheating by short-packing, either.  So considering the work the Four Horsemen have done on the other Batman pieces, how did the Joker come out?  Oh yeah, baby! Meat and potatoes ROCK.  The figure is the spookiest version of the Joker, period.  Like Bolland's take on the Joker, the face is very long, and has that horrible, evil grin.  The yellow painting in the teeth, arched eye-brows, and psychotic eyes give you a head-sculpt you will not forget in your dreams or nightmares.  The rest of the figure is almost perfect; the trademark purple zoot-suit, solid articulation with even ball-joints in the shoulders.  The only problem  I have, which is minimal, is the figure is a little small.  If you want to be anal, the Joker is tall and lanky, almost as tall as Batman.  Although this figure is VERY lanky, it's a bit shorter then the Batman figures.  Oh well, enough quibbling. Perks are great.  For some reason, everyone has to give the Joker a BIG gun.  Naturally, this one is green and looks like a howitzer.  It comes with two 'bullets'; one with a 'bang' flag, the other with Joker 'cards' on it.  A very nice extra is the cane the figure comes with.  The head of a cane is sculpted to look like a joker as well.  Homer Factor?  Are you kidding?  The Four Horsemen get to do THE JOKER, one of the great villains in comics as part of the re-launch of Batman?  This figure was more eagerly anticipated then 'LOTR; Return of the King.'  ... ok, not THAT much, but you get the idea. In the end, Mattel has done an amazing job with this figure.  Aside from being a weeeee bit smallish, this is an incredible figure and befitting the adversary of the Dark Knight.  And just think, there's still that entire rogue's gallery to work with.  Ooooohhhhhhh...