The Joker wasn’t designed to be a pretty face to look at, but a new bust from DC Collectibles takes the Clown Prince of Crime’s mug to all-new levels of disturbing. That’s not surprising, though, considering that the bust was designed by Rick Baker, a seven-time Oscar award-winning makeup and hairstyle artist whose filmography includes some truly terrifying visages — Hellboy, Men in Black II and Videodrome are just a few films to which Baker has added his personal touches.
The bust, which was designed, sculpted and painted by Baker, will (appropriately) be released in October. If you like what you see, though, you’re going to have to act fast. Only 200 of the busts, which stand at a 1:1 scale (that’s right, you can have a life-sized Joker head in your home), are slated to be produced.
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By all accounts, the Joker bust looks so unique because DC Comics gave Baker full control from start to finish. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Baker recounted how the process of working with DC began, noting that he never thought the company would go for what he had in mind. Still, he got the green light all the way through.
“When DC Collectibles approached me about this project, I told them I was interested, but wanted complete control of the design,” Baker said. “I figured they wouldn’t go for it, but to my surprise, they said, ‘OK.’ I insisted that I would need a proper amount of time to create the bust and their answer was, ‘Take whatever time you need.’ I asked if I could choose the character and they said, ‘Fine.’ I told them I wanted to make a version of the Joker that’s never been done before,’ and they replied, ‘Sounds great.’ I then said, ‘You guys are just too difficult,’ and left. [Laughs] Seriously though, I didn’t expect DC Collectibles to keep their promises, but they did. I had a blast sculpting my version of the Joker and exploring his twisted and demented personality.”
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The bust has arrived just in time for New York Toy Fair, which is set to begin on Saturday, Feb. 17 and conclude on Tuesday, Feb. 20. DC Comics was also keen to reveal a few more figures prior to the fair opening its doors, such as the cast of the current Doomsday Clock run and two statues depicting Batman and the Joker based on illustrations by Gerard Way. The Joker busts will be numbered and released through DC Gallery.