Dead Oscar-Nominated Actors… Collect Them All!

Filed Under Comics, Movies, Summer Blockbusters, Toys

Last weekend, I saw the new line of action figures for “The Dark Knight” — a half-dozen different Batmen in a variety costumes that have little to nothing to do with the plot of the film and Batman’s nemesis, The Joker. I thought the scupts were generally mediocre, like those for the previous Batman film. Their likenesses only vaguely resemble their cinematic counterparts in that they each have two eyes, a nose and a mouth. Toy sculpts have come a long way in terms of sophistication over the past decade, as the adult collector market has grown significantly. But some manufacturers still do things on the cheap, and “The Dark Knight” line looks like a quickie attempt to rake in some ancillary profits, not raise the bar in terms of toy design.

I almost bought The Joker but found the sculpting job too inadequate in capturing the late Heath Ledger’s grotesque make-up job. So, I put the toy back on the peg and only later did I realize I could’ve sold that very same $7 figure on eBay for north of fifty bucks.

Heath Ledger’s unexpected death last March has absolutely cast a long shadow over the post-production period on “The Dark Knight.” The studio has wisely not shied away from showcasing his performance as The Joker in the theatrical trailers, though the audience’s hyper-awareness of every circumstance surrounding his passing lends an odd sense of unintended pathos to the character. When test-screened last month, the unfinished film received negative marks from the focus group regarding a scene in which The Joker is… (*potential spoiler*) seen in a body bag (*end spoiler*). Never mind that this is the same character who guns down all of his partners in crime during a bank robbery in the opening scene of “The Dark Knight” that played before the IMAX version of “I Am Legend” last fall. The audience cannot separate the promising young actor who died of an accidental overdose from a knife-wielding psychotic with heavy scar tissue around his lips that gives him a permanently fixed sneer.

Toy collectors, however, have no conscience about these sorts of things. Collectors of any stripe tend to have an unfortunate degree of moral relativism surrounding their hobby. I read a letter in last month’s “Toy Fare” in which a reader lamented that his O.J. Simpson football cards didn’t increase in value after the murders in Brentwood. Why Simpson’s much-speculated connection to the unsolved double-homicide would create a greater demand for his memorabilia is any kook’s guess. I find it somewhat tasteless. A celebrity’s death — or having caused someone’s death — should not create an added value to whatever widget that bears his name and/or likeness.

People should have more class than to drop $50 on an action figure that resembles the late actor who portrayed him. I can understand there being demand for the toy if it’s a rare “chase” figure or if The Joker is a collector’s favorite Batman villain. But wanting the toy simply because the actor’s dead is just weird and macabre. Why not collect action figures of your dead relatives? I’m sure you could find a customizer online who’ll kitbash one for you. And for much less than $50.

-Brad Lohan

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