Pretty much anybody who hasn't been lobotomized can customize - even produce a piece of art occasionally. But there are certain artists that can hypno-ray-beam the masses into collecting their work above all else. They either made it first (before anyone else, limited edition, etc) or they got great media exposure for it.
The blackNwhite Batman statue series really took off from the moment they hit stores. They've become popular very quickly, achieving high market value in a short period of time - some even already becoming discontinued. It was exhiliratingly impossible to just chose one best particular artist. They were ALL so great, with their own interpretation of Batman. Because each artist had a different style and flair, there was no way to say which was the "best", it no longer mattered, they were ALL collectible art for any Batman fan that looked at them.
For this custom, decided to go with the Jim Lee Batman from the statue version. The statue had a lifelike realism and the crouching pose set it apart from the other statues in the series. With bragging rights on the line, it was necessary to paint this custom Batman to still look like a statue, but also added some poseability so it remains in the "figure" category. The cape was made from 3 other Batman capes, mended together with black vinyl and attached to the forearms - now, when the arms move, it allows the cape to follow in action. Also corrected that funny stance the DC figure came with - you would've done the same. Just wanted to make this custom as homage to those great Batman statues, and hope they continue hypnotizing us into buying more!
Thanks for checking this out!

Sept 11/09