Why wouldn't they be complacent with pricing when they've proven they can charge what they want? JND will never try to be affordable, that's not their aim
They have actually. If you go back to watch an early video of theirs they address the price concerns that came up, it was with WW84 I think, and so they made a slightly higher edition size to reduce the pricing, WW84, Harley Quinn, Joker were around 1900-2000. Arthur Fleck when he was out was about 2300, so they did address it. It wasn't really until around The Batman and Batman that the prices went back to Arthur Fleck prices, but they also included extra portraits. It's only now since One Punch, WW Premium that things are getting higher in cost. There was a time where they were conscious of it and giving more for a lower prices or slightly heightened.
Now this Superman is a piss take. To cost more, for the bare bones single edition, with the only additional material being a fabric cape, to cost more than Arthur Fleck who had an entire 1/3 tailored outfit and real metal gun with bullets and props is absurd. They briefly mentioned in the video the global economy and costs etc. and yes, that is true, but how can a figure that's similar in nature to WW84 have a 700 price difference? I'm pretty certain their edition size is similar too.
They've always been on the more expensive side, but actually for the most part their catalogue has been 2000 on average with more complex statues within that.
But this Superman has proven it'll sell regardless. Their work speaks for itself when in hand. There's seemingly a lot of negativity from people who don't own one but people wouldn't continue to buy the statues with their prices rising if they weren't worth it. But it's getting to the point now where these will pretty much exclusively be for rich folk. Hopefully the global recession averages out.
I still think the new WW is less premium than Harley Quinn. So yes, perhaps now they're starting to not care. But I sincerely hope they don't lose the quality of themselves they started off with and let their success get to their heads. Maybe it is just the economy, their history has also proven that they do tend to mix between sculpt and tailoring, that's not to say their sculpts aren't amazing. All you have to do is compare Batman to Queen Studios version and you can see a lot more work, effort and quality goes into a JND sculpt. I've no doubt their paint apps and the intricate suit detailing will still look phenomenal, but is it that great enough to cost more than previous statues that were fully tailored? No.
Another thing to consider is their introduction to the 1/6 market with silicone portraits and hands that, if in line with what Kojun has already done, are able to seamlessly move, perhaps they're trying to get enough money to launch those at a price point similar perhaps to Inart's offerings. It's possible, I've no doubt in Jan/Feb a 1/6 will be announced like this.
