Occasionally I will use my social network to try to drum up support for soon-to-be-released product. I believe every time in the past this has been for a Kickstarter that I was personally excited about. And while this newest Amazing Heroes wave isn't on Kickstarter, it has a production plan that is completely dependent on pre-orders. I just placed one of my largest pre-orders ever and I really really want these figures to go into production. I am a huge fan of Golden Age superhero comics. They are quite literally the building blocks of the entire comic industry and there is something about the simple costume designs and early-1940's aesthetic that always draws me in. Fresh Monkey Fiction's Amazing Heroes line has been giving us Golden Age heroes in a classic "Secret Wars" style for years. They have relatively low production runs and become very desirable on the secondary market. Of course, up until now there has been a blatant absence of female characters. But now we're making up for it in spades!
These figures are available for pre-order exclusively on:
They won't be produced unless a minimum ordering threshold is met.
(Those exact minimum quantities aren't shared).
The production numbers are capped at 500 pieces each (except for The Blank Slate)
Pre-Order window is 3 Months (so it should close on 7/31/21).
Money won't be collected by BBTS until items ship.
Figures are 4.3" and feature 5 points of articulation.
More information on:
I think this lineup is terrific. It includes eight iconic Golden Age heroines, one modern hero, and a blank figure. If I were to come up with my ideal collection of characters, there would only be one or two added to this roster, and that's impressive.
MISS FURY
Miss Fury first appeared (as Black Fury) in the April 1941 in a Bell Syndicate Sunday newspaper comic strip created by Tarpe Mills. She got her own comic title in Winter 1942 (which initially consisted of reformatted black & white newspaper strips, but was eventually full color new material).
Miss Fury is a wealthy socialite who is bequeathed a special panther suit from a mysterious uncle that gives her enhanced speed and strength. Although she has several recurring enemies, what I always found more evident was her recurring mission to avenge abused women. There is a lot of domestic slapping and women with black eyes even in the earliest newspaper strips. Her motivations still hold weight today, which is more than you can say for a lot of Golden Age comics. Plus, I'm a sucker for feline-themed vigilantes. Let's not forget that Catwoman didn't put on a cowl until 1946, and even Kitten didn't appear until December of 1941 - Making Miss Fury quite possibly the first feline femme fatale.
PHANTOM LADY
Phantom Lady first appeared in the August 1941 issue of Police Comics #1, published by Quality Comics and created by Arthur Peddy. (She was a regular feature for 23 Issues). Her original costume was a yellow and green design that resembles her current DC Comics incarnation today. Over the years, her clothing got skimpier and skimpier and by the time Fox Feature Syndicate gave her a solo title in 1947, she was a notorious example of Good Girl art (and it was also her solo title which changed her color palette to red and blue).
Phantom Lady was a gadget-based vigilante who used "black light" technology to blind her opponents and render her invisible.
BULLETGIRL
Bulletgirl first appeared (in costume) in the April 1941 issue of Master Comics #13.
In an origin that likely inspired Barbara Gordon 26 years later, Susan Kent is the daughter of Police Sergeant Kent - who was always trying to uncover the identity of Bulletman. Susan had been a character in Bulletman comics since his first appearance in August of 1940, but she didn't discover his identity and get her own helmet until 1941.
BLACK CAT
Black Cat first appeared in the August 1941 issue of Pocket Comics #1, published by Harvey Comics and created by Al Gabriele. Black Cat was a stunt woman and actress who used her skills to become a costumed heroine and thwart Nazi spies in Hollywood. She proved very popular and got her own title by 1946. I personally have always loved this character because it is one of the earliest examples of the style of pointed domino mask later worn by so many of my favorite comic characters.
QUEEN of the JUNGLE
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle first appeared in the September 1938 issue of Jumbo Comics #1, published by Fiction House and created by Will Eisner. There was a seemingly endless number of nearly identical "jungle women" in the Golden Age of comics, but Sheena has stood the test of time and is notable for being the first female comic character with her own title (debuting in March of 1942, three months before Wonder Woman's solo title).
Like most Jungle heroines, Sheena has heightened agility and can communicate with animals. Since her debut she has had multiple comics series, two television shows, and a feature film.
LADY SATAN
Lady Satan first appeared in the December 1941 issue of Dynamic Comics #2, created by George Tuska. This character is a bizarre one. Mostly because for a long time her actions and origins didn't fit her ominous name. She was a masked vigilante roaming the streets of Nazi-occupied France avenging her husband who was killed at the hands of said Nazis. And her main weapon was a chlorine gun (?). The "Satan" name must have caused alarm in the conservative 1940s. The other characters featured in her anthology books were all wholesome like Dynamic Man, Dynamic Boy, Major Victory, K-9 (a police dog), Lucky Coyne, the Green Knight, and other milquetoast characters. Eventually she gained bizarre "shadow world" powers with no explanation. But even still, I think her name is the main gimmick here. But overall, I really dig her simple monochromatic costume.
MISS MASQUE
Miss Masque first appeared in the September 1946 issue of Exciting Comics #51 by Pines Publishing and Lin Streeter.
Miss Masque was a popular debutante who unwittingly buys a mardi gras costume possessed by the Spirit of Justice and becomes the scourge of the criminal underworld. Her design always struck me as a little amusing because it looks like a cross between Carmen San Diego and Ronald McDonald.
FANTOMAH
Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle first appeared in the February 1940 issue of Jungle Comics #2, published by Fiction House and created by Fletcher Hanks. She starred in a 7-page solo story and continued to be a regular feature in the next 50 issues until March of 1944.
Fantomah appears as a beautiful blonde woman who transforms into a frightening blue skeleton to enact gruesome revenge scenarios on anyone bringing harm to her jungle home.
HACK/SLASH
Cassie Hack first appeared in the April 2004 issue of Hack/Slash #1 by Devil's Due Publishing and created by Tim Seeley. Despite seeming to focus on Golden Age characters, the previous Retroverse waves have always included some modern creator-owned characters. Cassie is the token modern character for this wave. In a nutshell, Cassie is the sole survivor of a murderous attack from an undead killer who then travels around with her mysterious/otherworldly friend Vlad hunting other killers. I've never read it, but it sounds like Buffy meets The Walking Dead meets X-Files and it has quite the fan following.
THE BLANK SLATE
Finally we have The Blank Slate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm 99% sure this is just a blank army builder for customizing. Although there is something about the name and design which would make for an amazing real character. There was a male The Blank Slate released in a previous Amazing Heroes wave and that one was specifically touted as a DIY figure, and even its promotional material featured a doctored version of Daredevil #3 (1941) with the villain goons whited-out (making the non-character status obvious to Golden Age fans). This one is a little more deceptive, but I think it's the same premise. Note that the male Blank Slate was a significantly cheaper figure, but the female version is normal price. I assume this is because of the alternate legs, arms, and hair included.
I love an excuse to make an infographic. I just wanted to stress the time period at play here. Most of these characters pre-date Wonder Woman and are clustered around that magical year, 1941. I don't know what societal factors were in play that year, but the sheer amount of new characters was impressive.
Go pre-order now please!
I want more toys!
Cheers!
Just put my order in for the set.
ReplyDeleteKicking myself now for not buying any of the males. Some of them were limited to 100! Which might not be a great sign for the women with all the new tooling required.
Fingers crossed!
I ordered 2 sets cause I really, really, really want this to happen so that we can female figures in the future too!
ReplyDeleteApparently they hit the minimum order quantity. The ladies will be produced!
ReplyDelete