Batman '66 Comics - WONDER WOMAN!

Batman '66 Comic Retro Series 11 - Wonder Woman - McFarlane Toys 2025

Between 2013 and 2016, a big trend in DC Comics publishing was Batman '66 comics featuring the likenesses of Adam West and Burt Ward. It started with a core title of 30 issues and was followed by a wacky assortment of various 6-issue team-up mini-series like Archie, Green Hornet, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Steed and Mrs. Peel, and Legion of Super-Heroes. These stories effectively added a ton of non-canonical characters to the wider Batman '66 universe (like Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn, among many others). An additional source of characters came from a variant cover theme in the Summer of 2014 where eighteen DC titles had Batman '66 variants drawn by Mike Allred. This cover series is where we saw Wonder Woman in Batman '66 style for the first time. (The later Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 comic series doesn't count because it was drawn to resemble Lynda Carter). It's amazing that those covers inspired a toy ten years later. Let's check out Wonder Woman '66 below!

Batman '66 Comics - BATGIRL!

Batman '66 Comic Retro Series 11 - Batgirl (BTAS) - McFarlane Toys 2025

When I think about fun color variations to the Batman '66 Batgirl mold, I can admit this release wasn't one of them. I would have much preferred a more unique color combination for a re-release; like the New52 version with purple and black, or a Steph Brown blonde version (or a re-issue of the Yvonne Craig version to pair with the new Batgirl Cycle). But instead, we got a Batman the Animated Series repaint. Without the cartoony Bruce Timm sculpt to go along with it, this looks almost identical to the recent The New Adventures of Batman figure except a slightly darker palette and blue gloves and boots (and differently painted eyes). It sounds like some significant differences, but in person they are just way too similar for my tastes. Of course, that doesn't mean I can resist a Batgirl toy when I see her on the shelf... it only means I am unmotivated to open her and delay her review for almost a year. I'm still holding out hope for a Poison Ivy in this line, but that looks unlikely. Let's check out Batgirl below!

Transformers Cyberworld - ELITA-1!

Transformers: Cyberworld - Quick Change Cyber Changers - Elita-1 - Hasbro 2025

The newest animated incarnation of Transformers is a webseries on YouTube called Transformers: Cyberworld which debuted in July 2025 and is produced by Hasbro and Omens Studios. There are only seven 5-minute episodes so far (as of me writing this post), featuring a Secret-Wars-type setting where characters are tested and challenged in different battle scenarios. It's pretty random but fun to watch. The cast is small with only nine characters so far. Luckily Elita-1 is present as the token female character and luckily Hasbro green-lit the series for a toyline. The character designs are small and blocky, but I appreciate the variation from the other figures on the shelves right now. Elita-1 has a cool color scheme which I can only describe as Coral and Guava. It's pretty hard to photograph but has a cool sherbet-y aesthetic in person. She also transforms into a boat which is a unique vehicle mode for her. The Cyber Changers lines don't offer a lot of articulation, but I still love having her in my collection.

Transformers Rescue Bots - ELITA-1!

Transformers: Rescue Bots - Classic Heroes Team - Elita-1 - Hasbro 2025

Several years ago the popular Transformers: Rescue Bots preschool toyline had a spinoff line featuring additional classic characters like Starscream and Mirage. This line was called the Classic Heroes Team and had packaging graphics that occasionally featured Arcee (you can spy her on the back of this figure, too). Ever since first seeing this illustration, I was obsessed with getting a classic Transformers fembot in this blocky preschool format. Well, it took three years but we finally got one. Of course, it's Elita-1 and not Arcee, and it's just a simple repaint of Bumblebee, but I still think she's really fun. It's easily the most feminine of the modern Rescue Bot sculpts, and her bold pink paintjob certainly adds a lot of bright color to the existing female lineup of Quickshadow and Whirl. I hope we'll eventually get the teased Arcee and maybe some others, but realistically they'd probably just be repaints of this same figure. Let's check out the Classic Heroes Team Elita-1 in detail below!

Tron Kubrick - YORI!

Kubrick Disney's Tron - Set (A): Tron, Yori, & Orange Light Cycle - Medicom 2002

I've had this set for ages but finally got around to opening it last week. I frankly don't remember purchasing this, but when I was moving house four years ago, I found it buried in a closet encased up in bubble wrap with zero recollection of how I got it. I probably paid a fortune and blocked out the memory over guilt. It was funny to mark it off my "must have" checklist by accidentally discovering that I already owned it. I also found multiple Planet of the Apes Kubrick sets in the same box so it was a thrilling discovery. This figure is notable for being the first toy of Yori ever. As the token female of Tron (1982), and a pretty significant character, she was criminally neglected in the merchandise department. So far I have three Yori items, but hopefully there will be momentum for more in the future, but I definitely would love to see more. I think a company like NECA should take the reigns and give us a full vintage line (hopefully with characters unmade in the DST line). Let's check out Yori below!

Amazing Heroes Retroverse - BLACK CAT!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Black Cat (BBTS Exc) - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

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. Of all the nearly-forgotten Golden Age heroines who have entered the public domain in recent years, I think Black Cat has had the most interesting second life. I don't know if this is just my experience, but when I go to conventions and art shows, I see her image everywhere. Painted on clocks, glued onto magnets, dipped in epoxy. There must be something about her simple stylish costume and penchant for acrobatics and motorcycles that appeals to these artists. Either way, I approve. Let's check her out below!

Amazing Heroes Retroverse - BULLETGIRL!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Bulletgirl (BBTS Exc) - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

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. When this Amazing Heroes Series 7 lineup was being teased back in 2021, Bulletgirl was one of the top characters on my wishlist (along with Kitten and Owl-Girl). One of my favorite things about golden age comics was the ever-present sidekicks. Back then it was a 50/50 shot whether the sidekick would be a young boy (a'la Robin and Bucky) or grown young woman. Mary Marvel is the only female sidekick from this era to truly stand the test of time, but I love the genre and I'm so glad this Bulletgirl figure is giving the character some long overdue recognition. Let's check her out below!

Amazing Heroes Retroverse - PHANTOM LADY!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Phantom Lady (BBTS) - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

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). She was a focal point of the comic censorship campaign on the 1950's. One of her covers (#17) was famously touted as "a sadist's dream" (in that horribly annoying book that people are still quoting 70 years later). Phantom Lady was a gadget-based vigilante who used "black light" technology to blind her opponents and render her invisible. Of all the female heroes in this Retroverse wave, she easily has had the greatest comics legacy. Let's check out Phantom Lady below!

Amazing Heroes Retroverse - MISS MASQUE!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Miss Masque (BBTS Exc) - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

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. But it's just the bright colors that make those connotations. In many ways, Miss Masque reminds me of the most quintessential 1940's heroines because she looks like so many of silver screen actresses of the age. The hat and trenchcoat-style dress (not represented on this toy, but she almost always wore it) has instant ties to classic characters like Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. She's had several modern reboots in 2003's Miss Masque, 2009's Masquerade, and 2022's Scarlet Sisters. It's very cool that she's still around nearly 80 years later. Let's check out Miss Masque below!

Amazing Heroes Retroverse - LADY SATAN!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Lady Satan (BBTS Exc) - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

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. And fun fact: In 2022, she starred in the comic Scarlet Sisters from Dynamite alongside Miss Masque and the Woman in Red.

Amazing Heroes Retroverse - FANTOMAH!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Fantomah (BBTS Exc) - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle first appeared in the February 1940 issue of Jungle Comics #2, published by Fiction House and created by comics legend 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. Most comic heroines of the time were built on a solid foundation of beauty. Every other character was a model or a pageant queen in her backstory. And even in their masked crimefighting eras, beauty was always an essential trait. I believe Fantomah was the first female character to embrace being frightful. Even in modern comics, very few characters ever exhibit unattractive appearances. She has been rebooted in modern comics a few times and the skeleton effect is still jarring, even in these desensitized times. This figure is a standout in the series.

Amazing Heroes Retroverse - MISS FURY!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Miss Fury (BBTS Exc) - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

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. Let's check her out below!

Amazing Heroes - QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Queen of the Jungle - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

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 somehow 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. She always stood out to me personally because she is often shown riding a zebra, which is a visual I love (and I plan of seeking out an in-scale zebra for this figure). I assume the official name of Sheena is copyrighted in her past multimedia licensing, so this figure is officially going by her lordly title, Queen of the Jungle. Surprisingly, I think this is her first action figure ever.

Auldey Transformers - ELITA-ONE!

Transformers - Alpha Elite Action Series 02 Blind Box - Elita-1 - Auldey 2025

I'm thrilled with the Alpha Elita Transformers blind box figures from Auldey. In quick succession they have given us the two most iconic female Transformers in amazing G1 designs and for a very reasonable price (for blind box imports of course). No, these figures do not actually transform. But for a collector of fembots with a penchant for classic animation designs, the modern Hasbro and Takaratomy transforming toys have so much kibble that the sleek animation references get lost pretty quickly. I realize that the female autobots in the G1 cartoon defied physics with their transformations even more than the male characters did, and that's exactly why these figures are so great. We've seen some great figures of Bumblebee, Megatron, and Optimus Prime that both closely resemble their animated appearance and also transform, but for the female characters we haven't been so lucky. Their petite designs just can't contain the sheer mass of their vehicle forms without a miracle of modern engineering. 

Gatchaman - JUN THE SWAN!

Gatchaman 1/12 Action Figures - Jun the Swan - Storm Collectibles 2025

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is one of those properties that I discovered relatively late in life but meets all the criteria for a show I would have been obsessed with if I were aware of it in my youth. Although it first aired in Japan in 1972, the first proper English-language broadcast is from 1978 when it was re-christened Battle of the Planets. A later adaptation happened in 1986 under the additional name G-Force: Guardians of Space followed by yet another release in 1996 as Eagle Riders (in Australia). With all that staying-power, I'm surprised that I never knew anything about it until the early 2000s when a resurgence of interest hit the US comic and toy markets. The series features a team a bird-themed space adventurers solving environmentally-themed challenges. The token female is Jun the Swan (also called Princess and Agatha in later interpretations). I've been wanting a great toy of her for twenty years now, and this BBTS-exclusive figure knocked it out of the park. She's beautiful. Let's check out Jun below!

Fastest Feline in the Universe - CHEETARA!

Masters of the Universe x ThunderCats - Wave 01 - Cheetara - -Mattel 2025

The MOTU mashup toylines continue to impress me. There is seemingly endless potential for crossover properties based on this classic MOTU aesthetic. Some notable mashup projects have included WWE, Stranger Things, and Transformers. But I personally feel the most exciting toys have come when two similar-but-distinctly-different licenses get to play off each other. We saw this with the Turtles of Grayskull line (April and Teela), and now with MOTU x ThunderCats. As a child of the 80s, I always wanted this crossover. They were both iconic fantasy cartoons that could potentially blend together nicely. But the action figures were just too different, both in scale and construction. Beyond being just a creative mashup of the two properties, this new line seems like a long overdue wish fulfillment to have these two genres occupy the same play space. And the fact that they come with the pieces to create the classic looks solidifies that theory. They're fantastic. Let's check out Cheetara below!

Transformers One - ELITA-1!

Transformers Studio Series - Transformers One - Elita-1 - Hasbro 2025

The Transformers Studio Series Deluxe Class line can be a bit confusing with their releases. In the Transformers One movie from last year, Elita-1 was a major character. She is in all the big scene and she is in the core group of all the promotional images, but her Deluxe Studio Series figure didn't come out for a year after her contemporaries. And with the last big theatrical movie, Transformers Rise of the Beasts, they released figures of Airazor and Nightbird, but skipped on Arcee. The Airazor was essentially a concept design (not in the film) and Nightbird's scenes were so quick that you never got a great look. And with the Bumblebee (2018) film, the two ladies (Shatter and Arcee) were released 15 months and 43 months after the premiere (whereas the leading male characters are on the shelves before the movie is released). This Elita-1 got the same predictable delay, but she's basically the quintessential TFOne Elita released so far, so she was worth the wait. Let's check her out below!

Auldey Transformers One - ELITA-1!

Transformers One - Action Figure Series 1 - Elita-1 - Hasbro/Auldey 2024

When I got my first Auldey Transformers figure last month (a beautiful G1 Arcee), I instantly started researching what other toys this company had made. I knew there was a G1 Elita-1 coming in wave two, but a quick search on eBay pulled up a bunch of listings for this Transformers One Elita figure that I previously knew nothing about. All the images I saw were clearly digital renderings, but I was so impressed by Arcee, that I bought this figure blindly. I was admittedly surprised when the figure arrived in a simple (printed) cardboard shipper box with a plastic tray inside. She was nearly twice and tall as the Arcee from a few weeks before and she was essentially a statue with almost no articulation. She was inexpensive so I wasn't upset, but I had a lot of errant preconceived notions I needed to accept. But the fact that she still looks very cool and imposing (she's about the same height as the large Yolopark Cogged Elita-1 figure) makes me glad to have her in my collection. Let's check out Elita-1 below!

Transformers: Age of Extinction - KSI WIDOW!

Transformers Studio Series - AOE Concept Art KSI Widow - Hasbro 2025

In 2014's Transformers: Age of Extinction film, a nefarious company called KSI has manufactured their own Transformers by reverse engineering scavenged debris and downloading the consciousness of slain robots from the battlefields of the first three movies. Mixed into this melting pot was the consciousness of Megatron, who was resurrected as KSI's main weapon, Galvatron. In several scenes, Galvatron has taken control of other KSI Transformers and is controlling them like drones. Several of these only ever appear in vehicle form, and that is when Hasbro had the idea to take some unused concept designs for a character named Widowmaker and merge them with one of these background character (cars) retroactively. Whatever the convoluted origin, I am obsessed with this toy. She reminds me a bit of Marvel's Danger, with a dash of Shatter and the BM Blackarachnia mold. Her headsculpt and and color palette are unlike anything in my Transformers collection. Let's check her out below!

MiniForce: Super Dino Power - LUCY!

MiniForce: Super Dinosaur Power - Lucy & Triceratops - Jumpgo 2020

With the myriad of MiniForce product that have saturated the Asian toy market since 2014, it was surprising that a 1:18 action figure line (with associated in-scale mecha) didn't hit the market for six years. I feel like similarly-themed Super Sentai toys in the American market seem to hit the shelves right away. But it wasn't until the fifth season, MiniForce Super Dinosaur Power Season 1, that this line finally got made. Interestingly, the core MiniForce Agents were released in a variety of sets with different transforming armor or beasts over the course of several years and from several different toy manufacturers, but the human figures seemingly stayed the same throughout. Therefore I wasn't picky about which 3.75" Lucy set I ordered, but I'm glad I got one with her Triceratops beast because I love a good human-and-steed combo. I only wish there were more costumed female characters in this show so I could get more toys. Although with current shipping and tariffs, maybe that's a blessing. Let's check out Lucy below!