Marvel Select - LADY DEADPOOL!

Marvel Select -  Marvel Comics Lady Deadpool - Diamond Select Toys 2017

This post is an interesting one because I have already written it. Longtime readers might even have slight deja vu. In September of 2017 I purchased this figure and promptly photographed and reviewed her. There's plenty of evidence to support this, including hotlinks on other blog posts made years afterwards (which are created directly from the existing post). But at some point it got deleted. I don't know how that could have happened, but for years now I would notice the missing post and dead links. The photos were still uploaded and present, but no actual content existed. So I'm finally re-treading old territory for consistency's sake. I remember when this figure came out and my excitement at her quality and scale. A lot of previous Marvel Select ladies looked stiff and awkward to me, but this figure marked a turning point. She blends in with Marvel Legends scale-wise and her sculpt seems a lot more natural than previous figures like Gamora and Black Widow. Let's check out Lady Deadpool below!

Youngblood Bendems - VOGUE & RIPTIDE!

Image Comics Youngblood Bend-ems - Vogue & Riptide - JustToys 1995

The news this week that LooseCollector will be producing action figures from Rob Liefeld's Extreme Universe has me very excited. In the late 80s and early 90s I was a huge fan of Rob Liefeld. His work on Hawk & Dove, X-Factor, New Mutants, and X-Force is some of the most nostalgic comic art of my adolescence. (I still read both his Hawk & Dove runs every few years). When the Image exodus happened in 1992, I was immediately obsessed with Youngblood. The characters were colorful and seemingly pulled inspiration from every trendy comic trope at the time, but with that signature Liefeld flare that embodied the era. The issues were beautiful, but sparse. The release schedule was very slow and the story was forgettable, but the character design and lore of this world still has my attention 30 years later. I have always wanted true action figures. Previous attempts have been almost entirely male-centric. Hopefully the Extreme Universe includes Youngblood or some other costumed heroines.

Marvel Gallery - LADY DEADPOOL!

Marvel Gallery PVC Statues - Lady Deadpool - Diamond Select Toys 2016

For a few short years, Wanda Wilson was a pretty regular character in Marvel Comics. Wanda was Earth-3010's version of Deadpool. Known as Lady Deadpool in our world, she first appeared in 2010 and was instantly pretty iconic. Sporting a costume almost identical to Wade Wilson Deadpool except for a long exposed ponytail, she is the epitome of a reductive gender-swapped hero. There is nothing really new or reimagined about this character, but I personally felt drawn to her. And when the Deadpool Corps was established, she firmly establish her unique place in the comic universe. And she was pretty popular in the merchandise department as well. In three short years, she had three action figures, a mini-mate, multiple figurines, a Funko Pop, Heroclix, and several statues. By 2013, she was killed off, and by 2015 Gwenpool was introduced to fill the "female Deadpool" void, and Wanda was left in the dust. This Marvel Gallery statue is one of the nicest representations of her.  Let's check her out below!

Marvel Legends - DOMINO!

Marvel Legends X-Force 3-Pack - Rictor, Domino, Cannonball - Hasbro 2021

I feel bad for Neena. No matter how popular and iconic her luck-focused alter-ego Domino has become, she is surprisingly unlucky in the merchandizing department.  Her first Toy Biz from 1995 figure actually wasn't bad at all. It was simple but captured the character nicely. Also her Mini-Mates figure from 2014 is pretty good. But the rest of them.. good lord. Why can't they seem to get her right? This newest attempt is the best so far in the Marvel Legends line, but it falls far short of my expectations. It should be easy to get a nice Domino because she has had many unique looks throughout her run in New Mutants and X-Force, and I would think any one of them would translate well into plastic, but they just don't. This newest version has droopy shoulderpads, flat hair, and awkward open mouth paired with dead eyes, and a problematic faceplate. I honestly never even noticed that Domino has an asymmetrical faceplate/tiara, with the left side being a microphone, but it's legit in the early run of X-force.

Marvel Legends - LADY DEADPOOL!

Deadpool Legends: Wave 2 (Sauron BAF) - Lady Deadpool - Hasbro 2018

Marvel Legends has been killing it lately with the female action figures. I'm a big fan of the obvious female revamp of existing male characters. I know on the surface these characters can seem reductive and cliche, but I always love making the direct comparison between genders when all the other factors are basically identical. although these gender swaps can lead to some very lazy design. It's a true comic trope to slap on some breasts and a ponytail and assume you've done your part for gender equality. I normally roll my eyes at these half-assed attempts, and Lady Deadpool is a perfect example of it, but something about this specific example is so wrong that it's right. It took me many years to get on board, but I am currently quite a fan of Wanda Wilson and her gravity defying 90's ponytail. Hasbro really has been giving me all the figures I want lately. So to put it out for the universe to hear, my top wanted classic character is Firestar and modern is Ironheart. Fingers crossed! Let's check out Lady Deadpool below!

Marvel Mini Bust - LADY DEADPOOL!

Marvel Mini Bust - Lady Deadpool - Action Figure Xpress Exc - Gentle Giant 2011

When I first saw images of Lady Deadpool when she was introduced back in 2010, I honestly wasn't a big fan. I normally love female versions of established male characters. But adding breasts and a ponytail was just a little too simplistic for me. However, about a year later I saw this very bust advertised in a catalog and I suddenly found myself really appreciating the design. I specifically remember thinking the sculpt of the abdomen and bustline looked very strong and feminine, but not overly sexualized like all the other minibusts flooding the market at the time. Of course I was a much different person seven years ago and I couldn't justify the expense. But this bust was always in the back of my mind, and when her Marvel Select figure came out last year I suddenly had an interest in assembling a little Wanda Wilson collection and my hunt for this bust was on. It took a while but I finally got her at a great price (and just in time for her new Legends figure in the coming weeks!) Let's check out Lady Deadpool below!

Marvel Legends - DOMINO!

Marvel Legends - Deadpool Wave (Sasquatch BaF) - Domino - Hasbro 2018

Domino is my absolute favorite thing to come out of X-Books in the 90s. I know there's a lot of love for Jim Lee era X-Men and whatnot, and I definitely appreciated all that, but I was firmly rooted in the New Mutants and X-Force camps. The mysterious Domino intrigued me so much as a kid. She seemed to be the only first link to Cable's past, her powers were ambiguous, but most of all she looked awesome. Then to top it all off, a little more that a year after her introduction, we learned that the "Domino" we knew and loved was actually the impostor, Copycat. My 13 year old mind was blown. I didn't really keep up with her stories since the mid-90s, but I'm looking forward to her new solo series that starts next month. There has been a small selection of Domino merchandise over the years, but I honestly haven't loved any of it. And if I was being perfectly honest, I'm not over-the-moon with this figure either. It's decent, but for some reason it seems like another character just painted to resemble Domino. Let's check her out!

The Women of Marvel MINI-MATES SERIES 65!

Marvel Mini-Mates - Series 65 (Deadpool) - Siryn & Copycat as Domino - DST 2016

A few weeks ago on January 6th, there was a day of Mini-mate releases that blew my mind. On that one day there were six amazing female characters released, several of which I never thought I would see produced in plastic. Of course it happened to be on a Wednesday when I was out of town. It took me weeks to track them down.  Mini-mates have a long and wonderful track record for team completion. I think the first team I completed was Alpha Flight, followed by Excalibur, Thundercats, and the New Mutants. At one point I thought I also had a complete X-Force set as well. But then DST made a Siryn and Copycat.. two characters I never expected to see in the lineup. It's great that the popularity of the upcoming Deadpool movie made these two obscure ladies possible. Maybe some miracle will give us a Rusty and Skids set next.  That would be amazing. In a short 12 days I'll be on the showroom floor of NY Toy Fair and scoping out all the new Minimates (And you just know there will be some awesome ones!)

Mini-Mate Women of X-FORCE!

A Few Marvelous Mini Mutants - Domino, Boomer, Feral - DST/Art Asylum 2010-14

X-Force was a major obsession of mine in the early Nineties. I was a New Mutants loyalist for years and I was excited for all the new changes and incarnations brought about in 1991's X-Force.  I even loved Rob Liefeld's art. My fascination didn't last too long though.  The "extreme" storylines began to bore me pretty quickly (and yes, I realized how very ironic that was at the time) and Rob fled with the rest of the heavy-hitters to form Image.  Still, whenever I see imagery from that era, I feel a massive wave of nostalgia.  Mini-Mates are the best collectible for satisfying that kind of collecting itch.  They don't take up much space, they're inexpensive, and they have a great track record with team completion and costume variations.  And while I think there could be a few additional characters added to the roster: Rusty & Skids, Siryn, Sunspot, a reissued Warpath, etc, I think it's a pretty great collection overall -- and there is always room for expansion.  Let's check out Domino, Feral, and Boomer below!