Infinite Crisis - DONNA TROY!

DC Comics Infinite Crisis - Series 2: (Return of) Donna Troy - DC Direct 2007

I don't think there is a single DC character with an origin story more convoluted and confusing than Donna Troy. Originally, Wonder Girl was simply a younger version of Wonder Woman in flashback tales. But then she began appearing alongside Diana like a sidekick. And eventually in Teen Titans she was first given the name Donna Troy and given her own unique identity... which would be continually revamped and rewritten (I believe she is currently a golem made my the Amazons as a failsafe in case Wonder Woman goes rogue). Along her eventful comics journey, she has also worn a variety of costumes. My personal favorite is her red jumpsuit with yellow stars. But another look that I've found myself increasingly drawn to is this 2005 redesign which seems to incorporate the style of her classic red look with the black starfield design that became a feature of her costumes in the late 80s when she went by the name Troia. When this figure originally came out, I wasn't fond of the "new" look, but I've since become a fan.

Elseworld's Finest - BATGIRL!

Elseworlds: Series 03 - Elseworld's Finest - Batgirl - DC Direct 2007

Sometimes the very existence of an action figure adds to its allure. In 1998, there was a one-shot comic titled Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl. Elseworlds was a DC imprint that allowed for inventive non-canonical stories starring the mainstream characters. The comic is an homage to World's Finest which ran for 45 years featuring a Superman/Batman team-up. I read this Elseworld's gender-swap when it first came out, but I didn't love the story. I remember Batgirl being a tyrannical force in Gotham, isolating the city from the world. I remember the Joker getting juiced on Bane's venom. And I remember a surprise cameo from Black Orchid. Although interesting, it was not exactly memorable. But the character designs were something else entirely. Both Batgirl and Supergirl had amazing costumes that instantly seemed both classic and unique. But despite their visual appeal, I don't think anyone could have predicted getting figures of them nine years after their sole appearance. Let's check out Batgirl below!

Tron 2.0 - MERCURY!

Reel Toys: Tron 2.0  Action Figures Series 01 - Mercury - NECA 2003

Tron 2.0 is a first-person shooter game from 2003 originally released for Mac/PC. It is not official Canon to the Tron film franchise and features new characters and unique designs. As a video game rube, I had never heard about Tron 2.0 until I game across these action figures clearanced at FiveBelow a decade ago. I was immediately drawn in by the Mercury character and her sculpt which I could tell right away was by Sam Greenwell. He was my favorite DC Direct sculptor at the time so this discovery was exciting. In reading about the game, it's my understanding that Mercury is a non-playable character (voiced by Rebecca Romijn) who is the primary source of game objectives and information but who ultimately gets fridged. Still, it's great to have another female in the Tron franchise. They are pretty scarce indeed and this is by far the best action figure representation so far. One of my biggest wishes right now is for a Diamond Select Yori. Fingers crossed! Let's check out Tron 2.0 Mercury below!

Infinite Crisis - WONDER GIRL!

DC Comics Infinite Crisis - Series 2: Donna Troy Wonder Girl - DC Direct 2007

This figure and I have a past. Way back in 2007, I ran to my comic shop the day of her release and picked up both her and the Donna Troy (black starfield costume). I had been waiting excitedly since their solicitation months prior. But in person, I didn't love them. I took them home, opened them up, posed, re-posed, re-re-posed... I just couldn't make them look good. They both had cocked-hip contrapposto sculpts, which isn't my favorite thing in the world, but sculptor Sam Greenwell is a pro at making it look great. The problem was the arms. They stick out at an unnatural angle and are way too long. Even the fingers are significantly longer than they should be. I blame almost all of this on the engineering and not necessarily the sculpt. I eventually sold both of them because I didn't like seeing them on my shelf. But we all know how this story goes.. ten years later I regretted the sale and began hunting her again. I'm much more accepting these days (although she still stays in the back row). Let's check her out below!

Marvel Gallery - SQUIRREL GIRL!

Marvel Gallery PVC Diorama - Squirrel Girl - Diamond Select Toys 2019

I love it when a wacky character becomes legitimately popular. A character whose name, power, and team affiliation (The Great Lakes Avengers) are all clearly intended to be tongue-in-cheek typically wouldn't have much staying power, but when they do, they tend to be pretty great all-around. Harley Quinn and Gwenpool were both similarly meant to be one-and-done pun-based characters who have persevered and established themselves as standalone characters. And now the quirky Doreen Green is joining those ranks. Squirrel Girl may have been introduced more than 28 years ago, but only in the last 10 has her popularity skyrocketed. She has had two solo comic series (the current one is up to issue #46), appearances in numerous animated shows (and a movie), many videogames, and her merchandise is starting to trickle out. We have yet to see a true action figure, but stuff like this gorgeous Marvel Gallery PVC Statue is more than enough to tide me over while I wait for the inevitable Legends figure.

DC Essentials - SUPERGIRL!

DC Essentials - Action Figure #16 - Supergirl - DC Collectibles 2019

I'm a relative newcomer to Supergirl fandom. When I really started diving deep into my superheroine idolatry, Supergirl was Linda Danvers. She wore a bare-midriff t-shirt, white gloves, combat boots, a hairband, and an almost nonexistent skirt that looked like a glorified belt. I wasn't a fan of the look, it was a weird blend of utilitarian and tarty. But I also felt that her personality was inconsistent. I made several honest attempts, but the character never stuck. The reboot of Supergirl in the New52 was the first time I fell in love with the Maid of Might. Then the TV show version captured me too and I realized I was likely a fan for life. When I first saw this DC Essentials figure in person I thought she looked odd. I thought her head was too narrow and her face looked too stern. But once I took her out of the package and started posing her all my hesitations went out the window. She's truly terrific. This whole line is filling me with joy. DC characters have been in desperate need of this. Let's check out Supergirl below!

DC Essentials - BATGIRL!

DC Essentials - Action Figure #10 - Batgirl - DC Collectibles 2019

I don't think I will ever get enough Batgirl action figures. I feel for the longest time she was absent from the action figure world. Sure, there were some animated toys and some weird stylized ones (the Legends of the Dark Knight one was especially trippy), but I feel like the first true Batgirl action figure didn't come out until 2003 - which was long overdue. And ever since then I've been hooked. I especially long how the Burnside Batgirl revamp has given her a lot of new momentum. This DC Essentials figure is the fifth figure in this design in the past two years. And I especially love that this design features a purple and yellow color scheme so reminiscent of Yvonne Craig. Of course her current comic costume is already vastly different and I expect a few figures in that style soon. And I'm not even diving into my excitement over the DC Essentials line as a whole. I'm really impressed so far and really looking forward to the inevitable Catwoman (and wishes for Huntress, Ivy, and Batwoman). Let's check out Batgirl below!

DC Essentials - HARLEY QUINN!

DC Essentials - Action Figure #13 - Harley Quinn - DC Collectibles 2019

I'm really excited for this new DC Essentials line from DC Collectibles. There have been a lot of all-encompassing toy lines developed for DC properties over the years. DC Universe Classics and the more recent (but short-lived) DC Icons line come to mind as two stand-outs. But even after only seeing one female figure from this new DC Essentials line, I already love the body structure so much more than the previous attempts. I had gotten so used to those gangly arms and gaudy joints that I was blindly accepting them instead of demanding something better. So seeing this strong, well-proportioned buck is a breath of fresh air. I'm already excited for the Batgirl, Cheetah, and Supergirl figures coming out this year, and I'm eagerly anticipating future characters like Poison Ivy and Catwoman (They seem to only be A-List heroes and villains for now). I think the quality, price point, character selection, and character design is all finally in balance and I hope this line will have years of momentum. Let's check out Harley below!

Marvel Gallery - ALL-NEW WOLVERINE!

Marvel Gallery PVC Statues - X-23 as Wolverine - Diamond Select Toys 2018

I'm always torn on my opinion of PVC statues. I have always been reluctant to buy larger collectibles (for display reasons) and a good deterrent has always been the price. Then a new trend of PVC/Vinyl statues began and that price factor was eliminated. The first offerings I remember were the DC Direct Ame-Comi statues. While I appreciated those designs, all my purchases suffered from poor engineering - namely unsupportive ankles. Later efforts at PVC statues had overall designs that I just wasn't thrilled with (weird poses, face sculpts, etc). This includes the Bishoujos, Femme Fatales, and various DST lines (They're all decent products of course, I'm just picky). But the one line that I can't seem to resist is Marvel Gallery. I love the character selection, I love the statuesque poses, and I love that they get some heavy-hitter sculptors on the payroll. I always love a Sam Greenwell sculpt and this Laura Kinney Wolverine is no exception. Let's check out the glorious All-New Wolverine below!

DC Collectibles Icons - SUPERGIRL!

DC Collectibles Icons #25 - Supergirl (Rebirth) - DC Collectibles 2017

Supergirl is a character I've always appreciated but never fully embraced. A lot of this has to do with the fact that her personality never seemed well established. Every time I would read a story with her, it felt like I was meeting a new character. But then the New 52 version of Supergirl came out and I was hooked. I read the first 40 issues and loved it all. Then the Supergirl show began, and again it seemed like a brand new character, but I loved this one too. The show is truly terrific and it doing a great job of propelling her character into the mainstream. And the great thing about going mainstream is that it provides an avenue to produce classic versions of the characters. While this Rebirth Supergirl is actually one of the most modern comic interpretations of her, it has a real classic look that I think can fit in with any era. It's a shame the Icons line is being phased out so quickly after its debut. (I'm still praying that we can somehow get that purple Catwoman figure released). Let's check out Rebirth Supergirl below!

DC Collectibles Icons - ATOMICA!

DC Collectibles Icons #12 - Atomica (Forever Evil) - DC Collectibles 2016

This figure has one of the most gorgeous sculpts of 2016 in my opinion. I make similar claims alot, but this one can be taken a little more seriously since I don't know anything about this character and picked her up purely because she was stunning. I liked her so much that I wanted to assemble a small collection of other Atomicas to simulate her size-changing abilities. That's why it took me so long to get this review posted. Atomica is a modern member of the Crime Syndicate, the other-dimensional evil JLA. As a counterpart to The Atom, I believe she is the only gender-swapped member of the team. Atomica was brought into the main DC reality by the Outsider where she aligned herself with the JLA with the subversive evil goal of bringing the rest of the Crime Syndicate (along with her lover Johnny Quick) to our world. She succeeded (by hacking into Cyborg's programming) and the evil JLA reigned terror until, of course, they were defeated (thanks dc.wikia.com!) Let's check out Atomica below!

Character Spotlight on SNOWBIRD!

A Collection of Alpha Flight's Most Mysterious Inuit Demi-Goddess Snowbird

I discovered Alpha Flight very late in the game. I believe I was in college in the late nineties and I won an eBay auction for the first 50 issues for like ten dollars. I had become a fan of John Byrne through all his Legend titles and realized that he was the man behind Alpha Flight. I loved this series. The characters were interesting and weird, the stories were compelling, and the art was on point. I liked all the characters, but Snowbird always stood out to me. I always leaned towards Sorceress-type characters. Wise, powerful, mysterious, and animal-themed - it's like she was custom-made for me. Snowbird is the daughter of the Inuit Goddess Nelvanna and a mortal man. She is tasked with protecting Canada against the Great Beasts and is mystically bound to Canadian land. She can transform into any native animal, albeit snow-white in color. I always thought she was an odd addition to the team, but she captured my imagination like no other (except maybe Marrina). Let's check out her collection below!

Character Spotlight - DOVE!

A Collection of DC's Beautiful Avatar of Peace: Dove (Dawn Granger) 2011

As enjoyable as it is to bask in all the Liefeld vitriol on the internet, I never take it too seriously. I'm secretly a fan. That's because in the late eighties I was obsessed with Rob Liefeld and his first Hawk & Dove miniseries. Those five issues are some of the most nostalgic pieces in my unwieldy comic collection. Traditionally Hawk & Dove was composed of the brother duo Hank and Don Hall as the avatars of war and peace. Shortly before the 1988 miniseries, Don was killed and a new female Dove named Dawn (a rather confusing homonym) took his place. I was pretty young and such a self-explanatory yin/yang type dynamic for a comic series was perfect for me. Add in the bird theme and I was hooked. I followed the subsequent Hawk & Dove ongoing series for years, got ecstatic when they briefly joined the Birds of Prey, and even found the 2011 New 52 reboot very enjoyable. I especially enjoyed those couple issues of Teen Titans that Liefeld drew which featured Dawn with her sister Holly as Hawk.

Fantastic Four Classics - INVISIBLE WOMAN!

Fantastic Four Classics - Series 02 - Invisible Woman - ToyBiz 2006

For a long time this rare little beauty was the best looking female action figure in Marvel Legends style. Back in 2006, we were so happy to be getting female characters in the line at all that were gladly accepting the awkward overly-jointed spider-like bodies that plagued the Marvel heroines.  Then came this random series of comic-style Fantastic Four figures (riding the wave of popularity from the 2005 film) with an Invisible Woman figure that absolutely blew all the previous Marvel ladies out of the water. The dynamic sculpt and thoughtful articulation are what set her apart from the crowd.  She looked feminine, strong, and awesome.  It was a shame that she wasn't easier to come across on the shelves.  I only remember seeing this line in stores like FAO Schwarz and small Mom & Pop toy shops.  If they got wider distribution, I never saw proof of it.  That definitely explains the extremely high eBay prices for these beauties though.  Let's check out Sue Storm in detail below!

Justice Society of America - HAWKGIRL!

JSA: Series 01 - Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) - DC Direct 2007

There have been a ton of great Hawkgirl action figures over the years.  I can think of five great ones right off the top of my head... and those are only the ones from DC Direct.  Not to mention the extensive number of animated Hawkgirl figures.  Yet despite the abundance of these feathered heroines, it's easy for me to confidently claim this version as my favorite.  Surprisingly, this was only the second collector-oriented Hawkgirl figure (after DC Direct's Hawkman & Hawkgirl 2-Pack from 2000), yet to me it stands out from the pack.  The two main focal points for me are (1) the amazing sculpt by Sam Greenwell.  She looks feminine and strong - which are the main components I look for in my action figures. And (2) the removable mask.  Normally I think this functionality would be a recipe for disaster on an action figure, but it is literally perfect.  I don't know if that credit also goes to Sam Greenwell or the DC Direct production engineers, but either way it's a fantastic achievement.  Let's check out Hawkgirl below!

DC Collectibles HAWKGIRL (EARTH 2)!

DC Comics: The New 52 - Earth 2 - Hawkgirl - DC Collectibles 2014

I think the costume redesigns in DC's New 52 has been hit-or-miss.  In most cases I prefer the classic look over the new modernized designs.  Hawkgirl is definitely a huge exception to that judgement, though.  Don't get me wrong, her signature yellow, red, and green is perfect.  I just also happen to love this blue redesign.  In the New 52, Hawkgirl of Earth2 is Kendra Munoz-Saunders, a famous treasure hunter who was bestowed with wings from the Egyptian God Horus while on a mission.  She dons a unique blue costume that looks great with her skin tone.  In the New 52, Kendra is a dark-skinned Hispanic girl.  That ethnicity change is part of what makes Hawkgirl so intriguing.  Despite having the same name and wings, you just have a feeling that this is an entirely new character that you have to (and want to) get to know.  DC Collectibles is on a major roll this year. Aside from a couple cases of weird face paint, they've hit every lady out of the park.  Let's check out Earth 2 Hawkgirl below!

Character Spotlight on STAR SAPPHIRE!

A Collection of Various Violet Lanterns - DC Direct & Mattel 2001-2012
 
I really tried to get this post completed in time for Valentine's Day but the fates were against me.  Star Sapphire is a longtime villain in the DC Universe first appearing in 1947.  Originally she was a foe of the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick (although this early character was much different than the scantily-clad pink ladies we see today).  The most popular character to hold the mantle was Carol Ferris, the girlfriend and boss of Hal Jordan.  Back then, the role of Star Sapphire was granted to women who resembled the Zamaron Queen (the Zamarons are basically an alien race of Amazons).  In the mid-2000s, the history of the character was revamped to be a title embraced by an entire corps of Violet Lanterns.  Their role in the "emotional spectrum" was love.  This led to a notable interlude when Wonder Woman became a Star Sapphire as well.  There has been a lot of excellent merchandising of this mantle in recent years.  I certainly don't have them all, but the ones I do have are great (of course I stole eBay pics to fill in all the gaps).  Let's check them all out below!

DC Direct's Brightest Day JADE!

Brightest Day: Series 3 - Jade - DC Direct 2011

Jade always seemed to be a highly requested character from DC Direct.  She and Mera were on almost everyone's top 10 lists back in the day.  Luckily for us, the 2011 Brightest Day storyline (an aftermath to the big Blackest Night Green Lantern event) proved to be a great vehicle for getting some long-awaited characters in plastic.  Jade is a very interesting character.  For starters, she is the daughter of Alan Scott (the Golden Age Green Lantern) and Rose (aka Thorn: the Jekyl & Hyde-type villain).  She has very Green Lantern-like metahuman abilities due to exposure to her father's magical powers.  Coincidentally, her skin is green because of her mother's plant-based powers.  At some point, Jade lost her natural powers and was given a Power Ring by Kyle Raynor (with whom she had a long on-again-off-again relationship with).  She was killed while fighting Alexander Luthor Jr (son of Earth 3's Lex Luthor) in 2005's Rann-Thanagar War storyline.  Years later, during Blackest Night, she was resurrected as an evil Black Lantern, which luckily led to her being reinstated to her true form- and finally an action figure!

Marvel Select SPIDER-WOMEN!

Jessica Drew & Julia Carpenter as Spider-Woman & Arachne - DST 2006-2009

In honor of my giddy excitement for the Marvel Legends Spider-Girl reveal earlier this week, I decided to review three variations of my favorite Spider-Lady sculpt to date.  Jessica Drew was a hasty creation by Marvel Comics in the late 1970s in order to secure the copyrights for a female spider-powered superhero.  (I read once that word of Filmation's Web Woman cartoon reached the Marvel camp and they quickly created and published the first Jessica Drew story before her first episode aired).   I was never a huge fan of Spider-Woman as a kid.  I saw the cartoon a few times, but preferred Firestar from the Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends series.  It wasn't until 2006 in the pages of New Avengers where Frank Cho drew two amazing Jessica Drew-centric issues (#14 and #15).  Coincidentally, Diamond Select Toys released their fantastic Spider-Woman action figure that same year in their Marvel Select line.  There have been multiple variations released since, and I've purchased almost all of them.  Let's check them out below!

Marvel Select's Retro MARVEL GIRL!

Jean Grey as Marvel Girl - Marvel Select - Hasbro 2009
 
This costume of Jean Grey's is my absolute favorite.  I love the retro styling, I love the bright colors, and I love the overall simplicity of it.  This was actually the uniform that she wore when I was first exposed to the her (on the cover of Classic X-Men #43).  I was always into cartoon culture as a kid, but I didn't get bit by the comic bug until I was 10 and my family moved into the center of a small town with three active comic shops. It took me a couple of year to get hooked.  I started with properties I was familiar with, like G.I.Joe and Batman, but before long I was desperately seeking employment (which for a kid meant raking leaves and delivering newspapers) just to fund my newfound addiction.  This Marvel Girl costume brings me such a wave of nostalgia for that time.  She first donned the yellow domino mask in the iconic X-Men #39 from 1967 and kept it until Issue #101 when she became Phoenix.  This Marvel Girl has received a decent amount of merchandising, but I think this is the only piece I'll own (too many pricey statues).  I'll spotlight the rest below though.  Let's get on to the review!