Dark Knight Rises - CATWOMAN!

Dark Knight Rises: The Bat 1:12 Collectible Set - Hot Toys/Sideshow 2014

This figure was the Bane of my existence for years (pun intended). As a surprise pack-in figure for the gargantuan deluxe The Bat vehicle from Hot Toys (MSRP $779.99), she was simply unobtainable for me. I had hopes that someone would split up the set and eventually sell her cheap(er) on eBay, and a mere eight years later I finally had her. Beyond the general character appeal and my obsession for collecting variations, I also wanted this figure as a rare example of a 1:12 scale figure from Hot Toys. As a company known for its large high-end 1:6 figures and smaller SD Cosbaby line, a traditional 6" scale figure is an oddity. And while she's not as detailed or articulated as her Mafex and SHFiguarts versions, she is still a fantastic rare figure. Her face and eye details are especially amazing. Although she kind of looks like she's about to cry with that Hot Toys' signature glassy shine and pink-lined eyelids. She probably saw her pricetag. Let's check out this rare Dark Knight Rises Catwoman below!

Character Spotlight: BLACK QUEEN (JEAN GREY)!

Your Favorite Brainwashed Dark Mistress of the Hellfire Club

Jean Grey seems to be the guinea pig for character transformations in the X-Men continuum.  She's been alive, dead, possessed, reincarnated, cloned, and everything in-between.  The impressive thing is that each new chapter in her dramatic life tends to create a wholly new character.  In the early 1980s and in the midst of the Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean was possessed by Mastermind and took on the role of the Black Queen in the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club (a clandestine group of evil mutants who liked to dress in inappropriate period costume).  The members were named after chess pieces.  The White Queen obviously being Emma Frost, the Black King being Sebastian Shaw, the White King being Magneto, and Donald Pierce being the White Bishop, just to name a few notable members over the years.  This possession of Jean Grey didn't last very long, but it definitely made an impact on the comic community and we've seen a small amount of merchandise released as a result.  Let's check them out below!

Women of Halloween - BRIDE of FRANKENSTEIN!

The Long-Reining Queen of Halloween from DST and Sideshow

Elsa Lanchester as the Bride of Frankenstein has to be the most celebrated Halloween sirens of all time.  She could technically be considered second next to the generic halloween witch characters you see everywhere, but the Bride of Frankenstein is the earliest female monster with any distinguishable (and consistent) personality and visage.  We've seen her emulated by everyone from Marge Simpson to Miss Piggy.  Even if you never saw the movie, you will find the image of a big black bouffant with shocks of lightning-bolt-white hair up the sides an  image that is impossible to avoid in popular culture.  She was the first female Universal Monster and she is definitely the most enduring.  Soon after the film's release in 1935, Universal Studios created Dracula's Daughter (1936) using a similar formula, but with much less acclaim.  There have been many Bride of Frankenstein action figures made over the years, but in this review, I will be reviewing the three most recent (and coincidentally my most favorite).