Mezco Mini Mez-Itz Keychain - POISON IVY!

DC Universe Mini Mez-Itz Keychains - Poison Ivy - SDCC Exc - Mezco 2015

I've been waiting for this little green vixen for years.  I've become a big fan of Mezco's Mini Mez-Itz format since I bought my first Catwoman keychain back in 2012.  Unfortunately the release schedule for figures is painfully slow. We first saw Poison Ivy on display at Toy Fair 2013 - supposedly in a "Girls of Gotham" 4-pack to be released in August 2013.  Needless to say that never happened.  The Batgirl and Harley Quinn were eventually released singly (as convention exclusives and blind boxes).  So the only missing lady was little Miss Isley.  Luckily the fine folks at Mezco found a way to get her to us as a 2015 SDCC exclusive (you can easily order her at mezcotoyz.com).  Now my Gotham Girls are finally complete!  I'm really excited about this.  Now we just have to endure the long wait for the Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman supposed due early in 2016.  We'll see about that though.  I least this Ivy reassures me that we'll see her eventually.  Let's check out the lovely Poison Ivy mini Mez-Itz in detail below!

Masters of the Universe Classics - PEEKABLUE!

MOTUC Club Eternia - Peekablue - Mattycollector.com Exclusive - Mattel 2015

I feel like I might have made this proclamation before, but I swear when the first Princess of Power figure was included in MOTUC back in 2010 (and I realized the POP ladies had a chance to be revitalized in modern form), the absolute number one wish for me was Peekablue.  I have a (platonic!) love for animal-themed characters, green hair, and pacifists - so she was pretty much perfect for me.  I also thought her name was bizarre and awesome.  I suppose it's in reference to her "omnidirectional" vision and the color of her feathers?  Whatever the intent, she's that perfect mix of girly and bizarre that I loved so much about She-Ra and the Great Rebellion when I was a kid. As the second-to-last vintage Pop figure to be released, they really scared me.  Every annual Matty-meter doomsday scenario had been focused around Peekablue in my head "I need to sub for Peekablue"  "We can't not get her" etc etc.  Well she's finally in my greedy paws and I'm very satisfied indeed.  Let's check her out below!

Batman '66 Yvonne Craig BATGIRL!

Batman Classic TV Series - Batgirl - SDCC Exclusive - Mattel 2015

One of the greatest joys in my childhood was tuning in to the Batman TV show (in randomly-ordered syndication during the mid-1980s) and seeing that animated shot of Batgirl swinging into the shot with a "Bong!" indicating that she would be starring in that episode. She was only featured in the final 26 doomed episodes of that series, but she made a pretty profound impact on me and all Batman fans. The Barbara Gordon Batgirl that we all know and love is generally accepted to have been jointly developed at the same time in the show and the comic. The Bette Kane Bat-Girl had been phased out years prior and the mantle was sorely in need of a resurrection. The comic version has really persevered and I have tons of collectibles to prove that. Unfortunately the purple-clad Yvonne Craig version hasn't had the same presence in the toy aisles. This figure is only the second official item released. At least four others are coming in the near future, but there's a lot of lost time to make up for!  Let's check her out!

Marvel Legends SDCC Exclusive - MAGIK!

Marvel Legends: Book of the Vishanti - SDCC Exclusive 5-Pack - Hasbro 2015

One of the things I love about comics is the ability to have long drawn-out character development. I especially love it when there is a family legacy involved. Nothing can really top Marvel's Guthrie family in that particular department, but Illyana Rasputin was my first exposure to this kind of storytelling. Some of my earliest comic books were Classic X-Men issues which reprinted those early scenes of Colossus on his Russian farmstead with his little blonde sister running around in the background. Around the same time I was avidly reading the New Mutants and I was pretty giddy when Illyana appeared on the team as Magik. She proved to be quite a handful over the years. She was definitely the tempestuous, dark, and dramatic one of the group. And I must admit I haven't paid attention to her since those early days. This costume on this figure is completely new to me, as is her weaponry. But at least her hairstyle has stayed very consistent over the decades! Let's check out Magik below!

Marvel Legends SDCC Exclusive - HELA!

Marvel Legends: Book of the Vishanti - SDCC Exclusive 5-Pack - Hasbro 2015

Hela is one of the first characters in comics to ever inspire awe in me.  In the 1980s I was obsessed with the New Mutants and Hela made a few memorable appearances in that series. She is the Queen of Hel (the Norse underworld) who often tried to extend her rule over Valhalla.  She is the daughter of Loki and frequent foe of Thor. In the New Mutants, she became entwined with Danielle Moonstar when Dani became a Valkyrie during the Asgardian Wars. Her appearances were villainous, creepy, and impressive.  She made quite a memorable impact on me - looming in the clouds over her armies of the dead.  Now we get to add her to the growing list of amazingly unexpected Marvel Legends characters in our collections.  Of course this figure makes me want an Enchantress, Sif, and female Thor in Legends scale more than ever.  With Thor: Ragnarok in the theatres in 2017, we might actually see a few of these. Here's hoping for more Norse ladies!  Let's check out Hela in detail below!

Marvel Legends Comic-Style GAMORA!

Guardians of the Galaxy ML 5-Pack - Entertainment Earth Exc - Hasbro 2015

The success of 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy film has rocketed Gamora into one of the highest-profile Marvel ladies out there. As much as I enjoyed the film, I must admit I wasn't thrilled with Gamora's look. The lack of her signature golden eye-patches and her magenta-tipped hair just didn't appeal to me. The popularity of that look, however, is the only reason we would ever dream of seeing a gorgeous comic-accurate figure like I'm reviewing here today. There are a few different comic versions of Gamora. Most notable is her classic green "snakeskin" look, and her more modern white spacesuit, but this version (I always referred to it as the "cloaked Vampirella") has always been my favorite. This figure is fantastic. She looks sexy, formidable, and pissed off... just the way I always imagine her. Mine has a few paint flaws, but I can easily overlook them (and try to repair them) out of sheer awe that I'm holding a Legends style comic Gamora. It's an amazing time to be a nerd. Let's check her out below!

Batman & Robin - ICESTRIKE CYCLE BATGIRL!

Batman & Robin (Movie) - Deluxe Figures - Batgirl w/ IceStrike Cycle - Kenner 1997

Normally the 1990's trend of creating completely random variants of staple characters annoys the crap out of me. I've seen enough neon camouflage Batmen to last a lifetime (not to mention the current Iron Man and Spider-Man lines keeping up the tradition). But every once in a while a variant comes out of left field and actually looks cool (I'm thinking of Ice Armor He-Man and Mandarin Spawn in particular).  While this IceStrike Cycle Batgirl isn't as grand as those two, it certainly is a pretty great variant. The color palette is muted and the armor seems like something that could have appeared in the film.  Plus the entire figure has been redecoed with great little sculptural details. All in all she's a fantastic alternate to the original figure. It would not have been unheard of for Kenner to simply repackage the first figure with her motorcycle and call it a day, but luckily we got this really fun figure out of the deal.  I unfortunately don't have the IceStrike Cycle itself, but the figure is more than enough to keep me happy.

Batman & Robin - BATGIRL!

Batman & Robin (the Movie) - Series 01 - Batgirl - Kenner 1997

The 1997 Batman & Robin movie is pretty much universally accepted as a flop. At the time I didn't think it was exactly horrible, but I understood that it was taking huge step backwards in the "cool" department established by the other Batman films. But the introduction of a new Batgirl was always enough to keep me in line as a supporter of the film. I bought this movie on DVD a few years ago and I was surprised at how watchable it was. Removed from the pressure of the other films, I finally saw this script for what it was: a super-campy colorful action farce. The puns are ridiculous and the glow in the dark biker gangs are utter nonsense, but it's still fun. Alicia Silverstone was totally the it girl in 1997, so her casting was a great choice. The character changes were weird (She was now Barbara Wilson, the niece of Alfred), but the overall presentation was pure cheesy goodness. I love the toys made for the movie. They were some of the last "classic" style DC action figures made.  Let's check out Batgirl below!