Funko Pop - BATWOMAN!

POP! Television #1218 - Batwoman (Ryan Wilder) - Funko Shop Exc 2022

Batwoman is a character I've been obsessed with since I was very young. I had backissues of Batman Family and Brave and the Bold featuring the yellow-clad Kathy Kane and she intrigued me greatly. She was more serious and stern than Batgirl, she had romantic tension with Batman, and she had an outlandishly colorful outfit that didn't make any sense for crimefighting. She was also in the twilight years of her presence in the comics. By the mid-80s she was phased out completely. Then roughly twenty years later she was re-introduced with a vengeance. This new Kate Kane character thwarted the characters homophobic origins and gave her a gritty and believable backstory. I was thrilled. But when the CW show was announced I was cautiously optimistic. Modern Batwoman comics seemed so cinematic, there were perfect scripts with perfect storyboards already laid out. The most successful comic adaptations honor those illustrated panels as the perfect blueprint they are. It seems like a simple recipe.

Galaxy of Adventures - AHSOKA TANO!

Star Wars - Galaxy of Adventures 5" Series - Ahsoka Tano - Hasbro 2020

Of all the recently-introduced Star Wars toylines, I think Galaxy of Adventures is my favorite. Unfortunately, I also suspect it is also dead in the water. The animated series was a short-lived webseries in 2018 and since the toy line's debut in 2019, there have only been about 20 releases, with only one in all of 2021 (an exclusive Mandalorian set). This Ahsoka Tano figure was released in 2020, but I didn't find her until almost a year later when Walmart did a holiday restock with big assortments of Galaxy of Adventures toys. But even so, there was only one Ahsoka in a giant shelf display of 40+ figures (in my experience at least). And it's a shame because this is a really great toy. My favorite part is the elfin-like face sculpts. They are adorable and quirky, but oddly enough they don't look too juvenile or cartoony. It's a lost cause, but it would be awesome to see Princess Leia made. (She is the only other notable female I remember from the show). Let's check out this adorably awesome Ahsoka Tano below!

Super7 ReAction - SCARLETT!

ReAction Action Figures - G.I.Joe Wave 1 - Scarlett - Super7 2021

Shanna "Scarlett" O'Hara is quite possibly the most difficult of the Eighties Ladies to represent visually in toy form.  She was a regularly featured character in the G.I.Joe cartoons, so we all have a strong feeling for how she should look. But something about the final toys never looks quite right. The color blocking of her outfit is very crucial, but even moreso is the bizarre shape of her hair.  In the cartoon it looked like an unformed mound of clay that changed shape from angle to angle, but simplistic designs like that are often the hardest to represent in plastic. Until this ReAction figure from Super7 I have never seen it done well. Sure, there have been decent Scarlett toys, but I always end up making a statement like "well, it's definitely a ponytailed redhead with a crossbow, but it doesn't seem like Scarlett." But now I know it can be done properly. Super7 was able to figure it out after 40 years of near-misses. And now I'm super stoked for her Ultimates figure. Let's check out ReAction Scarlett below!

Super7 ReAction - LADY JAYE!

ReAction Action Figures - G.I.Joe Wave 2 - Lady Jaye - Super7 2022

Lady Jaye is my favorite Joe. I like that she dresses in traditional military greens, but she has a super-unique arsenal of weaponized javelins. She also is super tough and no-nonsense (dare I say butch?). I feel like her relationship with Flint was exaggerated to soften her sometimes abrasive demeanor, but it didn't detract from her heroics, rather it gave her more depth and made me like her even more. My problem lies with the fact that so many of her toys are wearing a hat. Hats are fine. I wear hats all the time. But I've never seen Lady Jaye wear a hat in the cartoon, so this bothered me immensely. I can handle discrepancies between cartoon and toy with costumes and accessories. It's just inevitable. But when you mess with the head and hair, it's really hard for me to overlook. This Super7 ReAction figure perfectly captures her animated look and is probably is the best looking Lady Jaye figure ever produced. But I expect the upcoming Ultimates figure will steal that title. Let's check out Lady Jaye below!

Super7 ReAction - BARONESS!

ReAction Action Figures - G.I.Joe Wave 1 - Baroness (Sunbow) - Super7 2021

There is something powerfully nostalgic about the blue-suited Baroness with the green glasses to me. My first exposure to Baroness was in her signature black suit with the red Cobra symbol emblazoned on her chest, but in my heavy rotation of syndicated after-school viewing, I eventually saw this original blue outfit and was really intrigued. When the G.I.Joe cartoons began airing in 1983, they were composed of two 5-episode mini-series (before becoming an ongoing series by 1985). The first of these mini-series (now known as The M.A.S.S. Device episodes 1-5) featured Baroness in this uniform. Interestingly enough, she barely appears on screen wearing it. The first introduction to Baroness has her disguised in military greens. And her second scene has her in red scuba gear. But still, the few scenes of her arguing with Destro and Cobra Commander in this getup made an impression on young me. I love that Super7 chose this as the first Baroness deco for both the ReAction and Ultimates releases.

DC Multiverse - CARRIE KELLEY!

DC Multiverse - Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Robin - McFarlane 2022

It's amazing how much love Carrie Kelley has received in the past 5-6 years. For a character introduced in a 1986 standalone story (originally), she suddenly has a ton of amazing product, 90% of which was released since 2016 (thirty years after her debut!) This newest DC Multiverse version is the best one I've seen by a long shot. The sculpt, paint, articulation, and price point on this one can't be beat. After getting this figure, I instantly created a wishlist in my head for Carrie Kelley's two other alter-egos: Catgirl (The Dark Knight Strikes Again) and Batwoman (The Dark Knight III - The Master Race). And since her popularity is due to increase after the new Gotham Knights CW show airs, this isn't as far-fetched of a wishlist as you might think. It's pretty amazing that two men with such deeply rooted misogynistic views on women (Frank Miller and Todd McFarlane) could create such an enduring character and such a fantastic figural representation of her. Let's check out the Carrie Kelley Robin below!

Mafex - CARRIE KELLEY ROBIN!

MAFEX No. 139 - Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 2-Pack - Medicom 2021

Hyper-articulated import action figures really intimidate me. Lines like S.H.Figuarts, Figma, MAFEX, and Amazing Yamaguchi are super appealing to me. Despite their high price point, I find myself picking up a few each year. But the amusing thing is that I rarely ever open them. All the little accessories, the pressure to find the perfect pose, and the anxiety of doing a neverending photoshoot all lead me to delay opening for some future day when I'm feeling more brave. This Carrie Kelley is the 5th or 6th MAFEX figure I've purchased, but she's the first I've ever opened. She broke through my wall of hesitation because I wanted to add her (and the new Multiverse figure) to my Carrie collection (and I wanted to eBay the Batman figure she came with). I'm glad she snapped me out of my pattern. She is really fun to pose and has a terrific sculpt. I'm curious to see if her role in the upcoming Gotham Knights show alongside Bluebird and Duela Dent will increase her popularity. I hope so. Let's check out Carrie below!

Placo Toys - CELESTRA!

Celestra: Queen of the Transforming Dolls - Celestra -  Placo Toys 1986

When I first started collecting toys as an adult, I found myself combing over toy database websites and imagining what direction my fledgling hobby would take. A lot of the female-centric sites naturally focused on dolls. I knew early on that soft goods costumes and rooted hair were too much for my OCD brain, but a few properties still managed to intrigue me. One of my favorites was Celestra: Queen of the Transforming Dolls. This is quite possibly the most earnest attempt I've ever seen to merge the "boy" and "girl" aisles that were so hopelessly separated back in the 80s. This line is literally tiny dolls that "transform" into robots, cars, and spaceships. The execution isn't perfect; the faces and hairlines are a tad frightening, and they are essentially simple shellformers. But I love the effort and the unique snapshot of mid-80s toy politics. Bionic Six, She-Ra, Golden Girl, Robotech, etc were all working to blur those gender lines and it was terrific. Let's check out Celestra below!