BendyFigs - CATWOMAN!

The Noble Collection - DC Comics BendyFigs - Catwoman - Noble Toys 2022

For the past few years I've been noticing this great new series of bendy figures from Noble Toys at places like Barnes & Noble or the electronics section of Walmart. Ten years ago I would have completely ignored these with a "these aren't even action figures" snub. But then I discovered two great characters who were only available in bendy form (yet could still fit in to my collection nicely with the aide of a figure stand): Inque and Angel Jones. Quickly followed by my discovery of NJCroce and their irresistible bendies of Batman '66 and BTAS. So suddenly I wasn't such a snob. Until recently, I only saw these BendyFigs for movie tie-in product. Their Wonder Woman 84 and Suicide Squad figures in particular always caught my attention. The quality and scale was a noticeable improvement over past bendy lines, but I didn't find the movie licenses tempting until this comic-style Catwoman. It's an iconic look at this point but gets almost no merchandise. Let's check out Catwoman below!

Snake-Eyes Movie - AKIKO!

G.I.Joe Origins: Snake-Eyes - G.I.Joe Classified Series - Akiko - Hasbro 2021

I need to watch G.I.Joe Origins: Snake-Eyes again because I think I missed something about the character Akiko's role. There was a certain amount of mystery posed around her origins and throughout the movie, you would gain initial tiny insights into her past. I thought for sure she would be the long lost sister of either Snake-Eyes or Storm Shadow, but neither of those guesses panned out (at least I don't think they did... hence the necessary re-watch). Instead, Akiko was presented as one of the key members of the Arashikage clan, being the head of security, and a main point of contact between Snake-Eyes and the clan. She did not trust him, despite his blood ties to the Arashikage, and was constantly tailing him and keeping a wary eye. She was intriguing, but my high expectations may have sabotaged my perceptions. This is a very nice figure with a decent likeness of actor Haruka Abe. While martial arts figures aren't my go-to genre, she's a cool addition to my Classified shelf. Let's her check out below!

Snake-Eyes Movie - BARONESS!

G.I.Joe Origins: Snake-Eyes - G.I.Joe Classified Series - Baroness - Hasbro 2021

I finally watched G.I.Joe Origins: Snake-Eyes last week after 11 months of dragging my feet. I truly planned on seeing it in the theatre last Summer, but I just had a gut feeling I wouldn't enjoy it. And I was correct. Despite several awesome female characters, a great cast overall, and lots of well-planned action scenes, it just didn't excite or engage me. Although, I was pleasantly surprised by Úrsula Corberó in the role of Baroness. I thought I would be disappointed in yet another live-action interpretation of the single most iconic animated villainess from my youth. But I found her performance rather enjoyable. Trying to mimic an over-the-top cartoon persona is generally a big mistake, but this portrayal had an original spin while still capturing the essence of Baroness. It's far better that the previous live-action attempt, and even better than some later animated interpretations honestly. This toy has become quite the shelfwarmer, but is a really nice figure overall. Let's check out Baroness 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.

Sonic - AMY ROSE (CLASSIC)!

Sonic the Hedgehog - 2.5" Series Wave 7 -  Classic Amy - Jakks Pacific 2022

I've been hunting for this Classic Amy Rose figure in the checkout lines of stores for a few months. Little did I realize she would be packaged in the bubble-carded assortment that you find back in the action figure aisles. During my casual checkout-aisle hunting though, I found myself so being thrilled that there are so many cool toys regularly found near the cashiers now. When I was a kid in the 80s, there were typically some bags of green army men, some zoo animals, and the random assortment of yo-yos and playing cards. But then for years there was nothing but candy and magazines. Lately however, you can regularly find a slew of great toys: World of Nintendo, Disney Princesses, Marvel, Star Wars, and of course Sonic the Hedgehog. It's a fun new world for toy hunting. But as I said, this Amy is only in the official toy sections so far. Amy Rose wore this green and orange outfit in her first few appearances (starting in 1993). I love a good throwback design. Let's check out Classic Amy below!

Sonic - ROUGE THE BAT!

Sonic the Hedgehog - 4" Series Wave 8 - Rouge the Bat - Jakks Pacific 2022

Almost exactly a year ago I was groaning about the disappointing gender diversity in the Jakks Pacific Sonic the Hedgehog line. At that point, the line had been constantly putting out product for two years without a single female character. There were two things about this that particularly bugged me: One, there are a ton of great females in the Sonic universe (most of which has never been made into toys), and Two, the product on the shelves seemed to be the same four (male) characters released over and over again. In short, I saw it as lame wasted effort for a potentially dynamic toyline. But then news came of a 4" Amy Rose for the Fall of 2021 quickly followed by this 4" Rouge the Bat in Spring of 2022. (Plus a Classic Amy in the 2.5" line and an upcoming 2.5" Rouge). It seems like they're making up for lost time. It's not just females either, the male lineup is finally adding some b-listers: Mighty, Espio, Vector and Ray. This Rouge is terrific. I've always loved her design and this figure captures her perfectly.

Astro Boy - URAN!

Tezuka Productions: Astro Boy and Friends - Uran - Heathside Trading 2022

In the past 10 years or so I've become a big fan of Osamu Tezuka. He is known by many nicknames, but I was always fond of "The Godfather of Manga." At over 150,000 pages and 700 volumes of manga in his brief 60 years, he earns that title easily. Interestingly, I think what finally turned me from a casual appreciative fan into a mega-fan was the launching of KickStarter and the almost immediate campaigns to translate various works of his into English. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I picked up the very first KickStarter-funded manga of his at my local comic shop and was instantly smitten. But way before I began obsessing over his manga, I was a big of the 1963 black & white Astro Boy anime (an adaptation of Tezuka's Mighty Atom manga from 1952). I had an  VHS with a handful of episodes and I was blown away by the quality. It's was lightyears ahead of American animation. I even played the exact same tape on a loop in my college years for background ambiance at parties, and it always got attention. 

POP Funko - POLARIS!

Marvel POP! #927 - X-Men Polaris (GITD) - NYCC/GameStop Exc - Funko 2021

Late June is the time of year when I get really excited about Funko Pops. Any day now there will likely be a series of Summer Convention exclusive reveals (usually followed by a few random product leaks from Asia that end up being Fall Convention exclusives). The reason I get so excited is because there is a trend of having one single essential classic female character revealed each time. These are characters never seen in standard store assortments, but they are usually some of my favorite characters. In the past we've seen Spider-Woman, Huntress, Zatanna, Stargirl, etc. Maybe this year we'll finally see Firestar, or Hellcat, or Bette Kane, or Clea - anything is possible. The most recent was last Fall's Polaris in all her green Silver Age glory. She's an absolutely gorgeous Pop that is both an obscure yet quintessential character. The average MCU fan wouldn't recognize her, but any semi-serious comic reader would know her significance. Conventions are the perfect way to deliver these ladies to our collections.