Amazing Heroes Retroverse - PHANTOM LADY!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Phantom Lady (BBTS) - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

Phantom Lady first appeared in the August 1941 issue of Police Comics #1, published by Quality Comics and created by Arthur Peddy. (She was a regular feature for 23 Issues). Her original costume was a yellow and green design that resembles her current DC Comics incarnation today. Over the years, her clothing got skimpier and skimpier and by the time Fox Feature Syndicate gave her a solo title in 1947, she was a notorious example of Good Girl art (and it was also her solo title which changed her color palette to red and blue). She was a focal point of the comic censorship campaign on the 1950's. One of her covers (#17) was famously touted as "a sadist's dream" (in that horribly annoying book that people are still quoting 70 years later). Phantom Lady was a gadget-based vigilante who used "black light" technology to blind her opponents and render her invisible. Of all the female heroes in this Retroverse wave, she easily has had the greatest comics legacy. Let's check out Phantom Lady below!

Amazing Heroes - QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE!

Amazing Heroes Series 7 - Queen of the Jungle - Fresh Monkey Fiction 2022

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle first appeared in the September 1938 issue of Jumbo Comics #1, published by Fiction House and created by Will Eisner. There was a seemingly endless number of nearly identical "jungle women" in the Golden Age of comics, but Sheena somehow has stood the test of time and is notable for being the first female comic character with her own title (debuting in March of 1942, three months before Wonder Woman's solo title). Like most Jungle heroines, Sheena has heightened agility and can communicate with animals. Since her debut she has had multiple comics series, two television shows, and a feature film. She always stood out to me personally because she is often shown riding a zebra, which is a visual I love (and I plan of seeking out an in-scale zebra for this figure). I assume the official name of Sheena is copyrighted in her past multimedia licensing, so this figure is officially going by her lordly title, Queen of the Jungle. Surprisingly, I think this is her first action figure ever.

DC Direct Silver Age - LOIS LANE!

Classic Silver Age Deluxe Box Set - Superman & Lois Lane - DC Direct 2001

When I first started collecting action figures as an adult in the early 2000s, it coincided with me starting to collect comics again after a 5 year hiatus. I was in a new city with several comic shops (all my hometown ones had closed in the 90s), and those new stores were teeming with action figures from DC Direct. DCD had started just a few years earlier so I had never before seen the merging of toys and comics in one store like that. I bought a lot of these toys over the next few years. But these Silver Age Deluxe Box Sets were just too pricey for me at the time. I favored Batman over Superman and I preferred costumed heroes over civilians, so it took me twenty years to finally pick up this Lois set. Which is a shame because because this figure is gorgeous. Despite being a bit pre-posed and having sculpted-in accessories, the Tim Bruckner sculpt perfectly captures that Silver Age aesthetic. I know most people love her modern purple blazer, but these vintage browns will always be my favorite. Let's check out Lois below!

Super7 ReAction - VAMPIRA!

ReAction Action Figures - Vampira (The Queen of Goth) - Super7 Boodega 2023

Super7 ReAction figures just keep getting better and better. This is one of my favorite toy lines out there. I love how there is a consistent retro format across lots of different licenses. And that "consistent" style has evolved to state where it can have subtle variations to best represent different genres. The G.I.Joe line perfectly captures a vintage animated look, while pulpy live-action characters like this Vampira have more realistic proportions and details. This figure is also noteworthy for being the most curvy female ReAction figure so far (which is ironic considering they made a Jessica Rabbit in 2022). Vampira is a classic TV horror host from the 1950s who inspired characters like Maleficent, Elvira, and even the 1964 television incarnation of Morticia Addams. She has been largely unmerchandized until this year, but within a month we got both a Toony Terrors figure and this ReAction. I hope it's not the end though because a 1:12 figure from NECA or Super7 would be amazing. Let's check out Vampira below!

Toony Terrors - VAMPIRA!

NECA Toony Terrors Series 8 - Vampira (Maila Nurmi) - Neca Toys 2023

I thought I would kick off Halloween month with my favorite recent purchase, the NECA Toony Terrors Vampira. In 1954, model and actress Maila Nurmi found her niche in Hollywood and became the first late night horror host as Vampira. Her look was modelled after Snow White's Evil Queen, Dragon Lady, and Charles Addams' macabre matron (later named Morticia Addams in 1964 - who ironically by then was taking cues from Vampira). Vampira was also the character model for Maleficent in 1959. And obviously, she was major inspiration for Elvira in the 80s. However, for me Vampira was a character that only existed in static imagery. But just last month I watched Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space for the first time and was mesmerized by Maila and her famous character. My fascination with Vampira was piqued and literally the next day I found this figure. She has had very little (if any) merchandise produced but NECA and Super7 are making up for lost time. Let's check out Vampira below!

World's Smallest BARBIES!

World's Smallest: Barbie 1959 & Barbie 1971 - Super Impulse Toys 2017

I come from a family of collectors. My Dad Collects Coins and Bank Notes, My Mom and sister collect dolls, my younger brother collects Peanuts and Classic TV, and my older brother is into Star Wars and Rock and Roll. (I put them all to shame though with my myriad of collecting obsessions. I only dwell on the action figures here, but I have an abundance of unrelated collections active right now. But I digress). This past Christmas I was back home and my Mom was sharing her newest obsession, World's Smallest. For those unaware, World's Smallest is a line of tiny collectible miniatures of classic toys. She had a handful of nostalgic Fisher-Price toys, each about the size of a quarter, and we were all very enthralled and ready to all start our own collections. Since that first exposure I see them everywhere: Toys R Us, Target, Cracker Barrel, and every little novelty store I come across. There are even blind boxes at Claires! But I wasn't too tempted to buy any until I saw these two Barbies in TRU a few weeks ago.