Dark Knight Rises CATWOMAN Movie Masters!

Both Versions of Mattel's 6" Movie Masters Catwoman - Mattel 2012

If I confessed how much gas I wasted driving around trying to hunt down these two figures you would be ashamed of me. I broke down and ordered them on Amazon for $16.99 each (free shipping) a few weeks ago. I ordered two and luckily received both variations. I don't know why I hesitated so long, I think next time I will order right away, although I will always wax poetically about the thrill of the hunt. These figures are arguably the best Anne Hathaway Catwoman products made so far. They don't have a perfect likeness, but when you consider price, playability, and overall aesthetics, they really can't be beat. The two versions are "Goggles-up" and "Goggles-down."  There was some talk about the variation actually being the same figure, just with a packaging variation, but I assure you, the goggles do not move and they are indeed unique headsculpts (or at least different head-accessorizations).  They apparently have equal distribution, so no inflated "chase" prices should affect either one in the secondary market.

Dark Knight Rises CATWOMAN BEARBRICK!

Bearbrick Series 24 Secret Figure from MediCom Toy Inc

The Medicom Company of Japan makes the most wonderfully quirky toys.  Their line of Kubrick brick figures continues to amaze me with adorable representations of some of the most randomly awesome characters.  Where else will you find a toy of Gumby's mother, Edward Scissorhands' topiaries, or Audrey Tautou as Amélie?  The whole line is a collector's dream because nothing about it is predictable or boring.  Their Bearbrick line is somewhat less appealing to me.  This line uses a standard buck of a potbellied teddy bear, which in my humble opinion can tend to limit the aesthetic of the toys, especially when it comes to female characters.  When the first DKR products started being revealed, I started googling for a Catwoman Kubrick from the movie (which I still assume is inevitable).  One fateful day my search returned images of this Catwoman Bearbrick.  She was a "Mystery Figure" meaning that she wasn't included in the Series 24 solicit images (which had been circulating for a while) and only became known once she hit the stores.

Vintage Goodness: The Women of DINO RIDERS!

Harness the Power of the Dinosaurs with these 1989 Figures from TYCO

My parents didn't buy me many toys as a child.  We weren't poor by any means, but I have three siblings so hand-me-downs were a way of life for us.  As a result, I was endlessly coveting my young classmates with all their shiny new toys and I would beg to run errands with my mom just to escape her grasp for a moment to gaze in wonder at the toy aisles.  The build-up of this little story is that I have a very fond memory of finding a Dino Riders toy in my elementary school playground.  He was a green lizard-man with a gold-plated chest and a clear dome over his head.  I know I should have taken him to the lost-and-found box in the office.. but if you could have just seen that gold armour glinting so magically in the sunlight, you would have secretly slipped him into your overall bib too.  Dino Riders were awesome little toys with weaponized dinosaurs and warring alien invaders.. it was weird and brilliant and is one of the more recognizable toy franchises of the late 80's.

McFarlane Toys DANGER GIRL Series!

J. Scott Campbell's Amazing Trio in a Great 1999 Release from McFarlane Toys

The Nineties were a difficult time for comics fans.  There was decade's worth of painful, yet necessary transition that we all waded through in one way or another.  On the positive side, creator-owned comics and independent companies finally became major players; paper and color quality skyrocketed; and diversity in the types of comics on the market exploded. On the negative side, prices rose drastically; cheesy gimmicks overshadowed story/art quality (holographic prismatic glow-in-the-dark polybagged-with-collectible-card nonsense); most titles took on an awkwardly forced "extreme" tone (overly sexualized and overly violent); and overall comics just became very difficult to read.  At this time, I turned most of my attention to Dark Horse and VIZ comics who were steadily translating some amazing Manga titles and my distaste for what was happening to my beloved characters over in superhero

Eaglemoss Chess HUNTRESS Revealed!

DC Chess Collection #21 White Rook - from Eaglemoss Publications

I'm loving Eaglemoss these days!  I just bought the Poison Ivy piece last week and I'm getting very excited to collect all the bat-ladies together.  This time last year there were rumors of the line getting the axe; pre-orders being cancelled; uncertainty of how the DC reboot would affect merchandising; and just general doom and gloom about the whole series.  But now we've seen solicit pics for about 2/3 of the pieces and about 1/3 are actually in the stores.  While I am sad that we won't be getting Oracle or Stephanie Brown Batgirl, the excellent Babs Batgirl and the rumored upcoming Black Bat help ease the pain.  I love the look of this Huntress.  I was never the biggest fan of the previous Eaglemoss Huntress (although she was still amazing.. see pics here and here), but this figure makes up for her in spades.  She looks sexy, tough, and no-nonsense.  She should be on the shelves in November.

Vintage Goodness: The Women of M.A.S.K.!

Vanessa Warfield and Gloria Baker in all their 80's Glory from Kenner

For me, the 1980's are defined by toys and cartoons.  I was seven years old when all the 80's greats were at their prime.  M.A.S.K. was right in there with the best and was extremely popular for a few years between 1985-1988.  We had quite a few figures and vehicles around the house (mostly my brothers' however) and I have very fond memories.  At the time M.A.S.K. was created, it was presented as a sort of hybrid between G.I.Joe and Transformers.  The basic premise was two opposing forces (M.A.S.K. and V.E.N.O.M.) each had a team of drivers/pilots who had transforming vehicles.  Like a motorcycle that transforms into a one-man helicopter, or a racecar that pops out some fins and becomes a speedboat.  The drivers all had intricate masks that enabled them to control these vehicles.  It was pretty genius and had some great characters and awesome toys.

Character Spotlight on BATGIRL (CASSANDRA CAIN)

A Darker, More Deadly Batgirl Than We Ever Expected!

In 1999, nearly 10 years after Barbara Gordon was paralyzed by the Joker, the mantle of Batgirl was taken up by this very unique young girl.  Cassandra Cain is the daughter of the assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva.  She was raised with no reading or writing skills, just combat.  Her only language was body language and her dependency on subtleties and instincts as her sole form of communication made her an extremely deadly assassin.  She came into contact with Oracle and Batman during the No Man's Land storyline and was eventually adopted into the Batman family as the new Batgirl.  I was a latecomer to the Cass bandwagon.  It wasn't until near the end of her 10-year run as Batgirl that I began to appreciate her.  I liked the personal obstacles she had to overcome; a murderous lineage (and personal history); a severe communication handicap; and struggles with teamwork.  Plus I love that her Eurasian heritage added some much-needed racial diversity to the Bat-universe.

Two CATWOMAN Mez-Itz!

Both Movie and Comic Version Collectible Block Figures from Mezco

I swore a long time I would never buy any cutesy, Super-Deformed, Urban/Vinyl toys.  They weren't "serious" enough for me and they just looked silly.  Years later I have a small shelf dedicated to these little monsters.  Kubricks, Mini-Mates, SHS, Blammoids, Cosbabies, Lego, and Funko Pop have invaded my heroic world and I don't think I will ever look back.  I even made room for Imaginext, Little People, and Polly Pocket.. what is the world coming to??  My one caveat is that they have to be small, I don't want giant looming marshmallow men peppered throughout my collection.  Because of this, Mez-itz were off my radar until they introduced their Mini line of 2-inch figures.  These two Catwomen are my first Mez-Itz and I must admit I am won over.