DC Comics Multiverse - SUPERGIRL!

DC Comics Multiverse - Doomsday Series - Supergirl (TV) - Mattel 2016

I'm really nervous for the second season of Supergirl. I very rarely like superhero TV shows. I started off very excited for Smallville, but it never took. I watched all of Birds of Prey out of some misguided sense of solidarity to all the female heroes in it, but it wasn't easy for me. Then I gave Arrow, Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow all a fighting chance, but I just never got hooked. The only shows I've ever truly liked are Gotham, Agents of SHIELD and Supergirl. If you notice the trend there.. I apparently just don't like any CW shows. So with Supergirl switching from CBS to The CW for season 2, I'm nervous that it's going to have the teen drama feel that makes me tune out almost immediately. But luckily before that potential cord-cutting, I get to immortalize Kara in my collection with this great Multiverse figure. The previous production shots of her looked pretty odd, but in person I found her to be a lot better than I expected. I'm very happy overall. Let's check out Supergirl below!

X-Men Legends - KITTY PRYDE!

X-Men Legends - Juggernaut Series - Kitty Pryde - Hasbro 2016

Kitty Pryde really created a niche role in the X-Men. When she first appeared in 1980, there had never been a young female character in the roster. It seems like a natural balance to all the grim and often violent male characters now, but before her introduction there really wasn't a youthful voice on the team. Since then, there seems to be a "little sister" character more often than not. Kitty, Boom Boom, Jubilee, Pixie, etc have all filled the same role of innocent novice with a wild side. I also find Kitty interesting because she's never had a codename that stuck (mostly because her real name is better).  Ariel, Sprite, Shadowcat, and even Starlord - none of them have the same pizzazz as "Kitty Pryde." Her pet dragon Lockheed makes her pretty unique as well. Lockheed is actually an intelligent dragon-like alien that Kitty met on a Brood-infested world during the Brood Saga storyline. They formed a psychic bond and have been practically inseparable ever since. Let's check out her action figure in detail below!

X-Men Legends - Marvel's PHOENIX!

X-Men Legends - Juggernaut Series - Marvel's Phoenix - Hasbro 2016

My first real love of the X-Men is due to my early obsession with Jean Grey in her green Phoenix costume. In the late 1980s I was really into G.I.Joe comics (and was starting to dabble in Batman) when my brother came home from his friend's house with a stack of X-Men Classic issues. I was aware of the X-Men from their appearances on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends as well as the Pryde of the X-Men cartoon I owned on VHS. I liked them, but still preferred my G.I.Joe. That was until I saw Phoenix on one of those covers and was instantly smitten. I thought she was the coolest thing I had ever seen (A feeling that wouldn't be surpassed until I discovered Polaris.. I have a very obvious and lifelong obsession with all things green). I was probably the only little kid annoyed by the Dark Phoenix Saga because the color of her costume changed. As much as I loved this version of the character, I've found it really hard to find a good plastic representation of this look. And I'm still not 100% pleased - rant below...

X-Men Legends - Marvel's ROGUE!

X-Men Legends - Juggernaut Series - Marvel's Rogue - Hasbro 2016

It is so refreshing to see X-Men characters readily available in the toy aisles again. Sure, we had those super-elusive Jubilee and Puck waves last year. But before that it seems like the last mutant was that horrible TRU shelfwarmer Emma Frost. With all the doom-and-gloom talk about Fox and future of mutants in the Marvel Universe, it's a relief to get such an awesome X-Men series. Plus, this wave is notable for having three unique female characters for the first time ever. Technically the Brood Queen series had three females as well, but I'm talking about humanoids (i.e. not the insectile Brood Queen herself). There have been a handful of examples of three or four females if you include variants. But having Rogue, Kitty, and Jean in one wave is uncharted territory. We first saw this Jim Lee-era Rogue in the 2003 X-Men Legends Box Set and she has been one of the most requested re-dos ever since. I think everyone will be extremely happy with this new version. Let's check her out!

Power Rangers - NINJA STORM BLUE RANGER!

Power Rangers Legacy Collection - Ninja Storm Blue Ranger - Bandai 2016

Bandai's new Power Ranger Legacy Collection is off to a great start. When these were talked about at recent shows and conventions, I wasn't grasping how robust of a line this would be. For starters, the 6-7" scale seems so impressive and new for Power Rangers figures. Also, they aren't messing around with the word "Legacy" - Ninja Storm was the Power Rangers theme in 2003 and this Blue Wind Ranger happens to be one of my favorite Rangers of all time. This first wave consists of Blue, Red, and Yellow Ninja Storm Rangers, and Green and Red MMPRs. I only bought this one figure so my knowledge is incomplete, but I know that by buying the three Ninja Storm figures, you have all the Build-a-Figure pieces to create the Storm Megazord. I have a feeling the two MMPR figures don't let you create a full Dino Megazord, but I'm not certain about that. Bandai has made promises that this line will be consistent and long-lasting. I can't wait to see it all unfold. Let's check out the Blue Wind Ranger below!

Mini Mez-Itz - GOTHAM CITY VILLAINS!

Gotham City Villains Mini Mez-Itz - Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Harley - Mezco 2016

Back in 2013 there was a"Girls of Gotham" Mini Mez-Itz set shown at Toy Fair. This set marked the first time we would have seen Poison Ivy and Batgirl in this format and I was very excited. But then the street dates came and went with no products on the shelves. Eventually Batgirl and Poison Ivy were released individually at conventions and I assumed we would never see a box set like it. Then I randomly stumbled across this set at Barnes and Noble last week. This lineup actually makes me happier than the original Gotham Girls set because the redecos are significant enough to make my want them all. Catwoman is a purple repaint of the comic version, Poison Ivy is her classic comic deco (i.e. normal fleshtone and no vines), and Harley has a new puckering face and a noticeably brighter red paintjob. I'm not usually a sucker for color variations, but these hit all my buttons. Hopefully this bodes well for lots of future Mini Mez-Itz on the shelves. Let's check out these three ladies below!

Suicide Squad Mez-Itz - HARLEY QUINN & KATANA!

Suicide Squad Mini Mez-Itz 5-Pack - Harley Quinn & Katana - Mezco 2016

Mezco has been making me nervous lately with their dwindling displays of Mini Mez-itz at shows and conventions. I get that their One:12 Collective has become their new flagship line and between them and the tried and true Living Dead Dolls, Mez-Itz are kind of lost in the shuffle. But I love these things so much that I raise my hopes every time. Luckily this Suicide Squad pack and an unexpected Gotham Villains set showed up in the past week to satiate me for a good year or so. I'm hoping they start doing Batman the Animated Series or the rest of the 1990's Batman films. All I know is that I want a lot more Batman characters in this format. This Suicide Squad set is especially interesting to me because these are the first figures I've bought that have had accessories (Harley's baseball bat and Katana's katana). This makes me think the line is evolving which makes me very happy. I can't wait to see what the future holds. Let's check out Harley Quinn and Katana below!

Marvel Legends - SILK (CINDY MOON)!

Spider-Man Legends - Venom Series - Web-Slinging Heroines - Hasbro 2016

Silk is one of the many Spider-Ladies introduced in the Marvel Universe during the past few years. However, she slightly predates the rest of the bunch and her origins lead me to think her character was conceived before the whole Spider-Verse event. Cindy Moon was a student in the same lab where Peter Parker was bitten by that fateful radioactive spider. What wasn't revealed until recently is that Cindy was also bitten. Unlike Peter though, she could not control her powers and was locked in a bunker to protect herself and others from the spider-hunting Inheritors. Her release from the bunker acted as a beacon to those dimension-hopping Inheritors and triggered the Spider-Verse storyline. Although somewhat overshadowed by Spider-Gwen, Silk has had two successful solo series and starring roles in two others. Plus getting a fantastic Marvel Legends figure just two years after her debut speaks volumes. I can't wait to see who else we'll see in future Spider-Man waves. Let's check out Silk below!