Chronicle Collectibles - ALL-STAR BATGIRL!

Batgirl (Jim Lee) Statue - ThinkGeek/Gamestop Exc - Chronicle Collectibles 2019

All-Star Batgirl is an interesting iteration of the Barbara Gordon character. All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder was a limited series created by Frank Miller and Jim Lee from 2005-2008 (ten issues in 36 weeks.. sheesh). The title quickly became notorious for being over-the-top with story and dialogue. I'm not a huge fan of Frank Miller simply because I feel he bases his modern storylines on shock value (but I guess you need outrageous headlines to spark interest when the release schedules are so dragged out). The scandal-of-the-issue for Batgirl's first appearance (in Issue 6) was a bunch of dialogue that DC had to redact. It was a stunt worthy of a huge eyeroll (especially considering you could read the words through the redactions, which felt super intentional and cheesy). But that said, seeing a young energetic Barbara Gordon as Batgirl was really exciting. Cassie Cain was great, but our favorite redhead hadn't been in costume in so long. This statue was a welcome and nostalgic surprise. Let's check her out!

Power Rangers - PINK RANGER!

Power Rangers - Playskool Heroes Mega Mighties - Pink Ranger - Hasbro 2019

I find it amusing that before the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers toy reboot in 2010, I didn't own a single Power Rangers figure and I was basically indifferent to the property. But those new toys in 2010 were inexpensive and fun and I soon found myself hooked. I even found myself as an adult actively watching Power Rangers Dino Charge every week. Now it's a full blown category of my collection (even though I still have never seen a single episode of MMPR). This Mega Mighties Pink Ranger was quite a surprise when I found her at Target a few weeks ago. Especially considering how often the ladies are excluded from the toylines (especially the preschool lines or toys with action features for rough play). But it seems like quite possibly Playskool is turning a new leaf recently with this Pink Ranger and the Captain Marvel hitting shelves at the same time. If this trend continues the next year could be very exciting. I can imagine Rey, Spider-Gwen, Yellow Ranger, and Black Widow. Let's check out Pink Ranger below!

3.75" Fortnite - GINGER GUNNER!

Fortnite: Gingerbread Set - Ginger Gunner & Merry Marauder - Jazwares 2019

Merry Christmas! I was holding out on posting this review because it's the only holiday-themed toy I think I've bought this year. There is something about this Target-exclusive Fortnite Gingerbread Set that thrills me. Gingerbread men are such an iconic Christmas theme, but I almost never see them used in fun ways. So when I see two gun-toting murderous action figures with this wholesome holiday decor, I am just hooked. I kind of want to pack them away with my ornaments and give them a spotlight in my annual trimmings (along with my Funko Miser Brothers!) Fortnite is known for combining cute and savage characteristics, and I think that's one of the reasons the brand is so popular. I really hope we see Ginger Gunner in different formats. A 12" and 6" version would be amazing additions to the line. And the best part about it is that new figures usually just show up on the shelves with little or no advance notice to us collectors - so there is always hope for the unexpected. Let's check out this festive little freak below!

Star Wars - JANNAH!

Star Wars 6" Black Series #98 - Jannah (Rise of Skywalker) - Hasbro 2019

I thought Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was fantastic. The story was solid, the characters were on point, and it was surprisingly funny. My biggest gripes with movies like Star Wars are when certain scenes defy the laws of physics. I can suspend my disbelief for the moment but my sciencey brain scoffs (usually laughing out loud in the theatre). But these impractical scenes never ruin a movie for me. I'm saying this because the scene that make me guffaw the most in Skywalker featured this new character Jannah. I don't want to give away any spoilers for the movie, so I'm just going to talk about my impressions of this toy. I'm always impressed by the new focus on racial diversity on the Star Wars franchise, and I especially love seeing kickass women of color. I also have a fascination with archery and crossbows, so this character is a natural draw for me. Naomi Ackie is a new actor to me, but I was excited to see that she was cast in that unaired Game of Thrones prequel pilot. Let's check out Jannah below!

Super Hero Adventures - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel - Playskool Heroes Mega Mighties - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2019

Playskool has been such a disappointing company since Marvel Super Hero Squad era fizzled out a decade ago. They've managed to release only a handful of female characters since then. Their Star Wars line has the most with two Reys, Phasma, Rose, and Enfys Nest.. yes, only five. The Marvel line has two different Black Widow sculpts and a Spider-Gwen. The fact that Gamora, Hela, Scarlet Witch, or Captain Marvel haven't been included yet are sinful (I didn't list Wasp because I still have hopes they'll released the cancelled figure). But in the past two weeks I've found two surprise female additions to the oversized Mega Mighties line. These figures are 10" tall with 6 points of articulation at $9.99 price point. I must admit I wasn't always sold on these figures, but these ladies are kind of winning over (only kind of). They're still big and weird to me, but I still found myself excitedly googling to see if there was a Spider-Gwen coming (I don't think there is). It's going to be a slippery slope. Let's check out Carol below!

Batman Returns ViniMates - CATWOMAN!

DC Comics ViniMates - Batman Returns Catwoman - Diamond Select Toys 2019

There are far too few representations of Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in my collection. I still maintain that this was the best representations of a female comic character on screen. Every so often I find myself searching YouTube for that iconic "Meow" scene and every time it's just as good as I remember. When the ViniMates spinoff line of MiniMates was first announced, I wasn't too impressed. I love the blocky tiny MiniMate line so much, but these larger, unarticulated cousins just didn't make much sense to me. But then they started rolling out amazing DC characters in a variety of different eras, and I was hooked. It had been 10 years since the original DC Mini-Mate line had fizzled out and I didn't realize how much I was missing it. This Michelle Pfeiffer figure is absolutely perfect. Now I have an expanded wishlist for Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt versions. Not to mention other cinematic ladies like Alicia Silverstone Batgirl and Uma thurman Poison Ivy. I want them all! Let's check out Catwoman below!

Bendy and the Dark Revival - INK AUDREY!

Bendy and the Ink Machine - Series 03 - Ink Audrey - PhatMojo 2019

PhatMojo has a way of surprising me with new action figures just appearing out of nowhere in the toy aisles. I actually think every wave of toys so far has been a surprise to me: Bendy waves I and II, Showdown Bandit, It, The Office... the only one I guess I was expecting was DuckTales (and I'm still eagerly awaiting that second series). This Ink Audrey figure is apparently the protagonist for the upcoming Bendy and the Dark Revival game due in January 2020. You will actually be exploring the Bendy world as Audrey. I'm assuming we'll witness her slow transformation into the ink monster we see here. Many of the Bendy figures from Series I and II come in both the black and white and yellow and white versions. I've always been jealous of the yellow ones because I think they look very striking. But this Ink Audrey is the first female figure in a yellow and black deco. I especially love the darker yellow eyes. These figures are also improving greatly with every wave and I'm always excited to see what they'll do next.

Fortnite Legendary Series - VALKYRIE!

Fortnite - Legendary Series (6" Action Figures) - Valkyrie - Jazwares 2019

I'm very excited for this first female character in the 6" Fortnite Legendary Series from Jazwares. We've seen a lot of high-quality product from Jazwares over the years, but this is the first time we've seen a Marvel-Legends-type line from them (if you exclude that Hanna-Barbera Space Ghost from 2012). Fortnite shows a ton of potential and will hopefully earn Jazwares all kinds of new licenses in the coming years. I'm generally just excited to see a new big player in the action figure aisles. I don't know much at all about Fortnite except that I find the toys very exciting and quirky. That's why I'm so intrigued by this Valkyrie figure. She's quite possibly the least quirky character I've seen in the line, but she's absolutely gorgeous. I'll probably end up displaying her with my Magic the Gathering or other sci-fi fantasy figures. The pajama party aesthetic of the property is absent in this one. Also, in researching Valkyrie I kept seeing images of a fire variant. I certainly hope we see that in plastic. Let's check out Valkyrie below!