Marvel Legends - WHITE RABBIT!

Spider-Man Legends - (Demogoblin BaF Wave) - White Rabbit - Hasbro 2019

There's something about Alice in Wonderland that has inspired a ton of comic book villains. The interesting thing is that ones from DC tend to be more threatening like Alice from Batwoman, Cheshire from Teen Titans, and Mad Hatter and Tweedledee & Tweedledum from Batman. On the flipside, Marvel likes to steer their Alice-themed characters toward the absurd. The Crazy Gang, Walrus, and White Rabbit are all silly. They are inept at their schemes and usually seem nothing more than comic relief distractions wedged in between more serious adventures. But that doesn't stop me from loving them. White Rabbit is especially nostalgic for me. One early morning when I was young I was delivering newspapers on my paper route and one of my houses was setting up a yard sale. They had a stack of comics on their porch and they gave me Marvel Team-Up #131 which was the first appearance of the White Rabbit. It was actually my first superhero comic (G.I.Joe comics were my jam) and I treasured it for years.

Marvel Legends - HULK!

Fantastic Four Legends - (Super Skrull BaF) - Jennifer Walters Hulk - Hasbro 2020

I love She-Hulk. There's something special about the quick burst of female Marvel characters in the late 70s. Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman, and She-Hulk were simple female rebrandings of established male characters created in a desperate attempt to secure copyrights (After Filmation's Web Woman fiasco). But the characters quickly became something very special. Having the same power sets, with similar origins, and similar environments created an unintentional social experiment on gender. It was like a long-format What If story, and it became the basis for a lot of my aesthetic and collecting obsessions. She-Hulk has gone through a ton of transformations over the years. Not all of them were to my liking, but others were amazing. For some reason I never questioned why she never had a "gray" transformation before, but I'm glad it finally happened (in 2017) because I think she looks amazing. Plus this buck will also be perfect for a new classic green She-Hulk (which has to be coming). Let's check out Hulk below!

McFarlane Toys - HARLEY QUINN!

DC Multiverse - Series 01 - Classic Harley Quinn - McFarlane Toys 2020

I was really upset and nervous last year when the news came out that Mattel had lost the DC Comics license. In the past few years especially, Mattel had produced some of my very favorite DC Figures (Batwoman, Spoiler, and Burnside Batgirl to name a few). Meanwhile McFarlane Toys, the new licensee of the DC collectible lines, was hit-or-miss for years. I've collected McFarlane lines that abruptly ended, that fizzled out too fast, that had odd character selection, and some that had very inconsistent paint apps. But when the first waves of figures were revealed right after the new year, I suddenly had faith that the DC license will be handled well. The first female released is this "Harley Quinn Classic" which is a great figure seemingly inspired by BTAS, TNBA, and early comics. I didn't love her face design before I owned her, but in person her expressiveness shines through. Her articulation and scale is unlike anything else in my collection and I'm excited to see what's next. Let's check out Harley below!

Marvel Select - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel Select - Captain Marvel (MCU Red Version) - Diamond Select Toys 2019

I think the Carol Danvers Captain Marvel suit is one of the coolest modern costume upgrades in a long time. I love how it has all the features of the original Mar-Vell's design, blends it with the classic Ms. Marvel look, then gives it modern edge with a more techy helmet and mohawk. And I also think it's one of the most successful looks to be translated into the live-action universe. It's often hard to tell if a product is representing the comic or MCU style. when we received the Marvel Select Starforce Captain Marvel in her green suit last year, I think we all knew this classic-colored re-issue was inevitable. I was considering skipping this purchase due to sheer repetition in my collection, but when I saw her in person (in the Disney Store) I found her hard to resist. I figure it won't be long until we get a slew of products featuring her Avengers Endgame design (which I think it the same costume sculpt, just different coloring and a bad haircut). I already predict I will cave and buy more. Let's check out Carol below!

Marvel Titan Hero Series - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel's Avengers - Titan Hero Series: Blast Gear - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2019

I predict this is going to be a fun year for 12" action figures. With new lines like Jazwares' Fortnite and Spinmaster's DC Universe, we know there will be a handful of new ladies popping up (Hopefully a few from Wonder Woman 1984 as well). Then the Marvel Titan Hero Series will likely continue with MCU figures for Black Widow, The Eternals, and maybe even Doctor Strange and Thor. But I'd be lying if I said my favorite figures weren't the comic-based ones. And those are the figures that tend to really sneak up on you without much advance warning. This comic-style Captain Marvel has been a long time coming. While it is actually a weird blend of comic and movie styles, the coloring and headsculpt definitely put her in the comic category in my opinion (the head is a pantographed comic-style Marvel Legends head after all). Pictures of this figure popped up on Instagram and I found her in a store the following week. Hopefully Hasbro has more sneaky releases like this coming! Let's check out captain Marvel below!

Disney's Atlantis - PRINCESS KIDA!

Atlantis The Lost Empire - 4" and 6" Action Figures - Princess Kida - Mattel 2000

I've wanted to review these figures for years but my inspiration finally struck when I noticed Atlantis: The Lost Empire on Disney+ last week and watched it again (for the first time since it came out). It's an interesting movie. It reminds me more of the animated adventure movies being produced by Fox and DreamWorks like Titan A.E. or Road to El Dorado. (Funny thing: Disney quickly followed this up with another adventure movie, Treasure Planet, in 2002, then none since). Atlantis was a fun movie, but if I had my way I would have changed a million little things - the CGI would toned down and the Atlanteans would look more alien-like (or at least aquatic in some way) for starters. All that aside though, Princess Kida remains one of the most unique Disney Princesses. Her white hair, face paint/tattoos, and blue warrior garb looks so interesting. It's a far cry from the tiara and gown trope, but unfortunately she never gained much traction and is relegated to the ranks of forgotten princesses. Let's check out Kida below!

Avengers Endgame - VALKYRIE!

Marvel Legends - Avengers Endgame (Thor BaF Wave) - Valkyrie - Hasbro 2019

I'm first and foremost a comic nerd, and I have a special penchant for cheesy Bronze Age characters. While this era may not be a total cheesefest, my favorite characters are the awkward ones where I imagine the writers would come up with a name, then slap together a (super stereotypical) look based on that. Valkyrie is a prime example. She's a tall busty blonde with thick braids, metal cone bra, and spear... right out of a Looney Tunes opera (and I love everything about her). So when Tessa Thompson was revealed as a leather-clad warrior-type with bare arms and face tattoos, I had extreme reservations. However, watching Thor: Ragnarok, it quickly became clear that although this was an entirely new concept for the character, it was solid, funny, believable, and Tessa had a great screen presence. And all doubt was eliminated when she donned an amazing white outfit with gold and blue details by the end of the movie. Two years later we get a figure of this look and it was worth the wait! let's check out Valkyrie!

Batman the Animated Series - POISON IVY!

Batman the Animated Series #49 - Poison Ivy - DC Collectibles 2019

One of the biggest disappointments in my adult collecting life would have to be the release of the 2017 Batman the Animated Series GCPD Rogues Gallery 5-Pack. This deluxe set retailed for a prohibitive $175.00 and featured the final figure I needed for my personal favorites collection: BTAS Poison Ivy (and as an added insult:  $175 ÷ 5 = $35, which was noticeably more than the single release figures at the time). I almost caved a dozen times over the years and bought the whole set. And on eBay the single figures were almost always over 80 bucks. But I had faith that DC Collectibles would eventually re-release her in a single, or at the very least a Gotham Girls set. It took a little over two years, but I finally have her in my greedy little hands. And while this particular animated likeness isn't the strongest in the line (the face and hair from most angles seems a little off), it's still very good and I'm ecstatic to finally have her in my collection. Now I'm wishing for a Huntress in the JLA line! Let's check out Poison Ivy below!