Classic Marvel Character Series - MARVEL GIRL!

Dark Horse Deluxe Presents - The X-Men #3 - Marvel Girl - Dark Horse 2013

There's nothing I love more than a good retro collectible. No matter what the era, I love classic character designs. These are often simplistic in nature, but hearken back to a time when comics were drawn quickly and more attention was paid to character development than to realistic costume details. On the flipside, I often correlate more detailed (modern) design to weaker storytelling. So, yeah, that explains my retro obsessions in a nutshell. What makes retro toys even better is when the product itself is also a retro throwback. In the case of these Dark Horse Statues, they are in the style of old Syroco figurines from the 30s and 40s. Marvel Girl is one of the earliest (and longest-lasting) female characters in the Marvel Universe. This classic costume only lasted for about 4 years before she donned her yellow miniskirt look (which is a look I also love), but this original will always be iconic to me. I only wish there was more merchandise featuring it. Let's check out Marvel Girl below!

Funko POP Batman Returns CATWOMAN!

POP! Heroes #338 - Batman Returns: Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman - Funko 2020

I can't believe it's taken so long for Funko to finally make a Michelle Pfeiffer Batman Returns Catwoman Pop. It was just about this time four years ago when I was obsessively trying to buy the SDCC Dorbz set (if I remember correctly, GameStop posted them online at 2 in the morning - and I was still at a phase in life when I had patience for such things). But seeing that Catwoman finally appear under the Funko Brand was exciting, because Funko is nothing if not prolific. And I thought for sure we'd be seeing a Rock Candy, Mystery Mini, Plushes, Vynl, and most certainly a Pop of her within a few months. But no. We didn't see anything until this figure four long years later. But I guess I'm glad for the wait, because back then Funko was still giving a lot of the DC ladies that squat Batgirl #03 body. (Classic Catwoman and Batgirl '66 are two examples of figures that had old-style bodies well after the modern style was in use). This figure just wouldn't be the same without a feline pose. Let's check out this long-awaited Pop below!

Jurassic World - ZIA & MAISIE!

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom - Maisie & T-Rex, Zia & Triceratops - Mattel 2018

This quarantine is a affording me a lot of time to go through my basement of unopened toys and finally review a bunch of figures I had skipped over recently. Mattel's Jurassic World and Jurassic Park lines were such a fun and unexpected addition to the toy aisles. It seems that as the years go on, less and less movies have associated toy lines. Back in the day every random movie had toys (Think back to Congo, Virus, Lost in Space, Battlefield Earth, etc. Movies that that would never get merchandise today.) But the new Jurassic properties brought it all back. Not only did they release a wide range of product for the modern movies, but they did a classic line as well with all the characters from the 90's franchise. These two figures, Zia Rodriguez and Maisie Lockwood were late to the line and didn't show up in most stores until well after the movie craze had dwindled. Maisie stayed scarce, but Zia almost became a shelfwarmer (but she still was gone after a couple months). Go figure. Let's check them out below!

Ready Player One - ART3MIS!

Ready Player One - 4-Pack - Parzival, Art3mis, Aech, and I-Rok - Funko 2018

I swore I was going to read Ready Player One this Summer but I already have a huge lineup of books on my nightstand. I've heard great things from both grownups and kids (and those cross-generational genres are typically my favorite). I finally saw the movie this past Winter and genuinely enjoyed it. It was fast-paced, fun, and absolutely overflowing with pop culture easter eggs. This action figure 4-Pack from Funko was released back in 2018 back when I had never heard of Ready Player One. They are kind of unofficially aligned with the ReAction line, so this set was always on my radar, but I didn't consider actually buying them until a year later when Walmart had them on clearance for three bucks. And once I finally saw the movie I was so glad I didn't let them slip by. Art3mis is the OASIS avatar of the token female character, Samantha Cook, who is one of the Top Five players (I'll admit I snicker every time I read that the players are called "gunters"). She's a cool character. Let's check out Art3mis below!

VR Troopers - KAITLIN STAR!

Saban's VR Troopers - Deluxe Figures - Battle Grid Kaitlin Star - Kenner 1996

VR Troopers was the first "spin-off" of the Power Rangers franchise which ran on US Television from 1994 to 1996. It has no connection to Power Rangers, but it followed a similar formula of taking existing action sequences from a Japanese property and re-splicing it with new American footage. Where Power Rangers was created from the Super Sentai Series, VR Troopers came from the Metal Hero Series (Big Bad Beetleborgs was the only other property adapted from this series in the US). VR Troopers is unique because it creatively mashes together three different shows, and it uses the oldest footage (1984) of all the 90's Saban properties. VR Troopers was focused on the popular 90's theme of virtual reality and features three teens who meet a hologram who exposes them to the the VR dimension and makes them heroes. Kaitlin is the token female and a budding photographer and journalist. She had three action figures produced, but this particular one stands out. Let's check her out below!

Muppet Babies - PIGGY & SUMMER!

Disney Junior Muppet Babies - Piggy & Summer - Target Exc - Just Play 2018

The original Muppet Babies cartoon was a constant presence in my childhood. In fact, it was one of those shows that I watched well into young adulthood purely out of habit. It was this random show that my siblings and I all found non-offensive and silly. I just learned that it ran from 1984 through 1991 with eight seasons and 107 episodes. The original Muppet Show only had 120 episodes, and Muppet Babies surprisingly almost matched that run. Who would have guessed that the mature sardonic humor of the primetime Muppets would translate so well into an imaginative children's cartoon. I was really excited when the property was being rebooted back in 2018. I knew I would likely never watch this show, but I love that a new generation of kids (and, hey, teenagers too) might be exposed to the same joys I was able to experience. In true Disney Junior fashion, a line of action figures hit the stores. I was intrigued to see the new character, Summer Penguin, along with Piggy. Let's check them out below!

An Assortment of Non-DC Comics IMAGINEXT!

Imaginext - Toy Story, Minions, Power Rangers - Fisher-Price/Mattel 2019-2020

While the DC Super Friends Imaginext gets the lion's share of attention in the preschool aisles and toy forums, the figures from the other lines are nothing to turn your nose up at. I tend to let a bunch of Imaginext figures build up and photograph them in a group. In this post I have a few characters from Disney's Toy Story 4, Illumination's Minions: The Rise of Gru, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and two unbranded Fisher-Price lines... all released over the past few years. I'm always excited to see what surprises will come down the line. There are always new themes and blind bag series in the works and I think there's a very good chance of Masters of the Universe line in the near future (It's been hinted at by Mattel and they recently announced an MOTU Little People set). Plus I would love another Adventure People homage in the form of the X-Ray Woman. The X-Ray Man from a few years ago is lonely! Let's check out this recent collection of Imaginext ladies below!

Marvel Legends - SPIRAL!

Marvel Legends - Red Hulk Series (Target Exclusive)  - Spiral - Hasbro 2008

One of my first exposures to X-Men/mutant comics was reading my older brother's copy of Excalibur: Mojo Mayhem in the late 80s. I had been obsessed with Arthur Adams' comic art from the covers of Classic X-Men (again, belonging to my brother). So when I got my hands on my first full-length example of his interior art, I was fixated on every single panel. I distinctly remember being very intrigued by the character of Rita/Spiral. In fact, she inspired me to hunt down the backissues of the 1985 Longshot miniseries. But honestly that story confused the hell out of me because the dual nature of the two characters (Spiral and Ricochet Rita) wasn't fully fleshed out yet. For the unaware, Ricochet Rita was scorned by Longshot in the future and her hatred for him caused her to align with Mojo, who in turn altered her into the multi-armed teleporter Spiral. She traveled back in time to join the current stories. This Marvel Legends figure is twelve years old but really stands the test of time. Let's check her out below!