DC Universe Classics - SILVER BANSHEE!

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Series 1 - Silver Banshee - Mattel 2009

My favorite villain in Superman's vast rogue's gallery is definitely Silver Banshee. I think villains that need to be stopped with brute force tend to be boring - and that rules out a ton of his foes. Second only to Kryptonite, Superman's most criminally underused weakness is magic. So a creepy nether-witch is a wonderfully contradictory image to his Boy Scout appeal. There have been two distinct versions of Silver Banshee in the comics (1987 and 2012 respectively) but both are young Gaelic girls named Siobhan who are stricken with a curse due to their family's legacy with the netherworld. Both versions of Siobhan take on a ghostly skeletal visage when they become the Silver Banshee and can emit a Death Wail that shrivels her victim into a lifeless husk. Shrieking skeletons are honestly a true childhood phobia of mine so I find her terrifying. In 2009, Target had a DC Universe Classics spinoff line for the Public Enemies animated movie that gave us this cool figure (and others). Let's check her out below!

Marvel Legends - SHE-HULK!

Marvel Legends - Vintage Series (Iron Man Card) - She-Hulk - Hasbro 2024

I love how every few years we get a new She-Hulk figure that is an improvement over the last. Jennifer Walters is a nuanced character who has been portrayed in a variety of different ways by different creative teams. Choosing a single version to represent her is truly an impossible task, especially because the visual differences are so subtle. To me, this newest Marvel Legends figure represents the She-Hulk that I was first exposed to in the early 90's run of Sensational She-Hulk during the John Byrne era. Now, this isn't necessarily my favorite version of She-Hulk to read (the comedic elements and early-90s vibes just aren't my thing).. but visually this is still the most iconic and timeless She-Hulk to me. It also is a great representation of her first 1996 Toy Biz action figure. I don't think she ever had a toy connection to Iron Man like this current release suggests, but it's a great figure all the same. (I hope we get a purple/blue repaint of Julia Carpenter on this card next. That would make sense). Let's check out She-Hulk below!

Super7 ReAction - SCARLETT (DIC)!

ReAction Action Figures - G.I.Joe Super7 Exc - Scarlett (DIC) - Super7 2024

Shanna Scarlett O'Hara was a big deal in the original Sunbow-produced run of G.I.Joe. She was in a ton of episodes, was an implied love interest for the two main male heroes (Duke and Snake-Eyes) at different points, and she even garnered some backstory (which very few characters got). She was the main female hero of the series (with Lady Jaye being a close second). But when the series was rebooted by DIC Enterprises after a two year hiatus, she really seemed to lose her status. She didn't appear until episode 22 (of 44), and that was in a nonspeaking cameo. And only made 6 brief appearances after that before the series ended. In most of those episodes she appeared in a saturated redeco of her classic look, with purple arms and legs in place of gray/green. This ReAction figure was a surprise Super7 store exclusive a couple weeks ago in conjunction with the recent Target exclusive Baroness and Lady Jaye in their similar redeco'd looks. Let's check out Scarlett below!

Super7 ReAction - LADY JAYE (DIC)!

ReAction Action Figures - G.I.Joe Target Exc - Lady Jaye (DIC) - Super7 2024

This figure has been a long time coming. In 1989, when DIC Enterprises took over production of the new G.I.Joe cartoons, all the main characters got redecos (Some more extreme than the others). The main female trifecta of Scarlett, Baroness and Lady Jaye all had simple color swap changes from the Sunbow designs. Eventually the new Baroness and Scarlett designs were reflected in the Hasbro toy lines, but Lady Jaye was not invited to the party. Perhaps it's because her muted-green DIC design was too similar to her classic army greens, or maybe it's because her action figure was already being re-released in camo and stealth versions, but either way, the new design was never represented in plastic until now. I found this figure last Sunday at Target. The news of her didn't hit the toy sites until the next day, so it was a true shock when I saw her on the shelf. Her Ultimates figure in this deco was unfortunately canceled, so I'm glad Super7 was able to get her out in some form. Let's check out Lady Jaye below!

Super7 ReAction - BARONESS (DIC)!

ReAction Action Figures - G.I.Joe Target Exc - Baroness (DIC) - Super7 2023

In 1989, two years after G.I.Joe the Movie aired and the Sunbow cartoon ended, a new animated series produced by DIC Enterprises began and ran for 44 episodes. In most ways, this new series paled in comparison to the 95 Sunbow episodes. The animation was more crude and most of the stories seemed like blatant attempts to sell toys (way more obvious than all the other 80's cartoons). But there were some cool highlights. I especially liked the Operation Dragonfire storyline. In this story, a jilted Baroness finds an ancient skull headdress with crystal horns that enables her to concentrate the Dragonfire power. This power is used to return Cobra Commander to his human form (after the events in the the Movie that left him in the form of a giant cobra). The power was also used to fuse vehicles and uniforms with animals - creating the Python Patrol. It was a pretty fun story. An added benefit is that all the character redesigns from DIC gives us fun color variants to collect. Let's check out the DIC Baroness below!

Super7 ReAction - PYTHON PATROL BARONESS!

ReAction Action Figures - G.I.Joe Wave 6 - Python Patrol Baroness - Super7 2023

When the Python Patrol faction of G.I.Joe was introduced in 1989, I was obsessed. It was such a fun way to re-introduce the classic Cobra villains and vehicles in thematic style that actually elevated the snake-themed organization. (The only thing I didn't love about it was that the logo plastered over all the vehicles said "Python Patrol" with a cheesy sticker instead of letting the uniformed decos and maybe a simple python symbol speak for themselves). The Python Patrol appeared in the toyline, cartoon, and comics nearly simultaneously, but I actually think the thing that captured my imagination the most were the short animated sequences in the toy commercials. You should check them out on YouTube. Of course, despite Baroness' crucial role in the creation of the Python Patrol, she never actually donned a scaled electronic-evading costume like so many others. Similar to the Tiger Force Scarlett, Super7 has given us another great "What If" figure. Let's check out Baroness below!

Legends of Dragonore - YONDARA!

Legends of Dragonore - Series 1.5 - Prophecy Vision Yondara - Formo Toys 2024

I've always been a sucker for a translucent figure, especially when it's not just a plain crystal clear plastic. In the case of this Legends of Dragonore Wave 1.5 Yondara redeco in her "Prophecy Vision" translucent plastic, her main skin area is indeed a boring clear color, perhaps with a tint of yellow or pink (she looks different in various lighting setups). But to offset that, she is accented with translucent blue hair and accessories and opaque painted clothing in pink and blue. The overall effect is quite stunning, although she suffers from the common translucent toy problem in that her joints become overly pronounced (especially the neck peg which you can now see behind her face). A subtle airbrushing in white or light blue in these areas would go a long way (similar to the MOTUC Goddess figure). This Wave 1.5 set features fun redecos of all the Wave 1 characters. The Build-a-Figure for 1.5 has been replaced by a minicomic finally providing some worldbuilding beyond the cardback bios. Let's check out Yondara below!

Legends of Dragonore - NIGHT HUNTER PANTERA!

Legends of Dragonore - Series 1.5 - Night Hunter Pantera - Formo Toys 2024

Legends of Dragonore is a retro-MOTU-styled line of sword and sorcery action figures from Formo Toys. The first wave was released last year with two great female characters in the lineup: Pantera and Yondara. And there is a second wave in production, with pre-orders still active on Formo Toys and BBTS, incuding another two female characters; Horri-Dame and Venatica (and an awesome Greenman homage, Arboryous). I can't wait to get them. But to tide us over before Wave Two is released, we got a surprise Wave 1.5 of repaints. Considering the swappable-parts construction of this line, this adds a ton of great fodder for kitbashing. But I personally like the redecos on their own merit.  This Night Hunter Pantera figure swaps the pink armor and blue fur for black fur and metallic bronze armor. I think she looks stunning and I'm excited for a potential Wave 2.5 with redecos of all the new figures. There is a lot of fun potential in this line. Let's check out Night Hunter Pantera below!