Sonic Easter Series - AMY ROSE!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2.5" Series (Easter Wave) - Amy -  Jakks Pacific 2024

I think we can officially call the Holiday releases of the Jakks Pacific Sonic the Hedgehog figures a trend now. A surprise Christmas assortment showed up at Target back in December and sent me on a wild hunt for weeks until I found the sole female character, Classic Amy Rose in a red and white deco. There had been Advent Calendars released in 2022 and 2023 from Jakks that featured these figures (notable because some characters have unique accessories, like Tails' reindeer antlers), but these single-pack releases sported different decos. Soon after there were leaked listings of an Easter assortment, and I was excited as the prospect of this being a new seasonal trend to look forward to. This Easter deco of Amy Rose is easily the least "Eastery" of the group. The maroon and pink combo looks good, but doesn't make me think about Easter or Spring at all. I expected her to be decked out in pastels with an Easter egg deco or something.  Let's check out Amy below. Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!

Marvel Legends - HALLOWS' EVE!

Marvel Legends Vintage - Spider-Man Legends - Hallows' Eve - Hasbro 2024

Hallows' Eve was my favorite comic discovery of 2023. She was introduced as a new villain in the pages of Spider-Man the year before, but I didn't become a fan until her solo mini-series was released in TPB (appropriately during Halloween week 2023). Janine Godbe had been (an unpowered) character since the mid-nineties as the Scarlet Spider/Ben Reilly's love interest. A mere 29 years later during the Dark Web crossover event, she became the center of attention. Without spoiling too many origin details, her transformation involved the Goblin Queen, the demon S'ym, and the realm of Limbo. She now carries a bag full of traditional Halloween masks, that give her the powers and traits of that mask character. So when she dons the werewolf mask, she becomes a werewolf. But similar to The One Ring, the masks have corruptive qualities. For instance, the vampire mask threatens to completely overrun her humanity when she uses it. I think she's so cool and I can't wait to read more of her.

MAFEX - Batman: Hush - POISON IVY!

MAFEX #198 - Batman: Hush (Jim Lee) - Poison Ivy - Medicom Toys 2023

2002 was an eventful year for me. I had graduated college the year before, but the world was in turmoil so my adult life was a little delayed. In 2002 I moved to a city, launched my career, had my first mature relationship, and once I accepted that my life was (somewhat) stable, I began resurrecting my old hobbies that I hadn't indulged since high school. I suddenly had access to comic book stores again and there was a bit of a renaissance happening. My favorite titles on the shelves that year were Darwyn Cooke's Catwoman, Mike Allred's X-Force, Olivier Coipel's Legion, and of course Jim Lee's Hush storyline in Batman. With a rogue's gallery as impressive as Batman's, it's shocking that no one had attempted a storyline that brought them all together before. Hush was special because, despite it's huge cast, each character truly got to shine. The writing, art, and complex character histories were a recipe for a perfect comic event. It was so impactful that we're still getting merchandise 20-plus years later.

Transformers Earthspark - Elita-1!

Transformers Earthspark - 1-Step Flip Changer - Elita-1 - Hasbro 2024

I love how every few years there is a reboot of the Transformers Universe animated for television. I rarely watch all of these, but I love the repercussions they have on the toylines - especially more modern series that don't shy away from including female characters. The current incarnation is Transformers Earthspark on Paramount+ and the show features at least five female Transformers that have received toys so far (nine figures total and two more on the way). The show includes original characters like Twitch and classics like Elita-1. I'm really glad Elita-1 had been rescued from obscurity. Her single episode appearance in 1985 could have been a one-and-done flashback appearance, but thankfully she was brought back as major character in 2020 War For Cyberton series, then again in 2022 for Earthspark, and I assume her role in the upcoming film Transformers One (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) will be significant. It's safe to say Elita-1 is now a staple of the franchise. Let's check out her Flip Changer below!

Sonic Prime - ROUGE TROOPER (THE GRIM)!

Sonic Prime - The Grim (2.5" 3-Pack) - Rouge Trooper - Jakks Pacific 2024

Sonic Prime is the most recent animated incarnation of the Sonic Universe. It airs on Netflix and has the unique gimmick of having a multiverse (the Shatterverse) that contains alternate thematic variations of all the characters we know and love. It's basically made for toy merchandising. The darkest and creepiest alternate universe (imo) is The Grim. The Grim is devoid of life and features dark robot inhabitants. This 3-Pack features the generic clones of Rouge, Knuckles, and Sonic. This is essentially a troop builder set. Each character also has a single unique (Alpha) Grim version as well featuring a slightly different design than these troopers. Alpha Grim Rouge is this singular version of Rouge (easily distinguishable by her red eyes). As far as I know, we will only be getting toys of the troopers (I saw the 5" Sonic Trooper in Target today). I would love to display an Alpha Grim Rouge flanked by two Rouge Troopers, but alas, it's just not meant to be. Let's check out Rouge Trooper below!

A.T.O.M. Alpha Teens On Machines - FIREKAT!

Action Man - A.T.O.M. (Alpha Teens On Machines) - Firekat - Hasbro 2006

When season two of Action Man: A.T.O.M. (Alpha Teens On Machines) began in 2006, the villains got really interesting. It turns out that the villainous scientist, Janus Lee, Had been working on a secret plot to obtain DNA samples of each of the Alpha Teens in order to clone them into the genetically-altered Mu-Team. Each member of the Mu-Team has the hero's DNA spliced with specific animals. In the case of Firekat, she has Lioness' DNA merged with cheetah, lion, cougar, and tiger. She can run at super-high speeds and has razorsharp claws that can slice through metal. I'm a sucker for felinoid characters so this toy is what first attracted me to this cartoon and toyline. As far as I can tell, these toys were only released in Europe (but my only proof is that I have zero memory of them in stores and current eBay listings are rarely in the US). This Firekat toy is pretty rare these days, but still easier to find than Lioness. I'm glad I finally got her though, because she's awesome. Let's check out Firekat below!

A.T.O.M. Alpha Teens On Machines - LIONESS!

Action Man - A.T.O.M. (Alpha Teens On Machines) - Lioness - Hasbro 2006

A.T.O.M. (Alpha Teens On Machines) was a French animated television series that ran for two seasons between 2005 and 2007. It was branded under the banner of Hasbro's former 12" Action Man toyline, but the connection was loose. In fact, it had many more similarities to M.A.S.K. (which Hasbro also owns).  The series features five teenagers gifted with prototype weapons and transforming vehicles. The animation style has a unique lineweight where the characters look like they're heavily outlined in black. It's an interesting choice and I kind of like it. The show aired on Toon Disney in the US, but was never as popular here as it was in Europe. I'm fairly certain these toys were only released in the European market, but that is difficult to prove outright. Catalina Leone aka Lioness is the token female of the Alpha Teens, and predictably, her action figure is notoriously the hardest to find of the dozens of toys released. It took me years to get her. Let's check out Lioness below!

The New Batman Adventures - BATGIRL!

The New Batman Adventures - Batgirl (Standard Edition) - McFarlane 2024

This is a figure I never would have purchased if not for the inclusion of Platinum Edition chase mixed randomly into the assortments. I'm always a completist when it comes to Bat-Family figures, so when a figure is reissued, it's almost always guaranteed that I already own the original release (in this case I had purchased several). So unless there is a significant improvement, I skip the purchase. The intent of this 2024 McFarlane Batgirl from The New Batman Adventures is a straight-up re-issue. The sculpt, articulation, accessories, and color palette is identical. The only real difference is the figure stand, the packaging, and the replica animation cel. However, in my opinion, the overall aesthetic quality is a step backward. It's not a tragic step backward, but it's not an improvement (except maybe in the durability of the plastic). Like I said, if I wasn't trying to get the purple chase, I would have skipped this purchase. But since I have her in hand I figure she was worth a comparison post. Let's check her out below!