POP Funko - SPOILER!

POP! Heroes #505 - Batman: Joker War Zone - Stephanie Brown - Funko 2024

Stephanie Brown needs so much more merchandise. I have high hopes we'll be seeing this new design in the McFarlane DC Multiverse line soon. The recent Cassandra Cain Target Exclusive figure was branded with the Batgirls comics title (which is a current ongoing series featuring Cass and Steph patrolling the city with Babs in their earpiece). So my hopes are high. But in the meantime, Funko has graced us with both ladies in their Pop line for Batman: The Joker War Zone (a 2020 comic that first focused on these two teaming up). Having Cass and Steph in Pop form really expands the Funko Bat-roster. My wishlist is now only an unlikely Kathy Kane Batwoman, Bette Kane Bat-Girl, Helena Wayne Huntress, and Bluebird. And that's a very short list for me. This design of Spoiler is an interesting blend of her traditional Spoiler costume with her Batgirl uniform, but I like it a lot. FYI In the Batgirls comic, Steph (wearing this same outfit) now goes by Batgirl. Let's check out Spoiler below!

POP Funko - CASSANDRA CAIN BATGIRL!

POP! Heroes #501 - Batman: Joker War Zone - Cassandra Cain - Funko 2024

It has been five long years since Funko has had a new comic-based DC Bat-character that got me excited. Back in 2019 they released a Batwoman and Huntress that gave me high hopes that we'd finally start seeing all the cool Bat-family characters that had been ignored up till then. But my hopes were dashed. There was nothing for years. I was still happy to get live-action versions of Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Batwoman, but the comic stuff was always my favorite. In 2020 there was a comic (that I haven't read yet) called Batman: The Joker War Zone that featured Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown teaming up on a side adventure. I always liked their friendship dynamic ever since Cass handed the Batgirl mantle to Steph way back in 2009. And I've been enjoying the current ongoing title, Batgirls, featuring Steph and Cass patrolling the city (with Babs in their earpieces). But this Joker War Zone story is what cemented their adventuring partnership and inspired these long overdue Funko Pops. Let's check out Cass!

Marvel Legends - WOLFSBANE!

Marvel Legends - Zabu Build-a-Figure - Wolfsbane (X-Factor) - Hasbro 2024

For at least four years now, this X-Factor Wolfsbane has been a recurring figure on my annual pre-convention wishlist. Not so much because I love this version of the character or costume, but rather because I'm a sucker for team completion. (For the record, my other wishes are for an X-Factor Marvel Girl, Rachel Summers Phoenix, Marrina, and Feral - all are needed as the final members to complete their respective core teams). In 1991, the X-Factor roster was revamped for the first time in issue no. 71, ditching the original premise and lineup (which I had loved). Polaris and Wolfsbane are two of my favorite mutants so I was initially excited, but I can admit I didn't love the eventual re-characterization of these characters or the matching costumes. But there is still something very nostalgic and appealing about this era of Marvel Comics immediately preceding the Image exodus. Since 2020, Wolfsbane was the single glaring omission from this team in Marvel Legends. Let's check her out below!

Gods of Ancient Egypt - BASTET!

Figura Obscura - Gods of Ancient Egypt - Bastet - Four Horsemen 2024

I have been wishing for a good line of action figures featuring Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses since I was a young child. I was obsessed with Egyptian culture, religion, and treasures since I got my first library card at the age of seven. Even at a young age, I could see the toyetic potential in the pantheon of animal-headed gods adorned in colorful beads and gold. ThunderCats touched on it, and a few episodes of G.I.Joe teased me, but I went largely unsatisfied. In the late 90s, I was in college and missed an Egyptian Renaissance in pop culture. Mummies Alive! from Hasbro and Ramses the Golden Pharaoh from Giochi Preziosi were both too scarce and expensive to collect by the time I discovered them. But this new theme, Gods of Ancient Egypt, in the Four Horsemen's exclusive Figura Obscura line is the perfection I've always wanted. I couldn't be more happy. Bastet is easily my most wanted, but my mind is reeling with future potential: Hathor, Isis, Selkhet, Ma'at, etc. I can't wait to see who is next.

Marvel Legends - JEAN GREY!

Marvel Legends - X-Men '97 Disney+ Vintage Wave 2 - Jean Grey - Hasbro 2024

I just finished watching X-Men '97 and I am quite the fan. There was always something a little off about the original X-Men the Animated Series to me. I always had trouble taking it seriously. But this 27-years-later continuation is what I always wanted that show to be. Everything is a little elevated: the drawing style, the storytelling, the voicework, and the overall feel is more polished. My only issue is that way too much happened in 10 episodes. It buzzed through Inferno, Zero Tolerance, Trial of Magneto, and E is for Extinction storylines in rapid pace. It presented well, but the source stories are great and could have been expanded upon. Jean Grey got a decent amount of screentime, which was expected. But what I didn't expect was to get the nicest Jean Grey Marvel Legends figure to date from it. This 90's costume can be a little awkward in toy form, her shoulderpads and face-cropping headgear doesn't always translate well into plastic. But this one got it right. Let's check out Jean below!

Willow - PRINCESS SORSHA!

ReAction Action Figures - Willow (1988 Film) - Sorsha Tanthalos - Super7 2023

There's something I love about a Princess character that bucks the stereotype - especially when she picks up a sword and becomes a warrior. This isn't a rare theme anymore, but I always appreciate it. Osamu Tezuka's Sapphire from Princess Knight and Eowyn from Lord of the Rings come to mind (although Eowyn is technically just a noblewoman). But Sorsha is a classic example. Princess Sorsha is the daughter of the primary villain, Queen Bavmorda in the 1998 George Lucas and Ron Howard fantasy, Willow. Sorsha initially mimicks her mother's ruthless and cold outlook, but has a change of heart as she meets our heroes (and eventually falls for the mercenary swordsman, Madmartigan). She ended up being the savior of the infant Elora Danon, who she was originally hunting at her mother's command. Her character was further developed in the Chronicles of the Shadow War novel trilogy (by Chris Claremont) and in the 2022 Willow TV Series on Disney. Let's check her out below!

Willow - QUEEN BAVMORDA!

ReAction Action Figures - Willow (1988 Film) - Queen Bavmorda - Super7 2022

Willow (1988) is a classic fantasy movie by George Lucas and Ron Howard. It took years to develop and evolved quite a bit, but it's an oft-spoken piece of trivia that Lucas approached Warwick Davis about the movie when David was just 12 years old and filming Return of the Jedi as Wicket. I saw Willow when I was a kid, and honestly I  found it confusing. But I've been exposed to it again as an adult (by some rabid fans, and I even briefly knew a cat named Elora Danon) and I have come to really appreciate it. It has some classic story homages, like The Hobbit with an unlikely diminutive hero going on a grand adventure, or the story of Moses where a young child with a predestined path washes up on the banks of a river. Or my favorite, Snow White, where an evil queen hears a prophecy that a young girl will usurp her power. That insecure evil queen is the iconic Bavmorda of Nockmaar played by Jean Marsh. To me, she was always the standout of the film, but I am always partial to a wicked sorceress.

MAFEX - Batman: Hush - HARLEY QUINN!

MAFEX #162 - Batman: Hush (Jim Lee) - Harley Quinn - Medicom Toys 2022

Harley Quinn has become one of the most popular characters in the DC Universe. From her humble beginnings as one of Joker's henchmen in Batman the Animated Series to her leap to mainstream comics, a solo title, then to video games, the silver screen, and then back to animation with her own show, she has run the gamut of pop culture. Despite all her changes and evolutions, I will always hold her appearances in Batman: Hush (2002-2003) to be her most iconic. At this stage, she still retained her classic jester design, but she was showing her more sadistic and unhinged side underneath the wacky antics. I know her comic persona was developed greatly in her solo series since 2000, but Hush was just different. She was suddenly darker and more formidable, but still with that zany edge that makes her so unique. I think this Mafex figure from 2022 is the best representation of her from this era. Previous attempts have all been a bit off, but this just captures her perfectly. Let's check out Harley Quinn below!