Eaglemoss Chess POISON IVY Revealed!

DC Chess Collection #9 Black Pawn - from Eaglemoss Publications

I have a lot of love for Eaglemoss lead figurines (as detailed in my post from two days ago).  Although the DC Comics Super Hero Collection is coming to an end, fans are very excited for the upcoming Eaglemoss DC Chess Collection.  The original line-up of 32 chess characters was announced early last year, but then information became sluggish and there were rumors of cancellation.  I believe that most of the delay was due to the DC Universe relaunch in September 2011 - as evidenced by the substitution of the DCnU Barbara Gordon Batgirl in place of the originally slated Stephanie Brown Batgirl.  There are numerous changes in the lineup so far (mostly in regards to the order of release) but I am very excited that these are now officially rolling out!

The Fifth Turtle VENUS DE MILO!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation figure from PlayMates

She's loathed by many die-hard TMNT fans*, but I think this character and figure are amazingly cool.  She was introduced in 1997's live-action Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation from Saban.  I was too busy in 1997 being cool and completely missed this iteration of TMNT.  Although I vaguely remember seeing an image in Wizard Magazine showing all the animated turtles, with a new female turtle in blue and Leonardo now in pink.  But the live-action show had Leonardo wearing a dark blue 'do-rag with Venus wearing a light blue braided mask - so I have no idea where this fragmented memory of mine came from.

* I'm basing this assumption off a few overheard comments and things like this ShortPacked comic.  She may be adored for all I know :)

Eaglemoss BATGIRL and the Bat-Ladies!

Amazing little lead figurines from Eaglemoss Publications UK

The last of the DC Eaglemoss figurines have been announced (so they say...) and just recently the last of the Bat-Family females has hit the street.  This makes an impressive set of SEVEN Bat-Ladies in the collection.  If anyone hasn't started picking these up, I highly suggest doing so.  They average about 3-4" tall and each come with a fantastic magazine that reads like a heavily-illustrated wikipedia bio.  I've seen them priced at comic stores anywhere from $12.99 to $16.99 and to me are well worth the price.  The only problem for me is that very few stores around me carry them regularly so they usually require a special order.

MOTUC Princess of Power STAR SISTERS!

Mattel Masters of the Universe Classics - 1st Qtr 2012

I'll be the first to admit I had never heard of these characters when they were first revealed at SDCC this past summer.  It was kind of surprising to learn that they only appeared in a single episode of the She-Ra cartoon, yet were slated for MOTUC treatment well before popular characters like Glimmer, Frosta, Scorpia, etc.  Then I learned that the real motivating force behind the inclusion of these ladies in the line was that they were a major tease to all those MOTU/POP collectors in the 80's when pictures of prototypes were shown but the figures were never released.  I was never really into the She-Ra toys because the original toys seemed more like dolls than real action figures, but I'm glad Mattel is showing this kind of commitment to collectors by putting out obscure characters so early in the POP lineup.

Bandai 6" Modern CHEETARA

ThunderCats (Cartoon Network) - 6" Series Two - Cheetara - Bandai 2011

80's Toy Nostalgia is a force to be reckoned with.  So many different properties have resurfaced over the past few years that it's hard to keep them all straight.  One of the key franchises that fans have been wishing and begging for has been ThunderCats.  Staying suspiciously out of the limelight since their first incarnation, these powerful felines have recently burst onto the scene with an amazing new cartoon on the Cartoon Network and a great line of toys made by Bandai.  I was hesitant when I first heard the news that Bandai had the toy license.  Most of what we see from them on US shelves is Power Rangers and Ben10, and as far as the female figures go, their track record is hit-or-miss.  Luckily the most recent figures have been fantastic, and the ThunderCats have been no exception.

G.I.Joe Dreadnok ZANYA!

G.I.Joe 30th Anniversary - Dreadnok Battle Set - BBTS Exc - Hasbro 2011

The newest lady in Hasbro's EXTENSIVE line of fantastic female figures (Seriously, I have more than 75 and I'm missing a few), comes the Dreadnok heiress Zanya. She comes in the BigBadToyStore Exclusive Dreaknok Battle Set 7-Pack (Available now!) I don't know much about this character since she is a relatively new addition via Image's G.I.Joe: Frontline comics, but I know she is Zartan's mysterious daughter who showed up and instantly started causing trouble. I think the character design is great. Her look is original but fits right in with the Dreadnok style. And I don't think I've ever heard of a G.I.Joe character with green hair. A diverse hair spectrum is always something I like to encourage in my toy collection, and we all know the Dreadnoks faction is the only place we're likely to see any fun hair styles in this universe. Let's check out Zanya below!

Silver Age CATWOMAN Review

Batman Legacy - Series 3 Singles - Silver Age Catwoman -  Mattel 2012

I've always been a fan of Catwoman.  My first exposure must have been Julie Newmar playing the role in the 60's television series (in cable syndication of course since I was born almost two decades later).  Comics became a big part of my life when I was 9 or 10 and my prized possessions quickly became the old backissues of Batman Family and The Brave & The Bold featuring Selina Kyle in her classic Purple and Green caped outfit.  I love almost every incarnation of this ever-evolving character (Jim Balent gritted teeth Catwoman and Halle Berry are excused from this praise) but this caped & cowled version will always hold a special place for me. That said, I was very excited when we saw an early version of a Batman Legacy Classic Catwoman shown at NYCC this past autumn.  The promo figure was not properly assembled and looked so weird, but I was glad to see it on the agenda nonetheless. Sometime in December, prototypes began appearing on eBay and I was relieved that she looked good.