Masters of the Universe Classics SORCERESS!

The Guardian of Castle Grayskull Makes Her Long-Awaited Debut from Mattel

The Sorceress is one of the most iconic women of 80's cartoon/toy culture.  She was always mysterious, protective, powerful, and wise, guiding the most powerful men and women in the universe toward victory time and time again.  I remember going to this feed store where I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and seeing the original Sorceress action figure having on a peg in their shabby toy aisle (I believe it was the last 5 feet of the birdseed aisle).  That figure was actually quite a shelfwarmer there because I would love to go "visit" her and beg unsuccessfully to have her purchased for me.  She must have easily been there for a year, collecting dust and being ignored by all the other country boys.  It was twenty years before I finally got my vintage Sorceress, and another five before I got my hands on this wonderful toy.  A long wait, but well worth it.

Masters of the Universe Classics SHADOW WEAVER!

Mattel's 2012 Club Eternia Exclusive Figure - The Evil Horde's Shadow Weaver
 It was a very tricky thing on Mattel's part to to make such an important character in the She-Ra/Princess of Power Universe such a hard-to-get figure.  For those unaware, the only way to get Shadow Weaver was to join their Club Eternia subscription program wherein you essentially agree to buy any and all MOTUC products that Mattel will produce that year, sight unseen.  The perks are that you're guaranteed to get every toy released and you get this awesome exclusive figure.  The cons are that you're spending a LOT of money on products that haven't even been announced yet.  This is my first year subscribing so I'm still testing the waters.  Previous years have had interesting (but non-essential) characters as the Club Eternia Exclusive.  Shadow Weaver is anything but non-essential though.  She appears in almost every episode of She-Ra and was always a fan favorite and a constantly formidable foe to the Great Rebellion.

African American Ladies of BOOTLEG G.I.JOES!

Knock-Off G.I.Joe-Type Figures from Lanard, Olmec, and Berchet

I had originally planned to do a separate review for each of these three figures individually for my series of Black History Month reviews, but time is short and they work so well as a group, so here they all are together.  We all know that black female characters are a rarity in boy-centric toy lines.  For some reason, even properties that have tons of female characters and tons of black male characters will rarely (if ever) combine the two minorities.  I did a review earlier this month on the lone African American G.I.Joe figure, Carla "Doc" Greer, but now I will focus on some cool bootlegs that have been released over the years to give us some sorely needed diversity in our 3&3/4" collections.

Vintage Goodness: MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES!

1988 G.I.Joe knock-offs from Berchet of France

I first discovered Mission Medecins San Frontieres ("Doctors Without Borders") on yojoe.com many years ago in their "Not G.I.Joe" section.  The information on that site was basic, but it prompted me to do some research and discover the rest of the line.  It was a LONG time before I finally was able to get the two females of the set.  I didn't pay much for them, roughly $2.00 each (plus crazy shipping from France), so I don't think they're excessively valuable or anything, but I rarely see them on ebay.  If you're into G.I.Joe bootlegs, especially ones with original sculpting details, this is definitely a series you should be hunting down.

From Strangers in Paradise - KATCHOO!

Indie Spotlight Series 1 Action Figure from Shocker Toys

If you haven't read Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise, I suggest you run out right now and buy the collected editions.  It's full of great writing, great art, great characters, and great storylines.  The comic series ran 107 issues from 1993 through 2007 and followed the lives of two main characters, Francine Peters and Katina Choovanski (aka Katchoo).  I think everyone was surprised to see Katchoo in the lineup for Shocker Toys first wave of Indie Spotlight characters.  SIP hardly seems like a property likely to be given the action figure treatment, but this figure really works and has become a little gem of my collection (mostly because SIP is one of those books that non-comicbook people have heard about and read, so friends of mine who can't tell Storm from Wonder Woman actually recognize Katchoo).

Character Spotlight on VIXEN!

JLA, Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey - Meet the African Queen of the DC Universe

It always surprised me that the DCU has so few black female characters.  Vixen was introduced in 1981 in the pages of Superman's Action Comics and was slated to have her own title early on.  This would have made her the first titular black female character in DC history.  Unfortunately this title was axed before it ever saw print, but the character has stayed strong and has been popping up as a regular character in a multitude of comic titles ever since.  Vixen has the power to mimic any wild animal, adopting the senses, abilities, and strengths of that creature.  In the past few years we have seen a handful of nice figures representing the character.  I actually don't own any of these items, but they are all on my radar.  I felt that Vixen needed a place in my series of Black History Month reviews, so I hit the internet for images of all the figures.

From Battle Force 5 - AGURA IBADEN!

A Great Little Figure From the Hit Vehicle/Driving-Team CGI Cartoon by Hot Wheels

When I heard a few years ago that Hot Wheels had developed a new action/adventure vehicle-based property, I wasn't that interested in the news. They mentioned right off the bat that they were planning a line of action figures to ride in the vehicles, but even that didn't get me going. I've seen Vehicle Team toys and cartoons come and go over the years, and very few have left an impression.  When I finally saw details for Battle Force 5, I saw that they were following the standard format of 5 drivers/pilots, with one lone female.  But the difference this time was that I really liked that one female. First off, she was an African American woman, which is just about the rarest combination in the world of boy toys. Secondly, she's decked out in my favorite color, green. And Thirdly, I saw a clip of the show and she seemed strong, spunky, and likeable - not the typical passive pastel-clad token female.

The Unknown Women of STAR WARS!

A Selection of 8 of My Favorite 3.75" Star Wars Ladies From Hasbro

If you're expecting the usual Star Wars lineup of princesses and strippers you can skip this post right now.  The original Star Wars films were never known for their sexual diversity.  Yes, Princess Leia was an awesome commanding character, but beyond that, where were the females?  Were there any females?   Luke had an aunt, there was that alien with lips in the Cantina band, and then that green stripper of Jabba's.  Where were they all hiding??  Was there a galactic epidemic that made women an endangered species?  Luckily the expanded Star Wars universe of novels, comics, and toys has created a number of cool ladies filling the ranks and helping balance the gender ratio (a little bit).  There have actually been ton of unique characters added, including many amazingly cool Jedi and Sith warriors that rival the main male characters we know and love.  But for this review, I have set some stipulations:  (1) They can't be princesses or strippers, (2) They can't have lightsabres, and (3) They have to look like they could fit into the original trilogy... here goes nothin'...

Art Asylum's Lieutenant UHURA!

Star Trek: The Original Series - Wave One by Art Asylum 2003

Oh my dearest Uhura, you brought class to the USS Enterprise, you had all the crew wrapped around your finger, and you paved the way for strong women in Sci-Fi (and in real life). My memories of Uhura are all fond ones.  I grew up in the 80's (without cable) and Star Trek The Original Series was a staple of late night PBS at the time.  My brothers and I would watch it from 11pm to midnight on the weekends and we were enthralled. I wouldn't call myself a Trekkie at all, I watched far more Scooby-Doo and Laverne & Shirley than Star Trek.  But the sense of nostalgia I felt was overwhelming when I saw these amazing Art Asylum figures.  She was destined to be mine. In researching the background of Uhura for this review, I learned a lot of interesting facts.  First off, her name, Nyota Uhura, loosely translates to "Star Freedom" in Swahili.  She was one of the first characters of African descent to be featured in a non-menial role on US television. Case in point, she served as a major inspiration to a young Whoopi Goldberg...

Customized CATWOMAN Statue!


DC Direct's Batman Family Multi-Part Statue

I don't do customs too often.  I usually only attempt them to make a figure better (as opposed to making an entirely new character).  And this motivation usually only happens when I make an excitable purchase but am disappointed in some details of the product.  This was the case with the Catwoman figure in the Batman Family Multi-Part Statue from DC Direct in 2010.   Now, I purchased this entire statue with the full intent of breaking up the characters into individual statues (Specifically to add the Huntress figure to my Cover Girls collection).  Huntress, Commisioner Gordon, Batman, and Robin were all great, but Batwoman, Nightwing, and Catwoman all needed some tweaking in my opinion.

SDCC Exclusive Asgard STORM Mini-Bust!

Diamond Select 2007 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive

I was hard-pressed to select a single piece of Storm merchandise to review this month.  There was no way she could be excluded from my series of Black History Month reviews, but she's had so many action figures and statues that it was hard to choose.  If I had more, I would have featured her in a Character Spotlight, but unfortunately my personal collection is a bit lacking in the Ororo department.  I chose this bust because it has a very nostalgic connection for me.  I am and always have been a huge fan of Arthur Adams' art.  My first exposure to him was in the epic Asgardian Wars storyline of 1985.  I would carry around New Mutants Special #1 and X-Men Annual #9 with me whereever I would go (just in case I required an emergency dose of mutant fantasy).  In the storyline, Storm temporarily takes over the role of Thor and becomes the Goddess of Thunder which is the inspiration for this bust.  I only discovered the existence of this bust last year, somehow it slipped completely beneath my radar.

Marvel Legends HOPE SUMMERS!

Marvel Legends New Terrax Build-a-Figure Wave from Hasbro

It's been a while since Marvel Legends has released a full wave of action figures for us ravenous collectors.  The Nemesis wave was released almost three years ago in July of 2009 and fans have been begging for more ever since.  Sure, we've had a scattering of 2-Packs released since, but I think we all miss the days when Marvel Legends dominated the market and really set high standards for the action figure industry.  Of course they've had their downsides, too.  Their females figures rarely looked healthy, plagued by too much articulation and too-skinny bodies.  The past few releases have shown vast improvement in the female bucks, and this figure is one step closer to perfection.

Mattel's Arkham City CATWOMAN (and VARIANT)!

Batman: Legacy - Series 3 - Two-Packs - from Mattel 2012

I've been waiiiitttiing for a girl like you to come intooo my life.  Seriously though, it's been a LONG time since we've had a decent modern Catwoman figure.  DC Direct's Hush Catwoman came out EIGHT years ago in 2004.  And even that awful DC SuperHeroes version was in 2008.  And I say awful because the goggle tooling and weird face paint applications ruined it in post-production, which is such a shame because the prototype 2-Up of that figure was beautiful.  Anyway, this figure is just awesome.  I have so few criticisms that this review is going to be be mostly pictures.  Or maybe I will ramble just a little about how this is going to be an awesome year for Catwoman fans.  This is the second and third Catwoman action figure so far this year.  We have the DC Direct version of this figure coming up next month, then a Mattel Movie Masters figure, and potentially a DC Direct DCU Online figure.  Plus I'm sure we'll see something for DC New52 eventually.  It's a virtual flood of Selinas!

Mattel's Arkham City HARLEY QUINN!

Batman: Legacy - Series 3 Singles - Arkham City Harley Quinn

While I will always prefer Harley's classic look, this Arkham City style is definitely growing on me.  I don't mind the fact that she looks like she accessorizes at Hot Topic or that the dye isn't staying in her ponytails like she planned.  I absolutely despised the Arkham Asylum "slutty nurse" looks that preceded this incarnation.  Perhaps it was that distaste that made me resist this version so long.  In fact, the first time I appreciated the re-design was when I first saw the DC Direct Arkham City Harley last month.  She still doesn't really fit in with the rest of my comic heroes -- looking more Spawn-Family than Bat-Family -- but i've officially caved and integrated her into the collection.

Halle Berry's CATWOMAN Bust!

DC Direct's 2004 Mini-Bust from the Ill-Fated Catwoman Movie

I know.  I know.  I've seen the movie.  I've shared in your pain.  I didn't like the plot.  I didn't like the costume design.  I didn't like the total-reimagining of such a great character.  HowEVER, I love Catwoman.  And I like to have some representation of all versions of her in my collection.  She's taken a lot of different forms over the years, most of which I've really liked, but several others which I really didn't.  The 2004 movie version is probably my least favorite look for the character.  I've analyzed what bothers me most about this looks, and for me, it's the gimmicky sex-appeal details combined with the non-functionality of the costume itself.  My least favorite parts are the cat-slashed leather pants and the ridiculous stillettos.  Seriously, if she were wearing plain leather pants and functional boots, this outfit would not be nearly as despised as it is.

Mattel's ELEMENT WOMAN & WONDER WOMAN!

Two New Flashpoint-Themed Action League 2-Packs

I wasn't expecting to find these in the stores yet, but this morning my Toys'R'us was stocked with a bunch of this newest wave. Originally based on designs from the Batman: Brave and the Bold television show, the Action League series has broken out of those confines and is now producing characters from all over the DCU.  I love that Mattel and DC are producing toys to counterbalance all the millions of Superhero Squad figures we've seen from Marvel over the years.  Of course, they have a LOT of catching up to do.  This Element Woman and Flashpoint Wonder Woman are only the second and third female figures in the line so far while the Marvel collection has over 30.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's a She's Fantastic Pink Party!

Join Allura, Sassette, Jewelstar, Arcee, Amy Rose, Betsy Braddock, Bashful Bug, Pink Ranger, Star Sapphire, Tentorina, MomoRanger, Ballerina Husky, Sara Aspen, Mokey, Spartan Air Assault, and Lady Command Ai in celebrating the pinkest of days.

New SUPER HERO SQUAD Figures Revealed!

Hasbro's Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man Superhero Squad 3-Packs

They're back from the dead!  I had been mourning the loss of Marvel's Superhero Squad since those last multipacks came out a year ago.  We hadn't seen anything new in so long and the last official word is that they would be "continued as retailer exclusives."  Which to me usually signals the swan song of the line.  But today we saw photos from NY Toy Fair 2012 showing Three new 3-packs for the upcoming Marvel movies, including two amazing new females.  While I'm not normally into cutesy super-deformed figures, something about Hasbro's entire line of "heroes" figures caught my attention early on (including the G.I.Joe, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars lines) and I am super excited to add these two to my collection.

G.I.Joe's CARLA "DOC" GREER!

G.I.Joe 2007 Convention Exclusive from Hasbro

This version of Doc was included in the G.I.Joe 2007 Convention Exclusive Boxset "Tanks For The Memories."  Carla is introduced as the niece of Carl Greer, the original Doc.  Having never appeared in the TV Series, and only having a few scattered comic book cameos (starting in 2004), she was essentially an unknown and non-canonical character until she received this figure and associated filecard bio - which established her relationship with the original Doc.  Being the only African American female action figure released in the G.I.Joe line (among over 26 unique female characters, and more than 75 female action figures - including all variations of those 26 characters), this Doc figure should be a necessity of any G.I.Joe collection, if for nothing else than to provide some realistic diversity.

4H GOTHTROPOLIS & OUTER SPACE MEN Revealed!

The Four Horsemen Have Revealed EIGHT new females @ Toypocalypse

I went broke getting all the 7th Kingdom Cat-Girls as the 4-H summer exlusives a few years ago.  Now they're at it again with an extension of their Gothtropolis Line; the Vampire Queen and 7 variants.  I use "variants" lightly because most of them have unique headsculpts - to me that warrants a wholly separate character.  They all have the same bodies, but with distinctive paint applications, different accessories, and those amazing varied heads.  These are going to be an exciting group to collect.  (I especially love the Snake-headed girl!)  For the record, there are Two "humans", Two Cat-ladies (same cat head as 7th Kingdom), One Cow-Headed girl, One Snake-Headed girl, and One Skull/Reaper-Headed girl.   Plus they have revealed the designs for the first female Outer Space Men figure, a human-looking astronaut named Terra Firma.  Anyway, on to the pics..

DC Direct Natasha Irons STEEL!

DC Direct - Superman/Batman Series 3 : Public Enemies 2 - 2007

Natasha Irons is a bit of a mystery to me.  She hasn't been in a single comic that I've read, yet I know a lot about her.  For instance, I know that she's the niece of Steel (John Henry Irons) who briefly took the mantle of her Uncle - and was apparently very popular in that role.  I also know that Natasha is one of those chracters who is constantly getting new powers and new superhero identities.  I bought this toy on a whim from a clearance bin when I was on vacation.  All the solicit photos I had seen showed her with her mask on, and I thought her mask made her head look gigantic and her face look all jutted out, so she was always an easy "pass" for me.  When I finally picked her out of this clearance bin years later, my eyes were finally opened.

Character Spotlight on HUNTRESS!

Helena Wayne to Helena Bertinelli and back again.

I first discovered Huntress in the backup stories of Wonder Woman when I was a kid in the 80's.  I had never heard of her before, but I was instantly sucked in to the mythos of the vigilante daughter of Catwoman and Batman; Helena Wayne aka the Huntress.  Unfortunatley, it wasn't long before that character was written out of existence and replaced with Helena Bertinelli, mafia-entrenched vigilante out for justice.  While the new version still had a lot of the same elements as the original, I was acutely aware of how much the original Huntress' heroic lineage had contributed to my fascination with her.  (That, plus the fact that I really really really disliked the 1989 Huntress series.)  I was sad that the original was gone, but better to have a revamped Huntress than none at all.  Recently DC Comics has announced a new series, World's Finest, to begin in May, supposedly featuring the return of Helena Wayne.  I'm excited but I have no idea what to expect.

The Walking Dead MICHONNE!

McFarlane Toys - The Walking Dead - Comic Series 1 - Michonne

I feel like I've been writing a lot of reviews lately about characters and brands I know nothing about.  I have never watched The Walking Dead nor read any of the comics.  What I do know is that I've been spying this beautiful action figure on the shelves for a couple months now and when I found her at a liquidating Toys'R'us, I couldn't pass her up.  I need to do some serious research into what McFarlane Toys has been up to the past few years because this is the second time they've impressed me so far in 2012. (And this is after many many years of being quite the opposite of impressed).  It's always surprising to me how few female action figures are produced, and even more surprizing how few African American females are produced.  This fantastic figure has inspired me to create a series of posts dedicated to Black History Month.  I honestly don't have enough figures to do a daily themed post, but I have some really interesting figures I will be reviewing.  (Click Black History Month (BHM) in the post labels to see them all.)

Halo SPARTAN AIR ASSAULT!

McFarlane Toys Halo Series 3  Spartan Air Assault (Female)  2011

I bought something made by McFarlane Toys!  Seriously!  There's something about this company that has always rubbed me the wrong way.  Maybe it's the hyper-detail (usually gorey), maybe it's the overwashed paintjobs, maybe it's the statuesque unposeability of most of their figures - could be any of these.  But I think it's most likely that their female figures almost always offend me in some way.  Why is it that men get armor and detailed costumes while women get skull bikinis and stripper poses?  I get why people love the brand.. I do.  But I find I'm usually drawn to a toy line with nostalgic retro vibe, whether in character selection or the actual look of the figure.  But McFarlane Toys is as far from that personal ideal as you can get.  That said, I just bought my first TWO McFarlane action figures this weekend (You'll see the second one reviewed later this week).  They're both amazing and have me totally re-assessing my views on the company.

DC Direct 2012 Reveals!

Cover Girls, New 52 Busts, Dark Knight Rises Statues & Busts

This information was all over the toy blogs in the past few weeks, but I had to put my two cents in and join in on the excitement.  DC Direct released a flyer to distributers soliciting all sorts of products throughout 2012.  It's mostly Dark Knight Rises products, but there's a peppering of DC New 52 stuff as well.  I'm getting more and more excited for Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Catwoman in the upcoming movie every day.  The products keep rolling out and I am seriously strategizing on how many shelves I'll be dedicating to Ms. Kyle before the year is through.

Sonic Free-Riders WAVE the SWALLOW!

Sonic the Hedgehog: Free Riders Wave the Swallow from Jazwares

I'll admit I know next to nothing about the Sonic universe.  I had a game on my Sega Game Gear in the 90's and I enjoyed it, but beyond the major three characters (Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails), everything else was far off my radar.  I started to take notice when Jazwares began releasing their super-articulated 3" Sonic action figures a few years ago.  I bought every one with glee, but eventually sold all of them but one (Amy Rose) solely for space reasons.  The existence of Wave as the second female in the line really caught me by surprise.  She was already in circulation for a month before I ever caught wind - and that NEVER happens.  And now I discover that there are supposedly at least two more Sonic females due in the coming years (Rouge the Bat, and Blaze the Cat).

DCUC Wave 20 DOVE Review!

Mattel's DC Universe Classics (Final) Wave 20 - Dawn Granger as Dove

Of all the classic DC properties to make a comeback in the past few years, one of my favorites is definitely Hawk & Dove.  I am secretly a big bird fanatic, and I also love allegorical characters, so we were a natural fit from the start.  I think I'm one of the few readers out there who is really enjoying the new series and who is really sad to see it come to an end in April.  All those great new secondary characters (read: more symbolic-bird-people for me :)): Condor, Swan, Osprey... but I digress.  It's ending and I understand why, but I'm still sad.  With all the new attention we've had a ton (okay, a few) Dove items released in the past year.  This will be the second action figure, plus there was a Bust, an Eaglemoss Figurine, and a HeroClix gamepiece.  Considering Dawn's version of the character has been around since the 80's, it's crazy that we JUST started getting merchandise in 2011.

G.I.Joe: Retaliation JINX Figures Revealed!

Hasbro Just Unveiled Two SDCC Exclusive Kim Arashikage Figures for 2012

I'm officially dubbing this ZaranaGate.2.  I guess the crazy success of last year's SDCC Exclusive Zarana + Variant figures inspired this year's killer ninjas.  I realize we'll probably see a true movie version in the main retail line, so these will be nice counterparts to that figure.  Plus the G.I.Joe Collectors Club Jinx will be out this year, too, making this an extremely Jinx-Heavy year.  When it rains it pours!  Something to note is that they seem to officially calling her "Kim Arashikage" instead of her codename Jinx.  Perhaps they hit some trademark issues as so often happens with this kind of thing.  A quick google search found "Jinx" related to Pokemon, Zhu-Zhu Pets, and James Bond.  Who knows.  The only pics so far are small and oddly masked, but I can tell the figures will be awesome.

Character Spotlight on FIRESTAR!

X-Men, Avengers, Young Allies, Hellions, New Warriors... She's Been Everyhere!

Angelica Jones was one of the first super-heroes I became enfatuated with as a young boy.  I remember watching Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends and eagerly anticipating her change sequence when a wall of flames would wash over her and suddenly she'd be costumed in that awesomely retro yellow and red outfit.  It's interesting to read all the creation stories about this character and how she came to be.  According to most tales, they originally wanted the trio in the cartoons to be Spider-Man, Ice-Man and the Human Torch, but either the legal rights to the human torch were tied up or they thought a boy engulfed in flames would send a bad message, so they had to create a substitute character in a hurry.  Apparently they took inspiration from Spidey's longtime love interest, Mary Jane, and viola!  (oh yeah, and she's apparently named after the creator's ex-girlfriend).  No matter how she came to be, I love her in all her microwave glory.

Lego POISON IVY, HARLEY QUINN, and CATWOMAN!

The Gotham City Sirens return to the Lego universe with revamped designs for 2011

I've been kicking myself for years for not buying these three ladies the first time around.  I would see them in Toys'R'us years ago and put heavy consideration into buying a whole building set for one little minifig.  I always walked away empty-handed and these tiny vixens have become "the one(s) that got away" for me ever since.  That said, I was very excited when they announced a new LEGO DC Universe license at SDCC this year.  I was a little let down that the one bat-female they showed seemed to be an identical Catwoman to the original (I always thought the mask could be tweaked to look better) but I was happy to get the chance to get them again at a reasonable price.

Funko Pop CATWOMAN Revealed!

Dark Knight Rises - Funko POP! Catwoman

Finally!  I have a confession.  I have been googling "+funko +pop +catwoman -plush" nearly every week for a year.  I love my two Batgirl Pops (regular and black SDCC version -- tho I passed on the metallic repaint) and I've been pining for more bat-ladies to add to the roster.  I'm frankly surprised we haven't seen a classic comic version yet.  Funko seems to love easy repaints and selina is a prime target for variations; Purple, Black, and Gray versions of her costumes will always be in style.  Plus we've seen that Funko Pop Plush Catwoman in the stores for a couple years now, so we know the character is on their radar.

Anyway... Yay!  This is actually my favorite piece of DKR merchandise shown so far.  Can't wait to get her.

G.I.Joe Renegades SCARLETT!

G.I.Joe 30th Anniversary Wave 2011.3 - Renegades Scarlett - from Hasbro

The leading lady of the Joe's returns with her NINETEENTH(!) figure since her humble/awkward toy beginnings in 1982... and honestly she hasn't aged a day.  [Check out all her previous incarnations at the go-to place for G.I.Joe info, www.yojoe.com]   In case you're not aware, G.I.Joe Renegades is the newest Joe cartoon; currently being aired on  The Hub.  I haven't watched it yet myself, but I loved the last show (G.I.Joe Resolute), and it looks like Renegades is cut from that same cloth.  While this character doesn't fully embrace an animated style, it's definitely a slight departure from the typical 30th Anniversary look.  Of course, this could just be the packaging swaying my opinion, because sitting here looking at the thumbnail I just posted, she looks less stylized/cartoonish than many of her recent 30th Anniversary predecessors.