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.

On to the figures.

First up is the DC Direct Justice League of America action figure from 2007.  This is based off the the designs of Ed Benes in the (then) newly revamped JLA book.

I have mixed feelings on this figure.  I love that she was made, and I really like the modern yellow costume.  However I always felt that the figure was way too skinny, with ridiculous cleavage, and a somewhat awkward pose.  I was looking forward to purchasing her back in 2007, but I passed when I saw her in person because of these reasons.

Next up is DC Direct's Women of the DC Universe Series 2 Mini-Bust designed by Terry Dodson and sculpted by Barsom.  I think this is the quintessential Vixen item.  It's very representative of the character, the sculpt is beautiful, the pose is sly and sexy, and I love the African savannah grasses forming the base.  I was reading the Vixen: Return of the Lion mini-series at the time and this reminded me of the first cover.

Next up is the JLU Figure from Mattel based off her animated look from the cartoons.

Next is obligatory Heroclix figure.  I've said this a thousand times, I think most Heroclix figure are hideous, but to me they are irresistible.  You can get basically any figure you want in heroclix form.  Plus they're so tiny, it's like a cute little hero-shaped accessory for your collection.

Lastly, we have an upcoming Eaglemoss lead figurine.  This looks very nice and I'm excited to check it out in person.

Since I don't own any of the figures listed here I can't offer any of my standard group or comparison shots.  So instead I'll show a few pictures of Vixen in her various comic and cartoon looks.

Cheers!