Eaglemoss Chess BATWOMAN Revealed!

DC Chess Collection #27 White Rook - from Eaglemoss Publications

With the Harley Quinn Chess piece being released today, I thought I would google around to see if either of the two remaining ladies had been unveiled.  Sure enough, I hit jackpot with the solicit pics of the upcoming Kate Kane Batwoman rook piece!  She looks great, much more like the JH Williams III style than the previous DC Superhero Collection Batwoman.  I can't wait to complete this chess set and do a thorough comparison review with all the bat-ladies together.  Batwoman is due out in January 2012.  Also just revealed was Alfred Pennyworth as a White Pawn.  The only female yet to be revealed in this series is the Black Bat pawn.  I'm assuming we'll see her before too long.  Click through to see the ful solicit images and a new photoshop assemblage showing the lineup so far.

Women of Halloween - BRIDE of FRANKENSTEIN!

The Long-Reining Queen of Halloween from DST and Sideshow

Elsa Lanchester as the Bride of Frankenstein has to be the most celebrated Halloween sirens of all time.  She could technically be considered second next to the generic halloween witch characters you see everywhere, but the Bride of Frankenstein is the earliest female monster with any distinguishable (and consistent) personality and visage.  We've seen her emulated by everyone from Marge Simpson to Miss Piggy.  Even if you never saw the movie, you will find the image of a big black bouffant with shocks of lightning-bolt-white hair up the sides an  image that is impossible to avoid in popular culture.  She was the first female Universal Monster and she is definitely the most enduring.  Soon after the film's release in 1935, Universal Studios created Dracula's Daughter (1936) using a similar formula, but with much less acclaim.  There have been many Bride of Frankenstein action figures made over the years, but in this review, I will be reviewing the three most recent (and coincidentally my most favorite).

Women of Halloween Part 16 - EVIL LYN!

A Long Overdue Character Spotlight on Eternia's Evil Sorceress

Villianesses from 1980's cartoon culture are just about my favorite thing ever.  They were wicked, over-the-top, larger-than-life characters that both frightened and thrilled me as a child.  I think the male villians were required to have a softer (aka "bumbling idiot") side so they wouldn't completely terrify the kiddies.  But the women, perhaps simply because they are stereotyped as the gentler, fairest sex, were often portrayed as ruthless and cunning with no kid gloves whatsoever.  They were fantastic.  Evil Lyn is a prime example of that new wave of bad girls.  She never completely sided with Skeletor and often masterminded her own plots to overthrow him and rule Snake Mountain on her own.  From the very first episode of He-Man, she stood out as a force to be reckoned with, and in every incarnation since, she has been an A-list baddie that fans can't get enough of.  Surprizingly, there have been very few action figures of her produced.  If you compare her to the Baroness from GI Joe, who has had roughly 16 different figures produced, Evil Lyn has been extremely shortchanged.

Women of Halloween Part 15 - MARILYN MUNSTER!

The Grotesque Black Sheep of the Munster Family by Diamond Select Toys 2012

Marilyn is such a classic comic element of The Munsters.  For those who haven't seen the show, Marilyn is the adopted niece of Lily Munster who comes to live with her monsterous family.  She is, in fact, beautiful and charming, but her suitors always run away, leading her to believe she is abnormal and ugly.  The constant gag being that her quirkily eerie family are always the culprits in chasing the young men away.  I wouldn't be suprized if this plot element was inspired by the classic Twilight Zone Eye of the Beholder episode from 1960.  Marilyn is the least vampy lady in my Halloween lineup, but she's new (just released last week!) and The Munsters are undeniably halloweenie.  I'm very impressed with this figure.  I felt that the prototypes made her look so much older than she is meant to be (I thought she actually looked like the lovely Cheryl Hines to be honest).  But in person she has that bubbly 20-something look I was hoping for.

Women of Halloween Part 14 - LILY MUNSTER!

The Matriarch of the Munster Clan from Diamond Select Toys 2011

Diamond Select gets the coolest licenses out there.  Who would have thought that they could procure the rights to a campy 1960's sitcom and produce such popular modern toys.  I'm crossing my fingers that they someday nab the rights to the Addams Family as well.. it seems right up their alley so I'm sure someone on their creative team is pushing for it, too.  Lily Munster was part of the first wave of Munsters action figures released around Halloween last year.  The second wave just hit last week (and I'll be reviewing Marilyn next).  Also in series 1 was Grandpa and Herman.  They came in regular releases (like this figure reviewed here) and also "deluxe" which included pieces to assemble Herman's electric chair.  There was a version of this figure shown at a convention with some slight tweaking to her design, no word on if/when this variant will be released (or if it was just a prototype).

Doom Patrol's ELASTI-GIRL!

DC's Largest Leading Lady from Mattel's DCU Signature Collection 2012

I have never read much Doom Patrol, but I was always really drawn to the look of the characters and the feel of the stories.  Doom Patrol and the Metal Men are arguably the most fan-demanded teams to get the action figure treatment.  It has taken a while, but Mattel will finally deliver on both teams this yea (and I will always be loyal to a company that can provide that level of nerdy satisfaction).  Rita Farr was a celebrity actress who was exposed to some mysterious gases that gave her the ability to change drastically in size; from a towering behemoth, to a microscopic ant.   She hid from the world for a while until joining the Doom Patrol where she could put her newfound skills to good use.  Size-Changing characters are always an interesting action figure dilemma.   The sheer size of them usually means they can't be budgeted into a character slot for any given series.  That's why collector's lines like DCUC or Marvel Legends get so much pressure to follow through with the big guys.  Luckily for us, they usually do.

The Ice Empress of Etheria, FROSTA!

She-Ra's Beautiful and Exotic Friend Makes Her MOTUC Debut from Mattel 2012

Masters of the Universe Classics is just about my favorite toy line of all time.  The figures are consistently great, The bucks are well proportions and articulated, the detail and execution of the figures are loyal to all manner of fans, and the character selection just makes me giddy.  I've mentioned many time before that I don't collect toys with rooted hair or fabric clothing.  I stand by my convictions in this regard, but there are many unfortunate casualties for my stodginess.  The most glaring example of this is the entire vintage POP line.  I never thought I would have a Frosta in my collection.  I've seriously considered taking vintage figure and sculpting my own hair and clothes (but then I discovered ToyBoys Inc and decided they do it better than I ever could).  So far I am thrilled will MOTUC and I can't wait to see what the next few years will bring.  Glimmer is someone I'm especially looking forward to seeing.  But for now I will anxiously await Netossa and Octavia in 2013.

Marvel Legends MYSTIQUE!

Your Favorite Shapeshifter Debuts in Her Modern Look from Hasbro 2012

This action figure makes me want to go re-read that amazing but short-lived Mystique comic series from the early 2000's.  That series was the first time I remember Ms Darkholme donning the modern, dark leather clothes.  You can't even really call it a costume anymore, and I kind of like that.  Mystique comes in the third 2012 Wave from the new Marvel Legends series.  Her character slot is technically titled "X-Mutants" and contains either Moonstar or Mystique.  There was a similar slot in Wave two called "Marvel's Madames" which contained either Madame Masque or Madame Hydra.  It's really odd that Hasbro considers these character pairs to be variants of each other, but I won't complain as long as it means we're getting some long-overdue Marvel ladies.  I realize in typing this that I never posted my Marvel Madames review.  I'll try to squeeze it in this weekend, especially since I make mention of the re-use of Madame Hydra's awful awful head with shockingly positive results.

DC Universe Signature Series POISON IVY!

Pamela Isley Makes Her Long-Awaited DCUC Debut from Mattel 2012

Ughhh.  I had major issues with this figure.  The image you're looking at in the thumbnail to the left is my final product after I repainted her face.  I normally wait a long time before customizing a figure (I try to "live with it" a while first), but I needed to do something to make amends for my initial deflated reaction when I pulled her out of the box.  I love Poison Ivy.  She was the reason I subscribed to Club Infinite Earths.  The prototypes shown at conventions were beautiful.  I was really excited to get her.  Then yesterday I got the final product in my greedy little hands.  My first and most major problem was her skin tone.  The odd color and translucent quality of the plastic makes her look glow-in-the-dark.  The second gripe I had was the awful oversimplified and sloppy facepaint.  It was ridiculous how low-quality it was.  The third problem is her incredibly loose leg joints.  She can barely stand up without flopping over at the waist.  I was also surprised to see that the ivy snaking up her leg and arms were separate pieces of plastic that look a bit sloppy in person.

Minimate Women of The NEW MUTANTS!

Xavier's Most Gifted Youngsters from Diamond Select / Art Asylum 2011 & 2012

I never thought I would see this set assembled.  In my comics-reading history, the New Mutants has been a shining example of excellent character development, solid stories, and relatability in a team book.  The characters are so worthy of representation in plastic, but they have been consistently shortchanged over the years.  There were three great toys by Toy Biz in the late nineties that showed potential, but never continued.  Then Heroclix started giving us a few great characters, but never a complete team.  Finally, Minimates to the rescue!  I am thoroughly impressed by this company and their dedication to team completion.  No other company EVER has completed these teams.  My hopes are high for other wonderful teams, too (New Warriors, Guardians of the Galaxy, Young Avengers, etc).  The best part is, I think there's a good chance we'll see all of them :)  .. see that?  I used an emoticon.  Damn you DST.

Temple of Darkness SORCERESS!

2012 Convention Exclusive All-White ReDeco of Teela'Na by Mattel

I have a love/hate relationship with repaints.  I'm a sucker for variations, but I often feel taken advantage of as a collector.  I've had depressing shelves full of multicolored Batmen and have vowed to seriously question such future ventures.  This beautiful lady, however, is welcomed with open arms.  I think there are three good reasons for this; 1) She looks great, 2.) She looks very different from the existing MOTUC Sorceress, and 3.) The variation makes sense.  The Temple of Darkness was a mini-comic packaged with Tri-Clops and Webstor in 1984 in which the Sorceress appeared in all-white.  And it's just an added bonus that she kind of resembles the Sorceress from the Masters of the Universe live-action film now.  Mattel did a great job adding little details to avoid a boring monochromatic figure.  There are subtle gray variations between her cowl, sleeves, and bodice; a nice wash on the textured parts of her outfit (feathers and fur).  The clear wings and pearlized staff just top it all off.

Women of Halloween Part 13 - EXPLODING FAIRY ISZ!

Those Insanely Odd Isz's from Sam Kieth's The Maxx by Shocker Toys

Everything about The Maxx was odd.  That's what was so wonderful about it.  There were crazy spirit animals, lots of homeless people (some of whom were actually said spirit animals), alternating timelines and settings (with trippy parallels connecting them all), and general creepy nonsense around every corner.  Were the characters insane?  Was the entire story a hallucination?  Who knows.  I actually need to read those issues again.  They are the only Image titles from the nineties that I still have.  The Maxx's biggest pest in the series were the Isz (Isz's?).  They were angry black or white (depending if they were in New York or the Australian Outback) little critters that would swarm Maxx and chomp at him.  However, for the storyline that was ten years in the future, the Isz were fluttering pink fairies with no eyes that would explode if they weren't kept in water (like the opposite of the Mogwai/Gremlin rule).  Creepy and cute is a fantastic mix.

POP Funko SHE-RA Revealed!

The Princess of Power Makes Her Long-Awaited Vinyl Debut

This one caught be by surprise when I first saw a blurry catalog pic of her a few weeks ago.  It was well-known that Funko had a Masters of the Universe license for a while now.  I think all of us POP fanatics had our hopes up.  But then we saw solicit images of the Masters of the Unverse Wacky Wobblers, and I think our expectations were dimmed.  Wacky Wobbler Bobbleheads are great, but they don't have the stylistic cuteness I love in my POP figures.   So this reveal is a really exciting surprise.  One really intriging thing about this series is the numbering of the figures.  The five figures revealed so far (He-Man, She-Ra, Skeletor, Hordak, and Spikor) are numbered #17-21.  I can only assume this means that #1-16 are in our future.. if not those numbers are just a sick tease.  I'm predicting by this time next year I will own a Teela, Evil-Lyn, and a Sorceress.  Some POP POP ladies would be awesome, too. (POP POP, how cool would that be??).. plus they already have an Ariel body that would make for an easy Mermista!  Okay I'm just going to post this pic before I get started...

Women of Halloween Part 12 - DEMONA!

The Leading Villainess from Disney's Gargoyles from Kenner 1995

Gargoyles was a surprisingly dark property for Disney in the 1990's.  The "princess" films were beginning their second renaissance (Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, etc), afterschool cartoons were dominated by DuckTales, Talespin, Gummi Bears, Rescue Rangers, Marsupilami.. it was all great toonage, but all very lighthearted and childlike.  I was gearing up to leave Disney in the dust as I matured out of the genre.  Then along comes Gargoyles.  It was dark, complex, and dramatic.  The character development, far-reaching story arcs, and overall mature themes were a perfect segue for the aging Disney demographic.  Demona was a complex character a'la Mystique from X-Men.  She was the main character, Goliath's, former mate and mother to the character Angela.  The main tribe of Gargoyles featured in the cartoon were peaceful and wanted to coexist and protect the humans.  Demona from the Wyvern tribe, however, felt victimized and held a deep hatred for humans.  I think the "I'm the victim" motivation always makes for the best antagonists.

Minimate Women of ALPHA FLIGHT!

Canada's Most Powerful Ladies from Diamond Select / Art Asylum 2012

If you have never read the first few story arcs of Alpha Flight from the 80's, you seriously must put it on your bucket list.  Originally created as a team of government-funded Canadian super-heroes for Wolverine's backstories in Uncanny X-men (circa 1979), four years later they launched a solo title which lasted 11 glorious years.  The first thirty-or-so issues of that title are some of my favorite superhero comics of all time.  As an adult, one of my favorite things about it is how they didn't skimp on the powerful female characters.  In almost every incarnation of the team roster, you can find a 50/50 ratio between the sexes.. and that is exceedingly rare for superhero team books.  The title was also groundbreaking for featuring one of the first (maybe the first) gay superhero, Northstar.  I remember a huge deal being made about him coming out in the early nineties, but it was not a shock to anyone who had been reading the book awhile.  Diamond Select Toys has become a leading force in team completion in recent years.  If only Hasbro and Mattel could have their conviction, there would be a lot of happy nerds out there.

Women of Halloween Part 11 - Nightsister!

A Sinister-Looking Sith Witch from Hasbro's Star Wars line 2012

I don't know much about this character except that she looks frightening as hell and she has been tempting me ever since she first started showing upon the shelves at Target a few weeks ago.  She comes in the Target exclusive Darth Maul Returns Battle-Pack and is still in stock at all my local stores.  I thought originally that she was Darth Maul's sister (she certainly looks the part), but in googling her, I discovered a whole mythology about the Nightsisters, including tidbits about several characters I am already familiar with (Asajj Ventress!)  It's actually pretty interesting and someday I'm sure I will dive more deeply into all the expanded universe characters.  This specific Nightsister appears to be the Nightsister Sith Witch who rebelled, escaped her prison, and continually sought out more knowledge about the Dark Side of the Force.  i.e. she's a galactic evil badass.

Women of Halloween Part 10 - MARTIAN SPY GIRL!

Everyone's Favorite Undercover Extra-Terrestrial from Trendmasters 1996

I loved Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!"  I haven't watched the movie in at least 15 years so my memory may be a little fuzzy, but I remember having a blast with my friends in the theatre. I remember shockingly violent quacking martians running around with ray guns and buggy eyeballs.  The celebrities cameos were plentiful and absurd (do I remember Sarah Jessica Parker's head on a chihuahua?).  But mostly I remember Martin Short being smitten over the giant, wobbly bombshell with a raygun in her purse.  She was hilarious and mesmerizing.  Whoever orchestrated her walking technique should have won an Oscar.  I didn't learn the history behind Mars Attacks until much later.  They were wonderfully subversive pulp trading cards in the early sixties that caused quite a commotion in their heyday.  For children of the eighties like myself, this film would be the equivalent of a Garbage Pail Kids movie. (Sounds amazing actually)

Photos From NYCC 2012!

My First Trip to the New York ComicCon Documented for Your Viewing Pleasure

This will be a big experiment in my smartphone fluency, nerdy aggressiveness, crowd navigation skills, and sheer speed.  I'm typing this introduction a week ahead of time in hopes that I can easily upload photos onto this post as I take them.  I will only be at the ComicCon for four measely hours on opening day before I unfortunatley must head out of the city.  But, rest assured, I'm mapping out my plan of attack well ahead of time and I will post any interesting (lady) reveals here - all before 3pm friday.  Hopefully I will work out all technical kinks in the next few days to ensure this plan flows as smoothly as possible.  Then again, if I end up waiting in line for 4 hours to nab my Temple of Darkness Sorceress, it may be all be nothing.

The Hobbit's New Leading Lady: TAURIEL!

Two Versions of the New Elven Warrior from Bridge Direct, Inc 2012

Oooh I love a good scandal.  It's even better when it's a nerdy scandal.  Some people view the works of Tolkien to be untouchable; subjecting them to the highest levels of scrutiny and smiling smugly as the books emerge unscathed every time.  There was a mild uproar earlier this year when news broke that Evangeline Lilly was cast a "new elven character" in the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey film. Who needs new characters in a perfect story, right?  One of the many rumors floating around was that she was added to balance out the lack of female characters in the story.  Which I could definitely see a need for.  I was secretly thrilled at her casting.. especially since she looks like she could be a sister or cousin to Liv Tyler who now epitomizes the Middle-Earth elf look for most of geek culture.  At the same time, I completely understand how adding random characters to a classic story could seriously mess things up.

Women of Halloween Part 9 - SHAYA!

The Power Lords' Queen of Power, Shaya, from Revell 1982

The Power Lords are just about the creepiest toy line I can think of (Pulsar is a close second).  I remember as a kid everytime my parents went into our local Rea & Derick drugstore, I would race my brothers to the meager toy section.   There we would try peek in through the sides of the Power Lords' plastic packaging to see the characters' gross alter-egos (sculpted on their backs) .  I know they are intended to look like alien forms, but to me they looks like raw exposed muscle.  I was disgusted, I was appalled, but mostly I was intrigued.  Looking back now, these toys are quite genius.  Every single one has some kind of duality feature, whether it's as simple as a head that spins to expose a second face, or in the case of the two main characters, Adam Power and Shaya, an entire body transformation completed in a surprisingly simple way; by turning them around. 

Women of Halloween Part 8 - PHANTASM!

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Villain Unmasked by Kenner 1993

Sorry for the spoilers!  But seriously, you've had 19 years to see the movie.  Yes, the Phantasm is a girl.  But not just any girl, she is Bruce Wayne's former fiancee Andrea Beaumont.  Calling her a villain in the subtitle is misleading.  She is actually just a vengeance-driven vigilante like Batman, albeit with much less self-control.  The way the writers squeezed her into the Batman origin was thoughtful and well-done, and I was always hoping we'd see Andrea in other media.  Yes, we've seen her in a handful of comic and cartoon cameos, but I personally think she had alot of potential to become a major player in the Bat-Universe.  I see her altering the gender-blurring disguise and instead donning sleeker, creepier appearance a'la Silver Banshee meets the Grim Reaper.  I would eat that up.  This action figure created a bit of controversy back in '93 because she came carded unmasked, basically ruining the big character reveal of the film.  Technically this figure was released after the film's theatrical run was over.  But it was a box office bomb and didn't garner a fan following until video release, so for all intents and purposes, Kenner's packaging choice on this one was one major spoiler.

Women of Halloween Part 7 - MYSTERIA!

Filmation's Ghostbusters' Vampy Siren from Schaper 1986

Would you believe this is the only toy I own with rooted hair?  I loathe rooted hair more than sun-faded plastic and missing accessories!  Do I reject all toy lines with rooted hair? Absolutely not.  She-ra and Golden Girl paved the way for girl adventure toys.  Not to mention the amazing three ladies in this very Ghostbusters line.  What I hate about rooted hair is its sloppy, frazzled appearance, its penchant for collecting dust, and its allusion that all female figures must make some concession to doll-status (only allowing them one foot in the door of the action figure arena).  Maybe some people would only buy a toy if you could dress it up and make it pretty, but I know they completely missed their mark with me because I was cursing up a storm as I brushed her hair in preparation for these photos.  Actually, I may just customize her with some sculpted hair ..hmmm.  Anyway, back to the lady of the hour, the lovely Mortici.. Mysteria!  I never caught wind of the Addams family inspiration until years after I was watching Ghostbusters after school.  To my naive eyes, she was completely original.  She was the most vain, wicked, silly, sophisticate in the Hauntquarters.  So clearly I was enamoured.

Women of Halloween Part 6 - HEXADECIMAL!

ReBoot's Queen of Chaos, Hexadecimal, From Irwin 1995

Early CGI was kind of awesome.  Probably because it was so different that you would totally pause the channel to watch this groundbreaking artform come to life in jerky movements, heavy gradients, and constant dramatic environment sweeps.  It definitely always grabbed my attention and ReBoot was one of the best examples of it during my high school years.  Sure, I may have been obsessed with Robotech, Studio Ghibli and old Hanna-Barbera adventure cartoons at the time, but those weren't the kind of things that you could openly share with your cool friends at the lunch table.  ReBoot, however, was considered a very acceptable cartoon to watch (as long as you watched Aeon Flux too).  Hexadecimal was the stand-out antagonist of the series.  I remember her being very creepy in all her dramatic witchery.  For those who have never seen her in motion, her face remained locked in a solid "mask"expression, but she would slowly pass her hand in front her face and the creepy expression would change...usually into something creepier.  She was very original and very awesome.

Women of Halloween Part 5 - ZUUL!

The Beautiful Gatekeeper of Gozer as a 2012 SDCC Exclusive From Mattel

When I reviewed the NECA Gozer figure earlier this week, I wrote that a lot of people had fuzzy memories of her role in Ghostbusters.  I wholeheartedly believe that is because a certain Mrs. Sigourney Weaver stole the spotlight with her portrayal of Dana Barrett / Zuul the Gatekeeper of Gozer.  She was so interesting and visually dynamic (and with minimal effort it seems.. seriously, a coppery-gold satin robe and windswept hair?  I could've come up with that) that she earned a permanent spot in most moviegoers memories.  I'm shocked she was never made into an action figure before this.  This figure is interesting.  In giving us the option of having her sitting or standing, I believe Mattel sacrificed a lot of articulation.  It's a shame she isn't more of a true action figure like the rest of the Ghostbusters line.

Women of Halloween Part 4 - The WHITE WITCH!

Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe Disney Store Exclusive from Hasbro 2005

Jadis the White Witch is the powerful northern sorceress who was responsible for casting Narnia into the 100-year winter, and, in turn, creating that surreal snowscape that I got so eagerly lost in as young reader.  I was always captivated by evil queens, especially those that managed to avoid the cliches of black cloaks and evil laughs.  I must admit that I haven't seen The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie from 2005 that this figure is based on, but I have read the books, seen at least two British movies/television serials based on the books, and I was even cast in an awkward stage version of it when I was 16.  So I have a lot of love for this character, and I have been a huge fan of Tilda Swinton since she first caught my eye in the late nineties.  Needless to say I just guilted myself into putting this movie on my netflix queue - hopefully my critique of the movie holds up to my love of this action figure.

Women of Halloween Part 3 - FUNKO POP! WITCHES

The POP! Vinyl Line From Funko Shows Us How Adorable Dark Side Can Be

Welcome to the third installment in my month-long Halloween celebration of the wickedest plastic women on the market.  I have been dying to find an justification to collect more Funko POP figures.  I have being buying their female super-heroes but they are released in a painfully slow trickle.  I had been wanting to assemble a collection of classic movie villainesses for years, but scale and quality inconsistencies kept me from taking the plunge.  Then one day earlier this year I made a fateful step into a Disney store where I saw their collection of Disney POPs.  A few google searches later and I was hooked and a few months later I had a nice little collection going.  I hope this line continues forever.  There is so much potential for more fantastic characters and my fingers are crossed that we'll see them.

Women of Halloween Part 2 - GOZER!

Your Favorite Sumerian Deity from the 2004 Ghostbusters Series by NECA

When remembering the climactic final scenes of  Ghostbusters, everyone always remembers the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, the Terror Dogs, The Gatekeeper and the Keymaster (and all their Freudian intermingling).  But I can't even count how many times I've heard the reaction "Ohhhhh Yeah, I remember her!" when presented with an image of Gozer.  She was the main antagonist of the entire film, she was the reason everything happened, and she technically was the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, yet for some reason everyone forgets her.  She was definitely forgotten in the toy world until NECA produced this wonderful figure in 2004.  The likeness of actress (and Serbian model) Slavitza Jovan is very good.  She comes with an alternate head and a pair of alternate "lightning" hands. It should be noted that the sculptor, Sam Greenwell, produces some of the most dynamic and beautiful action figures.  Sometime in the near future I will start a sculptor spotlight feature and he will be one of the first.

Women of Halloween Part 1 - ELVIRA!

The Mistress of the Dark Exclusive from Amok Time

I love Halloween, I love action figures, and I love vampy women.  This month, in honor of all three, I will attempt to review a fantastic wicked lady every day.   The first figure for the month is the Amok Time Exclusive Monstars Elvira figure.  She came in two variations; Plain-face and Winking-face.  In my opinion, the plain face is the superior version.  The wink version is an admirable attempt to capture the mischievous flirt that is Elvira, but it is nearly impossible to capture a quirky expression in plastic and have it look right.  There are a lot of different Elvira figures out there; mostly statues, garage kits, and a few action figures, but I personally find this version of the Amok Time figure to be the best.