Funko POP Television - LILY MUNSTER!

POP! Television #197 - The Munsters - Lily Munster - Funko 2015

Happy Halloween everyone! I didn't have the foresight this year to do a whole month of Halloween reviews, but I was saving this awesome Lily Munster Pop for the occasion.  The Munsters had the ability to bring Halloween to any time of the year and it was glorious.  The family of suburban monsters were charming, funny, and delightfully idiosyncratic in a a Donna Reed world. Interesting fact I just learned: The Munsters was cancelled because it couldn't complete with Batman.  Can you imagine the TV lineups back then?  Add Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Girl from U.N.C.L.E., and the Green Hornet and you'll start to realize how wonderfully geeky TV was in the sixties.  I wonder if they'll be discussing our TV lineup in 50 years?  I somehow doubt that very much.  I was very excited to add Lily to my fledgling Funko witch collection.  Currently it's heavy in Disney villains and just starting to accrue other members from pop culture. (I need Morticia. Elvira, and Vampira stat!)  Let's out Lily below!

I Am Elemental - Core Power COURAGE!

I Am Elemental: The Core Power Series - Courage - Rebel Elements 2015

The next couple years are going to be groundbreaking as far as female-empowered action figures are concerned. We've all heard about Mattel's DC Superhero Girls at this point. They are making the claim that it will be the first ever action figure line aimed at girls, but let's not forget this great little line from last year that lit up Kickstarter like nothing I've seen before.  The first I Am Elemental series was a line of 7 "Elements of Power" heroines in 3.75" form.  This 6.5" Courage figure is essentially their Megazord/Voltron/Combiner form.  It is a very awesome toy that is worth every penny. (I ordered mine here). The next series is "Wisdom" and I'm eagerly looking forward to it.  Like I started mentioning above, this year is going to have a lot of girl power. Ladybug and Cat Noir are getting a toy line from Bandai, and Mysticons are being handled by Playmates.  Add that to the DC Superhero Girls, and I Am Elemental and it's going to be a stereotype-shattering season in the pink aisles.  And I can't wait!

Masters of the Universe Classics - PERFUMA!

MOTUC Club Eternia - Perfuma - Mattycollector Exclusive - Mattel 2015

Well, it is complete. Perfuma is the final She-Ra figure to be recreated from the vintage toy line (excluding a few variants).  She was the character I was least excited about of all the Great Rebellion and Horde ladies. In the cartoon I thought she was silly with her goofy personality, little ballet slippers, and entrancing flower smells. Like a lot of characters, Perfuma had very few appearances (only two), and I was perfectly okay with that.  But again, like almost every character I've looked down upon from those early years, once I got my hand on this toy, my tune completely changed. She suddenly seems much older (in a good way), more formidable, and surprisingly her flower powers seemed interesting. I'm always amazed at how the Four Horsemen can change my opinion so thoroughly. It's kind of sad to be done with the main She-Ra characters, but it's nice to wrap it up with such a surprisingly nice figure. Hopefully the C-list characters will be released someday, but in the meantime, let's check out Perfuma!

Funko POP Fifth Element - DIVA PLAVALAGUNA!

POP! Movies #195 - The Fifth Element - Diva Plavalaguna - Funko 2015

Diva Plavalaguna is one of the most iconic sci-fi ladies of the 1990s in my humble opinion. I still remember the sense of awe when I first saw her on the big screen - this larger than life blue goddess belting out a creepy alien opera. I instantly wanted a toy of her. Unfortunately it would be almost 4 years until we were teased with those N2 Toys Fifth Element prototypes at SDCC (that never saw the light of day), and a full 18 years before Funko finally started releasing products. I couldn't be happier to finally have her represented in my collection. Did I mention before that my friend and I overheard a Funko rep saying that there would be a Fifth Element Legacy line? She may have been misspeaking or making an "anything is possible" statement, but the thought of those potential figures thrills me. Fingers crossed! This Diva Pop is very interesting because of her size. Proportionally, she is the smallest Pop in my collection (ie,. her head is small). There's a comparison pic at the end. Let's check out Diva!

Arkham Origins - LADY SHIVA!

Batman: Arkham Origins - 3-Pack - Lady Shiva - DC Collectibles 2015

Lady Shiva is one of those characters that has always been in my periphery but that I never truly got to understand or enjoy.  I gather she was a major character in the Cassandra Cain Batgirl series, but I had some issues with the art style on that title and only started reading when Pop Man took over near the end.  Lady Shiva is Cass' mother, she's in the League of Assassins, and in general she's just usually up to no good.  She kind of has the same presence as Talia al ghul.  I consider her one of the un-costumed bat characters that I don't really pay much attention to.  If this figure didn't come in the box set with Harleen Quinzel, I probably would have skipped her.  But since I bought her anyway, I'm not letting her go. (Don't try to figure me out).  This is a really nice looking action figure.  She looks way better in plastic than she does in the game.  You kind of can't go wrong with a Jonathan Matthews sculpt though.  Everything the man touches is gold.  Let's check out Lady Shiva below!

Aion Online - AIVA!

Aion Online - Limited Collector's Edition Box Figurine - NCsoft 2009

Aion Online is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game released in 2008.  I don't play games myself, but I was taken by the character design and this figure proved too tempting to resist.  The game takes place in the world of Atreia which is structured as two concave hemispheres connected by a tower.  The outside of the planet is lifeless, but the hollow halves contain warring classes and creatures (many of which seem angel-like).  (I'm a mythology nerd and I know the Greek deity Aion represents an orb that encompasses the Universe... very cool play on theme here).  This unarticulated figure was an exclusive that came with the 2009 Limited Collector's Edition Box of the game. Aiva is a female winged Asmodian Daeva.  I don't know what that means but it sounds cool.  She is heavily detailed and could pass for a McFarlane figure easily. There is a seller on ebay selling her in mass quantities very cheap.  I'm assuming the seller has some kind of connection to NCsoft.  Go buy her!

The New Batman Adventures - BATGIRL!

The New Batman Adventures - 16 - Batgirl - DC Collectibles 2015

This Batman Animated line is rocking my world.  Although I never got into any of the shows when they were first aired, I have since grown to really appreciate them (as well as the character designs).  It's a very difficult feat to collect all the animated Batgirl figures.  Trust me, I've tried.  So many years ago I gave up and set out to find the single best one.  Needless to say this new figure knocks all my previous purchases out of the water.  It's actually hard to review these figures because I don't have anything critical to say about them at all.  Something I really love about this series is that they are alternating the styles of Batman:The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. Eventually I'm sure we'll have one of each style for all the characters.  Batman and Robin each have two different figures in the line, and apparently a TNBA Harley was secretly shown at SDCC (to compliment the BTAS version Harley due later this year). I'm very excited for this line.  Let's check out Batgirl in detail below!

Funko POP! Gotham - SELINA KYLE!

POP! Heroes #79 - Gotham: Before the Legend - Selina Kyle - Funko 2015

Funko is a very very addictive company.  Five short years ago I found myself in a comic shop in Austin holding a Batgirl POP.  I spent way too long deliberating on the purchase (they were only $7.99 back then) but I eventually walked out with my new treasure.  I told myself I would just collect other bat-family females.  I was assuming there would be tons.  Of course it took three years to see the next character (Harley Quinn). Though, somehow in that time I managed to amass a whopping 40 POP figures (only 15 of which stuck with the bat-theme). Funko is now my favorite booth at Toy Fair each year. They always manage to have some products that make me giddy with excitement. This year one of my favorites was this Selina Kyle POP from Gotham. Of all the characters in the show, Selina seems to be the most costumed one.  I really don't have much interest in plain-clothed toys, but Selina totally fit the bill on so many levels that I couldn't resist.  Let's check her out below!

Gotham Select - SELINA KYLE!

Gotham Select - Series 01 - Selina Kyle - Diamond Select Toys 2015

Gotham is one of the most surprising shows in my TV roster. It's surprising because I fully expected to hate the show when it was being advertised all over San Diego last Summer. When you combine a Batman purist like myself with a network TV interpretation, it sounds like a recipe for disaster. But the show is great. It's creepy, funny, stylish, and I fully embrace it. Smallville, Arrow, and Flash were all disappointing to me. Sure, I like that they exist, but there is a style to them that I just can't get on board with. Gotham is very different though. Maybe it's because the actors aren't all underwear models. Maybe it's because it's not gleaning dramatic inspiration from soap operas. But I think it's largely because, despite the plethora of Batman mythos, this origin era has rarely been expanded upon. Even the most casual Batman fan could get sucked in. Camren Bicondova as a young Selina Kyle is one of my favorite parts of the show so it's super exciting to get an action figure so soon. Let's check her out below!

Photos from NYCC 2015!

A Small Collection of My Favorite Action Figure Reveals at NY ComicCon 2015

New York Comic Con seems to have less and less toy presence every year.  Hasbro and Mattel were always staples on the showroom floor and all the smaller toy companies would really step up to compete.  But in the last few years things have changed.  Hasbro has only been holding pre-show press events outside the con (and hosting a few panels) and Mattel has been either a no-show, or had a small presence in the lobby. When I saw that Funko had a huge block reserved on the floor map this year, I was excited that this would maybe usher in a new resurgence of impressive toy displays.  But alas, their area was essentially a giant waiting queue to buy their exclusives, with no other products on display. Someday I think NYCC will regain its position as a venue for introducing lots of new toy product. The wait between SDCC and Toy Fair seems longer and longer each year. But in the meantime, we still have a great handful of products to look at.  Let's check them out below!

Arkham Origins - DR. HARLEEN QUINZEL!

Batman: Arkham Origins - 3-Pack - Dr. Harleen Quinzel - DC Collectibles 2015

I'm normally not one for plain-clothed action figures, but I knew when this figure was first revealed at ToyFair '15 that she would be a no-brainer for me. Harley Quinn has one of my favorite origin stories of all Batman's rogues. As a Psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum, Dr. Harleen Quinzel crossed paths with the Joker and began her descent into (quirky) madness. In more recent origin stories, she was showing tendencies toward insanity long before meeting her Mistah J. But I think I'll always prefer the original story where she was seduced into her criminal transformation. When the Arkham Origins game was announced, I was a little bummed because I thought my favorite ladies wouldn't fit into the earlier storylines. But Harley is the darling of the Arkham franchise, so of course they found a way to squeeze her in. This figure comes in a three-figure set with Electrocutioner and Lady Shiva.  It's pretty cool to get a female majority in a box set like this. We don't see that too often. Let's check out Dr. Quinzel below!

The New Batman Adventures - POISON IVY!

The New Batman Adventures - 08 - Poison Ivy - DC Collectibles 2015

This Timm-verse Animated series from DC Collectibles is as near to perfection as any toy line I can think of in recent memory.  The sculpts (by Irene Matar) are spot-on, the articulation is incorporated expertly into the design, and the quality of the plastics used is very thought-out and intentional. I believe this Poison Ivy figure was originally slated to come out this past Spring, but there were production delays due to the QC concerns with the first few figures released this time last year.  My Catwoman was fine, but I appreciate the efforts toward perfection.  I'm hoping we'll get all animated versions of these character eventually. At least a BTAS one to compliment Catwoman (and likewise, a TNBA Catwoman to go with this Ivy). This line has almost unlimited potential in my opinion, but I'm still glad we're getting some of the second-tier characters first.  Poison Ivy only appear four times in TNBA, but her bond with Harley Quinn has skyrocketed her popularity.  Let's check out Poison Ivy in detail below!