POP DC Super Heroes - NEW 52 HARLEY QUINN!

POP! Heroes #121 - DC New 52 Harley Quinn - Hot Topic Exc - Funko 2016

Harley Quinn is clearly one of the all-time favorites over at the Funko Headquarters. I'm honestly shocked there hasn't been a Harley themed Legion of Collectors box yet. This Hot Topic Exclusive New 52 version is the 10th original sculpt in POP form. To go down the list: Harley with Gun, Harley with Mallet, Arkham Nurse, Arkham Knight, Roller Harley, and 4 Suicide Squad (Plain, Prisoner, Nightclub, and Dr. Quinzel). I think that's all of them. And I won't even touch on all the repaints (which I've officially given up on). This costume is my least favorite Harley look of all time. It's from her 2012 Suicide Squad squad appearances after the big DC reboot. I hate it so much. Yet somehow Funko has a way of making it tolerable. First with the SDCC Rock Candy figure, then the Pint-Size Heroes, and now this exclusive POP. Don't get me wrong, I still don't ever want this costume coming back, but I kind of like my little blue and red Harley collection. Let's check out the Hot Topic exclusive New 52 Harley below!

MOTUC Filmation Style - EVIL LYN!

MOTUC - Club Grayskull - Evil Lyn - MattyCollector Exc - Mattel 2016

Evil-Lyn is the most iconic witch from my childhood. Her wicked undermining of Skeletor was something I looked forward to every day after school and was one of the main reasons that I developed an early fascination with villainesses. The original action figure was something I always wanted but never laid eyes on outside of the Sears catalogs. I remember the night in my post-college years when it donned on me that I could easily buy her on eBay. Within a week I was tearing open a box with my childhood treasures (Evil-Lyn and Teela) and I couldn't have been happier. It wasn't until relatively recently that I realized all the differences between the animated Filmation look and the toy version. Of course I immediately wanted an animated variant in MOTUC, but I honestly never expected one. It's kind of fitting that she is the last MOTU female to be released by Mattel. She isn't a perfect figure by any means, but I personally think she pretty great despite her flaws. Let's check her out in detail below!

Suicide Squad HARLEY QUINN Bearbrick!

Bearbrick Series 32 - Suicide Squad (Secret) Harley Quinn - MediCom Toy 2016

I have a real love/hate relationship with Medicom's Be@rbrick series. I find them very aesthetically... unpleasant. But conversely, I love odd creepy things, even if I find them ugly. Bearbricks started in 2001 as a spinoff of the popular Kubrick line that had started the year before. All Bearbrick figures share the same mold of a potbellied cartoonish bear. You've seen this same gimmick used with Vinylmation and Qee figures since, but Bearbricks are the earliest versions I can think of (excluding "plain" block figures like Lego and Minimates). I appreciate their legacy and the odd-looking superheroes that have come from the line. I have a list of four or five more that I have my eye out for, but they can be expensive so I'm in no rush. The female superheroes are often the "secret" figures that aren't listed on the back-of-the-box checklists, so they can be pricier and harder to track down. Let's check out the Suicide Squad Harley Quinn Bearbrick below!

POP NYCC Exclusive - BATGIRL!

POP! Heroes #148 - Batgirl (Classic) - Hot Topic/NYCC Exclusive - Funko 2016

This time last year I was frantically planning my Black Friday POP hunting. My mind was blown away by the first Batgirl POP in 5 years being unveiled in the GameStop Black Friday blind box sale. Then I discovered the rare Gold variant (which I never actually got) and that just sent me into a collector tizzy. I must've stopped by 10 GameStops trying to get them both. It felt very much like Charlie trying to find the Golden Ticket in Willy Wonka. But now a year later there is so much more Batgirl product than I ever could have expected. We recently got a newly sculpted Burnside Batgirl, we have this amazing NYCC exclusive, we are getting a BTAS Batgirl soon, and we got Batgirl Impopsters of Harley and Ivy. And that's not even mentioning the Classic and Burnside Rock Candy figures and the multiple Pint-Size Heroes. This NYCC Batgirl is a great sculpt. I hope it gets variants because this black-and-yellow look is not a common look for Barbara. I'd love to see this in the classic gray and blue colors. Let's check her out!

NECA Arkham City HARLEY QUINN!

DC Comics 7" Action Figures - Batman: Arkham City Harley Quinn - NECA 2016

NECA surprised us all again with the recent release of a Batman Begins Batman figure and an Arkham City Harley Quinn. Several years ago they released a Michael Keaton Batman and just last year there was a Heath Ledger Joker, an Adam West Batman, and a Christopher Reeve Superman. All these figures were originally released as large 1/4 scale figures, but NECA figured out a way to scale them down to 7" for release at TRU (usually in the DVD section). This release pattern really excites me because some of the remaining 1/4 scale figures are a Burt Ward Robin, Arkham Knight Batman, Danny Devito Penguin... and of course, an amazing Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman. This time next year I hope to be reviewing that leather-clad vixen. I can't wait!  This Arkham City Harley outfit is my favorite of her various video game designs. It's definitely not my favorite Harley look overall, but it is still a super cool figure and I'm more than happy to add her to my collection. Let's check out the NECA 7" Harley below!

Star Wars 12" Rogue One - JYN ERSO!

Star Wars: Rogue One 12" - Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) - Hasbro 2016

I was going to wait until Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was in theatres to post this review but I couldn't wait until mid-December. There's something I really love about the Jyn Erso figure with the headscarf on. The whole outfit is actually great. I would totally wear a green leather jacket with mustard-color stripes on the sleeves. Anyway, it's hard to review a character whose movie hasn't been released yet. Hopefully she lives up to her cool looks. These 12" figures are pretty great. I actually passed by a couple of these figures before I picked up this one. Some other versions had really washed-out face paint -- Like the brown paint details had faded to tan, but luckily I found a good one without much effort. I think I'm going to need a Princess Leia soon to go with my Rey and Jyn. Actually I'm pretty late to the 12" collecting game so I should probably hunt down the old TRU Exclusive Captain Phasma too. I have my work cut out for me. Let's check out Sergeant Jyn Erso in detail below!

The Bat-Family Ladies of PINT-SIZE HEROES!

Pint-Size Heroes Blind-Bags - DC Series 01 (Batman) - Funko 2016

The folks at Funko must spend every day eating cotton candy, making friendship bracelets and having sing-a-longs. The sheer amount of cuteness coming from their headquarters and flooding the stores is almost unbearable. Just at a time when I was seriously reconsidering my Funko Pop habits (sheerly out of concerns for space), they came and unveiled a perfectly tiny and adorable line of all my favorite characters. I'm really smitten over these little guys and I desperately hope there will be tons more in the future. The Spider-Man boxes are starting to show up now with a handful of cool Marvel ladies... but I already want more. There's something really nice about blindbags that are really easy to squeeze for your favorite characters. And if that doesn't work, there is a tiny window in the corner of each bag that will give you a peek at the color of the figure inside. (But be warned the Marvel set has a card inside each bag which makes the process much more difficult). Let's check out the Pint-Size Bat-Ladies!

Funko POP Marvel - CAPTAIN MARVEL (Masked)!

Marvel POP! #154 - Captain Marvel (Masked) - GTS Exclusive - Funko 2016

I was very nervous that I wouldn't be able to get my hands on this Pop when she was announced earlier this year. I had never heard of GTS and it seemed like direct retail orders for this exclusive wouldn't be offered. GTS is a distribution company that focuses on gaming and sports cards but luckily they also seem to distribute to a fair number of comic shops. I found mine at MidtownComics in Manhattan back in August (and they had a ton). Carol Danvers as the new Captain Marvel is one of my favorite character revamps of all time. They finally gave this tough, militant, and powerful woman a costume and title that befits her status. No more thongs or bare midriffs while saving the planet. I can't believe it took so long. I'm excited to see what the 2019 solo film will do to this character's popularity. I'm hoping we end up getting toys of all the historical incarnations of Carol - especially her first appearance and Binary looks. Only time will tell. Let's check out this exclusive Masked Captain Marvel Pop below!

Power Rangers - MMPR PINK RANGER!

Power Rangers Legacy Collection Series 2 - MMPR Pink Ranger - Bandai 2016

The Power Rangers Legacy series is going strong. This second wave adds the Blue, Black, and Pink Rangers to the previously released Red and Green MMPR from Wave 01. (Yellow and White will be released in Spring of 2017). This Pink Ranger is easily the most iconic of all the female Rangers so I'm glad she was released early in the line. Bandai is pretty smart to stagger the different rosters between the waves. There are 40 iterations of Power Rangers to draw from so they really need to pace themselves. I'm actually pretty curious to see how well the line sells after the Mighty Morphin' team is complete. They already completed Ninja Storm and started Power Rangers in Space. And by this time next year we should also have a complete Power Rangers Zeo team as well. I know MMPR will be the best sellers for the collecting market, but hopefully the less popular themes will hit those nostaligic notes as well. There are a lot of weird Rangers I'd love to see in the future. Let's check out the MMPR Pink Ranger below!

DC SuperHero Girls - WONDER WOMAN & CYCLE!

DC SuperHero Girls - Vehicles Series - Wonder Woman & Motorcycle - Mattel 2016

Finally here is the last of the recent DC Super Hero Girls releases, Wonder Woman with her Motorcycle. I have a feeling this line will be full of re-releases with subtle variants (we've seen several already), but this Wonder Woman really intrigued me. There is an interesting precedent for Diana wearing a motorcycle helmet. There were several outfits worn by Lynda Carter in the 1977 Wonder Woman series that utilized helmets. And the overall outfit reminds me of the Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman from 1974. I doubt any of these considerations were planned, but I will gladly pretend they were intentional homages. Once they release a Catwoman I guess we'll see if they dip into her plethora of historical costume designs for inspiration. I have high hopes for this line and I'm especially excited now that we've seen some well-designed variants. I can't wait to see what the future holds. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled. In the meantime, let's check out Wonder Woman and her Motorcycle below!

DC Comics SuperHero Girls - BATGIRL & JET!

DC Comics SuperHero Girls - Vehicles Series - Batgirl & Jet - Mattel 2016

The DC Super Hero Girls toy line is off to a great start. I loved the first wave of action figures released back in March. But I was half expecting it to be a one-and-done thing. Luckily I was proven wrong and there have been several additional action figure releases since. First was the playset exclusive Batgirl, then the Katana figure. Next came an "action feature" Harley and Wonder Woman (I skipped these since their sculpts weren't super unique). And finally a new Batgirl and Wonder Woman released in vehicle sets. The fact that we've received three unique Batgirl figures so far thrills me. Hopefully we will get a lot more characters and variants in the future. Catwoman and Hawkgirl seem like a definite possibility, but I'm hoping for the impossible cameo characters like Black Orchid and Dove. If it takes off like Monster High, maybe we'll get weirdo characters as convention exclusives. I have high hopes and healthily low expectations.  I can't wait to see.  Let's check out Batgirl and her Jet below!

DC Comics SuperHero Girls - KATANA!

DC Comics SuperHero Girls - Single Figures - Katana - Mattel 2016

I was very excited this past July when I found a solicitation pic of the DC Superhero Girls Katana figure. The DC Superhero Girls burst on to the scene this past Spring with an awesome selection of action figures that I was instantly smitten over. Of course, after getting my hands on the first wave of six action figures, I immediately wanted more. The obvious choice for an addition would have been Katana, since she seems to be a core character of the series, yet was inexplicably excluded form the first batch of toys. From what I've read, this Katana figure wasn't supposed to be released until early next year, but I found her in a TRU near me a couple days ago. Although, she is riddled with QC problems so there's an off chance that she was accidentally included in a case assortment early after failing QC. My Katana has a malformed jaw, a mis-positioned skirt, a blotch on her cheek, bulky wrists, and overall sloppy paint. Yet somehow she still looks really great. Let's check out Katana below!

Suicide Squad 3.75" Action Figures - HARLEY QUINN!

Suicide Squad 3.75" Harley Quinn - Legion of Collectors Exc - Funko 2016

Funko really surprised a lot of people in July with the inaugural DC 3.75" action figures being included in the Suicide Squad-themed Legion of Collectors subscription box. I feel like the initial excitement over ReAction figures had worn off (despite the just-released too-awesome-for-words Dark Crystal ReActions that are rejuvenating the line). And there was hesitant interest in the new 3.75" Game of Thrones line shown at Toy Fair (after the 6" Legacy line was left incomplete in the not-too-distant past). But there is something about starting off a series with a major license like Marvel or DC that can really make your mind light up with character potential. The original two figures were Joker and Harley from the movie. And a new series with a seven additional Suicide Squad figures is due out early next year. I'm excited to see what else comes down the line. I think we'll certainly see more movie-based figures (Wonder Woman, Justice League, etc), but only time will tell. Let's check out Harley below!

PJ Masks - OWLETTE & LUNA GIRL!

PJ Masks - Owlette & Luna Girl Action Figure 2-Pack - Just Play Toys 2016

I've been noticing advertisements for the Disney Junior show PJ Masks for a while now. I've never watched the show personally, but the character designs always seemed very cool. I love superheroes. And when they are animal themed and monochromatic I pretty much can't resist them. PJ Masks is based of a series of French children's books called Les Pyjamasques about three 6-yo children who become superheroes when they don their pajamas at night. The main three heroes are Catboy (in blue), Gekko (in green), and Owlette (in red). (And their main foes are Romeo, Night Ninja, and Luna Girl). The show started in September of 2015 to popular acclaim and demands for toys were pretty much immediate. It took about a year but Just Play released action figures of all six main characters along with vehicles, playsets, and plushes. They are a great addition to the robust preschool aisles that have been booming in recent years. Let's check out Owlette and Luna Girl below!