Cover Girl is a very interesting character. As the second female G.I.Joe character produced, and after having a prominent role in the first G.I.Joe mini-series (albeit with a very different design), you would think she had the momentum to be a major character in the franchise. But as a kid, and even later as a young adult collector, she is a character that I constantly forgot about. This might be because her vintage figure resembled Scarlett in a bomber jacket (to my young eyes at least). Or maybe because her figure only came with an expensive vehicle, which made her inaccessible for most. But I think the biggest factor was her scarcity in the cartoon. I have almost no memories of her in the show. I remember having taped an episode where she blurred by in an action scene for a split-second cameo. I would rewind and pause it in fascination. I was into the Marvel G.I.Joe comics at the time, and I had thought she was a comics-only character until these rare animated glimpses. But they were few and far between.
Her underuse is surprising considering the prominence of Scarlett, Lady Jaye, and Baroness (and even Zarana in later episodes). But for some reason she didn't rise to stardom for another 20+ years when she started appearing frequently in the modern comics and even got two new toys (plus a role in the 2009 live-action movie). But this figure more closely represents her vintage era. I think she's pretty great. Let's check out Cover Girl below!
The box art for this figure baffles me. The art itself is fine and has a place in the modern comics world (it reminds me of the art in Spider-Gwen or Squirrel Girl). But G.I.Joe has always been a property rooted in gritty reality. I view this pairing with the same audacity as if Matt Groening had drawn the box art for Duke. There's just a thematic disconnect.
The only thing I don't love about this figure is her heavy makeup. Cover Girl was always portrayed as a former fashion model who left that world to become a tomboy grease monkey. This overly-applied visage doesn't line up with that origin too well. I have used a technique in the past where I gently swipe at over-applied makeup with a Magic Eraser to lighten the coverage. If you look directly at her eyes and mouth, she has the makeup application you only typically see with evil queen or witchy characters. I will attempt to adjust this later.
Cover Girl comes with a wrench, two guns, and a tablet (I love that it looks like it's glowing).
The small gun, tablet, and wrench can all be holstered on her belt and leg straps.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Here is Cover Girl with her vintage 1983 figure.
And here is my most recent batch of G.I.Joe Classified ladies.
Cheers!
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