Ever since McFarlane Toys got the DC license in 2020, I have been hoping for a good Kate Kane Batwoman figure. I love all Bat-family characters, but for some reason Batwoman is often neglected. This is surprising considering her extremely marketable design and her media exposure. Since her (modern) debut in 2006, she has been a regular fixture in comics. She had a live-action CW series that ran two reasons, appearances in several animated movies and shows, and five different video games. Well, it took three years, but we got a near perfect figure. Of course, she comes in a $70 Amazon-exclusive three-pack, but I didn't hesitate for a minute. This figure has one flaw. Her knees and lower legs are splayed in a slightly awkward position and it makes her knee joints extremely loose. I watched some YouTube videos and this seems to be a common problem. Luckily I had a bottle of Kiki "Fix Loose Joints" and a few drops fixed her up. My first time using it and I was impressed. Let's check out Batwoman below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Batwoman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Batwoman. Show all posts
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Funko Pop - BATWOMAN!
Batwoman is a character I've been obsessed with since I was very young. I had backissues of Batman Family and Brave and the Bold featuring the yellow-clad Kathy Kane and she intrigued me greatly. She was more serious and stern than Batgirl, she had romantic tension with Batman, and she had an outlandishly colorful outfit that didn't make any sense for crimefighting. She was also in the twilight years of her presence in the comics. By the mid-80s she was phased out completely. Then roughly twenty years later she was re-introduced with a vengeance. This new Kate Kane character thwarted the characters homophobic origins and gave her a gritty and believable backstory. I was thrilled. But when the CW show was announced I was cautiously optimistic. Modern Batwoman comics seemed so cinematic, there were perfect scripts with perfect storyboards already laid out. The most successful comic adaptations honor those illustrated panels as the perfect blueprint they are. It seems like a simple recipe.
Thursday, October 21, 2021
DC Multiverse - BATWOMAN BEYOND!
One of the greatest DC Comics thrills for me recently has been the introduction of Elainna Grayson as Batwoman in the pages of Batman Beyond. Elainna is the daughter of Mayor Richard Grayson (Robin) who stole Terry's bat-suit when he went missing (and had amnesia). I don't think it ever addressed in the comics who her mother is, but I assume it's not Barbara since she is a major character (the new Commissioner Gordon) and her history is pretty well documented. When Elainna wore the suit (first worn in Batman Beyond #37, Dec 2019), I was thrilled. The suit looks great on a female body. In fact, I always thought the Kate Kane Batwoman (which was inspired by an unused Alex Ross Batgirl design) was so great because it reminded me of Batman Beyond with the stark red on black. So this character was guaranteed to be a hit for me. It also provided a fresh starting point for me reading the Beyond universe. I never expected an action figure of her and I'm ecstatic. Let's check out Batwoman Beyond below!
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Spin Master - BATWOMAN!
It's been weird not having a smaller-scale DC line in the stores for so long. My first exposure to super hero action figures was the Super Powers line in the 80s. Which then morphed into the DC Comics Superheroes line, quickly to be followed by Batman Movie figures. Then before long, the BTAS and Timm-verse lines settled in for a good two decades dominating the toy aisles. Before this recent 4" Spin Master line, the most similar line was the DC Infinite Heroes which ended in 2010. That line was short-lived but managed to put out some great characters (including Batwoman who was a relatively new hero at the time) but the proportions were always a little funny and the poses were stiff. This the the first 4" Spin Master figure I've picked up and I really like her. For a toy aimed at kids, she has a lot of detail and a terrific comic-accurate design. Her proportions and articulation are also greatly improved over previous DC 4" figures. I'm very excited to Wonder Woman and the upcoming Catwoman.
Friday, February 14, 2020
POP Funko - BATWOMAN!
No matter how weird her show may be, and no matter how oddly mystical her comics may get, I will always love Batwoman. For those unaware, the original character of Batwoman was created in 1956 in direct reaction to the fear-mongering book Seduction of the Innocent (1954) - which first questioned the relationship between Batman & Robin. So DC had the brilliant idea to give them girlfriends. Enter Kathy Kane (Batwoman) and her niece Betty (Bat-Girl), the first beards of the comic book world. They were iconic, but cheesy, characters and were phased out after only 8 years. In 2006, she was reintroduced in an Alex Ross-designed costume (originally intended for Barbara Gordon) as a Lesbian. She was formidable and awesome, a far cry from the accessory character she was in her first incarnation. She evolved from being a plot device meant to eliminate hints of homosexuality to being one of the most high-profile gay characters in comics. I love a good redemption story. Let's check out this long-awaited Batwoman Pop below!
Saturday, January 18, 2020
DC Gallery - BATWOMAN!
The modern trend of relatively-inexpensive PVC statues is making me break all of my collecting rules. I still only buy larger-scale collectibles of characters I really really like, but I used to refrain buying anything with an overly-decorative base or any that weren't perfectly sculpted. But these PVC statues can be so inexpensive.. often retailing for $30-50 bucks (and they seem to get clearanced pretty fast, I've picked up a few at GameStop for $10). This Batwoman is a prime example of a collectible I would have never bought a few years ago. The sculpt takes up a lot of shelf space, and if she were cold-case porcelain, she'd easily be priced at $150. But the price was right and she looked phenomenal so I caved. Plus I saw her at a local comic shop that I like to support, so I had added incentive to make a purchase. This is easily one of the best representations of Batwoman in my collection. And I think if her skin were more ghostly white she'd be perfect. Let's check out the DC Gallery Batwoman below!
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Batman Universe Busts - BATWOMAN!
Kate Kane as Batwoman is such a great character. Not only does she have a terrific costume, but her backstory and personality have natural depth and believably (at least once her run in Detective Comics started... the 52 stuff just wasn't fully fleshed out yet). Also, the mantle of Batwoman itself has a great political history. She and Bat-Girl were the original beards of the comic world, so Kate's sexuality is a brilliant reimagining. I think she is going to be a solid fixture in the Gotham scene for many many years to come (and hopefully her costume doesn't change, because it's honestly perfect). It should be really interesting to see how the new Batwoman TV show effects her popularity. At the very least we're likely to see more toys. Look how Supergirl's show has amplified her toy aisle presence in the past few years. (I'm not being facetious... we've seen several action figures and statues as a direct result of the show.. and I have the same hopes for Kate). Let's check out the Batwoman Eaglemoss bust below!
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
DC Comics ViniMates - BATWOMAN!
This year has been absolutely wild for fans of Batwoman. It had been so long since we had seen any new Batwoman merchandise so the fact that we suddenly got a Multiverse figure, a Lego minifigure, an Imaginext figure, a Jada Toys Nano, and this Vinimate (Note to mention Bombshells stuff: Pop, Dorbz, Rock Candy, DCC Action figure, and various Cryptozoic stuff). I don't know how long it has been known that she will be a part of the DC/CW Universe, but I feel like that must have played a part in this flood of toys. I love everything about the character Batwoman. Her first incarnation was nothing more than Batman's beard as a reactionary measure to my favorite piece of literary McCarthyism, Seduction of the Innocent (and of course Bat-Girl filled the same role for Robin). So in my favorite comic-related turnabout, in 2006 DC resurrected this forgotten character as a kickass lesbian with compelling and relevant stories. She's been a consistently strong member of the Gotham nightlife ever since.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
DC Multiverse - BATWOMAN!
Batwoman is one my favorite Bat-Family characters out there. As fond as I am of Batgirl, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Huntress, etc, I have to admit that I haven't truly enjoyed reading any of their comics in a long time. I always give it a shot, but the storylines and character development just never grab me anymore. The two semi-recent exceptions are Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, and Batwoman. Batwoman's backstory is brilliant, her motivations are relevant, her personal life is actually interesting, her look is bold, and her fighting skills are amazing. I was so excited to see this figure revealed last year. It's been way too long since there has been some comic-styled Batwoman merchandise. But then the floodgates opened and suddenly we have an Imaginext, Vinimate, and Jada Nano figure coming this year as well. (And that not even mentioning the awesome Spoiler and Catwoman Multiverse figures down the road). I want a Bat-Lady in every wave! Let's check out Batwoman below!
Monday, March 20, 2017
DC Bombshells - BATWOMAN!
When the DC Bombshells designs first started showing up four years ago, I thought they were really fun, but I honestly wasn't head-over-heels for them. Then a year into the comic variants, I saw the Batwoman #32 cover and kind of fell in love. I didn't necesarily love the art itself or the layout of the cover, but the concept of Batwoman as a baseball-playing bat-woman was pretty genius. Then for a second I got offended about a sapphic softball stereotype, but then I thought about how much I love A League of Their Own and my two Starting Lineup Cooperstown Collection female figures, and I gave her a pass. She is easily my second favorite of this figure series so far (Poison Ivy being by surprise top choice). The sculpts by Paul Harding in this series are fantastic. He has come a long way since those 3.75" Injustice figures. I can't wait to see what figures he does next. I have a hunch he did the upcoming Icons Balent Catwoman which looks stunning. We'll see I guess. Let's check out Batwoman!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Character Spotlight on BATWOMAN!
Batwoman's Modern incarnation is one of my favorite all-time developments in DC Comics. I adored the original Kathy Kane Silver Age Batwoman, but she never quite evolved out the cheesy campy character whose sole purpose was to butch-up Batman. I loved her, but I accepted her as a goofy figment of the past. Then in 2006 we met this new version of the character. There aren't really many parallels between the two characters aside from her title, real name, and penchant for red. I personally feel that Kate got off to a rocky start. Her first few years were pretty boring and clichéd. There didn't seem to be any depth to the character beyond her sexuality, religion, and social standing. But then she took over as the title character in Detective Comics in 2009 and suddenly she was awesome. She suddenly had motivation, backstory, personal conflict, and believable fighting skills. She was one of the very very few characters that was left unchanged by the upheaval of the DC: The New 52 revamps in 2011. Kate Kane has received a decent amount of merchandising in her brief seven years, let's check, it all out below!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
DC Direct's Silver Age BATWOMAN (Kathy Kane)!
Predictably following yesterday's review of her niece, Betty, comes Aunt Kathy as Batwoman! I love this character. But that's probably because she's so ridiculous. I mean, she wears the brightest costume I've ever seen on a Bat-Family member, her arsenal consists of weaponized hairnets and lipsticks (in her Utility Purse), her motivation to don the costume was that she was wealthy and bored, and her overall presence was pretty clearly just so Batman could have a love interest (and dispel all the Batman+Robin gay rumors scaring parents in the 1950s). Yet I still think she's amazing. She was the first female hero in the Bat Universe (a genre which just happens to be an obsession of mine). My first exposure to Batwoman was in back issues of Batman Family and Brave and the Bold. In those issues, she was much more serious than her earlier appearances, but the more I backtracked, the campier things got and I was hooked. So glad to have her in plastic. Let's check out this amazing figure below!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
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.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Eaglemoss BATGIRL and the Bat-Ladies!
Amazing little lead figurines from Eaglemoss Publications UK
The last of the DC Eaglemoss figurines have been announced (so they say...) and just recently the last of the Bat-Family females has hit the street. This makes an impressive set of SEVEN Bat-Ladies in the collection. If anyone hasn't started picking these up, I highly suggest doing so. They average about 3-4" tall and each come with a fantastic magazine that reads like a heavily-illustrated wikipedia bio. I've seen them priced at comic stores anywhere from $12.99 to $16.99 and to me are well worth the price. The only problem for me is that very few stores around me carry them regularly so they usually require a special order.
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