DC SuperHeroes LINDA DANVERS SUPERGIRL!

DCSH (Select Sculpt) Series 2, 4 & 6 - Supergirl (Linda Danvers) - Mattel 2006-07

Supergirl has experienced a lot of reboots and reincarnations over the years.  One of the more far-fetched origin stories is that of the Linda Danvers version of Supergirl.  In a nutshell, Linda was a troubled youth who fell in with the wrong crowd and found herself in the awkwardly perilous situation of being sacrificed by an evil demon cult.  It was at this point that Matrix intervened.  Matrix is the curly-haired post-crisis Supergirl that held the mantle from the mid-eighties to mid-nineties.  Matrix was a synthetic being (who could shapeshift) created by a good Lex Luthor from another dimension.  Matrix tried to protect Linda from this sacrifice and instead merged with her and together they became the newest version of Supergirl (for the next ten years or so).  I wasn't a big fan of this Supergirl due to the lack of Kryptonian connections and her (non)costume.  I've never been a big fan of costumes that are composed of civilian clothes.  (Why can't my superheroes just be content to look ridiculously uncomfortable at all times!?) 

DC SuperHeroes KARA ZOR-EL SUPERGIRL!

DC Superheroes (Select Sculpt) Series 5 - Kara Zor-EL Supergirl - Mattel 2007

I just learned some interesting things about this figure.  It wasn't something I read or anything.  Rather, I learned that this figure was apparently produced in varying degrees of attractiveness.  Just this afternoon I found multiple images of this figure which look significantly better then mine, and even a few that were worse.  I don't feel that there are true variations in the sculpt, but rather that some figures seem to have a "smooshed" mold that makes her face look severe.  Also, the placement of her hairline varies from figure to figure creating a subtle but significant variation.  Mine is average.  From the front she looks good, but from any other angle she looks pretty goofy.  The DC Superheroes Select Sculpt Series was the direct precursor to DC Universe Classics.  The waves alternated between Superman and Batman-themed assortments.  This version of Supergirl was released later in the series and was showing up in discount stores like Ross without ever appearing in the big box stores.  Let's check her out below!

Character Spotlight on BATGIRL (CASSANDRA CAIN)

A Darker, More Deadly Batgirl Than We Ever Expected!

In 1999, nearly 10 years after Barbara Gordon was paralyzed by the Joker, the mantle of Batgirl was taken up by this very unique young girl.  Cassandra Cain is the daughter of the assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva.  She was raised with no reading or writing skills, just combat.  Her only language was body language and her dependency on subtleties and instincts as her sole form of communication made her an extremely deadly assassin.  She came into contact with Oracle and Batman during the No Man's Land storyline and was eventually adopted into the Batman family as the new Batgirl.  I was a latecomer to the Cass bandwagon.  It wasn't until near the end of her 10-year run as Batgirl that I began to appreciate her.  I liked the personal obstacles she had to overcome; a murderous lineage (and personal history); a severe communication handicap; and struggles with teamwork.  Plus I love that her Eurasian heritage added some much-needed racial diversity to the Bat-universe.