This is a figure that I have coveted for a long time. When this box set was originally released I was very squeamish about about scantily clad superheros. I still have guilty pangs like I'm supporting some toxic objectification of women by purchasing things like this. But I've grown since then and embraced a more fluid perception of body positivity (although I still think these outfits were likely designed my men with dubious intentions). A few years after the Blackest Night storyline, I picked up the Carol Ferris Star Sapphire and really fell in love with its sculpt and overall presence. Knowing that this Fatality figure shared the same body made me want her even more. But I was faced with the age old problem of high eBay prices and really sloppy paintjobs. It took many years, but I finally found it in a store last week. Getting her inspired me to gather all my Star Sapphire collectibles together for the first time. (They look great and I'm going to display them as a group now!) Let's check out Fatality below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label James Shoop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Shoop. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2020
DC Direct - STAR SAPPHIRE FATALITY!
Sunday, June 21, 2020
The Authority - THE ENGINEER!
In my young adult years I only had one friend who was into comics. It was fun to geek out with him, but it was also difficult because we had completely different tastes with our reading habits. He was mostly into shock value and extreme scenarios, while I'm always more into the relatable heroes and sympathetic villains. The Authority is one of the many books he tried to get me to read, but it was just not my thing. There were even a few issues drawn by my favorite artist, Arthur Adams, but nothing could convince me to enjoy this series. But then years later I came across this Engineer figure clearanced at Five Below and I found myself really drawn to her. She has an unexpected retro vibe and James Shoop's sculpting always reminds me of his Legion of Super-Heroes line (which are some of my favorite figures of all time). So despite my aversion to the comics, this gorgeous figure is a welcome addition to my collection (even if I pretend she's one of the many unnamed LOSH members). Let's check out Engineer below!
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
DC Direct - TERRA!
I always thought there were two true tests of a comic artist's skills: how well they draw animals and how well they draw kids. Both can be extremely difficult and I usually find most efforts cringe-worthy. I was a pretty decent fan of the Teen Titans when I was a kid, and the art by the legendary George Pérez for the most part was fantastic, but one thing I always had issues with was the depiction of the young teenage character, Terra. She is the focal point of one of the most famous Titan stories ever (The Judas Contract), which I was unfortunately never able to finish do to my overly-judgemental artistic scruples. However, I always liked nature-based powers and when this action figure was released way back in 2008 I was impressed how well sculptor James Shoop was able to capture the artistic style that I found so off-putting in my youth. Looking back at that comic art now, I don't know what my problem was. But I also didn't like brussels sprout or the color pink, so what the hell did I know. Let's check out Terra below!
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Green Lantern Corps - FATALITY!
The early days of DC Direct were pretty great. The character selection was very interesting and the sculpting was usually top notch. I had a long hiatus from toys and comics in the late nineties and was only getting back into the groove in 2002 after I landed my first post-college job. I remember seeing this Fatality figure hanging in my local comic shop and thinking she was awesome, but I had no budget for toys back then (plus I lived in a house with a bunch of strangers I met on Yahoo Roommates and I wanted them to think I was a lot less geeky than I was). Then years later when I let go of all pretense and let my nerd flag fly, she was commanding a high eBay price and I still couldn't afford her. Luckily she's relatively easy to come by now. I still don't know anything about the character, but her design is awesome and I love her pointy ears. I also noticed that she became a Star Sapphire at some point because they made a toy of that costume in a Blackest Night boxset in 2011. Let's check out Fatality below!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Super Friends WONDER WOMAN!
Wonder Woman has had a ton of animated designs throughout her career. She is the most cartoon-ized female superhero by far. The groundbreaking Super Friends series contained 7 iterations spread over 13 years and Wonder Woman was featured as a main cast member throughout. Her look changed a lot of the course of the series as would be expected, so it's important to note that this action figure is based on the earlier versions from the 1970s. The later animated versions had much longer and more dynamic/modern hair. These Super Friends action figures are some of the most perfectly executed animated-style action figures I've ever seen. They capture the simple colorful joy of the cartoons while maintaining enough artistic interpretation to easily fit in with any comic-based collection. I'm a huge fan (and you should be too!). The James Shoop sculpts are fantastic. And the series was popular enough to warrant a selective re-release (of certain characters) in the third Re-Activated series from DCD.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Super Friends CHEETAH!
Cheetah is a character who has gone through many transformations since her introduction in 1943. Numerous people, both men and women, have adopted the title over the years- but this earliest incarnation of Priscilla Rich is my favorite. I'm a sucker for retro costumes and she totally fits the bill. Priscilla's version of Cheetah has fallen out of favor to newer more mystically-feline versions in modern comics, but this classic look still makes appearances in shows like Batman: The Brave and the Bold and videogames like Scribblenauts Unmasked. Her most notable representation, though, was in the Challenge of the Super Friends animated series from 1978 wherein her role in the Legion of Doom was cemented. These early Super Friends figures by DC Direct mark the first time I realized DC Direct was going to be a powerhouse toy company. Back then, you didn't ever see "throwback" toys. They seem to be all the rage now, but 12 years ago this was uncharted territory. Let's check out Cheetah below!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Character Spotlight on STAR SAPPHIRE!
I really tried to get this post completed in time for Valentine's Day but the fates were against me. Star Sapphire is a longtime villain in the DC Universe first appearing in 1947. Originally she was a foe of the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick (although this early character was much different than the scantily-clad pink ladies we see today). The most popular character to hold the mantle was Carol Ferris, the girlfriend and boss of Hal Jordan. Back then, the role of Star Sapphire was granted to women who resembled the Zamaron Queen (the Zamarons are basically an alien race of Amazons). In the mid-2000s, the history of the character was revamped to be a title embraced by an entire corps of Violet Lanterns. Their role in the "emotional spectrum" was love. This led to a notable interlude when Wonder Woman became a Star Sapphire as well. There has been a lot of excellent merchandising of this mantle in recent years. I certainly don't have them all, but the ones I do have are great (of course I stole eBay pics to fill in all the gaps). Let's check them all out below!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Ed McGuinness Earth-11 SUPERWOMAN!
Of all the DC Universe's 52 Earths, I think Earth-11 is by far my favorite. On Earth-11, genders are swapped. This gives rise to hundreds of Elseworlds-type female variations of all the A-List DC heroes. Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, the possibilities are endless. Unfortunately this world has had very few stories dedicated to it. This version of Superwoman (the mysterious Laurel) first appeared in Superman/Batman #24 (2006). This issue was my first exposure to the art of Ed McGuinness and I was instantly hooked. I especially love how his women have meat on their bones. The first female action figure styled after his art was Wonder Woman from the 2006 Justice League Classified line. The figure wasn't a hit. She seemed too bulky and angry looking, but this new female body used on Superwoman was a definite winner. It's a shame we didn't see a million more ladies in this line (I was always hoping for a Huntress!). Anyway, let's check out Superwoman below!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Animated Statues of HARLEY QUINN!
This post is a simple one that I've been planning to do for a long time. A few years ago, the two "animated style" maquettes of Harley Quinn became an obsession for me. They were at the top of my list for almost two years before I was able to acquire them both. They are severely overpriced in the secondary market so it was a frustrating journey. Anyway, in the process of hunting them down, I discovered a shocking lack of information, way too much misinformation, and no comparisons of the two extremely similar products. For those not familiar with the origins of Harley, she was originally created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm in 1992 for Batman: The Animated Series. Having her origin in animation, these maquettes (3-D models for animators) are the ultimate Harley Collectible. They look great, they have historical significance to the character's origins, and they are very well made. This post is a simple series of comparison photographs, something which I wish existed few years ago. Enjoy!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Character Spotlight on BATGIRL (CASSANDRA CAIN)
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.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Character Spotlight on HUNTRESS!
Helena Wayne to Helena Bertinelli and back again.
I first discovered Huntress in the backup stories of Wonder Woman when I was a kid in the 80's. I had never heard of her before, but I was instantly sucked in to the mythos of the vigilante daughter of Catwoman and Batman; Helena Wayne aka the Huntress. Unfortunatley, it wasn't long before that character was written out of existence and replaced with Helena Bertinelli, mafia-entrenched vigilante out for justice. While the new version still had a lot of the same elements as the original, I was acutely aware of how much the original Huntress' heroic lineage had contributed to my fascination with her. (That, plus the fact that I really really really disliked the 1989 Huntress series.) I was sad that the original was gone, but better to have a revamped Huntress than none at all. Recently DC Comics has announced a new series, World's Finest, to begin in May, supposedly featuring the return of Helena Wayne. I'm excited but I have no idea what to expect.
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