3.75" Marvel Legends - JESSICA JONES (as JEWEL)!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Series - Wave 5 - Jessica Jones - Hasbro 2017

It seems that whenever a Marvel-based movie or television show includes a character, no matter how obscure, Hasbro will find a way to produce a comic figure. When reading Alias almost two decades ago, I always thought a Jewel action figure would be awesome, but I immediately knew it was probably the most unlikely wishlist item I had. Jewel was created to be the cheesy embarrassing foray into heroics that the gritty no-nonsense Jessica Jones was trying to forget about. The original concept for Alias was to star Jessica Drew (aka Spider-Woman), but eventually evolved into an all-new character. I'm glad it did because the pink-haired flying hero in Jessica Jone's past is a key (contradictory) component to her morose detective life. Having a past life as Spider-Woman (who has always been pretty cool imo) wouldn't have had the same impact at all. But the thing is, I love cheesy bright characters, so it kind of backfired anyway. This toy is great. And I can't wait to get the 6" version next month. Let's her out below!

3.75" Marvel Legends - ALL-NEW WOLVERINE!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Series - Wave 4 - X-23 Wolverine - Hasbro 2017

Back in 2004 I was a big fan of the comic series NYX. I had been fascinated by Joshua Middleton's art since I picked up Sky Between Branches and was readily buying any title he lent his talents to. The book was a weird and fresh take on the X-universe and I was very surprised that the breakout star was X-23, the mute disturbed and murderous young prostitute. It took me a long time to warm up to her character. In fact, it wasn't until the recent All-Star Wolverine series that I truly embraced her. It took a while, but when I fall, I fall hard. She is in my top five Marvel heroes right now. Plus I just came back from seeing Logan tonight and she positively owned that movie. Hopefully she keeps the mantle of Wolverine for a long time. The classic costume looks great on her. I know Logan will come back and resume his role eventually, but my fingers are crossed for a 6" Legends figure of Laura before he does. In the meantime, we got this pretty great 3.75" figure to tide us over. Let's check her out below!

3.75" Marvel Legends - ROGUE!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Series - Wave 3 - Rogue - Hasbro 2016

Rogue's popularity really exploded in the early 90s during the Jim Lee run on Uncanny X-Men and the success of the X-Men The Animated Series. Her sultry relationship with Gambit suddenly highlighted her sex appeal and she became a supermodel right along with Psylocke and Storm. However, I was never too taken with this interpretation of her. I liked the moody, conflicted girl whose power alienated her from her peers. I also love characters that start out as bad guys and have a rocky beginning before joining the good fight (think She-Ra, Spider-Woman, Cassandra Cain, etc). This figure represents Rogue in her mid-1980's John Romita Jr design. Her costumes in the 80s were ever-changing and rarely lasted more than a few issues, but they always retained the same color scheme and protective black body suit underneath. To me this is a very classic Rogue looks that I wish we would see in a 6" scale. But in the meantime I'm happy with this newest addition to the 3.75" line. Let's check her out below!

3.75" Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL (Helmeted)!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Series - Cosmic Marvels Comic 2-Pack - Hasbro 2016

I just learned some interesting things about the existence of Captain Marvel in the Marvel Universe. Back in the 1960s, DC Comics was suing Fawcett Comics over the fact that their character, Captain Marvel (aka Shazam), was too similar to Superman. As a result, Fawcett had to cease their publication of the character. With nothing being produced under the name "Captain Marvel" for a few years, Marvel Comics was able to sweep in and finally trademark the name for themselves. Eventually DC gained control of the Fawcett characters, but by that time, Marvel had its own Captain Marvel, who was trademarked and not going anywhere, so DC began officially referring to their character as "Shazam." In order to keep control of the trademark, Marvel had to publish some issues featuring this character every few years, regardless of market demand or continuity. That is why since the late sixties we've seen so many variations on the character Captain Marvel. Luckily that all led to here though!

3.75" Marvel Legends - GAMORA (MARVEL NOW)!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Series - Wave 2 - Gamora - Hasbro 2016

I love a good green-skinned girl. At one point in my collecting I had a shelf dedicated to these emerald beauties. It was loaded with She-Hulks, Oolas, Vinas, She-Dragons, Poison Ivys, Jades, various witches, and a couple Turtles. I'm thinking with all the Gamora product we've seen in the last few years I might want to re-establish that group. It was a pretty striking sight if I must say so myself. I really dig this modern comic-based costume of Gamora's. The first time I noticed it was in the 2013 Guardians of the Galaxy comic series. It was a given that we'd get an action figure featuring this look eventually. There's already an Eaglemoss Chess piece and a Heroclix figure sporting the utilitarian duds after all. Her previous comic looks have been anything but functional so this is a step in the right direction if they want to court the movie fans. The new 3.75" Marvel Legends figures are impressing me.  The lack of wrist and torso articulation isn't great, but overall the aesthetics are on point. Let's check out Gamora below!

3.75" Marvel Legends - CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Series - Wave 1 - Captain Marvel - Hasbro 2016

Marvel is in the middle of a major female-superhero boom. Currently there are solo titles for Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman, Silk, Wolverine, Thor, Hellcat, Gwenpool, Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, Mockingbird, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Moon Girl, Angela, and of course Captain Marvel (not to mention the team books A-Force and Spider-Women). One of my absolute favorites is Captain Marvel. Carol Danvers first donned the Ms. Marvel costume in 1977 as a female version of the male Captain Marvel. She changed names and costumes several times over the years: Binary, Warbird, etc. But most recently she went back to her roots and became the New Captain Marvel. I love everything about this new design. It is basically Mar-vell's old costume with the colors inverted and Carol's signature sash around her waist. The new 3.75" Marvel Legends line is off to a good start. Thor and Carol are amazing choices for the first two ladies. Let's check out Captain Marvel below!

3.75" Marvel Legends - LADY THOR!

Marvel Legends 3.75" Series - Defenders of Asgard Comic 2-Pack - Hasbro 2016

Sorry for the lack of posts. I came down with a late-in-the-season cold and couldn't bring myself to turn on my computer. Feeling much better now and I have so many fun things to post. Last year I swore I was going to give up of the Marvel Universe scale figures from Hasbro. My previous purchases were lackluster and then the final few figures I was interested in (Shanna the She-Devil and Emma Frost) were hard to find and overpriced when you did find them. Then they had to go and relaunch the line under the "Marvel Legends" brand and introduce figures of two of my favorite modern heroes (Thor and Captain Marvel). They both look great so I'm back on the bandwagon for now.  The new female Thor is the first character in a while that was so steeped in mystery. Her identity was unknown to the readers until issue 8. I found that a thrilling story element. This action figure is pretty amazing and is honestly my favorite 3.75" Marvel figure in my collection. Let's check out Lady Thor in detail below!

Marvel Universe - BLACK CAT!

Marvel Universe Infinite Series - Wave 5 - Black Cat - Hasbro 2015

With all the Spider-Ladies getting so much attention in the comic and toy worlds lately, I was afraid our little Felicia would be feeling left out.  Black Cat is one of the longest-lasting of Spider-Man's costumed lady-friends.  I like her because she offers that Catwoman-like ambiguity of being an lover, adversary, or ally to Peter Parker on any given encounter.  My usual gut reaction is to rebel against female characters who seem wholly defined by their interactions with the title male, but given that her roots are in the Bronze Age, I'll give her a pass.  This Marvel Universe figure had me a little confused because I swore there already was a Black Cat in this scale.  I was wrong though, so I'm glad she's finally here to fill out the ranks. Surprisingly she's the first Marvel Universe lady since last July (if you don't count the SDCC exclusives).  The was the longest gap between ladies in years.  The upcoming Shanna and Emma Frost should make up for that a bit though.  Let's check out Black Cat below!

Happy New Year!! - YEAR-END REVIEW!

This Year's Most Amazing Ladies - Hasbro, Mattel, Bandai, etc 2014

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you had a great (and safe) time celebrating.  I had these grand plans to take a gigantic photo of all the great action figures we've received this year.  I would have probably had to do this in my living room or maybe on the stairs just because of sheer space requirements; there were a lot of ladies this year! Unfortunately I got a cold and therefore was very sluggish wrapping up my end-of-the-year work duties and just ran out of time.  Instead I'm compiling a post full of photos and links highlighting one of the most prolific years for female action figure collectors yet.  Seriously, I'm highlighting 94 figures here - and that's by no means a complete list.  I hope to make this an annual tradition.  If nothing else than to remind me of the ridiculous amount of money I spend on toys in any given year.  I really need to start soliciting for free samples!  Anyway, onward to the first annual She's Fantastic year-end review!

Marvel Universe - NEBULA!

Marvel Universe SDCC '14 Exclusive - Infinity Gauntlet Boxset - Hasbro 2014

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I just returned from a week in Mexico where I spent my days laying on perfect beaches and my warm nights zipping down narrow streets on scooters.  It was wonderfully detached from my day-to-day reality.  I even managed to go on a little toy hunt.  They have these Wal-Mart-type stores called Chedraui, but unfortunately their toy section was practically identical to anything I see here in the states.  At least I didn't have any awkward customs inquisitions like the time I flew with a Catwoman statue in my carry-on, haha.  Anyway, back to the grind.  This comic version of Nebula owes everything to her key role in the Guardians of the Galaxy film.  If I listed all the Marvel heroines who were deserving of action figures, Nebula would be way way down on that list.  That said, I love obscurity and she certainly does make an interesting little figure.  And the film version of Nebula opened my eyes to the coolness of the character.  Let's check her out in detail below!

Marvel Universe - MISTRESS DEATH!

Marvel Universe SDCC '14 Exclusive - Infinity Gauntlet Boxset - Hasbro 2014

Happy Halloween!  I didn't have the forethought to do my typical series of Halloween reviews this year, but I did save this spooky lady that I've had on my shelves since August.  My first exposure to Mistress Death was in 1991's Infinity Gauntlet.  To be perfectly honest she always confused me.  I didn't know if she was the Grim Reaper, Thanos' wife, some sort of God, whatever.  All I knew is that she was omnipresent and creepy and she definitely made an impression.  She was honestly one of my favorite things about that series.  If I can rant for a second: that comic series was the first time the comic market made me feel like a sucker.  I was thirteen and busting my butt mowing lawns and delivering newspapers to fund all my emerging hobbies.  I got sucked into the "Infinity" storyline and spent all my pennies on a million crossovers and follow-up events.. a three year endeavor.  I approach all "big event" comics with trepidation now because that was a soul-sucking experience for an impressionable young nerd.  Rant over!  Let's check out Death below!

Marvel Universe VALKYRIE!

Marvel Universe Infinite Series: Wave 3 - Valkrie - Hasbro 2014

Valkyrie first appeared in 1970 in the pages of the Avengers and has been a regular character in the Marvel Universe ever since.  She is true Norse Valkyrie who has taken possession of various mortal women over the years.  Her first possession was of Samantha Pennington and this iteration served as an adversary of the Hulk.  Her second incarnation had her in the body of Barbara Norriss.  This version joined the superhero team The Defenders (alongside Namor, Dr. Strange, and the Hulk).  This team affiliation lasted for the remaining 13 years of the series run and really cemented her role in the Marvel Universe.  She's still a major character and regularly appears in the current Defenders series as well as any and all major crossover events (Fear Itself, Original Sin, etc).  I personally love mythological characters so I'm a little biased with my love for this figure.  Now I'd love to see a 3.75 comic-style Sif in this line to add to my little Norse mini-collection (with Enchantress from the Secret Wars 2-Packs).

Marvel Universe RED SHE-HULK!

Marvel Universe Infinite Series: Wave 2 - Red She-Hulk - Hasbro 2014

It's a pretty common theme in comics for a civilian love-interest character to be granted powers similar to her namesake hero.  The most notable examples that come to mind are Lois Lane's multiple transformations into Superwoman and Carol Ferris's becoming a Violet Lantern (Star Sapphire).  I always enjoy this type of plot.  Mostly because I love seeing how the same powers and abilities would be expressed differently from a female perspective.  While I've always paid keen attention when these stories would appear, I've never before become quite as obsessed as I was when Betty (Ross) Banner became the Red She-Hulk.  She had a brief 10-issue self-titled run from 2012-2013 which I thought was amazing.  The art was beautiful, her characterization was well fleshed out.  She was righteous, vengeful, compassionate, and of course angry.  I loved every page of it.  Unfortunately we haven't heard from her in the past six months.  I would love a continuation of the unlikely Red She-Hulk / Machine Man team-up.

Marvel 3.75" Infinite Series WASP!

Marvel Infinite Series - Wave 1 - Marvel's Wasp - Hasbro 2014

Now here's a rebranding that I don't quite understand.  The newest incarnation of Hasbro's 3.75" Marvel Universe action figure line is now known as Marvel: Infinite Series (not to be confused with the Marvel Legends Infinite Series in a 6" scale.  Regardless of the name change, we are still due to receive plenty of great figures in this line.  Janet Van Dyne (aka the Wasp) is one of the original members of the Avengers and was a glaring absence from this series.  This figure is pretty awesome.  The sculpt is great, the wings are well-tooled, and the overall look just hits the bullseye.  I've even heard collectors excited to add her to their 6" figure collections.  One of the unseen benefits of making a size-changing character is that scale is suddenly completely unimportant.  Perhaps that's why this figure seems to be the hard one to get from wave 1.  I almost decided to hold out for one with better paint when I found her at Target this week, but I'm glad I didn't since she's not in any stores (and I've been a'huntin).  Let's check out Wasp!

Marvel Universe AURORA!

Alpha Flight's Aurora - Marvel Universe Series 05: No. 27 - Hasbro 2013

Alpha Flight is one of my favorite superhero team books of all time.  It's definitely the oldest of the list.  Sure, old X-Men and Avengers books were great, but I personally feel that they didn't age well.  When I read them now, I get bored.  The first few years of Alpha Flight, however, are timeless.  Aurora is Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, the twin sister of Northstar.  The twins are mutants that have superhuman speed and flight powers.  When together, they can also join hands and release a powerful energy burst.  Aurora was notable for having multiple personalities as a result of a traumatic childhood.  One personality was painfully shy and reserved, while the second was provocative and outgoing.  This made for some interesting storylines.  Hasbro's Marvel Universe line seems to be making a serious effort toward team-building.  Aurora shared a slot with her brother, making them the third and fourth Alpha Flight members in the line.  There are a lot more to go, but I think this is a great start.  Let's check out Aurora below!

Marvel Universe DAGGER!

Marvel Universe Series 5 - No. 17 - Marvel Knights - Hasbro 2013
 
Marvel's own Lady of Light finally gets some love in the 3.75" Marvel Universe line.  Of course, she's super-hard to come by as a shortpacked variant of her partner Cloak, but at least she was made.  Ironically enough, I was unable to find Cloak in time to photograph the pair for this review.  I had seen him in the stores pretty regularly, but I wasn't going to buy him until I was sure I could get Dagger.  You know how it goes.  As soon as I found her, he was nowhere to be found.   Cloak & Dagger are such a classic superhero duo.  They represent duality, isolation, and the harsh side effects of drug experimentation (hey, it was the eighties).  Ty Johnson and Tandy Bowen were teenage runaways who were kidnapped for experimentation of a deadly synthetic heroin.  Tandy and Ty, however, were mutants (in the retconned version) and these experimental drugs triggered their mutations creating Cloak & Dagger.  Cloak controlled a dark portal that swallowed up anyone its path, and Dagger radiated light (and projected "daggers" of them) and because of this light could successfully navigate the dark portal.  Drug pushers didn't stand a chance.

Marvel Universe ELEKTRA!

Marvel Universe: Wave 22 - Elektra - Hasbro 2013

Comic books need more ruthless female assassins.  Elektra Natchios first appeared as a Daredevil villain in 1981 and was originally intended to be a one-hit wonder character that would never appear again.  Fate intervened luckily and Elektra went on to became one of Marvel's most popular females (certainly one of the most merchandised).  she has been a villain, a love interest, an anti-hero, and of course, an assassin.  My favorite role for Elektra is that of the anti-hero - i.e. stalking and killing despicable people.  This was the general tone of the 2001 solo Elektra series, which I only caught the tail end of (when Robert Rodi started writing it) and loved every issue I picked up.  Maybe she had always been this type of character, but it seemed fresh and new to me at the time and I was instantly a fan of this character I so often overlooked.  It even seemed like the 2005 Elektra movie was based off the very issues I read (at least the first 15 minutes of the movie).  Anyway, back to this great little toy.. let's check her out!

Avengers Assemble BLACK WIDOW!

Avengers Assemble - Inferno Cannon Black Widow - Hasbro 2013
 
Finally a 3.75" Black Widow figure that I can be proud of!  Avengers Assemble is a new animated series that began airing on Disney XD in May of 2013.  I personally have not watched any of these episodes, but I've seen lots of print advertisements in the comics and I think the character design is really well done; simplified enough to give it that "animated" feel, but realistic enough to make it appeal to the comic and movie fans.  This figure used the same body as the Avengers Movie Black Widow, but with a newly sculpted head and accessories.  The accessories aren't nearly as cool (or appropriate for this character) as previous versions, but that's par for the course when it comes to a line targeted at kids.  Black Widow is still a surprising choice to me as the sole female member of the modern Avengers.  I would think Captain Marvel or Spider-Woman would have more mass appeal (and pack more of a punch), but she's really growing on me.  The espionage angle is a skill none of the other members come close to mastering, so she's actually a very worthy addition to the roster.  Let's check out this figure below!

Marvel Universe ROGUE (1990's Style)!

Uncanny X-men Multi-Pack - Hasbro's Marvel Universe - 2013

Rogue is one of the great X-men of the famed Jim Lee / Chris Claremont era.  In that period, she fully developed into the flirty, rambunctious, powerhouse we all know and love.  A lot of this might have been due to the introduction of Gambit as a love interest.  (There's nothing like a love story to spark some character growth).  Rogue is such an interesting character because she is such a dichotomy.  In some ways, she's the most sensitive character in the roster, in other ways, she's the most powerful.  And I think her prominent role in X-men the Animated Series just cemented her newfound star status.  This figure really does the character justice.  All the fun details are there.  She has bright colors, well-sculpted jacket, hair, and headband, and her poseability is pretty great.  My only criticism is that her arms seem oddly short.  Maybe if one or both of her hands were open this wouldn't be an issue.  Rogue is yet another Marvel Universe lady that only comes in a multipack.  The Uncanny X-men set comes with Wolverine, Longshot, and an X-Babies Cyclops.  Let's check her out below!

Marvel Universe MEDUSA!

Your Favorite Lunar Lady - Marvel Universe: Inhumans 3-Pack - Hasbro 2013
 
I get the feeling that we're never going to get another single-carded female in the Marvel Universe line.  Sure, they say we're getting Elektra and Dagger, but until I see them on the shelves I'll hold on to my doubts.  I actually don't mind buying the team packs and comic sets though, because I have a pretty quick turnaround time unloading my unwanted figures on eBay.  But at the same time, I'm not going to keep buying extra characters forever.  This is fair warning Hasbro:  Stop hiding the good heroines in multi-packs!  Okay rant over.  Medusa is a pretty interesting character.  I feel like every story I've read with her portrays her differently.  Sometimes she's regal, sometimes snotty, sometimes flirty, and more recently, kind of devious.  She's currently a replacement member of the Fantastic Four in FF and I have a gut feeling I'm not going to like her character very much in the coming months.  This figure is a massive improvement over the recently released (and reviewed) Mockingbird.  Medusa is better proportioned and articulated, and that makes a world of difference.  Let's check her out below!