BendyFigs - HARLEY QUINN!

The Noble Collection - DC Comics BendyFigs – Harley Quinn - Noble Toys 2022

With all the popularity of Harley Quinn in the last decade, keeping up with her merchandising can be an unsurmountable task. There are so many versions of her costume now it's hard to keep track. Even this Bendyfig line from The Noble Collection has three very different Harleys in production. One positive side-effect of oversaturation though is that it forced me to pick a favorite look. And that is without a doubt her original jester costume. I didn't watch any of the Batman cartoons in the 90s so I was pretty unaware of her charms until I started reading her first solo comic series from 2000. Needless to say I was hooked. She was quirky, dangerous, unpredictable, and all-around fun. Plus I give her major credit for re-introducing me to Poison Ivy, who was a character I was very lukewarm about from her comic appearances in the 70s and 80s (but is now one of my favorites). This Bendyfig was my first classic Harley product in a long time. Let's check her out below!

BendyFigs - BATGIRL!

The Noble Collection - DC Comics BendyFigs - Batgirl - Noble Toys 2022

I find it very interesting that the "Burnside Batgirl" design has seemingly taken over as the evergreen version of Batgirl. It makes sense since it's a very utilitarian costume with clothing components that are believable for a young hero to have acquired. Plus it has all the classic Batgirl trademarks: Bat-cowl, red hair, height yellow bat symbol, and of course bright boots and gloves. What isn't always so standardized (but much appreciated) is the purple-hued color palette. We first saw Batgirl in purple in the 1966 Batman TV show, but then we didn't see Barbara wearing the color until The Batman in 2004 followed by the 2011 Batgirl comic reboot (and that was only a purple cape). But since then, the majority of her costumes have incorporated the color and I'm very happy. I like pretty much all Batgirl's costumes over the years, but I always prefer things on the colorful side. I don't normal buy bendy figures, but I somehow always end up buying these the Noble Collection Bendyfigs. Let's check out Batgirl below.

BendyFigs - LT. UHURA!

The Noble Collection - Star Trek TOS BendyFigs - Uhura - Noble Toys 2021

I was very saddened to hear about the passing of Nichelle Nichols yesterday at the age of 89. When I think about iconic television women from my youth, she is right up there in the top (despite me never being a real Trekkie). My brothers and I had a weekly tradition of watching Star Trek on PBS every Saturday Night while staying up to for Saturday Night Live. But oftentimes when SNL would come on at 11:30, we would be too engrossed in the dilemmas of the Enterprise crew to turn the dial. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura was the communications officer on the bridge and I found myself fixated on her all the time. She was always calm and competent amid the perpetual chaos of the Enterprise missions, and her overall presence was just magnetic and comforting. I was a kid watching this in syndication in the 80s, so I had no idea of the cultural impact she had on the 1960's viewing audience. It was a huge ordeal to get a female character on the bridge at all, let alone a woman of color. It's was a different time.

BendyFigs - CATWOMAN!

The Noble Collection - DC Comics BendyFigs - Catwoman - Noble Toys 2022

For the past few years I've been noticing this great new series of bendy figures from Noble Toys at places like Barnes & Noble or the electronics section of Walmart. Ten years ago I would have completely ignored these with a "these aren't even action figures" snub. But then I discovered two great characters who were only available in bendy form (yet could still fit in to my collection nicely with the aide of a figure stand): Inque and Angel Jones. Quickly followed by my discovery of NJCroce and their irresistible bendies of Batman '66 and BTAS. So suddenly I wasn't such a snob. Until recently, I only saw these BendyFigs for movie tie-in product. Their Wonder Woman 84 and Suicide Squad figures in particular always caught my attention. The quality and scale was a noticeable improvement over past bendy lines, but I didn't find the movie licenses tempting until this comic-style Catwoman. It's an iconic look at this point but gets almost no merchandise. Let's check out Catwoman below!