DC Mini-Busts - VIXEN!

Women of the DC Universe - Series 2 (Mini-Busts) - Vixen - DC Direct 2009

Eight years ago I wasn't really a fan of Vixen. I appreciated her as a character, but her actual comics and merchandise didn't thrill me. I'm not making this up, and it's perfectly unplanned, but 8 years ago today (Feb 24th, 2012), my blog was only a month old and I posted a Character Spotlight on Vixen without actually owning any of the pieces. Fast forward to 2020 and I love my little Vixen collection. Learning about her publishing origins and her cancelled solo title from the 70s suddenly gave her a lot of street cred in my book. Then I read her Return of the Lion miniseries and picked up her animated movie and now I consider myself a genuine fan. I think Vixen is a perfect character for a collected edition graphic novel. She has an interesting origin and a lot of varied costumes over the years. Plus they could publish that unseen cancelled solo comic for the first time! I'm going to publish a post on the most needed character-based graphic novels - I have many opinions. Let's check out the Vixen Mini-bust below!

DC Direct - VIXEN!

Justice League of America (Ed Benes) - Series 01 - Vixen - DC Direct 2007

I mentioned during my recent DC Multiverse Vixen review that I was suddenly inspired to collect all the Vixen figures ever made (there aren't many). This presented me with a bit of moral issue though because I specifically remember being highly disappointed with this 2007 DC Direct figure when it was released (and vowing not to buy it). Vixen had been around for decades but was just being launched into A-level status by being included in the new roster of the Justice League in 2006. This figure was meant to commemorate her new status, but to me she looked like an awkwardly failed attempt at over-sexualization. Her breasts are larger than her head and laughably exposed. Bared cleavage can be beautiful and provocative, but this is pure male titillation and impracticality. Her hips and thighs look unproportionally narrow compared to her shoulders and chest. And the odd articulation in her arms makes her look like she is in a permanent state of airing out her armpits. This figure's popularity has been a mystery to me for years.

DC Multiverse - VIXEN (REBIRTH)!

DC Multiverse - Lex Luthor Collect & Connect: Vixen - Mattel 2019

I've always been fascinated by Vixen and have wanted to learn more about her. I love her look and her powers. I also love her historical significance as the (intended) first African heroine to star in her own DC comic series (in the late 1970s). I say "intended" because her series was cancelled before it was ever released. She instead began appearing in team books like Justice League, Suicide Squad, and Checkmate. I don't really love most team books so my first real exposure to her wasn't until her solo mini-series in 2008.  But his figure has so enthralled me that I've been catching up on her backstory and legacy and becoming a big fan. I'm also excited to get the Vixen movie (re-edited from her animated web-series). But in the meantime I will just bask in the glory of this amazing toy. I hadn't even noticed that she got a new costume, but it looks great. Mattel's DC Multiverse line is really going out with a bang. The previous Vixen figures can't hold a candle to this one. It's a shame that we won't see much more.

Imaginext Collection of DC SUPERHERO LADIES!

Imaginext DC Super Friends - Assorted Heroes - Fisher-Price/Mattel 2017-2018

The DC SuperFriends Imaginext line is one of my favorite collectibles at the moment. For a long time the line was void of any female characters. Then in early 2012 they introduced Catwoman. That figure actually inspired me to create this blog, Because when I found it (in a Target in the middle of a blizzard), I was super excited to share my discovery, but I didn't have any outlet. Coincidentally, the DC message boards had been taken down a few months prior as part of the New52 reboot (that was my go-to nerdy community at the time). So within a month I started She's Fantastic - although I never did review that Catwoman. Over the course of the next few years, we got Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. Then the floodgates opened and I've had trouble keeping up. This review will collect my nine latest figures: Black Canary, Batgirl v3, Harley Quinn v2, Vixen, Hawkgirl, Carrie Kelley Robin, Wonder Woman v4, (Flashpoint) Wonder Woman v5, and Cheetah v2. Let's check them out below!

Character Spotlight on VIXEN!

JLA, Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey - Meet the African Queen of the DC Universe

It always surprised me that the DCU has so few black female characters.  Vixen was introduced in 1981 in the pages of Superman's Action Comics and was slated to have her own title early on.  This would have made her the first titular black female character in DC history.  Unfortunately this title was axed before it ever saw print, but the character has stayed strong and has been popping up as a regular character in a multitude of comic titles ever since.  Vixen has the power to mimic any wild animal, adopting the senses, abilities, and strengths of that creature.  In the past few years we have seen a handful of nice figures representing the character.  I actually don't own any of these items, but they are all on my radar.  I felt that Vixen needed a place in my series of Black History Month reviews, so I hit the internet for images of all the figures.