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DC Bombshells

DC Bombshell Figurine Review – OG Poison Ivy and Deluxe Wonder Woman

Sorry for the change in schedule this week, folks! Nancy had to gently remind me that my queue of book reviews ran out 😅 We’ll be back to our regular post schedule next week. For now, I wanted to share two of the newest additions to my Bombshell collection this month!

We started this month with a killer find. OG Poison Ivy! She was released in one of the earliest waves of DC Bombshell figurines. As a Gotham City Siren and very popular villainess, she sold out relatively quickly, and is now hard to find and very expensive as a result. There is also risk of breakage from all the delicate parts, which will be explained momentarily. My fiancé found ours on eBay, unopened, for only retail price, and promptly scooped her up. Upon receiving her, it’s clear she would have sold out anyway, even if her character hadn’t been so popular.

She is STUNNING. In Ant Lucia’s original artwork, she is on the cover of a catalog for Gotham City Lingerie, and is modeling a new look ;D She’s easily got the most complex design and build of all those we own so far, but it pays off. Ivy herself comes attached to the base, along with the name plate, so you have to attach the vines to the base yourself. One of her vines, the one that wraps around her front, arrived broken. Flexible Styrofoam was wrapped around the “joint” of each vine, where a smaller vine shoots off from the main vine, and the break is at one such joint. It looks natural as is, so for now I’m keeping it that way. It’s a clean break and will be very easy to repair once I get around to it. My fiancé and I are in agreement that she is the crown jewel of our collection, even after picking up the sepia variant!

The deluxe Wonder Woman was at a low price on Amazon, so we picked her up as well. Though I do like the OG WW Bombshell figurine, her pose especially, her expression didn’t translate well from Ant Lucia’s art to the figurine. Her smile is a little wide and unnatural, almost Joker-esque.

The deluxe WW has a more natural expression. Her pose is just as dynamic too! She stands atop a tank, deflecting bullets off her shield and raising her sword in the air as if to say, “Let’s go!” She reminds me of the painting “Liberty Leading the People” by Eugène Delacroix.

The tank, though, I have issues with. It is COMICALLY small in comparison to Wonder Woman herself. It looks like it’s supposed to be crushed and sunken into the ground – but if that’s the case, why not dirty it up a bit? Paint some mud splatters on it, or maybe draw the build out a little bit in the back and around the sides to create a mud puddle? I understand why they didn’t do the second option, as it is already quite heavy… but a little paint would have gone a long way. It just looks too clean! Don’t worry though, I have some ideas to make it look more authentic once my fiancé and I have space to display them ;D

What do you guys think? Are these latest installments a hit or miss for you?

– Kathleen

7

DC Bombshells (Vol. 4): Queens

I present… my shame. It’s been way too long since I last talked about Bombshells on this blog… please take this two-in-one comic and haul update as penance for my failure X,D

Deep in the jungles of Zambesi, Africa, Batwoman, Catwoman, and The Question are led by Vixen and her Hawkgirl to a dig site. What they’ve unearthed could change the tide of the war – for good or evil, depending on the hands the objects fall into. Strange mechanical beasts rise from the earth at the site: gods from an old forgotten civilization. The Bombshells, however, are not alone in their discovery. Barbara Ann Minerva, the Cheetah, is tracking these old gods as well, for her mistress Baroness Paula Van Gunther, and for the Reich. Old and forgotten these gods may be, but they will do anything to be remembered and worshipped once more. Who are the Bombshells, mere humans, to stand up to gods?

It’s probably been too long since I’ve read the last one, but this one moved into much more pulp territory than I remember – in a good way. With the introduction of Hawkgirl and Renee Montoya as The Question, plus grappling with Nazis over archaeological sites… this volume screams Indiana Jones, much as Athena Voltaire does. Indy could only hope to be so badass and good-looking as Athena and our DC heroines 😉

(There’s even an Indiana Jones joke in the book!)

That said, there were some odd skips in the writing in this volume. I found myself having to backtrack frequently to make sense of what I was reading. The art and layouts, while dynamic as ever, were a bit too overdone here, and it was hard to follow along in some passages. I think the story is also getting a bit too unwieldy, with trying to cram so much into one run. Overall a solid installment, and looking forward to the next, but wondering how it’ll all tie together in the end.

As promised, here is my latest haul! I bought Lois Lane back in November, just over a year after Killer Frost (linked above). I must admit getting engaged and trying to save for my wedding really pumped my collector’s brakes. There are some figurines that are now sold out online, and will be difficult to find later. The thrill of the hunt is part of the fun, though!

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“Hear ye, hear ye!”

(That is what I tell myself to console myself for not buying Supergirl instead of Lois. Though she is adorable, I really wanted Supergirl more. Brb beating myself up again)

This haul is a big one. I got promoted at my university job, and my fiancé and I went a little nuts. I wasn’t missing out on Harley Quinn again, so I got the Deluxe Edition and all the magnets, and he got Batman/Catwoman and shipped it to me. Teamwork makes the dreamwork =P

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I do love me some magnets and car decals!

I continue to be amazed by the quality of these figurines. I admit I regret buying Lois over Supergirl, but Lois is probably the sturdiest figure of the bunch. Only her front foot is pegged into the base, but her dynamic pose is balanced perfectly so she has an even weight distribution. I wouldn’t worry at all about putting her on a higher shelf.

I’m not even a Harley Quinn fan, and am seriously annoyed at the overabundance of all the Bombshells Harley stuff I have to buy, but the deluxe figure is gorgeous. The original sculpt is honestly kind of boring, and not really Harley at all. This sculpt is much more befitting of Harley’s personality. I’m only disappointed they didn’t set the cloud on top of the regular steel base – when I eventually display all of these together, this one will look out of place.

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Deluxe Harley, Gotham City bound.

But Batman and Catwoman. Let me give you a little bit of background. I hate this ship. I want off it every time it comes up. I understand they have comic history, but no. Just no. The only woman Batman belongs with is Wonder Woman. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when we were finally getting Bombshells Batman! … Only to see he was with Catwoman. I heaved a HUGE, WORLD-WEARY SIGH and resigned myself to a completionist buy.

But guys. I opened the box, and gasped in total awe. IT IS STUNNING. I know I say this every time, but I think this is my favorite figurine yet. Getting them out of the box and into the base was a little nerve-wracking (they are in one big piece, and the ends of Batman’s cape can easily snap off), but it was SO WORTH IT. The colors of each hero’s costumes compliment the other’s without being overtly “couple-y”. Both Batman’s feet are pegged into the base, to give Catwoman a sturdy leg up as she lifts the Batmobile’s keys from his belt. Is she kissing him to distract him from her stealing it, or thanking him for letting her borrow it? We can only guess 😉

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Bat/Cat – what started out as a completionist buy totally floored me.

I’m now thinking Funko Pop Bombshells as centerpieces for my wedding… what do you guys think? ;D

– Kathleen

Bennett, Marguerite, Laura Braga, Mirka Adolfo, and Marguerite Sauvage. DC Bombshells (Vol. 4): Queens. 2017.

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DC Bombshell Figurine Review: Killer Frost

I just need to talk about this figurine for a minute ‘cuz

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Look at her!!!

I was just kinda “eh” about Killer Frost’s drawing; I’m not a huge fan of her to begin with and the variant cover with her on it looked a little stiff to me.

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But when I took the figurine out of the box (and it was a very tense 5 minutes let me tell you), I fell in love.

There are lots of fragile parts and there is assembly required. Be careful with the poles, as they are very bendy. The scarf is removable, and you have to attach the skis to her feet before putting her in the base. All the little details are breathtaking. Though she’s by far not my favorite character in my collection, she’s definitely my favorite figurine.

The only bad part was putting her back in the box. I was terrified I was going to snap a pole trying to fit the Styrofoam back together. But she’s safely boxed up again without incident =P

– Kathleen

10

The Art of DC Comics Bombshells

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Lucia, Ant. The Art of DC Comics Bombshells. 2016.

I ordered this for both my libraries AGES ago, and have been waiting on tenterhooks for it to come in ever since.  The publication got pushed back a bit, which broke my heart, but once it came in, oh boy – I almost forgive every delayed minute.

It’s laid out into three sections: the statues, the covers, and the comic series. The statues section has concept sketches and notes by artist Ant Lucia and sculptor Tim Miller for pretty much everyone in the lineup.  The covers chapter lists all the alternate Bombshell covers that hit stores in August 2015. A full page is dedicated to sketches and notes, and the facing page shows the full cover. An essay by Ant Lucia describing his art background and how he came to be designing the Bombshells opens this chapter. The last chapter, the comic series chapter, opens with an essay by Marguerite Bennett recounting how she ended up writing the comic. This chapter is a little simpler, as it just shows the covers for all the issues. Concept art is included for some, but not all the covers.

It’s a beautiful book. Each and every photograph and comic cover is in color. It’s just under 12 inches high, but it’s not a weighty volume by any means: you can flip through all 200 pages quite easily. Ever a sucker for concept art, it was really fun for me to see how the looks changed – dramatically or not – for each character.

However, I would have liked to see more notes for the newer additions to the lineup, like Raven and Bumblebee. I was also a little disappointed with the comics section. It could have been greatly supplemented with notes from Marguerite about her writing and research process. For some reason, Vixen, the latest figurine to be announced, is showcased at the very end of the book – after the comics section, and way after the end of the statues section.

My biggest bone to pick is the lack of fun photographs for each figurine. Sprinkled throughout the book are photos of the statues in different environments: a peek of Supergirl out of a plane window, sunset light filtered through Hawkgirl’s bubblegum, Black Canary singing to an audience, her back to us. Why could they not have given us more of these??? The photos of the figurines in this book are all ones I can look at while shopping on Amazon. I’d kill for more photos of these ladies in their respective environments.

I’m happy I bought it for my libraries, and I may even buy it for myself for my collection (if no one gets it for me as a holiday gift =P ). It could have had much better photographs of the figurines and notes on how the story for the comic came together. But, importantly, it’s fun to flip through and see all your favorite Bombshells in one spot, and you get an idea of how the concept evolved into the beloved line.

– Kathleen

3

My DC Bombshells Collection – Part 3

I went a little crazy last week… tried to throw money into my pain over the election… and came out with 3 new Bombshells figurines. (To be fair, my boyfriend bought me one, because he was feeling the same pain and he loves feeding my obsessions XD)

  1. I think I fell in love with Bombshells when I first saw Black Canary. She’s just too cute!!! I love her hair and her pose and her outfit and ugh. I just love her. I finally bought her and she’s stunning. Her right arm, the one holding the microphone, had to be attached to her body, so there was a little extra assembly required. I might have done it kinda weird, because after attaching her arm and then her back foot to the base, she seemed unstable and wobbly. Her front foot didn’t quite touch the base. I probably had to reposition the microphone stand further away from her body to fix it. She also has actual fishnets instead of them being painted on, which is a nice touch, but the top of the stockings don’t line up all the way up her leg where the paint begins, and the painted line down the back of her legs indicating the seam of the stockings is really thick. Requires a little finagling during assembly, but she’s one of my favorites so far.
  2. First edition Harley and Joker! This one had been sitting at the comic book store for a while. I bought them last weekend while they were having a sale (that I could actually attend!!!). I actually like the colors on the second edition better (see here), but I read they aren’t numbered, so I’m glad I got the first edition while I still could. After unboxing it, I like it better than I thought. Pictures online made Joker’s outfit look true black, but it’s really a very deep purple. Even though only one of Harley’s feet goes into the base, there are enough points of contact to where this one is very stable. Plus, the pose is adorable 😉 He’s also carrying a sailor hat in his other hand, which I never realized! You can see it a little better in this picture: 20161113_161959
  3. Spooky Babs! I just need regular Babs and my Batgirls will be complete =P This is the one my boyfriend bought me. I know, kinda eye rollingly obvious that they would make Batgirl into a vampire for Halloween, but I think the recast is done very well. They added a lot of little details to make her more of a creature of the night than an aviator ace: the updo with the little ears, different eye makeup, and her backpack she’s pulling her cape out of is actually a little coffin! The paint colors are bright and vivid. She’s perfect and I love her ❤

One thing I should mention is that two of the three were bought online and shipped to me. I was nervous about buying online due to the risk of them being damaged, but they’re all in perfect condition. The vendor who my boyfriend bought spooky!Babs from really took their packaging seriously. The box was wrapped in 3 layers of giant bubble wrap. Took me ages to get her out, but it was worth it to see her pristine and perfect!

While researching who to buy next, my boyfriend and I noticed Harley Quinn had gone missing from Amazon, and the cheapest we could find her for elsewhere was $500. I had a feeling I should have bought her instead of Canary, but I’m more of a fan of Dinah than Harley anyway. She’s popular enough to where I hope they do a second edition of her. I can live with the Black, White, and Red or holiday Harleys… for now, until my inner completionist starts to rage 8D XD

My new car fund is looking pretty sad this month, but I’m glad I made these purchases as I’ve already had one figurine disappear on me. As soon as I clean off my dresser I’ll share a photo of all these gals (and guy =P) together for you all to see!

– Kathleen

6

My DC Bombshells Collection – Part 2

Now that I’m basically working full time and making the big bucks, I can afford to put more money towards my Bombshells collection. I’ve made some big purchases since last time, mostly in the figurines department >:D

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This summer’s purchases were mostly figurines and clothes. Most of what I bought, including the figurines, were all on clearance which was AWESOME!!! (Just because I make the big bucks now doesn’t mean I should buy everything full-price =P ) I basically paid half of what each figurine was worth and got it new, which is really really nice when comparing prices of used vs. new on Amazon and Ebay.

I’m all caught up on buying the little comics and trade paperbacks so not much going on there. I’ve been buying the little keychains; my local comic book store also has wallets so I’ll start buying those. Not pictured is the Hawkgirl keychain – I couldn’t find her when I was taking all the pictures XD

My favorite figurine I own so far is actually Zatanna! I love her pose and the magic and the little Constantine bunny cracks me up X,D Since she came all in one piece, I didn’t have to worry about pieces getting lost or broken, or her feet not fitting in the base like some of the others. Which is your favorite so far? =D

– Kathleen

 

0

My DC Bombshells Collection – Part 1

My name is Kathleen and I’m an addict… of DC Bombshells merch.

I mean, have you guys seen this stuff? DC heroines in ’50’s pinup style?? And the comic is so well-written and illustrated it makes you want to weep??? Did I mention it ONLY FEATURES THE HEROINES???? I LOVE IT SO MUCH. It is my mission in life to collect all the DC Bombshells things I possibly can. An essential factor of my future house will be how many built-ins there are so I can display all my stuff.

And because I love you guys, I’m going to share this journey of collecting with you =P This will be the first of a series chronicling and reviewing all the Bombshells stuff that I buy (or that my boyfriend buys for me, because he’s an enabler and a bad influence). This first post will be a bit of a dump of what I currently have and the upcoming posts will just be a “haul by haul” kinda thing.

Ready? Here we go~ (Hint: the slideshow starts with the comics =P )

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Sorry if the quality of the pictures is poor, my phone camera isn’t the best. Not shown is the poster I don’t have a frame for yet and the trade paperback of Volume 1 because it’s still with my school stuff and I’m not digging through it XD I hope I get a big girl job soon so I can fuel my obsession further… I mean, be financially responsible and pay my loans…

Hope you guys enjoyed me fangirling about Bombshells for a whole post =D Stay tuned for more~

– Kathleen

6

DC Bombshells (Vol 1): Enlisted

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Bennett, Marguerite, and Marguerite Sauvage. DC Bombshells, Vol 1: Enlisted. 2016.

My boyfriend surprise visited me this weekend, which was something we both really needed. Been going through some stuff. It’s my spring break now and just seeing him and relaxing with him started it off right.

We went to the comic book store though and I found the last copy of this paperback!!! I AM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS SERIES YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA. I have most of the little issues and now I have this and I have some buttons and I want all the figurines. All of them. I don’t even care I can’t afford them I just adore the designs of all the characters they’re just sooo cute.

Anyway, the basic premise of this series is a World War II AU (alternate universe, for those of you who don’t know) which centers on the heroines because it’s assumed all the males are off at war. But they each start to fight the war too, in their own way. Kate Kane, for example, wishes she could be doing something about the war instead of playing baseball to keep the citizen’s morale up. She gets her wish and is recruited by Amanda Waller for a special ops unit called the Bombshells. To Berlin she goes to spy on the German government, playing a dangerous cat and mouse game with Contessa Selina DiGatti and Lex Luthor. When their powers are discovered, sisters Kara Starikov and Kortini Duginova are persuaded by the Soviet government to become the poster girls of the Russian war effort. They accept, for the Motherland and to keep their parents safe. Steve Trevor crash lands on Paradise Island, raving about a madman trying to take over the world – and only Diana believes him and wants to help. With the help of her friend Mera, she takes up arms and whisks Steve Trevor away from her homeland in order to save man’s world.

There are so many more threads to this story, and more of your favorite characters show up as you go. It’s incredibly multi-layered and it’s so exciting to see how each story starts fitting together. More and more artists start working on it as you progress; Margaret Sauvage’s lithe forms and pastel colors are my favorite. I think Sauvage captures the femininity, yet extreme strength, in these characters in this era best.

This paperback isn’t officially released until tomorrow, and I really encourage all of you to check it out! I already can’t wait for my boyfriend to buy me the next paperback ;D

– Kathleen

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