The Marvel Legends Vintage line on the large retro Toy Biz cards are very hit or miss for me. For the most part, when I think of this line I am in awe of the amazing new characters or character upgrades that we've received: Tigra, She-Hulk, Hallow's Eve, Blue-suited Wasp, Spiral, Titania, Gwen Stacy, Dazzler, etc. All of these are amazing figures that might not have easily found a home in a traditional BaF Wave. But on the flipside, I also see all the lazy repaints or kitbashed releases that fill the toy aisles: Black Widow, Storm, the newly-announced Mystique, Black Cat, Lady Loki, Scarlet Witch, and even Spider-Woman (which I loved, despite her just being a repaint). The problem is that there are much more interesting options for these slots. This Dark Phoenix is a good example of a slight retool and repaint that I feel wasn't entirely necessary. The bright colors and pinless joints are great, but the older version just looked more dynamic (IMHO) in darker colors and with longer legs. Let's check her out below.
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label Jean Grey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jean Grey. Show all posts
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Marvel Legends Vintage - DARK PHOENIX!
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Marvel Legends - JEAN GREY!
I just finished watching X-Men '97 and I am quite the fan. There was always something a little off about the original X-Men the Animated Series to me. I always had trouble taking it seriously. But this 27-years-later continuation is what I always wanted that show to be. Everything is a little elevated: the drawing style, the storytelling, the voicework, and the overall feel is more polished. My only issue is that way too much happened in 10 episodes. It buzzed through Inferno, Zero Tolerance, Trial of Magneto, and E is for Extinction storylines in rapid pace. It presented well, but the source stories are great and could have been expanded upon. Jean Grey got a decent amount of screentime, which was expected. But what I didn't expect was to get the nicest Jean Grey Marvel Legends figure to date from it. This 90's costume can be a little awkward in toy form, her shoulderpads and face-cropping headgear doesn't always translate well into plastic. But this one got it right. Let's check out Jean below!
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Marvel Legends - GOBLIN QUEEN!
Sometimes I feel bad for all the casual X-fans tuning into the movies and cartoons and trying to figure out the history of Jean Grey. She is an intriguing character that finds herself in the epicenter of the X-Men's greatest stories. But even as a longtime fan, I can't deny it gets a bit confusing. One of her most iconic incarnations (for me) is when her clone, Madelyne Pryor became the Goblin Queen in the Inferno storyline from 1988-89. I was an avid reader of The New Mutants (and X-Terminators) at this time so I was getting a live feed of this story as it was being published (albeit focusing on Illyana). When the promotional material for X-Men '97 was first shown last year, I was excited to see the Goblin Queen. The Inferno storyline was one of the few major X-events that wasn't ever touched on in X-Men: The Animated Series. Amusingly, even though we've now seen the Goblin Queen in the new series, the story was barely scratched. But, hey, at least we got this great figure of her. Let's check out Madelyne below!
Saturday, May 27, 2023
X-Men: The Animated Series - JEAN GREY!
Of all the female characters released in the X-Men: The Animated Series Marvel Legends VHS line, I think Jean Grey benefits the most from the brighter colors and cel-shaded redeco. In my humble opinion, despite the nostalgic appeal, this costume has always been very odd; orange tights that morph into boots, a purely decorative thong, bulky shoulderpads and gauntlets, and headgear that seems neither protective, functional, nor fashionable. But somehow with the added multi-tone blue and orange details in the animated design, it looks less strange. In comics and animation, it's easy to buy in to the fantasy and suspend all disbelief with physics-defying costumes that seem impossible to remove. But when you see that same design in 3-D like this, it's harder to ignore the impracticality. Luckily the modern toy trend of re-releasing figures in cel-shaded or pixelated decos works to merge the 3-D sculpt with the 2-D source material, and sometimes the results are great. Let's check out Jean Grey below!
Friday, July 1, 2022
Marvel Legends 3.75" Retro - PHOENIX!
I always have trouble deciding which version of Phoenix I like better: the green regular outfit, or the red fiery Dark Phoenix transformation. They are both super appealing to me. Luckily these two Marvel Legends Retro figures came out in quick succession so I could have them both. The green version was in a Hasbro Pulse exclusive 2-pack in late 2021 (packaged on in a double-mailer with a tiger-striped Wolverine on individual cards). They came with unique holo-foil cardbacks (that don't photograph well at all, but look cool in person). The Dark Phoenix version came in the Wave 5 standard store assortment in Spring of 2022. They look awesome and really continue that aesthetic of late-70s / early-80s comics. Since I took these photos, I picked up the Black Widow figure and pre-ordered Firestar. The line thrills me and I can't wait to see who is next. Spider-Woman, She-Hulk, Dazzler, and Medusa are all great contenders. Let's check out Phoenix and Dark Phoenix below!
Monday, May 31, 2021
Marvel Legends - BLACK QUEEN(S)!
I won't lie and say that I completely understand the Jean Grey storyline in the early 80s. From my understanding, after Jean became Phoenix, Mastermind began manipulating her.. wanting revenge on Jean and the X-Men for a previous altercation. Under his influence, she became the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. But eventually she recovers her memories and snaps, becoming Dark Phoenix. And within a few months we meet Madelyne Pryor and things get infinitely more complex. The Hellfire Club is a wealthy secret society with wicked intentions to manipulate world events for their benefit. The men dress in 18th century formalwear, and the women dress like dominatrixes. All the members of the inner circle have chess-themed titles and the roster involved is dizzying. The wikipedia page seriously gave me a headache. I miss when it was just Emma Frost, Magneto, Sebastian Shaw, and Tessa, plus the occasional Bishop like Donald Pierce. But Jean's recruitment was welcome and iconic development.
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Marvel Legends - MARVEL GIRL!
Hot on the heels of yesterday's 1997 Toy Biz Marvel Girl figure comes this early 2007 Marvel Legends Jean. This was an odd transition time for Marvel Legends females. Hasbro took over from ToyBiz in 2006, and the production quality hadn't quite hit its groove. A year after this figure in 2008, the female characters looked great (see my recent 2008 Elektra post), but in 2007 they still looked scrawny with awkward limbs and flat faces. I remember being very excited to get this figure of Marvel Girl in my favorite costume. However, I also remember finally gazing at her in Walmart and being terribly disappointed at how off she seemed. The proportions were (slightly) unnatural, the gold paint in place of yellow looked wrong, and her face sculpt just looked cheesy. Still, I always half-wished I had picked her up. The announcement of the 2021 House of X Marvel Legends Jean in this costume was the push I needed to finally get her. My original criticisms still hold merit, but I'm still glad to have her. Let's check out Marvel girl below!
Monday, January 18, 2021
Toy Biz - MARVEL GIRL!
It's difficult to collect vintage figures sometimes because every once in a while you come across a toy that has little to no redeeming qualities. One of my favorite collecting goals is to get all versions of a specific character and display them in a cluster. Especially when there is a unique costume that I'm especially drawn to. This classic green and yellow mini-skirt look for Jean Grey has always been one of my favorites. She wore it from X-Men #39 in 1967 until X-Men #100 in 1976. The reprints of these stories in Classic X-Men was my first exposure to the X-Men, so it is a very nostalgic look for me. Nothing made me more excited than seeing the return of this costume for 2019's House of X storyline. But at the same time, I just knew there would finally be a great Legends figure made and I would feel compelled to track down all the early awful offerings of this costume. That brings us to this 1997 Toy Biz figure. The first time this costume ever saw life in plastic, and it was pretty tragic. Let's check her out below!
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Marvel Legends Toy Biz - PHOENIX!
When Marvel Legends began back in 2002, I was instantly smitten. At the time I was a year into my first professional job and making decent money, yet still paying a mere $350/mo rent. That translated into a lot of expendable income. And as soon as I bought a series of young adult necessities (Ikea furniture, my first DVD player, etc), I was quick to revisit all my old hobbies. I found a comic shop near my office and quickly became a regular. My favorite toys at the time were the DC Direct LOSH, which I thought were amazingly advanced. But soon came the fateful day when I stopped in and found the first wave of Marvel Legends. I bought Captain America and Iron Man and was so excited to see the line eventually include female characters. But I think we all know how awkward most of those early attempts were. I didn't buy any for years, and even then it was under duress. But then last week I saw this Phoenix in a toy shop and suddenly thought she looked pretty great. Let's check her out!
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Classic Marvel Character Series - MARVEL GIRL!
There's nothing I love more than a good retro collectible. No matter what the era, I love classic character designs. These are often simplistic in nature, but hearken back to a time when comics were drawn quickly and more attention was paid to character development than to realistic costume details. On the flipside, I often correlate more detailed (modern) design to weaker storytelling. So, yeah, that explains my retro obsessions in a nutshell. What makes retro toys even better is when the product itself is also a retro throwback. In the case of these Dark Horse Statues, they are in the style of old Syroco figurines from the 30s and 40s. Marvel Girl is one of the earliest (and longest-lasting) female characters in the Marvel Universe. This classic costume only lasted for about 4 years before she donned her yellow miniskirt look (which is a look I also love), but this original will always be iconic to me. I only wish there was more merchandise featuring it. Let's check out Marvel Girl below!
Monday, May 18, 2020
Age of Apocalypse - JEAN GREY!
I skipped a whole lot of superhero comics between the mid-nineties and the early oughties. Across the board, the art style had become very loose with exaggerated anatomy and facial expressions. Costumes got way too complicated/busy for my liking. And the general aesthetic was extreme. It was an era of gritted teeth and pouches. My general dislike of this era has led to some major gaps in my comic repertoire. I don't know anything about Knightfall/Azrael/Bane, the Rebirth of Superman is a blur, and any X-books past the marriage of Scott and Jean in 1994 is a total black hole of my (normally encyclopedic) knowledge. In fact, it's no joke that my only connection to a good decade of comics is the toys that they inspired. This Age of Apocalypse Jean Grey is a great example. The first time I ever saw this costume was in a 2010 Minimates box set. While not my favorite design overall, it has a certain 80's glam-rock look that I dig. (The shoulderpads are spectacular!) Let's check out AoA Jean Grey below!
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Marvel Legends - JEAN GREY (90'S JIM LEE)!
The 1990's Jean Grey design always seems a little problematic in toy form. On the page, it looks great and iconic. But giant hair, shoulderpads, and a thong-over-bodysuit design often looks awkward in plastic. This new Marvel Legends figure is easily the best interpretation so far, but even still, from some angles she looks extremely awkward (in my humble opinion). I imagine a Marvel Select version will arrive at some point at the future to go with Rogue and Psylocke and hopefully she'll come with excessive power accessories. The 1990's nostalgia boom in the Legends line is pretty amazing right now. It honestly wasn't my comic favorite era as far as storyline and costume designs go, but back then I was as excited as anyone by the thrill of a fresh take on these characters. I bought every issue with gusto for a little over a year until the thrill wore off. Jean comes in a set unofficially called the "Love Triangle 3-Pack" with Wolverine and Cyclops (scandalous). Let's check out this long-awaited Jean Grey figure below!
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Marvel Legends - DARK PHOENIX!
I had honestly given up on the idea of a good Jean Grey action figure. I don't know why her character always seems to get second-rate treatment in the toy world. Even her inclusion in last year's (beautiful) X-Men Legends wave inexplicably got a salvaged head from a figure rejected three years prior. It was a dud compared to the newly-sculpted Rogue and Kitty. She just can't seem to win. Now this Toys R Us Exclusive Dark Phoenix has hit the shelves and she looks great. A huge added perk is the surprise inclusion of two alternate heads. I might be wrong, but I think this is the first time a Marvel Legends female has ever come with two heads. And the great thing is that two of those heads happen to look fantastic on last year's green Phoenix. So it's as if we're getting two great Jean Grey figures at once. This makes me very excited for any SDCC reveals in a few weeks. With all the love given to the classic characters lately, I think there could be some awesome surprises. Let's check out Dark Phoenix below!
Saturday, August 6, 2016
X-Men Legends - Marvel's PHOENIX!
My first real love of the X-Men is due to my early obsession with Jean Grey in her green Phoenix costume. In the late 1980s I was really into G.I.Joe comics (and was starting to dabble in Batman) when my brother came home from his friend's house with a stack of X-Men Classic issues. I was aware of the X-Men from their appearances on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends as well as the Pryde of the X-Men cartoon I owned on VHS. I liked them, but still preferred my G.I.Joe. That was until I saw Phoenix on one of those covers and was instantly smitten. I thought she was the coolest thing I had ever seen (A feeling that wouldn't be surpassed until I discovered Polaris.. I have a very obvious and lifelong obsession with all things green). I was probably the only little kid annoyed by the Dark Phoenix Saga because the color of her costume changed. As much as I loved this version of the character, I've found it really hard to find a good plastic representation of this look. And I'm still not 100% pleased - rant below...
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Marvel Legends - MARVEL GIRL (Original)!
Jean Grey is one of the oldest Marvel super-heroines that's still active in modern comics. The only older character I can think of is Sue Storm. In her 50-plus years, I don't think any character has had a more dynamic life. She's changed names, teams, love interests, mortality status, and allegiances more times than I can count. And along with most of those changes came new looks. I've been a fan of a lot of them, but this original look is right up near the top. It reminds me of a random Sunday in the mid-nineties when I found a near-mint copy of X-men #15 at a flea market for 5 bucks. I must have read it a dozen times. One of my greatest finds ever. So, yeah, I'm pretty nostalgic about this costume and I'm super glad to get a decent Legends figure in this style. There was a pre-Legends ToyBiz figure in this costume from 1998, but this one is vastly superior. Luckily the All-New X-Men comic featured the original team displaced in time and made these suits popular again. Let's check out Jean below!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Marvel Select's Retro MARVEL GIRL!
This costume of Jean Grey's is my absolute favorite. I love the retro styling, I love the bright colors, and I love the overall simplicity of it. This was actually the uniform that she wore when I was first exposed to the her (on the cover of Classic X-Men #43). I was always into cartoon culture as a kid, but I didn't get bit by the comic bug until I was 10 and my family moved into the center of a small town with three active comic shops. It took me a couple of year to get hooked. I started with properties I was familiar with, like G.I.Joe and Batman, but before long I was desperately seeking employment (which for a kid meant raking leaves and delivering newspapers) just to fund my newfound addiction. This Marvel Girl costume brings me such a wave of nostalgia for that time. She first donned the yellow domino mask in the iconic X-Men #39 from 1967 and kept it until Issue #101 when she became Phoenix. This Marvel Girl has received a decent amount of merchandising, but I think this is the only piece I'll own (too many pricey statues). I'll spotlight the rest below though. Let's get on to the review!
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Character Spotlight: BLACK QUEEN (JEAN GREY)!
Jean Grey seems to be the guinea pig for character transformations in the X-Men continuum. She's been alive, dead, possessed, reincarnated, cloned, and everything in-between. The impressive thing is that each new chapter in her dramatic life tends to create a wholly new character. In the early 1980s and in the midst of the Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean was possessed by Mastermind and took on the role of the Black Queen in the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club (a clandestine group of evil mutants who liked to dress in inappropriate period costume). The members were named after chess pieces. The White Queen obviously being Emma Frost, the Black King being Sebastian Shaw, the White King being Magneto, and Donald Pierce being the White Bishop, just to name a few notable members over the years. This possession of Jean Grey didn't last very long, but it definitely made an impact on the comic community and we've seen a small amount of merchandise released as a result. Let's check them out below!
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