Invisible Woman

When Hasbro got the Marvel license from ToyBiz, some fans complained that there were no "must-have" characters left. Really? Then how was it that ToyBiz got through 15 freaking series of ML without ever giving us a single-carded Invisible Woman? When Sue Storm first found herself fading from view, she wondered if she would ever again reappear. It took her almost no time at all, however, to adjust to her newfound abilities. As the Invisible Girl, she was content to serve as a spy for the Fantastic Four, sneaking in to snatch crucial items from their enemies. Over the years, however, she has become the Invisible Woman, mother and protector of the entire group, and her power has increased proportionally. Where once she could only turn invisible and fade into the shadows cast by the Thing and Mr. Fantastic, she is now one of the most powerful superheroes in the world with might limited only by the strength of her considerable will. Though Sue has come quite a way from her first frail appearances, not every writer has had a good grasp on how to write her as an ass-kicking chick. Back in the mid-90s, for instance, we were treated to a storyline several months long in which her entire role in the book seemed to be saying bitchy things to Reed. Because what's the point of having a married couple if you can't manufacture some marital strife, right? Anyway, part of Sue's new "stong" attitude was that she randomly decided to dress like a whore. I'm sure there was some flimsy excuse for it, other than "we want to cash in on the Bad Girl craze." It was probably to teach Reed a lesson. About something. Yeah, those were dark days. Anyway, after only about a year and a half (and the death of her husband), Sue regained some sense and stopped dressing like a mannequin at Frederick's of Hollywood. The new costume she adopted in Fantastic Four #388 is the one seen on this figure. The Invisible Woman gets a new sculpt, with a surprising amount of sculpted detail. Yeah, the suit is smooth, but the edges are sculpted, not just painted, as is her belt. The 4 symbol on her chest is just paint, however; it seems her brother was the only one to get a raised element. The figure is designed nicely, and if not for those etched edges, you might expect it to show up a lot in future waves. I guess Hasbro isn't as into body swapping as ToyBiz was. All the fanboys who thought the ML6 Invisisble Woman was too matronly should like this new facial sculpt. Sue definitely looks younger, and her facial features are small and slight. Her long hair falls down over her shoulders, which makes her balljointed neck pretty much useless. The other joints - balljoints for everything except the swivel thighs - all work well, giving you plenty of posing options. The figure is molded in the dark blue of the FF uniform, with the other colors painted on. That only really becomes a problem around the shoulders, where blue specks are showing through the pink skin. Still, that's a very minor defect, and may not be present on all samples. Do watch out for the paint on Sue's "4," though: it's buried in the valley, so to speak, and those curves can wreak havoc on the straight lines. It doesn't look like Sue comes with any accessories, but who can say for sure? After all, they'd be invisible. Maybe we've just overlooked them in the package. All kidding aside, she comes with a big chunk of this series' Build-A-Figure, Ronan the Accuser. Ronan's torso is about the same size as 2/3 of Sue's whole body, so you know he's going to be a giant. There's nice sculpt work on the outfit, and the belt/loincloth combo piece is removable, though there's no reason to do so. Invisible Woman is a top-notch figure. It's a completely new sculpt of a character that was only available previously in an expensive box set, and presented in a comic-accurate costume that's never been done before. Articulation is plentiful and useful, and the paint is good. Sue Richards is absolutely one of the must-buy figures from this weird FF Legends series.

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