You know that guy, who's a real jerkwad and badass, pissing off everyone he meets? And then he gets a girlfriend, and everything mellows out? Meet the girlfriend.
Adrianna Tomaz was transformed
and instilled with the powers of a goddess. With Black Adam and her brother Osiris at her side, she crusades to change the world by replacing fear with hope.
Isis is one of those characters created for another medium and then adopted by comics. In this case, surprisingly, the character debuted on live-action television.
In the mid-to-late '70s, Captain Marvel starred in a half-hour show on CBS. In 1975, he was paired with The Secrets of Isis, which introduced the new character. The Xena to Cap's Hercules, Isis was high school science teacher Andrea Thomas, granted powers by a mystical amulet. Yeah. She then appeared in her own eight-issue comic series, and in 1980 was even turned into a cartoon - oddly enough, on the same show that made Marvel speed their Spider-Woman out the door.
The character was resurrected for the post-Crisis DC Universe
in the year-long 52 event. Looking to expand to a worldwide scope, Metropolis-based mob Intergang tried to get into the Middle Eastern country of Kahndaq, because American superheroes were expressly forbidden from entering its borders. Hoping to curry favor with Black Adam, the leader of Khandaq, Intergang sent their representatives with gifts, including $2 million in gold and a virginal slave girl. Adam turned down their offer in his own subtle way - by crushing the skull of one of the Intergang representatives.
After spending
several weeks in his company, Adrianna was having a good effect on Teth Adam - he was less of a violent sociopath, which is always good. Plus, he was falling for her. And since it wouldn't do for the Black Marvel of Justice to marry a mortal woman, he set out to find her some powers. He gave her the Amulet of Isis, last used by Pharaoh (pharaohess?) Hatshepsut of Egypt's 18th Dynasty, and got Shazam to unleash its powers, transforming her into Nature's Blessed Queen.
Isis was sculpted by Karen Palinko,
who's probably best known for being the go-to gal for DC's Alex Ross figures. I don't know how they picked her to be the one to handle Isis, but I'm glad they did - the figure really looks absolutely great. The face is very regal, and has an undeniable Middle Eastern feel. Her hair is blowing in the wind, and her costume, what little there is of it, is detailed well - that means lots of small plates on the golden metal parts, and lots of wrinkles on the white cloth parts. For a killer example of the detail in this sculpt, check out Isis' sandals: the straps running up the front of her legs aren't just raised elements, they're physically overlapping, just like the real things would.
Personally, I thought the outfit would have been considered a bit too risque for an Arabic nation, but it never came up in the comics. After all, who's going to tell Black Adam - a guy who rips people in half if he doesn't like them -
that his new wife is showing too much leg? Nobody, that's who. Overall, this is a nice update of the original tv costume, just designed around that standards of the 2000s rather than the mid-70s. The skirt's a little shorter and her midrif is exposed, but otherwise, the connection is right there.
Isis is fairly well articulated, moving at hinged knees, peg hips, peg wrists, hinged elbows, balljointed shoulders and a balljointed neck. The paint is decent, but not great; the skintone they selected suggests that she spends more time in the sun than, say, Batwoman. The gold and white are crisp, but the red jewels in her belt and necklace could be bigger. The sandals have the most problems, with the edges of all those thin straps still flesh-colored. Still it could be worse. In a nice nod to her role as a "nature woman," Isis does't wear nail polish or lipstick - just a bit of eyeshadow.
The figure doesn't have any accessories, which is disappointing. Granted, it's not like she used weapons or anything, but come on, give her some flowers - they sprouted in her wake whenever she was happy. For your own display, you can use the rose that came with McFarlane's Dawn figure, or the bouquet that came with DCD's own Desire. Still, would it really have been so hard to give her something? Yes, she has the 52 logo base,
but she stands well enough that she doesn't need it. Would have been cool if they'd put a garden on her stand, in the same way that Superman's Hush base was strewn with rubble.
Isis has had a figure before, in the old Mego line. She debuted in 1976 as a Montgomery Ward exclusive, built on a re-used Wonder Woman body - and there, you thought store exclusives were a new thing. This DC Direct version is really nice, and will truly stand out in your collection. Unless you have a lot of toga-wearing figures, of course. She looks neat next to Black Adam, too. If DCD does more 52 figures, here's hoping they make Isis' young brother Osiris and his friendly talking alligator, Sobek. We've already got half of this ersatz Black Marvel Family, and it would be wrong not to get the rest.
If they make 52 Series 2, what do you want in it? Tell us on our message board, The Loafing Lounge
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