Superwoman

It's a good thing nobody was paying attention to the Superman books before the 2011 "New 52" reboot, or else everyone would realize that the plot of Frank Miller's Dark Knight III had already been done. Kandor has been freed from the miniature prison constructed by the evil Brainiac. 100,000 Kryptonians now resdie at the North Pole near the Fortress of Solitude. Superman hopes to assimilate them with the rest of the Earth, but the Kryptonians want no part of that. They want Krypton back - and to keep it - by any means, including force. A new Krypton. That's the generic text on the back of the packaging. Here's the character-specific info, so you know what we're getting into: Who is Superwoman? This mysterious masked woman commands abilities akin to Kryptonians. Secretly working for General Sam Lane, Superwoman does anything to protect him, murdering a covert agent. The answer to the question: Lucy Lane. Yes, that's "Lois' little sister" Lucy Lane. Her powers come from her suit, which somehow altered her DNA to mimic Kryptonians, giving her all their strengths but none of their weaknesses. It did kind of drive her crazy, though; so, y'know, "tradeoffs." Apparently meant to homage the Superwoman of the 1980s, Kristin Wells, this costume is a skin-tight suit that covers everything except the eyes and mouth. It's a very stylish design, keeping the traditional Super-family colors of red and blue (plus yellow for the pods on her hips, shoulders and arms), but also adding a huge dose of white to make it clear that she's not just raiding Kal-El's laundry basket. The edges between the colors are all sculpted elements, helping to keep the detail crisp, and there's a minor amount of detailing to make it clear this isn't just bodypaint she's wearing - wrinkles near the breast and armpits, by the pubic mound, etc. The cape she wears has much more pronounced folds, which comes as no surprise. It hangs straight down, rather than having any exaggerated flares or swoops to the side. The cape is complemented by a full hood, something no previous Superwoman has worn. The blue cowl she's got beneath that seems like part of the reference to the '80s, though here the wearer's hair doesn't stick out. The hood can be removed, if you want to, though she never appeared without it. What little skin is visible is bright peach. Superwoman's articulation is exactly as disappointing as you'd expect. She has a balljointed head, but it really only moves like a swivel. The shoulders are balljoints, so they don't raise very far. She has hinged elbows, but no wrists at all. There's no waist, of course, but her hips swivel and her knees are hinged. That's all the movement you get. She doesn't really have any accessories, just a plain black disc base to help her stand (not that she needs it). This version of Superwoman is more of an interesting design than an interesting character. She was wiped out of existence by the New 52, but we wouldn't mind seeing this costume come back in the future (hopefully being worn by someone with a better character arc to offer than "jealous sibling goes mad with power"). -- 07/13/16

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