One of the things I have noticed with the Justice League Unlimited toy line-up is the way all the female figures are made for this series. For the majority, depicting female characters is much harder than the male counterparts. A few of them are great like Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl but a lot of the problem stems in the rendering of faces. If it isn't done properly, they look distorted and weird. This issue has been getting a bit better as the series continues but nothing that has been a stellar standout, at least until now. Surprisingly, it takes Mary Batson to show how things need to be done.

Mary Batson (as she is named in this set; otherwise she is commonly known as Mary Marvel) is Captain Marvel's twin sister. Like her brother, she has been granted the power of Shazam. Whenever she speaks the wizard's name, she is transformed into a superpowered heroine with powers like her brother.

As expected, her costume follows the same colours as Captain Marvel with the familiar red and yellow styling. Of course, as a girl, she wears a skirt instead of long tights. Her cape is also much smaller but it is in proportion to her body. In fact, what impresses me the most is the size of the figure. She is not as tall as Wonder Woman (nor should she be at all) but I'm also glad that Mattel opted not to use the Supergirl mold when creating Mary. I hated how Supergirl and Stargirl were created for this toy line. They really look like little girls who don't belong in the Justice League at all. Instead, they are ready to join the Teen Titans. Thankfully, Mattel didn't make that mistake with Mary Batson. She looks like a teenager/young adult as opposed to a little girl.

Her face is also quite done nicely. Usually with female action figures, this is the part that gets screwed up the most. In Mary Batson's case, Mattel did a better job in depicting the features on a female face that don't look so angular and harsh. She really does have that innocent quality about her. More striking is her blue eyes that really stand out and complement her face.

The details on and around her cape really help make Mary Batson's look complete. I also like that instead on a belt, she has a sash around her waist just to show some difference between her brother's outfit. The metallic gold colouring is a bit off-putting. I would have rather seen just plain yellow instead of this metallic look.

Movement is limited to only five-points of articulation, as with all Justice League Unlimited figures, but it's even more limiting with Mary due to her long hair. Her head movement is even more restricted as a result.

Mary Batson is part of the "Shazam" Family four-pack from MattyCollector.com. This means in order to obtain her, you need to buy the entire set for $30.00. This is also an online exclusive offer so you will not find this in any store.

Mary Batson is one of the first spin-off characters of a major male superhero. She predates Supergirl by a good ten years. I'm glad that she is getting her due since she seems to get lost in the shuffle. I really like how she was depicted for this set. Here's hoping that Mattel remakes Supergirl to look like this. It seems as she is always following in Mary's footsteps.


___________________________________________________________________


Justice League (single figures) 
Morph Gear Series: Ultra-Humanite 
Mission Vision Series: Darkseid 
Silver Storm: Hawkgirl 

Justice League Unlimited (single figures) 
Series 1: The Atom || Brainiac 
Series 2: Amazo || Atom Smasher || Aquaman || Booster Gold ||  Dove  || Hawk || Red Tornado 

DC Superheroes: Justice League Unlimited (single figures) 
Series 3: Aztek || Steel || Supergirl || Superman w/Black Mercy || Waverider || Wildcat 
Series 4: Copperhead || Elongated Man || Metamorpho ||Orion || Rocket Red || Vigilante 
Series 5: Dr. Light || Green Lantern Kyle Rayner || The Huntress || The Shade || Sinestro || Vixen 
Series 6: Blue Devil || Lex Luthor w/Kryptonite || Mirror Master || Shining Knight || Wonder Woman w/Gold Lariat ||Zatanna 
Exclusives: Solomon Grundy

DC Universe: Justice League Unlimited (single figures) 
Series 1: Hawkman

MattyCollector.com Exclusive Figures
Gotham Criminals Four-Pack: Bane  ||  Clock King  || Harley Quinn  || Scarecrow
Legion of Super-Heroes Four-Pack: Cosmic Boy  ||  Saturn Girl  || Lightning Lad  || Brainiac 5 
"Shazam" Family Four-Pack: "Shazam!"  ||  Mary Batson  ||  Black Adam  ||  The Wizard
Green Lantern Origins Three-Pack: Hal Jordan  ||  Abin Sur  ||  Sinestro


_____________________________________________________


This is part of sleeper54's Lean-n-Mean VIII Write Off, hosted this year by jurgrace and jenniferkateab.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 30.00 (set)
Type of Toy: Action Figure
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens