Pulp Arcana Studios: Mighty Marvel March- Rising Like A Phoenix

Rising Like a Phoenix: Marvel Legends Rachel Summers

Hi there, Planeteers! Thanks for coming back for more Mighty Marvel March!

We’re taking a look at some of the more interesting Marvel Legends. Up for you this week is a character I have been looking forward to.

Late 80s early 90’s X-Men books from Marvel were the definitive comics of my youth. I devoured the Claremont run on X-Men, followed the cross-overs, and dove headfirst into the spin-off books. One of my favorite X-spinoffs was the delightfully British and kind of weird Excalibur, composed of Captain Britain, his girlfriend Meggan, and some well-loved members of the X-Men, including Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, and Rachel Summers as the then-current Phoenix.

Rachel was always a character I loved, with her tragic multiversal backstory and her distinctive facial tattoos. She was a very different Phoenix than Jean Grey, and I liked the new direction.

Rachel has been a character long sought after by Marvel Legends collectors, as she was the only remaining member of the original Excalibur team that had not been made in figure form. Now, Marvel Legends has fixed that omission with this release in their latest mini-comic wave.

A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief:

Artifact Identified:

Excalibur #1 Phoenix Rachel Summers

Marvel Legends

Hasbro

OUT OF THE CRATE:

The mini-comic line of Marvel Legends goes with a different direction for their packaging. Instead of the box, this figure comes in a retro-styled blister style package and backing. This gives a comic book style to the card, which fits this particular wave. The black and blue of the card contrasts nicely with the red and yellow of the Excalibur logo at the top. Striking and effective, for those who are looking to keep the figure in the package, it would look nice on a wall.

The clear bubble allows a good view of the figure and her accessories. She looks great in the package. The whole thing has a retro vibe that reminds me of getting a figure off the pegs at a Toys R Us or a Kay Bee toy store back in the day.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:

Out of the package, Phoenix looks good. Her costume is simple and monochromatic. However, small metal spikes run down the center line of the torso and down the outside of both arms. A subtle touch, it goes a long way to break up the one-note aspect of the costume. While comic-accurate, the overall look is a little plain.

The figure comes with two head sculpts, and both look great. One is a standard portrait for Rachel, with a haircut that is decidedly 80’s in the best possible way. The other, though, is by far my preferred of the two. It is the same face sculpt, but she has her black facial tattoos on display and her eyes are a glowing green. These additions go a very long way in giving some visual variety to Rachel.

In addition to the two heads, Phoenix also comes with two open, expressive hands, a single fist, and a gripping hand so she can hold the included Excalibur #1 mini-comic. While the extra hands are nice, the lack of an additional fist and an additional grip is a little frustrating.

Her key accessories are her Phoenix-force wings. A translucent red-orange, they look really good and attach onto the arms. You remove the hands, slide the wings onto the wrists, and replace the hands. The effect is great and adds a ton of color and dynamic action to this figure.

MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:

Perhaps due to the lack of extra costume details to get in the way, the articulation on this Phoenix is solid. The neck offers enough movement for Rachel to look fully up and down. For a character that can fly, this is always a welcome addition. The double jointed elbows and knees provide good, if standard, modern articulation. I was really excited to see that Phoenix here was not given the Marvel Legends high heels that are the bane of a number of the female characters in the line. Instead, she gets decent, flat bottomed feet. While she still does not stand with what I would call ease, it is absolutely possible to get her in a good, standing position.

With the articulation suite that we have come to be familiar with on a female character, we can get some solid poses out of Phoenix. The expressive hands go a long way to giving a sense of action to these poses. When you add the Phoenix-force wings, the scope and scale of the posing does get substantially more impressive. These wings work well in conjunction with the arm articulation to give some really nice posing opportunities.

The overall impact of the articulation is nothing we have not seen before, but it is effective and does everything you need it to do. This seems be an ongoing theme with this version of Phoenix.

RECOVERED EVIDENCE:

FINAL RECKONING:

This Rachel Summers Phoenix is a solid addition to the Marvel Legends line. However, as I was writing this review, I kept noticing how much I was valuing aspects of the figure that pushed past the monotone color scheme and simple costume. I think, while accurate, the design is a tad simple. And the lack of a few extra hands in favor of the mini comic is a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless. If you are a fan of the character like I am, she is a great addition to the collection. But for a casual collector, looking for something cool to add to a shelf or a desk, I’m not sure if this Phoenix brings enough fire.