Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Mezco Toyz 2005 released highly accurate Liz Sherman figure from Mike Mignola Hellboy comic

Elizabeth "Liz" Sherman is a pyrokinetic female human, and part-time Agent of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Her parents died when she accidentally set fire to the neighborhood as a child. After the incident, Sherman became a street thief for 10 years. Frustrated by her life, Elizabeth eventually joined the B.P.R.D.. Though she has left the Bureau numerous times, she always returns because it is the closest thing she has to a home or a family.

This is the Liz Sherman 7-inch action figure from the Mezco Toyz Hellboy series of figures that were released in 2005. IMHO the sculptors managed to capture the essence of Mike Mignola's signature drawing style very well and these ranks as one of my favorites even now :)

Mezco Toyz Hellboy Comic Series One figures included this particular Liz Sherman figure, Lobster Johnson, Mecha Ape with Herman Von Klempt head, and Hellboy (earlier posted HERE). The "Abe" Sapien figure, with packaging designed for Mezco Toyz by Mike Mignola, was released as a Comic Con exclusive in 2007 (see my previous post for pictures of Abe).

Liz Sherman is capable of pyrokinesis (mental control over flames). She can mentally generate fire, projecting flames from her hands or having it surround her body in a protective cocoon. She has also, on rare occasions, been able to levitate with her fire, but this is a fairly uncommon occurrence. Her powers are extremely volatile and are capable of a very wide radius and measure of destruction; when her powers first awoke as a child, she killed dozens of people.

Liz Sherman's pyrokinesis appears to be something above and beyond "typical" pyrokinesis; more then once it has been hinted that her powers stem from some sort of entity or presence that dwells inside her, one that isn't necessarily based on fire but rather energy in general.

Liz briefly tries to rid herself of her pyrokinesis by using it to jumpstart Roger the Homunculus, and falls into a coma as a result. Liz is taken to the Wauer Institute in Tirgoviste, Romania, until Roger later returns her powers to her after being plagued by guilt concerning the incident.

As a result of her time amongst the monks, Liz now has complete control over fire: she can produce small hand-sized flames to light her way in darkness, she can erupt in a furious explosion of fire to destroy anything around her (the use of her powers on this scale seemingly require her to chant a mantra: "The fire is not my enemy, it is a part of me, it is mine", and can also manipulate fire into shapes and designs.

Liz Sherman's powers and the nature in which they function are similar to those of the Marvel Comics superheroine/villain, Phoenix. Also, like Jean Grey, the Phoenix's alter ego, Sherman is a red-head and a part of "super team." In addition, both characters have died and come back to life several times. It is possible that these similarities are an intentional homage.

Liz is often teamed with Hellboy and Abe Sapien, the "super team".

In the Hellboy film series Liz has a romantic relationship with Hellboy, becoming pregnant with his twin children. However, in the Hellboy comic books Liz and Hellboy are just friends; there is no hint of a romantic relationship between the two of them and she is more like a little sister than a girlfriend.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Looks like Eliza Dushku.