Photo Set: Ghoul's Day Out Starring Rochelle Goyle

Why the possessive in the "ghoul's" of the post title? Because we're only looking at one ghoul today. That said, one ghoul does not mean one doll...

Lovely to see you, Rochelle! Your outfit -- which I love, by the way -- looks a little "sassier" than the clothes you usually wear. It's a nice change for you!

I've always felt you have such a sweet, friendly facial expression; you make Lagoona look angry by comparison! Your GNO look is probably the closest you're ever gonna get to fierce, and even then it's a stretch.

Mm-hmm, work those fleur-de-lis heels, girl! Say, I wonder who else is around here?

Oh, nobody I guess. But damn, Rochelle, that sure was a quick change! You related to Superman or something? Wow, I love your eyeshadow -- aqua is definitely your color! I must say, something about you looks a little more "monster-y" than usual. I like it!

Okay, now you're just goofing off!

Yes, I definitely like this look on you -- very nice. You look so serene.

The bun really emphasizes your endearingly shy personality. J'adore!

Another change! I can't keep up!

You got a haircut! If you ask me, this is easily your best 'do to date. Very chic. Digging your shades, too!

Did you get them at the same store Briar shops at? They remind me a lot of hers.

Yeah, your beach bag's cool I suppose. It's really hard for me to focus on it because I'm still freaking out over your amazing hair! Yes, your swimsuit is pretty wicked, too. The detailing on the bodice is just so you, Rochelle. You have great taste!

Now that Mattel has decided the quality of Cleo's hair should be variable from doll to doll, you've become my go-to girl for dependably fab tresses, Rochelle. Hope it stays that way!

Since you're here anyway, readers, how about a little box art...

Today's post may be a teaser of things to come...

Review: Power Ghouls - Spectra Vondergeist as Polterghoul

Just eight months ago the only Spectra doll available was her basic release, a doll we'd had for nearly a year at that point. Now it's January 2013 and we've just gotten Spectra's fifth doll, with at least two more on the way this year. I don't know if there's a method to Mattel's madness when it comes to choosing which characters will get a lot of doll releases. 2012 was a big year for Abbey Bominable as we saw doll after doll after doll of her; all the while poor Spectra sat waiting in the wings. Now it seems as though Mattel is making up for lost time with Spectra, as the doll I'm covering today is technically her third 2013 release. One look at her box art should tip you off as to whether this doll is a keeper or not...

If you've read my Wonder Wolf review you already know I'm a big fan of the Power Ghouls line, both in theory and execution. I love seeing the Monster High characters reinvented in new, unexpected ways. With Power Ghouls we are treated to some of our favorite ghouls taking on a superhero alter ego. The dolls look great and the whole idea in general is just plain fun! The icing on the cake is the fact that each Power Ghoul doll comes with a comic book. These are basically crack for a doll collecting nerd like me!

In Spectra's case we learn that her role as school gossip is just a cover for her higher calling: that of Polterghoul, a superhero who protects the world from the evil Cat Tastrophe. Polterghoul's comic is an origin story so I won't give too much away here. What I will say is this story, short as it may be, is rather incredible. It carries a darker, deeper message than Wonder Wolf's story, with higher stakes and a more interesting set up. It even touches on elements of the metaphysical -- very cool. It opens on a levitating Spectra deep in meditation and ends on an abrupt, mysterious note, teeming with symbolic eroticism. I'm not even joking. There goes Mattel being all sneaky and subversive again. You devils, you! If fleshed out just a little I could see this story working as a stand alone graphic novel. It could tell the same story told in this small comic, but with more details. Considering Mattel already has Monster High represented in YA novel form, why not release a one-off graphic novel? How awesome would that be?! In any case, suffice it to say I love the Polterghoul mythology presented here and would totally be into reading more about her.

Polterghoul comes in the box "floating" above a large, Cathedral-like clock. We're told she is "The Justice That Goes Bump In The Night." The entire box back is presented as a Gory Gazette article detailing one of her heroic exploits. It's really quite fun and humorous in a punny way.

But wait a minute, there's a doll here too! Let's talk about her, shall we?

Right away the thing that immediately stands out about this doll is her face. Taking a cue from the Ghost Girl CAM add-on, Polterghoul has a "mask" painted onto her face that surrounds her eyes and wraps around to her temples. In Polterghoul's case the mask is hot pink. I'm not sure what these masks have to do with ghosts but it's certainly an arresting look, and it works extremely well on this character. Her eyes are dark purple while the pupils are a combination of more dark purple and turquoise. She has a thin strip of shimmering light pink eyeliner above each eye. Above this is a dark pink divider line. The hot pink mask works as her eyeshadow. Her pouting lips are a deep, shimmering magenta. She's incredibly beautiful, and her eyes have that surreal, eerie glow we love so much with this character. The only thing missing are the cheekbones, but we'll come back to that later.

Polterghoul's hair utilizes the standard Spectra colors of lavender and purple; the colors are evenly mixed. She has no part. Instead the hair is pulled straight back and held in place by a headband. As always, the hair is incredibly soft and silky. I think Spectra may have the best hair in general of any of the dolls. And it's consistently good, too. With Spectra you always know what you're gonna get (and I mean that in the good way). On Polterghoul it's straight and lands just below her rear.

Her superhero outfit is a one piece, sleeveless dress utilizing silver ribbon around the neckline and armholes. The bottom of the skirt is hemmed with matching silver thread. The fabric is black with grey dots and has a print of hot pink "starbursts". The stripes of the bursts are broken and uneven, adding some "edge" to the look. Printed over the bust is a silver skullette. Wonder Wolf also had a skullette on her jumpsuit so maybe this logo represents a unified team rather than a solo superhero. I have a feeling we'll find out when Voltageous and Cat Tastrophe hit shelves.

Around her waist is a belt of silver, twisting chains. Hanging from the belt to her left is a large ball. These chains match her silver, knee high platform boots. Pink chains form the top of the boots before wrapping the body of each one, eventually landing at her feet where they form both the platforms and heels.

In addition to the previously mentioned headband, Polterghoul wears dangling pink earrings featuring comic book bursts with a tiny skullette in the center. Wonder Wolf wore these same earrings, in non-dangling form, plus she also had the aforementioned skullette on her suit. I'm definitely digging these unifying features among the Power Ghouls dolls. If memory serves me correctly Voltageous also wears comic burst earrings and has a skullette on her outfit. I've a feeling these three ghouls are all part of the same team.

Polterghoul wears one last piece of equipment, a piece that I think is safe to say is her trademark. Wrapped around her neck is a choker of pink chains. This alone would look very cool, but the choker is attached to a larger piece that works as a sort of minimalist cape. Dangling from the back of the choker are six ropes of chains -- three attach at the other end to a cuff on her left wrist while the remaining three go the opposite direction to a cuff on her right wrist. The lowest string on each side has six more chain ropes hanging from it, each ending with a hoop. In the comic book this deconstructed chain cape works as a weapon of sorts, combining with Polterghoul's superhuman strength and powers of telekinesis to move large objects out of her way. On the doll the cape is solid pink and the plastic used for it is semi-pliable. At first it can be a bit tough to pose her arms since they're held by the cuffs at her wrists. Once you get the hang of it there are all kinds of cool poses this doll can strike! Since the plastic is a bit stiff, when you bend her arms the chains bow outward -- a very dramatic look that emphasizes her superheroic powers. Stretch her arms out and upward and suddenly she becomes more of a ghostly figure, which plays perfectly into Spectra's non-superhero character. The chain cape is yet another uniquely Monster High accessory, something you won't find anywhere else. I really love it.

The last thing I want to cover is Polterghoul's facemold. Why? Because even though it uses the new, wider mold, the same mold Picture Day Spectra failed to sell me on, I love it here! In fact, I think Polterghoul is my favorite Spectra release since her basic doll! This really confused me at first -- why would it not work for me on the Picture Day doll, yet I love it so much here? I put the dolls side by side and realized what it was. Even though Polterghoul doesn't have the fierce cheekbones I love so much, she does have the spooky eyes. And that's really what it comes down to. Picture Day Spectra's eyes are bigger, lighter, and more human looking. Every other Spectra doll, including Polterghoul, has the smaller, darker, much more ghostly eyes. Would I like to have the cheekbones on Polterghoul? Of course! But I feel as it is this doll is a nice compromise between the two looks, giving us the eerie eyes and pouty lips while still looking younger than the basic doll, which is what Mattel was probably going for when they changed the facemold. Check out the comparison shots...

I decided to take it a step further and compare all the Spectra dolls to each other. Curiously, looking at them all side by side, it seems Mattel may have been subtly tweaking Spectra's facemold all along. Even Polterghoul seems to have a slimmer jawline than Picture Day Spectra. Ghouls Alive Spectra's odd face makes the most sense, since there's a speaker hidden inside that noggin. Anyway, I just thought it was interesting.

Overall grade A+ As I mentioned, this is probably my favorite Spectra doll after her basic release. When I say that, I'm speaking specifically about the actual doll, not her clothes. While I like Polterghoul's outfit (especially her wicked chain cape), it's not my favorite of the Spectra costumes (that honor goes to Picture Day Spectra's clothing, ironically enough). I love Polterghoul's face so much! She has those wonderfully creepy eyes, and the pink bandanna "sunburn" is a unique, attention-grabbing effect. The Polterghoul origin story is fascinating, drenched as it is in mystery and mysticism. The comic book itself is full of gorgeous art. I'd love to see the story explored more in-depth as a graphic novel. As for the doll: she's beautiful, she's spooky, she's the perfect combination of ghost and superhero.

Review: Power Ghouls - Clawdeen as Wonder Wolf

Today's review marks the second installment of this month's Clawdeen Extravaganza. It also doubles as my first Power Ghouls review, something I'm very excited about! Power Ghouls is a brand new line, exclusive to Target, consisting of four dolls. It's a sort of sister line to last year's Target exclusive Scarily Ever After doll line. In that line we saw three of the Monster High ghouls re-imagined as fairy tale characters, complete with included storybooks. Power Ghouls works in much the same way, substituting fairy tale characters with superheroes, and storybooks with comic books. I love this type of postmodern reinvention of the characters we know and love so much. I think the whole idea in general is really fun and it gives us a chance to view the ghouls in unexpected, unique ways. As you probably know I also love me some MH paper ephemera so having our characters presented in comic book form is a big highlight as well.

In addition to the comic book, as a deluxe doll Wonder Wolf also includes a stand, hairbrush, and numerous accessories. She also gets an elaborate character set up, starting with a box back that is presented to us as a Gory Gazette cover story on Wonder Wolf.

Since the comic book is a full story detailing the origins of Wonder Wolf I won't spoil the adventures it contains by posting the entire booklet. But I will share the cover and a cropped scan of one of my favorite drawings in the comic:

As you can see everything here looks great. The drawings are done in an authentic comic style and the story is both fun and engaging. Clawdeen's sharp intellect and skeptical nature come through. The story feels true to the character. As luck would have it the comic book isn't the only thing that looks great here: the doll is gorgeous, too! She's presented in the box busting through a brick wall -- very cool! I didn't get a picture of it but did an admittedly so-so recreation of it:

As you've probably guessed by her name, Wonder Wolf's heroic inspiration is Wonder Woman. Wonder Wolf's outfit and especially her shield are the strongest links to Wonder Woman. But make no mistake, this doll feels very "Clawdeen" while offering a few stylistic departures along the way. Let's get started!

If you've read my review of Scaris Clawdeen you know I'm quite beguiled by that doll's beautiful faceup. Well, I won't say I like Wonder Wolf's faceup even more, but I like it just as much! Clawdeen as Wonder Wolf is truly beautiful. She has the standard bright yellow and brown irises. Her makeup is a bit of a departure, though. She has shimmering, golden eyeliner that is topped by dark plum eyeshadow. It in turn is topped by deeply shimmering golden eyeshadow that goes to her brows. The top layer of shadow matches the eyeliner while the plum shadow also runs under the eye. Her semi-matte lips come in a shade of plum that's a tad muted compared to the plum of her eyeshadow. These colors are rich and luxurious; they remind me quite a bit of Jinafire's faceup, actually. Wonder Wolf looks very fierce in the comic book but the doll comes across as friendly and sweet. Not to say that's a drawback -- this is most certainly a gorgeous faceup.

Wonder Wolf has curly hair that lands at her rear. Her bangs have a fat curl in them. Connecting her stylistically to Clawdeen are neon green streaks that start in her bangs and run backwards into the hair directly behind them. She also has more green streaks framing her face. The green is used sparingly -- the streaks behind the bangs trail off and disappear while the streaks framing her face are quite thin and only show up a couple of times on each side. The majority of her hair is the beautiful dark brown. The texture is, unfortunately, prone to tangles and frizz due to the curls. On the plus side it stays in place well and, if you use a very wide-toothed comb, can be styled rather easily. Overall I like this hair quite a bit. The style is fantastic and the texture is workable. It also matches her faceup very well.

Wonder Wolf wears a bodysuit that utilizes short-shorts in place of pant legs. The colors consist of the Clawdeen mainstays of purple and green. Aside from a few small bits in the shorts the texture is entirely metallic (way cool). The bodice is purple and connects to a large green collar that fastens with Velcro in the back. Under the bust is a gold skullette with wolf ears and a tuft of hair. It's really cute and works as another tie to Clawdeen. Attached to the bodice are the previously mentioned short-shorts. They feature a print of purple and green comic bursts with an occasional black zig-zag. There's also some yellow spots with tiny black polka dots. It sounds like a busy print, and I suppose it is, but it totally works for this look. Each leg is hemmed with purple ribbon. The overall vibe of this outfit is very retro, landing somewhere around the late 60's to early 70's. Stylistically it's perfectly fitting for a comic book superhero. Plus it just plain looks amazing on Wonder Wolf.

Great footwear is essential for any superhero, including Wonder Wolf. She wears golden boots that feature purple platforms and studded heels. The tops of the boots are also lined in purple. The body features several molded details including a row of studs that run down the center of the boot before forming a teardrop shape over the foot. The sides are lined with molded diagonal lines. Although these aren't the most amazing MH boots we've seen (that honor goes to basic Robecca's rocket boots, in my opinion), they're nothing to sneeze at. They match her bodysuit perfectly and are definitely "comic book". Well done, Mattel!

Wonder Wolf has several accessories. A studded purple headband holds her hair in place (a must for a girl on the move, especially one who's got villains to battle), while two purple cuffs are worn on her left arm -- one around the bicep and the other around her wrist. She wears a gold studded hoop and matching starburst earring in each ear. The starbursts feature a skullette in the center. Around her waist is a gold belt showcasing the phases of the moon in the front and studs in the back.

Her last accessory is the most "superheroic". It's a gold, circular shield centered by a purple wolf in outline. The wolf is surrounded by purple moons once again in phases. At the top of the "moon phase circle" is a purple wolf skullette that matches the one on her bodysuit. The perimeter of the shield is lined with more studs. This is an impressive piece, no doubt. It has a vaguely Roman look to it. The outlined wolf reminds me of a drawn constellation while the moon in phases emphasizes this character's wolf-y nature. The shield is made of hard plastic (it feels nice), and has two wide armholes in the back to slide Wonder Wolf's arm through. She holds her shield easily and looks great doing it!

Overall grade: A This is a fantastic doll! Her overall look works on several levels -- as a unique interpretation of the Clawdeen character, as an homage to Wonder Woman, as a postmodern take on the general idea of a classic comic book character. She comes with several cool accessories, particularly that doozy of a shield. The character set up is detailed and fitting for Clawdeen. And we get a really cool comic book, to boot! The only drawback is that my doll has a stiff neck, making it hard to pose her head. It's not as bad as it was with my Robecca dolls, but it's nonetheless a problem that's starting to occur quite frequently on Monster High dolls. Hopefully Mattel is aware of this problem and is trying to correct it. Bottom line: This is a cleverly conceptualized and designed doll. She has a lot of personality and is very beautiful. Mattel got it right with Wonder Wolf.