Titan Hero Series Spider-Man 2099

 

There are some characters I am drawn to that I will often pick up various toy incarnations of, such as Moon Knight, Vision, Martian Manhunter, or as in this case, Spider-Man 2099. Based on the delayed sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, this Across the Spiderverse Titan Hero Series figure is a little different than the original character design, but close enough to hit all the notes I like visually. Hasbro did make a cheaper, simpler Spider-Man 2099 in this series two or three years ago, but it didn't have the incised sculpt on the chest insignia and mask like this new Spiderverse version. This figure surprised me arriving on shelves ten months before we expect to see the summer 2023 film- I'm curious what other product we'll see ramping up to its theatrical release.

The DC Comics figures produced first by Mattel, now Spin Master in this scale, have better articulation than these Hasbro figures, but the ones I have owned had good sculpts. I call this class of figure the "Big Dumb Toy"- meant for the kids to play with, but some adult character fans may latch onto as well.

Below, Titan Hero Series Spider-Man 2099 with my 10" ToyBiz Spider-Man 2099 from the '90s, a favorite toy in my collection. These larger ToyBiz figures from that era served the same purpose as Hasbro's Titan Hero Series, and I've owned many over the years.

My first exposure to the Spider-Man 2099 was 11 years ago reading the Spider-Man 2099, Vol. 1 trade paperback as an adult, having missed its debut in the '90s. And though I may not have the nostalgic attachment that kids 5 - 10 years younger than I, it does evoke that excitement I felt rediscovering comics & action figures as an adult.

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Marvel Legends Spider-Man 2099 (All-New, All-Different)

This second version of the Spider-Man 2099 suit appeared at the end of 2015, part of Marvel's All-New, All-Different , coinciding with the 3rd volume of Spider-Man 2099, featuring Miguel O'Hara, Spider-Man of the future. I read the Spider-Man 2099 Vol.1 TPB ('92-'93), and was delighted when Miguel returned in issue #17 of Superior Spider-Man in December of 2013, but that's about as far as I got. Regardless, I found this figure quite some time ago at a Walgreens way out in the county- though I'm a big fan of Miguel's original costume, this figure caught my eye.

While addition hands and an unmasked Miguel O'Hara head would have been a welcome inclusion to this figure, it is pretty fantastic in sculpt and paint detail. And his articulation is fantastic, the highlight being Spider-Man's deep butterfly joints at the shoulders. I've heard this was the buck used on Sunfire, but I've not yet unboxed mine to compare. I'll always regret not picking up the original Spider-Man 2099, but I am loving this version.

Below, Spider-Man 2099 with the Marvel Legends Big Time Spidey 

from my last post, and Iron Man 2020 from another recent post...

Below, Spider-Man 2099 with Spider-Gwen, and the running change 

in this Marvel Legends Sandman wave, Spider-UK...

Below, Spider-Man 2099 with my Marvel Legends Infinity War Iron Spider...

And finally, Spider-Man 2099 with my Gamerverse Velocity Suit Spider-Man 

and Spider Armor Mark III form the recent Marvel Legends Demogoblin Wave...

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Amazing Spider-Man 30th Anniversary Issues, 1992

Back in 1992, Marvel was printing issues by the millions to satisfy the glut of speculators buying comics in multiples, hoping to see an increase on their investment. But as Stan Lee poignantly remarked, what made Golden-Age comics worth so much was their rarity, and because of that I can find these Amazing Spider-Man 30th Anniversary issues in the dollar bins. Comics nearly didn't survive the speculative bubble created, with about two thirds of all the specialty shops closing their doors, and Marvel Comics declaring bankruptcy finally in 1997. 

Artist Mark Bagley's rendering of Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #375, originally a Spider-Man costume design conceived by an Illinois fan, used in the 1984 Secret Wars storyline. Later written into Marvel lore as Venom by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane in 1988, the character has become one of Spider-Man's most popular enemies among readers.

But in 1992, Marvel was churning out these foil embossed and holographic covers to entice collectors, which have retained a fraction of their retail value. In all fairness, I was entertained by the multiple feature issues of The Amazing Spider-Man and Web of Spider-Man, the latter of which had a really fun gatefold poster of Spider-Man and his 2099 counterpart by artist Rick Leonardi, then a brand new character that seems to have enjoyed a nostalgic renaissance of sorts in recent years. 

Amazing Spider-Man #365 included a preview of this futuristic Spider-Man, and a Stan Lee penned/John Romita Sr. penciled story "I Remember Gwen", centered around Mary Jane's ruminations on the tragic circumstances surrounding Peter Parker's late girlfriend and her own relationship with the webslinger. Among other featurettes, including the return of the Lizard and Peter Parker's parents in "Fathers and Sins",  #365 also had it's own Carnage/Venom gatefold by artist Mark Bagley, who's style I admired in the day, along with along with that of fellow Spider-Man artist Erik Larsen.

Web of Spider-Man #90 had the best story, in which Mysterio tricks Spider-Man into believing his career is run by an agent who booked his first appearance as the masked webslinger all those years ago when trying his powers out as a wrestler. Illusions of the Green Goblin, Galactus, the X-Men, Venom, and even the dearly departed are used in attempt to bring our hero down! Spectacular Spider-Man #189 was my least favorite of these, Harry Osborn's return to his father's legacy as Green Goblin threatening Peter Parker's secret identity as well as his own family's safety. Sal Buscema delivers on the art, but the melodrama between Osborn and his estranged wife and child didn't interest me. Amazing Spider-Man #375 seemingly concluded Venom and Spider-Man's ongoing rivalry in "The Bride of Venom". Eddie Brock's ex-wife, the Wild Pack, and Peter Parker's fugitive parents also make appearances in this issue preceding Venom's first solo run in the six issue Venom: Lethal Protector.

Web of Spider-Man #90: the Venom symbiote takes over a movie prop Galactus in Mysterio's illusory assault on Spider-Man.

Pencils by Alex Saviuk.

I just love anniversary and "giant-sized" issues, old and new, even if all the content isn't that great. It may be my deep love of the medium at play here, but these kinds of books often entertain some "what if" elements and/or take a character to a different place. I bought very few comics during this era, a poor art student at the time, but had fun absorbing this slice of Spidey from the early '90s recently. Did you have any of these 30th Anniversary issues, or maybe buy two of each in hopes it would appreciate in value ...?

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Spider-Man 2099 Art Print by J.Alonzo Clark...

Met a great artist at Project Comic Con this past weekend, J. Alonzo Clark, and picked up a print of his- Spider-Man 2099! I'm a big fan of the character since I read Vol.1 of the Spider-Man 2099 TPB, and seeing his recent appearance in the Marvel NOW! Superior Spider-Man title had me excited all over again! Mr. Clark also makes custom helmets & shields, and is a cosplayer/actor and stuntman as well. His booth was impressive, and service done with a smile.  Check out his Facebook page for more images of this talented man's work and extraordinary costumes!

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Hey, Mr. Postman... Again!

Wow, more toys came in the mail today! 2012 is gonna be a great year  :D  Yes, more of the 10" ToyBiz Deluxe figures from the 90's. As I said in my last post, while I was not into action figures when these hit the shelves, there is something nostalgic about these big dumb toys. They're simple, colorful, and FUN!

These two Spider-Man figures in particular are hard to come by, the asking price often ranging from forty to eighty clams. Luckily, some dork is always selling low in January on eBay, likely in attempt to pay off some holiday debt. The Wall Hanging Spider-Man came in his 1994 ToyBiz window box with a KayBee price sticker on it, $11.99 marked down to $5.99! This "chase" or variant version I scored for ten bucks has reverse coloring on the red/black sections of his outfit- really cool! He has suction cups attached to his wrist, supposedly to attach to a window or mirror- can't wait to try that  :)

Equally difficult to find is the 10" ToyBiz Spider-Man 2099, which I won for $8.50 loose. The boxed ones I've seen on eBay just go for too much. Sure, the shipping was ten bucks each on these two, but that's still a rare deal on gems like these. I'm thrilled  :D  I love the cloth web cape/air foil attached to his neck with a plastic clip. I enjoyed reading the Spider-Man 2099 trade paperback this summer, which left me wanting more stories of the future webslinger!

So if you're guessing I scored I scored even more of these babies on eBay this week, and that you'll be sifting through several posts on them in the near future, you'd be correct  :D  I was feeling so optimistic about the way things are going that I put a new display shelf in the apartment:

Might as well swing by the Hulk shelf & see how things are going... oh yeah  :D

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Spider-Man 2099 "Vol. 1"

Spider-Man 2099 Vol.1 is a trade paperback collection of issues #1-10 of this title that is tied into Marvel Comics' Marvel 2099 series that began in 1992, which explores a possible future of the fictional Marvel comic book universe where several characters a re-imagined therin. Set in New York, 2099 A.D., geneticist Miguel O'Hara accidentally rewrites half his DNA in the genetic code of an arachnid in attempt to recreate the powers of the original Spider-Man in his test subjects.

The powers of Spider-Man 2099 have similarities and differences than those of the Peter Parker Spider-Man. While they both have the proportionate strength, speed, and agility of a spider, Miguel O'Hara has no spider-sense to alert him to impending threat, relying instead on enhanced vision and hearing, as well as ability to see in complete darkness, to circumvent danger. Miguel clings to surfaces with his hands and feet due to talons protruding from his fingers & toes, and possesses natural spinnerets within his forearms that shoot webbing, more like a real spider. Additionally, venom glands and pronounced canine teeth developed in his mouth, and when Miguel bites a foe, a toxin is released that temporarily paralyzes. Due to his metabolism, Miguel's powers give him increased vitality, resistance to injury, and allow him to heal much faster than a normal human. (Wikipedia)

The dystopia of New York at the turn of 22nd centry finds large corporations governing society, and the divide in the social classes a matter of economics. Upon realizing his role in the death of a human test subject, employee O'Hara realizes his position as head of the genetics program at megacorporation Alchemex cannot be left, having been tricked into taking a terminally addictive drug that only Alchemex can legally distribute. Hence, Vice President Tyler Stone has O'Hara essentially blackmailed into continuing research for Alchemex in continued work on the new corporation-controlled super-powered soldiers. A jealous coworker's sabotage of the machines used in altering genetic code turn O'Hara into a "spider-man" when he sneaks into the lab to experiment on himself.

The employee Vs. Evil corporation theme is most pertinent today in a country where our ecomony depends on the health of several, perhaps too large companies, the divide between the wealth & the poor grows every year, and our legislative system is controlled & corrupted by commerce at the very footsteps of Capitol Hill. Like Orwell's 1984, Spider-Man 2099 is not a new idea, still it's frightening today how real a possibility this could soon be. I'ts possible we need the hero that Miguel O'Hara forgets his former, elitist self to become now more than ever.

While Miguel has a lot of the brainy spunk of Peter Parker, it's a fun romp with a different Spider-Man and an inventive idea. It suffers little from the age it was created, and the pencil work of Rick Leonardi is pretty good. Having largely ignored comics from the last twenty years, I was completely unaware of this other version of Spider-Man. My return to reading when I began this blog not even a year ago has been a lot of fun as there is so much to catch up on, and I'm glad I discovered this title. Better late than never!

*See my earlier post on the Hasbro Marvel Universe Spider-Man 2099 figure pictured above, and my post of him with my other two Marvel Universe Spider-Man figures!

Three Little Spiders...

I intended to review these three Marvel Universe Spider-Man action figures all in one post, but I took over 200 photos of  them, both individually and with other Spider-Man figures in my collection. In this post, I wanted to share a few of the group shots & outtakes from that photo session- Enjoy!

Front to back, 3 Little Spiders: Spider-Man 2099, House of M Spider-Man, & Scarlet Spider... 

Marvel Universe House of M Spider-Man, Marvel Legends 1st Appearance Spider-Man, & 9" Origins Spider-Man...

Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Spidey Right Over!

Marvel Universe Scarlet Spider, Marvel Legends Scarlet Spider, Marvel Universe House of M Spider-Man, Marvel Legends 1st Appearance Spider-Man, Marvel Universe Spider-Man 2099, Marvel Legends Spider-Man (black outfit)

Have a Great Weekend- Make It Fun!