Grappling Hook Amazing Spider-Man

When I first saw Hasbro's most recent offering of 3 3/4" Amazing Spider-Man figures, I thought "Great, another avalanche of even more Spider-Man figures to clog up the pegs... haven't they sold us enough of those in the last couple years?"  I was sure the only one I'd pick up would be that killer Ultra-Poseable Movie Series Spidey, but after seeing a review of this Grappling Hook Amazing Spider-Man on YouTube, I started feeling different about the comic series figures in the line. Upon closer inspection, they are much beefier that the last series, and have a "back to the basics" simplicity that's nice. I've said before that for the price of these (this one $7.99 on sale I think) is high, but it seems the more deluxe 3 3/4" Marvel Universe figures are going up in price too, so...

I realized while watching Pixel Dan's review of this figure recently that he's the Manga Spider-Man in the series, a character I'd just read about in Marvel Mangaverse. Sure, he's in the stock buck for the series, unlike the skinny boy from Mangaverse, but he does have big goofy sneakers and short sleeves. And well, he's more like the Mangaverse Spidey than the 70's Manga Spider-Man, Yu Komori. 

While I'd normally say it's a shame about the lack of articulation, I was surprised to find I didn't miss it. He has no bicep or wrist swivels, but he does have hinge-swivel shoulders and elbows that seem to do the trick. Spidey's hips don't rotate, but they do have a wide range forward and back, and he has hinge-swivel knees. His ball jointed neck doesn't have a lot of range, but it's better than a swivel. I couldn't put him down... I was playing with him.

Since he has holes in his soles, you can stand him on a Marvel Universe base for more dramatic poses...

... or just pick him up and fly him through the air like you're eight years old again. Hey, I still take a flyin' leap like this just for fun sometimes  :D

Spidey comes with his grappling hook accessory you can dangle him from- it's mostly useless, but it's kinda fun and kid's love that stuff.

I love the sculpt and paint on this figure! His big eyes remind me of Todd McFarlane's 90's Spider-Man, which I loved, and the insignia on his chest is big and perfectly tamped. Spidey's paint is pretty good, and the borders of red and blue actually incised into the sculpt... love that. The black wash in the carved webbing on his head really looks great; as the other Spidermen in this series have webbed chests, only detailing the head on this variant is a stylistic choice. I enjoy this, the wrapped wrists, and even goofy sneakers... what can I say? I like reinterpretations of classic comic characters.

Grappling Hook Amazing Spider-Man with Ultra-Poseable Movie Series Spidey: I know the latter has better articulation, but I could not pick a favorite between these, honestly...

Who better to battle Spider-Man than my Power Charge Rhino... ?!

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Marvel Select Amazing Spider-Man

I've said before that I really liked the new costume for The Amazing Spider-Man, so when I saw Marvel Select's version come out, I was thrilled. They've been expanding the articulation on these with their last several releases, and where Spider-Man's concerned that's a good thing. For a long time, Marvel Select chose to focus on sculpt and paint, leaving articulation to Hasbro's Marvel Legends. Lately the line has began to blur however, with Hasbro releasing better looking figures, and Marvel Selects getting the kind of joints usually found on the prior. The packing on these is ridiculous in size yes, but I love the side panel art- this one looks particularly ...amazing!

As almost always, Diamond Select produced a nice looking figure. The texture on the suit in extremely detailed, and the paint apps really look good. His eyes are yellow like in the recent feature film and have a subtle honey-comb texture that looks nice in person. I feel like the webbing lines are too thick or raised too high, making the chest area look too busy, and the blue is too light, but he's a cool looking figure overall.

They gave him an extra set of  fisted hands, that are kinda tough to pop off and on- be careful with that forearm peg! I'm unsure if I feel both sets may be slightly large for the body, but they were expertly crafted, and are hinged as well. Nice!

I have yet to see the movie, but the suit looks relatively close to the one Andrew Garfield wore in the previews. Gold eyes would probably have been better, but in person they look more subdued than in my pictures. The lighter blue does show off the suit's texture, and the spider insignia on his back was meticulously sculpted and painted.

I'd describe this figure as very well articulated, capable of many posing options. Spidey has hing-swivel shoulders & hips, the latter sporting an additional swivel at the top of the thighs like a lot of the Hasbro figures. Single hinges in the  elbows, but bicep and forearm swivels with hinge-swivel wrists. Double hinges knees lead down to swivels and Spider-Man's boot tops, and below are hinged ankles that have those wonderful rocker joints to help his feet stay flat. The chest joint has acceptable range from side to side and forward, but doesn't move back much. And I've seen a more expressive ball joint on a Marvel Select- an additional hinge would have been nice since they put them in his wrists.

The figure I picked up has both a loose left hip with a weak knee joint to further complicate the issue, and that's a shame. It didn't stop me from photographing this otherwise awesome action figure, but it was some work. I've had joint issue with a couple Marvel Selects, but it happens in almost every line of action figures.

The base included with Spider-Man is simple but really well done, the air conditioner hanging out of the window really looking used, and the tanished pipes and stained concrete finishing the illusion. Very convincing! I must say, the Diamond delivers some great diorama bases, even if they are somewhat cumbersome. there are pegs in the brick wall, and a slot in back to attach the base to your own wall, which is how I'll display mine.

The first, most obvious comparison would be with my 3 3/4" Hasbro Movie Series Ultra-Poseable Spidey, a great little action figure I found a month ago! The Hasbro Amazing Spider-Man has white eyes, but has silver soles on his feet, like in the movie.

 Marvel Selects are a little bigger than the 6" Legends class action figures, Scarlet Spider produced by Hasbro on the left, and First Appearance Spider-Man on the right, produced by the original Legends toymaker ToyBiz...

My Marvel Select collection continues to grow, three or four still in their packaging. From left to right:  Captain Marvel, Thanos, the Amazing Spider-Man in front of Marvel Select Avengers Hulk, and Stealth Armor Iron Man...

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Marvel Mangaverse

While on vacation at the end of May, I picked up numerous trade paperbacks at half price or better at various sales throughout town, including this Marvel Mangaverse. A compilation of six one-shots published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2002 featuring an alternate Marvel Universe, its characters drawn and portrayed in the Manga style. I read some Manga for the first time only a month before, a couple issues of Spider-Man The Manga my mother got me for my birthday, 90's reprints originally published in the early 70's. I enjoyed these so much I had to pick up Marvel Magaverse when I saw it on sale for seven bucks! There's a great deal of comedy throughout the book, visually and throughout the dialogue. The reimagined heroes of the Marvel Universe are even more colorful and exaggerated than usual- similar to their Western counterparts, but different in their outrageous Manga rendering.

Iron Maiden/Antoinette "Toni" Stark, former S.H.I.E.L.D agent and sister of Tony Stark. Also the current owner of Stark Industries and love interest of Bruce Banner, who is working for her company...

In Spider Scroll, Spider-Man the teenage ninja looks to avenge his Sendai's murder by the villainous Venom as scion of the Spider Clan... !!

The Punisher is featured in a separate storyline, Kind To Be Cruel. Referred to as "Tokyo's kinkiest superhero", this female school principal dresses as a geisha, and induces "punishment" by tickling with feathers and paddling! Hilarious!

The Avengers (Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Vision, & Hawkeye) battle Apocalypse in separate craft that combine to form Ultimate Iron Man...

The Hulk: Dr. Bruce Banner gained the ability to summon gods after being exposed to gamma radiation when reconstructing "the Energy Well" for Stark Industries. A completely separate being, the Mangaverse Hulk is merely summoned into existence by Banner. Like Godzilla, this Hulk is several stories tall, serving the dread Dormammu against the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men & Spider-Man.

Baron Strucker manipulates Sub-Mariner's hatred for Iron Man and the Avengers into his scheme to awake Dormammu..

 In their chapter titled Equinox, The X-Men battle Magnus, who has taken over Colossus' body, depicted as a metal Sumo here. Unlike the mainstream Marvel Universe, the alternate Manga versions of Nightcrawler & Beast join Mystique against Storm, Jean, Cyclops, Wolverine, Psyche, and Rogue (who channels the Dark Pheonix throught con tact with Jean Grey. A fun romp with this scrappy version of the X-Men! Great!

Like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four are somewhat altered in this book, featured in their own chapter and returning at the end to face Strucker, Dormammu, & Hulk. Reed Richards is director of the response team, who utilize augmentation suits to magnify their metatalents. Jonatha Storm is Sioux Storm's half-sister, however, and Richards is a chauvinistic narcissist who uses his elasticity to stretch the neurons within his brain to increase his intelligence. It's pretty funny  :D

 Thor is incarnated using Banner as a focus by Dr. Strange, who quickly dispatches the Hulk and leads the fight against Dormammu...  

All kinds of other Marvel characters make appearances as well: boy genius/rock star Hank Pym who controls ants with his guitar, Wasp, employee of Stark Industries and the creator of W.A.S.P. (Winged Amplification Surge Plasma) which allows her to fly, and Black Panther, who is desired by Dr. Strange's assistant Tigra, to name a few. This was a fun book, and if I run into any of the other volumes, I will undoubtedly purchase them. Some people don't like their heroes' continuity messed with, but I enjoy different interpretations on a theme. Reinventing Marvel's characters was done with great imagination and humor here, and I'd recommend the book to any Marvel fan!

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My Fan Art: Guardian Kal

"Guardian Kal"

14 x 20"

acrylic on 140 lbs. watercolor paper

Here's something different for me- fan art with a cyber mate in hero mode, our own Cal from the Cave of Cool!  I've felt for awhile that Cal would be an interesting subject, and a month ago I got the idea from a pic on his far-out blog with the bearded one peeking through the band on his headphones. It looked as though he were wearing some kind of visor, somehow sparking the thought of our shared enthsiasm for the modern Guardians of the Galaxy. His beard, the whole Cave of Cool mystique, and the many renderings done of him by artists & fellow bloggers who read his frequent postings just lent itself well to my imagination. I spelled his name with a "k" like Kal-El/Superman, as he is sometimes adressed. I imagine Kal recruited by Peter Quill/Starlord to join the reunited team, using his cool wits and raygun (The Fridge) to help battle the dread Dormammu to the death at the North Pole! ...or Manitoba? Or where our new recruit was weaned by wolves in Northern Quebec? So much to work with here, People...

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