Each week we select a comic book collectible and take a close look at it. That means taking it out of the packaging. If we're being honest, there hasn't been a lot of really cool looking collectibles in the actual stores. Cruising through the aisles at Toys 'R Us, I came across this exclusive Marvel Universe: Greatest Battles Comic Pack featuring Black Costume Spider-Man and Doctor Doom.
You can see these aren't the ordinary versions of the characters. Even thought it's listed as "Black Costume" Spider-Man, it's not the Venom symbiote. These are the Future Foundation versions, which is obviously why there is an FF comic included.
As far as the exclusive angle, apparently Marvel and Toys 'R Us must figure that Spider-Man is their best selling point because there is a second exclusive two-pack - Spider-Man and Rhino.
We haven't featured too many of the Marvel Universe figures. I've always been torn over them. Because of their smaller scale, it's easier to collect more of them. My problem is sometimes there is a sacrifice in terms of detail.
There's also the price. This two pack retails for just over twenty dollars. The figures themselves usually cost over ten dollars. For a 3 3/4" figure, it just seems they should be cheaper. Some of the joints, especially in the wrists, feel very delicate.
But there is a large variety of different figures. That's the great thing. They are taking advantage of the fact that Marvel has such a huge number of characters.
We've seen many different Spider-Man variant figures. Most of them don't make sense and have nothing to do with actual comics. This one was actually used when Spider-Man was part of the Future Foundation (after the Human Torch "died"). If you're a Spider-Man fan, it's hard not to want to get the different versions, especially when they're pretty cool looking.
Then there's Doctor Doom. Future Foundation Doctor Doom, that is.
Doctor Doom is a great and regal looking character. There's something about him that just looks really cool. The green has always been a crucial part of his look. When he agreed to join the Future Foundation, he went along with the theme of the others and went with a white color scheme.
While Doctor Doom comes with a...gun, Spider-Man comes with a big old bunch of webs.
We have looked at another Marvel Universe set before. There was actually a Future Foundation set consisting of Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Thing and...HERBIE the Robot. It seemed we had to bring them in to get them all together.
So here we have the Fantastic Four. They look cool right. Okay, maybe Sue was misplaced and I didn't get around to actually digging her out. But again, you can see her HERE.
Looks like Reed's pretending Sue is here. What are the chances of someone calling him on it?
Some people love these figures. I'm still on the fence. Some of them are worth getting, even if they might feel a little overpriced. This Spider-Man is pretty cool and how could you not want this Doctor Doom?
Let us know what you think of these figures and this line. We'll be back next time with another selection.
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