Pulp Arcana Studios: Mighty Marvel March- We Are Venom

Mighty Marvel March!

We Are Venom: Marvel Legends Gamerverse Venom

Howdy Planeteers, and welcome to Mighty Marvel March!

This month, here at the Pulp Arcana Studios corner of Fanboy Planet, we’re going to be doing something special: looking at a number of figures representing characters from Marvel. Comics, movies, games, it’s all in play as we look at some of the more recent additions to the Marvel figure lines.

Admittedly, I kind of have a soft spot for anti-heroes. Perhaps it is my inner-edgelord, but there is something about a conflicted, dark avenger doing the right things for the wrong reasons that captures my imagination. One of the most iconic representations of this trope is Marvel Comics’ Venom.

Originally a Spider-Man villain, the alien symbiote known as Venom and its current host (usually Eddie Brock, but a lot of people have taken their turn in the goo) have evolved into a classic fan-favorite anti-hero. With a striking yet simple design and those horrific slavering jaws, Venom has captured hearts through comics, animation, movies, and video games.

It is the video game version, specifically from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 game, that this figure recreates. Let’s take a look at Venom and see if this version of the monstrous symbiote is hero…or villain.

A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief:

Artifact Identified:

Venom

Marvel Legends Gamerverse

Hasbro

OUT OF THE CRATE:

Great googly-moogly, this is one big chunky boy.

Just one look at the box for this figure let’s you know that this is not your average, run-of the mill Marvel Legend. It didn’t fit in the photo light box that I use for my reviews. The packaging itself is definitely big, and, with the clear window, you can see that our boy Venom is big as well.

Moving away from the typical black of Marvel Legends packaging, the Gamerverse line goes with a white package with red accents. If you are an in-box collector, it stands out on the shelf. Whether a positive or a negative, that’s for you to figure out. It is clean and well-designed, with a nice piece of art on the back. The front is dominated by that clear window, allowing full view of the figure and his accessories.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:

Ok, let’s state the obvious. This Venom is huge.

Now, I know we already noticed that with the size of the box, but when you get the figure in hand, he seems weirdly even larger. He is massive, absolutely dwarfing other 6 inch scale figures. He is so large that he borders on the impractical. His size does really sell the absolutely monstrous power that Venom is capable of though

This is the second absurdly large figure I have reviewed from Marvel’s Gamerverse line. The first was the truly weird and utterly delightful Gargantos. That figure was exceptional, and this is shaping up to be as well. It seems the Marvel Legends team has really got these big monstrous figures dialed in.

The figure comes with two different heads. The one that comes in the box is a closed-teeth grin. It is fangs and cruel delight, and I really like it. It has so much more character to it than I thought it would. Really a nice, standard head.

It also gets completely overshadowed by the second head. This is a more typical look for Venom, with the jaws wide-open and that signature tongue extended. It looks fantastic, but there is a particular accessory that puts it over the top. A small clear piece fits over the tongue and behind the teeth in the jaws to give the appearance of dripping saliva. It is gross in the best possible way, and elevates this head to a wild savagery that transforms the character. This is not the sometime-superhero version of Venom. This is a slavering monster, ready to devour anyone in his path. It is a smart bit of accessory that elevates the impact of the figure. I hope whoever came up with this little gem got a raise.

Also included are two closed fists, so you can replace the open clawed hands that he comes with, and symbiote tentacle. This tentacle is fantastic. It plugs with the peg system the hands use and looks like it is coming right out of the forearm. Even better, the tendrils are pliable enough where you can fit a 6 inch figure in them and have Venom hold them up. Absolutely cool.

MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:

I mentioned above I think the Marvel Legends team has these big monstrous figures dialed in, and this is absolutely proven true the second you start to pose Venom. The joints are buttery smooth, even without heat. He holds poses really well, and quite honestly, moves better than any figure this size has a right to. It is very much the standard articulation you get with a normal 6 inch Marvel Legend, but at an exponentially larger size.

The head movement is where we hit some limitations. While it is serviceable, I would have loved a little more movement in the head and neck, in order to really get some expressive poses. However, there are excellent butterfly joints at the shoulders and double jointed elbows and knees. Combined with thigh and bicep swivel, there is great movement at the limbs.

The abs are interesting. There is an ab crunch and an upper ab cut. These are good, but they don’t quite give as much movement as I thought they might. This may just be tightness in my particular figure, and it is not super limiting, but it is not quite what you might hope for, seeing the joint cuts.

The feet have a toe hinge, which is nice. However, it needs to be mentioned that, due to the sheer size and mass of Venom, the more you get him into a pose, the less likely he is going to be able to stand on his own. When he is fairly upright, he stands great on his own, but when you shift the center of gravity a bit, he will definitely fall over. This is absolutely understandable when you are dealing with a figure this large, and with enough posing finesse, you can definitely make things work. But if you intend to push the articulation, say for a photo, you are going to want some sort of stand available to help you out.

RECOVERED EVIDENCE:

FINAL RECKONING:

This figure is an absolute statement piece. He will dominate a shelf, for sure. And that may be the one area where I struggle with this Gamerverse Venom. He is so massive that I kept running into some limitations with him. Getting him to fit in frames for photos, or finding shelf space for him. Arguably though, that is more my issue than Venom’s. As a figure, he is fantastic. He looks great, moves better than he has any right to, and has some great, transformative accessories.