{"id":32396,"date":"2016-02-02T22:44:21","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T04:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=32396"},"modified":"2016-02-02T23:41:48","modified_gmt":"2016-02-03T05:41:48","slug":"absorbing-man-week-marvel-legends-venom-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=32396","title":{"rendered":"Absorbing Man Week!
Marvel Legends 2-in-1 Day
Venom Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> “The darkness that blankets this city is nothing. Nothing! Not compared to the shroud that Spider-Man pulled over me! He stole my life… shattered it… then cast it aside like yesterday’s news! So it is only fitting, only fair, that I do the same to him! And I will. Very… very… soon!”<\/em><\/strong> – Eddie Brock, Amazing Spider-Man v1 #298, March 1988. <\/p>\n

\nI\u2019ve reviewed Venom figures before and I imagine I\u2019ve droned on about the symbiote costume a time or two here at IAT. So to keep it short for newcomers: I love the Symbiote Spider-Man costume above all others. Venom, for a long time, was \u201cnot cool\u201d with me because he was a messed up version of that costume. I got over it & now mostly enjoy Venom, but only when he doesn\u2019t have that big, stupid tongue. <\/p>\n

There, that about covers it. Even when I didn\u2019t love Venom, he\u2019s always had a spot in my collection though. I had the tongue-flicking 90s Toy Biz version, the dumb Classics one with the exposed leg, the cooler Legends one made from Sabretooth\u2019s buck, the giant Marvel Select one, Agent Venom, and a whole other host of 5\u201d & 4\u201d ones here and there. I never did get the cool one in the jacket riding the motorcycle though, I always wanted that one. (Do not go to eBay, Do not got to eBay\u2026). <\/p>\n

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I figure, if I didn\u2019t love the character, I could at least kinda get the costume again. When I bought the Select last year, I was pretty smitten. I liked all the extra parts, the level of detail, the size, etc. I thought I was done on the Venom front. And then along came this wave and made me want something I never knew I wanted. An update of the Toy Biz Venom. <\/p>\n

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See, that flicking tongue venom stayed in my collection for a really long time. Granted that he never flicked his tongue, but the rest of him did hang out, kinda smiling & happy to be there filling out my 5\u201d Marvel display. He never really got bumped out by the various Venoms that came later until the Sinister Six box set. It was probably a good decade or so. <\/p>\n

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Marvel Select Venom is a work of art and I\u2019ll probably be keeping both of those for a while, but this Legends Venom, more by necessity than purpose just conjures up good memories of that tongue-flicking toy from my youth. It\u2019s a clean, not overly detailed look \u2013 how I think of the symbiote versus the sometimes veiny, bulging art that gives the Select his great look. This figure has that late 80s smiling head that conveys both otherworldly menace and a guy just happy to get a hot dog at the end of a long day. I didn\u2019t know I\u2019d want that after the awesome Select Venom, but I do. And he rocks. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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He does include a tongue head, of course. I believe the two heads are probably the only new pieces that are unique to him on this otherwise bucked out figure. And while I do prefer the smiling head, I have to admit the tongue head is good. The more snarling expression is great, the teeth are defined, and the tongue isn\u2019t too crazy. Plus, the green \u201cdrool\u201d paint is well done. It\u2019s a good look if you\u2019re into tongues. <\/p>\n

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The articulation is standard for the current crop, ball-joints at the neck, shoulders, wrists, hips, & inverted ankles; swivels at the biceps, waist, thighs, & calves, double-hinged elbows & knees, the ab crunch. The hips are good, but are the one area that\u2019s not great. He\u2019s able to get in some decent Spidey poses despite his bulk. <\/p>\n

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There\u2019s really not much paint needed here. Venom is wonderfully done without any white, blue, or grey, over sprays. He\u2019s just molded in black like the Secret Wars Spidey of old and he looks fantastic as a result. It only took a decade to get them to stop doing those relief highlights. The symbol itself is a little fuzzy on the top edge, but its\u2019s fairly crisp throughout and the black detail lines are spot on. The paint really shines on the head with the bright white eyes and the aforementioned green drool, but also on the closed mouth head where the teeth are individual painted and look great. <\/p>\n

In addition to the extra head, Venom also included alternate hands. He\u2019s gots claws and the fists. This helps his fun factor and his posing range, but I would like to see more in the way of these hands. Hasbro has done a great job on the alternate handed figures and I can\u2019t help but want more here too. <\/p>\n

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Overall, it\u2019s just an era for good Venoms. Hasbro\u2019s smooth buck and the great tongue-less head sculpt have me enjoying having that early Venom on my shelf again. Plus, there\u2019s a great tongue head for all you tentacle folks. Venom is really a great example of how Hasbro his hit their stride. We\u2019ve got an iconic character that looks great despite being just a couple of new parts on their basic brawny buck. At this rate, I feel pretty certain I won\u2019t have many Toy Biz versions of figures in my collection here before too long. <\/p>\n

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For all our Marvel Reviews, check out our Review Index<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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