![]() Okay, let’s be real up-front here: that bio up there? About everything I know about Typhoid Mary. “One of Mary Walker’s three distinct identities, Typhoid Mary is a brutal combatant with the disturbing ability to set things on fire with her mind.” And, above all, I just can’t help but enjoy this set as a whole. ![]() Poison and Typhoid Mary, on the other hand, far exceeded my expectations, with Poison in particular being my favorite of the bunch. Scream, my other big want, is decent, but nothing to write home about. Spider-Ham, the figure I most wanted, is the set’s biggest disappointment for me. I wasn’t even sure I’d be completing this figure, but All Time got them in, and I’m an easy mark. Going in, I was only interested in the Build-A-Figure and two of the six figures required to build it. This assortment is kind of an interesting experience. Thanks to my friends at All Time Toys (from whom you can still order 5 of the 6 figures in this series) I was able to get a full set put together and get myself a Monster Venom assembled. Of course, as soon as he was shown off, I was incredibly impressed, and knew right away I wanted one. When the figures from this assortment were initially shown off, the name “Monster Venom” started floating around for the Build-A-Figure, but exactly what that name meant was a little unclear, so I had no idea if I’d be getting this one or not. Monster Venom has no accessories, but given his size and status as a Build-A-Figure, that’s not a surprise, or a let-down. He also gets the slightly tweaked logo that Gargan’s Venom sported, which gives him a more unique appearance from the main Venom, but is still close enough for the casual observer to recognize. It gives him a seriously alien vibe, and definitely is a good match for more recent depictions of the character. Even Monster Venom’s coloring is a step-up from the standard version rather than the straight black and white of the basic Venom, Monster Venom is done up in this sick metallic purple. They definitely stepped up their articulation game here. In fact, there are a number of deep poses he can get into that his smaller counterpart struggles with. On top of that, though, his articulation’s not nearly as restricted as you’d expect it to be. He’s absolutely huge, easily living up to the “Monster” part of his name. ![]() And then there’s the general build of the figure. He’s got tendrils coming from his back and shoulders, and thanks to the unique sculpt, they don’t have to be one piece that plugs into a single port like on the smaller figures, allowing them to be worked in much more smoothly. On any other character, this would look ridiculous, but on Venom it’s nothing short of amazing. The body is covered in veins, just all over the place, to insane levels. The head takes the tongue-flicking head from the last Venom release, and dials that up to 11, with a practically unhinged jaw, a wildly moving tongue, and everyone of his teeth out for the whole world to see. And what a mold it is! If you felt that the standard Venom was a touch too simplistic, or basic, or just not dynamic enough, hoo boy is this the figure for you. Monster Venom’s nature as a Build-A-Figure allows him to not only be a much more massive figure than a single release, but also, by virtue of having his cost spread out across an entire assortment, allows for him to a completely unique mold. The figure stands 7 3/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation. Of course, this allows him to keep the more classic Venom eyes, which I’m more of a fan of anyway. He looks to be based on Mike Deodato’s version from Thunderbolts, as he lacks the actual “eyes” that most artists gave Mac. He’s patterned not on an Eddie Brock version of Venom, but instead on Mac Gargan’s time in the symbiote from a few years back. Monster Venom is the Build-A-Figure for the new Venom-themed assortment of Marvel Legends. We haven’t seen a truly monstrous Venom at his most absurd in quite some time, if ever. Hasbro’s standard take on Venom does its best to be a moderate take on the character, but ultimately airs more on the smaller side. His proportions relative to Spider-Man became much more exaggerated, as he became an imposing figure rivaling the likes of the Hulk (who had, admittedly, undergone a bulk-up of his own over the years). However, as art styles changed over the course of the ‘90s, Venom became more and more extreme. Like with Peter Parker, the symbiote didn’t initially do much to alter Eddie Brock’s physique at all. When he first appeared, he was a slightly bigger than average, but not particularly huge character. Venom’s a character that’s had a number of divergent design styles over the years.
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