Comparing the Spider-Man MLI Waves

[greenlucario]

Spider-Man has always been my favorite comic character and the character that got me into Legends. I'm thrilled that there have been two great waves for him so far so I thought It'd be cool to compare the two and see which one offered the better assortment, last year's Ultimate Green Goblin wave or this year's Hobgoblin wave.

 

Green Goblin Wave

• Superior Spider-Man
• Black Cat
• Carnage
• Ultimate Beetle
• Spider-Man (ASM2)
• Electro (ASM2)
• Boomerang
• Toxin
• Spider-Girl (Anya)
• Ultimate Green Goblin (BAF)

Hobgoblin Wave

• Spider-Man (Comic)
• Spider-Man 2099
• Spider-Girl (May)
• Ultimate Spider-Woman
• Daredevil
• Anti-Venom
• Hobgoblin (BAF)

The Green Goblin wave has the following things going for it. The sheer number of characters is pretty awesome, ten figures, eight of which are comic figures, there hasn't been a wave this large since the ToyBiz days. Black Cat, I think I speak for most people when I say that this was not only a much needed re-do but a nearly perfect figure, probably the best of the wave, the second wave really has nothing that can compete with her. Superior Spider-Man was an awesome figure when it first came out in terms of sculpt and providing a new body mold but it had a lot of flaws when it came to comic accuracy that just didn't really allow it to measure up for me. Other figures like Carnage, Boomerang, and Beetle are all worth mentioning and really bring the overall wave up. Carnage is simply brilliant in sculpt and accessories he really looks like he jumped off of the old 90's comic cover where he made his first appearance. Boomerang and Beetle are more or less characters for those looking to flesh out their Spidey collections, but both are solid figures even Beetle who seems to be hated by many for not being his classic look. I personally think this version of Beetle looks more menacing and have really liked the design since it's debut in the Ultimate Comics. On to the BAF, Ult. Green Goblin, wow, for being a straight reuse of the Avengers movie Hulk he really is awesome. The head sculpt is very sinister and the flame effects are excellent. He's not the classic goblin but he is pretty awesome, plus the old Hulk body gets some wicked claws and spikes to top this guy off.

 

The Hobgoblin wave is a little rockier than the Green Goblin wave off the bat. It has Spider-Man 2099 as the much needed re-do but Miguel just can't stack up to Black Cat in terms of being a nearly flawless figure. Where this wave excels is in the figures that people might not be expecting to be good. Spider-Man is probably the best inclusion in the wave, though not my favorite Spidey or even close he fills a needed gap in a new collector's collection. For those not willing to shell out for the legendary McFarlane Spidey or other similarly expensive ToyBiz era Spideys this is the Spidey you need. He's a perfect vanilla Spidey. Not to say that's bad, but he doesn't really fit in any era specifically of Spider-Man comics. He could just as easily be a modern Spidey as a classic one, and that makes him really versatile. Some of this wave feels like it's just swapping one version of a character for another. Anti-Venom while better than Toxin feels like he could have easily been in the previous wave and was only included to be a reuse of parts. Spider-Girl and Ult. Spider-Woman are likewise that way. Don't get me wrong I couldn't be happier that Mayday Parker finally has a Legend but I also feel like people will be on Spider-Girl overload after this. Daredevil was an interesting choice and definitely spurred on by Hasbro trying to move this part of the line away from being Spidey-centric and towards a street-level themed part of the line. I can't say for sure if I prefer this DD to the Face off one but he's quickly growing on me and is a nice addition to anyone's collection. Hobgoblin is one of my all time favorite comic villains but not Phil Urich, Roderick Kingsley all the way. With that in mind this is such an awesome BAF and it definitely tops the Ult. Green Goblin. It's so unique and if I'm not mistaken 100% original in the sculpt department. The wings and the flame sword are what really set the figure apart for me. Hasbro is definitely upping their game when it comes to flame effects, now bring me that Ghost Rider motorcycle already! From the head sculpt to the tunic, to the scale mail skirt and everything in between, Hobgoblin is awesome.

 

So which wave wins? Well here's the breakdown one more time.

• Black Cat vs. Spider-Man 2099
• Carnage, Beetle, Boomerang vs. Spider-Girl, Daredevil, Anti-Venom
• Superior Spider-Man vs. Spider-Man
• Ult. Green Goblin vs. Hobgoblin
• Ten figures vs. Six figures

In terms of redos wave one takes it for Black Cat. In terms of niche characters for fleshing out the collection I'd say it's a tie, maybe the edge to wave one. Wave two takes its first decisive win for its Spidey. Wave two also takes it in the BAF department. Wave one takes it for the number of figures.

 

After tallying the results Wave one is the winner by just a bit. The slight edge is in my opinion due to the combo of Carnage, Beetle, and Boomerang as needed additions to Spidey's rogues gallery. This is however a close one in my opinion. But please share your opinions below, which wave was better? Why?

 

P.S. for those wondering where Agent Venom is, he was left out due to his exclusive nature, he wasn't really part of any official wave.

[Saintjw]

I agree with you, it's a hard call to make but first wave was better, though I like the Spidey in second wave much more, and I think the DD here is superior to any that came before it, as he looks more proportional, I always thought the toybiz Daredevil figures heads were too small, and the the shoulder joints just looked odd. Black Cat, Carnage, Superior Spidey, and Boomerang put wave 1 over the top. But frankly it's just great to be getting such good figures, how about that 3rd wave coming up? WOW!