Marvel Mashems
These squishy little balls of grossness came out at the end of last year – since I have not taken them out of the package I cannot tell you if they are sticky or just look that way… I will say that these were generously donated to the Hulk room by my favorite nephew. Some say only nephew – and while they are not wrong – he’s still my favorite too.
The New Hulk Hands... sadly...
Yes, so far most of the Avengers Hulk items have been pretty disappointing – BUT – I figured that there was no way to screw up Hulk fists! I mean, even the fists that came out in 2008 – although inferior to the 2003 fists – were still pretty good. With 2012 you’d think that we’d get something amazing… instead we get no wrists, smaller hands and - adding insult to injury – they make no noise.
The look good... but are way too small... and way too quiet
You read that right – they make NO HULK NOISES! Why?!?!? What the hell is up with that? That’s the best part of the original two Hulk fists releases! You hit someone and they growled! They smashed! These do nothing of the sort. Is Hasbro even trying here? Comeon! Well, at least we have the Lego set to look forward to!
Hulk Fist! And it's little brother?
Thank you Mr. Thomas!
Yeah – a few weeks ago we discussed who the Original Defenders are – and here is a statement from Roy Thomas – you know – the guy who FIRST WROTE THE DEFENDERS IN MARVEL FEATURE #1! Yeah – he proves that my initial declaration is correct… the original Defenders are Strange, Namor and the Hulk 
Hulk Bean Basher!
These little guys are making their way on to the shelves – they are small little bean bag characters – seriously now, way too cute to be left in the store! They have a Spidey, IM and Hulk – I think I have seen Wolverine too…
Just Chillin'
Yes, I know I said I was going to post the new Hulk hands from the Avengers line – but I forgot to upload the pics and I am in the middle of watching the Oscars so I am not getting up to get the camera. I will do it tomorrow - this time I swear it will be done! Alright, let’s go The Descendants!
Hulk looks like he's ready for a mighty... nap
So far we have been given a whole lot of “ehh” as Hulk figures keep hitting the shelves. This will be the year that the Hulk may be known as “soft”. He has got to start hitting the gym again! He’s practically doughy! Listen, somehow it actually does make a bit of sense that the Hulk may get less defined as time goes by. I mean, that’s what happens!
The mouth does open - although he does not say anything...
Consider people who work with weights – they constantly have to change their routine so that their body does not get used to the workout – because sooner or later the workout becomes less and less effective. Your body just becomes used to the constant strain and no longer responds to the weights. So, like I said, I can see where Whedon might think that this makes sense.
But this is the friggin’ Hulk, man! He never gets soft! Beef him up Whedon! Just because you’re a pasty puff-ball doesn’t mean everyone needs to be!
Size comparison with the ML Hulk
As far as this figure – it’s more of the same – less articulation, less defined – all together LESS impressive then the movie toys that came before. Grade: C-
Is the Hulk a master at the Lambada?
The new Marvel magnet releases are pretty ingenious. They took great covers that displayed two characters and made each so that you HAVE to buy both! Well, you don’t have to – but it would be silly not to! As for the selection – they have one of the best covers around – Silver Surfer #4 featuring both the Surfer and Thor.
The new and old Hulk release
For the Hulk they paired him up with Wolverine and you can recreate the cover to #181. Not the best cover – especially with the stance the Hulk is in – but undoubtedly one of the more famous covers.
#181: RE-CREATED IN MAGNET FORM!
One Hulk Ball... so lonely...
I am not sure what to say other than I bought some Hulk balls! These little balls are based on the bubble head toys we were given last year – except now? They are squishy and you can throw them at people!
Twins!
And why not? Who wouldn’t like a few Hulk balls flying at their face? I could easily put both Hulk balls in my mouth – they are that small! It’s easy to carry the Hulk balls where ever you want to go – and let me tell you – nothing says cool like having a set of Hulk balls!
Separated at birth!
Is that enough double entendre? No? One more? Okay… Now that I have a set of Hulk balls I want to go play with them! There that should do it!
Please stop Whedon from talking!
The pic above has a link to a quick article about Whedon and Ruffalo’s talk about who the Hulk should be in the upcoming Avengers movie. He said he wanted to style it after Bixby from the 70′s TV show (like Norton did) except that he thinks this is an original idea (but it’s not because Norton already said that’s what he did). It’s a little bothersome that these movie directors don’t bother looking for inspiration from the Bruce Banner of the comics. Whedon also said that Banner should be more interested in helping people – rather than looking for a cure – like the old TV show. Did Whedon ever watch the TV show? David Banner was all about trying to find a cure! In fact – that was HOW he was trying to help people – by finding a cure to the monster HE created! He’s wasn’t a one-man A-team! He helped most people inadvertently! He wasn’t looking to get into a brawl and Hulking out, teaching the bad guys a lesson! That was the farthest thing from David Banner’s mind! Man, Whedon, I love your Buffy stuff, but when you decide to wax poetic about the Hulk, you end up sounding stupid.
Smart Hulk Squinkie
There are a couple new Hulk Squinkies out – and amazingly I have yet to pay for one of these things! They are somewhat adorable and squishy… what other reasons could you possible need to own them?
Superhero Squad Hulk
So yeah – there is a Merged Hulk and a Superhero Squad Hulk – the only thing is to get them you have to buy a whole set of Marvel Squinkies – which cost like, 10 bucks – and I don’t even know how many you get in the package. But like I said – if people want to keep giving these to me I am VERY happy to take them!
The Whole Gang!
Click on the image and then read the comments below the pic - especially the 4th one by Jason - it’s still funny to me thinking about it.
The Original Ghost Rider vs The Incredible Hulk #18
With all the talk about Gary Friedrich lately I was a little buzzed to find the above little gem! Yes, it’s something I have been looking for and was refusing to simply pick up off of ebay. I wanted to find this issue in a long box somewhere – and this week I did! Not to mention I found this gem:
The Punisher Kills the MU! First Print!
That’s right! The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe! Yes, both copies of the books are not in great condition – but who cares! Score is a score I say!
Oh yeah – picked this up too…
2nd print to issue #3
Gamma Strike Hulk
Boy, my TRU is just filling up with Avengers stuff! While I picked up the figure and Minni Muggs last week, I walked into my TRU today and they had this big guy! Well, “big” may not be the right word. He’s certainly bigger than the regular figures but it’s much smaller than the 12″ roto-cast toys we had in years past. In fact – he’s the same size as the Wal-Mart exclusive 8″ that we had in 2008 – just with a lot less articulation and detail but WITH a voice box.
Hello Mar,,, I mean Hulk
The Positive: Well, like I stated – this guy comes with a voice box! He says “Hulk smash… Hulk smash Thor! (Crash!)… Let’s go smash!… Hulk ready for fight!” Now – look where the quotation marks begin – and where they end. That’s right – he says all those things – one after another – with one press of his poorly defined abs. He also says “You want more?”, “Avengers Assemble!”, “Nothing can stop the Hulk!” When you squeeze his legs together he growls – then there is more smashing and car alarms (car alarms?!? Yes, car alarms) and after a moment he says “Let’s go smash!… Hulk ready for fight!” I do like the voice – it’s better than ony of the talk toys we got with the 2008 movie.
Is this supposed to be hair? Scars? Acne marks?
Also – the head sculpt is really nice looking. The expression isn’t full of rage – but they didn’t make the mistake of sculpting him with an open “screaming” mouth. I think the body could have been a little more defined – and the larger figure has ll these little lines scored all over the body. I am not sure if that’s better or not – but it certainly isn’t a negative.
This or That
The Negative: I think the toys for this movie are more aimed toward children than they are collectors. The best toy lines are the ones that toe that line perfectly – this toy line is leaning too much to one side. These toys are less detailed, less articulated and over all less impressive than the lines of the past.
The body on the Hulk is a little soft – not ripped enough – and on some spots look downright flabby. Hey – I get that this is a different Hulk – but why are we getting a Hulk who’s a little out of shape? Not to mention – this figure – you can’t really pose him except standing there. Both of the arms move together, you can’t twist him at the waist – you can’t even bend his knees! The price, again, a little high, is $22.99 for an action-less action figure. But hey – at least we’re not getting another “light up cross-eyed” version of the Hulk!
Come at me, bro!
The Conclusion: So far the best thing we’ve gotten from the Avengers line is the Mini Muggs. If you are not a fanatic like me – don’t bother picking this guy up. Grade: C
Looks... promising?
Stay Angry… sounds a lot like that movie Crank… let’s hope it’s better than that movie… and better than the garbage he’s writing now. Click the image for more info.
Hulk Mini Mugg
For some reason – maybe I just wasn’t paying attention – but I thought we were getting full sized Muggs again. So I was a little disappointed when I saw what we were actually getting. That being said – I had to change my perspective and review what we have rather than what I thought I was getting! So:
Both Releases
The Positive: I know these muggs aren’t exactly known for their sculpts because they all come from the same mold (that’s part of their charm, IMO) so these little guys have to be based solely on their paint-ups. One of the best things is to see that they didn’t double dip. Each little fig has a new design!
Mini Mugg - smaller than a Mighty Mugg
For a second I thought that the Hulk that came in the Hulk/Abomination 2-pack was the same as the Hulk that came in the Avengers 5-pack – but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it is a new paint up as well. They gave the new Hulk angry eyes rather than the wide open “What did I just eat?” eyes.
Similarly, the singular Hulk has sort of a classic, Kirby feel to it. The troglodyte, inquisitive look on his face screams silver-age to me. The olive color isn’t exactly my favorite – but it looks good on this little guy.
"Honey! The kids are acting up again!"
Abomination has a decent design as well – believe it or not they did paint on ears – he looks very Killer Croc-ish - but without adding to the sculpt there wasn’t much they could do to avoid that. I am psyched about these 2-packs because it gives us an enemy for the Hulk – something the original Muggs never gave us.
Hulk has that sort of "I crapped my pants" look...
The Negative: It seems like I have been complaining over and over about the prices of things these days.. and… well, this won’t be any different. While the singles are $6.99 the two packs are $15.99. The math doesn’t add up there – if one is $7 shouldn’t 2 be $14? I think the singles should be $4.99 IMO – but I can accept the $6.99 price but the two packs? That’s harder to swallow.
Like his ears are pinned back against his head!
Nevermind the price for a second, I like these new additions to the Muggs collection – the smaller size makes them cuter – I just really wish they were able to add ears onto the Abomination rather than just painting them on. Painting them on doesn’t really help distinguishing the Abom from some other monsters – and it gives me a strange unfortunate deju-vu feeling from the ear-less Abomination from the 2008 movie.
Conclusion: If you don’t mind being fleeced on the price – which obviously I did not – then these are definite pick ups! Grade: B+
Posted in Green Hulk, Hulk Action Figure, The Abomination
Tagged 2012, Abomination, Avengers, Mighty Marvel Muggs
