Marvel Collector Corps: 3 Villains and a Comic

Loot Crate’s theme, a couple of boxes ago, was the villains. Now it’s Marvel Collectors Corp to show what villains it can box up. Your comic book geek mind can go anywhere in the universe when you hear the word “villains” in association with Marvel Comics. 

The box seems a little lighter than the past boxes. I don’t know if it’s because there seems to be less in the box or what’s in the box is, for the most part, is disappointing.

By now everyone knows I like the boxes, the container the stuff comes in. I like to see what art is inside. So far, the villain box has used the interior art the best because it uses different panels from different artists. At the same time, it illustrates (pardon the pun) what’s disappointing about  the rest of the box. 

There’s an Iron Man comic book included in the villains box. It’s an odd choice for a villain themed box. It’s not odd because it’s Iron Man, it’s odd because it’s a good guy comic book. Why not have a comic book dedicated to a villain? It’s not like Marvel hasn’t had a series with a villain in the title before. If everything in the box is 100% exclusive then someone had to write and draw the Iron Man comic. Why not take both the talents and have them a write and draw a villain comic? Use a villain not in the box, like the Absorbing Man or Green Goblin.

The t-shirts haven’t been a big draw for me and the villain t-shirt is no exception. It’s an extra large, but it fits like a medium at best. Before you say anything, it’s not because I’ve gained weight. The shirts are cut way too small. I’ll be ordering a 2X large next time.

The other thing I dislike about the shirt is the design or, I should say, the lack of design. Personally, I think a t-shirt can be more than just some art and words slapped on a piece of fabric. With the exception of the Avengers shirt, the shirts have been uninspired. The  villain shirt is just villains slapped on a shirt with some scribble next to each character. Adding insult to injury are the words “Marvel Villains” in the center of the shirt. Some may like the design, but I won’t be wearing this in public anytime soon.

Things should improve once the comic book and the t-shirt are out of the way, right? Sadly, this is not to be the case.

The villain box includes another Dorbz. Although the Loki Dorbz is bigger than the previous Utron Dorbz included in the Avengers box, it’s still a Dorbz. The cuteness of the Dorbz doesn’t really do anything for the collector in me. It reminds me of a new wave nesting doll. I’m sure there are a lot of folks that like the Dorbz and will like this one too.

The box also includes a Venom keychain. The Venom looks like a duplicate of the Venom Pop, but much smaller. I don’t not like it, but I wish it would have been a mini and not a keychain. It’s easy to see after a few visits in the pocket of your jeans that the paint will start to scratch off the little guy. However, it’s a nice little piece and deserves to be displayed. I’ve got a few  keychains based on Milo Manara characters dangling on pegs in the office. This keychain will make a nice addition. You can still see the character and not worry about paint being scratched off or other damage.

The best piece of the box, and the redeemer of the box, is the Morbius the Living Vampire Pop. When I was growing up I thought Morbius was the creepiest, coolest thing ever. As an adult, reading back over his storyline, the Morbius story seems really lame. He was a “pseudo-vampire”- He had the power flight, needed blood to live, and had super strength, but he wasn’t allergic to crosses and garlic. He wasn’t a real vampire, but  enough of vampire to fight Spider-Man and Blade a couple of times.

The Morbius Pop isn’t silly though. This Pop is probably one of the best Pops to come out in a long time. It’s more distinctive than many Pops that share the same mold. In addition to the large red eyes, the brow is bulged out and not flat which adds to the evil grimace on the face. His ears are perhaps the first thing someone may notice because they pop out of the long black hair. Upon closer inspection, you will find the nose and the goatee beard pop out too.That’s a lot of pop for a Pop. The little guy  even wears the same 70’s inspired jumpsuit.

The Morbius Pop saves this box from being a dull box. It’s not that the box seems to be lighter than past boxes, even though it does, that makes this box the worst one to come out, but the choices of villains. I can’t think of any movies coming out that need to be cross-marketed with these particular characters.

Is it because these characters are hot in the Marvel Universe right now? Venom has always been a fan favorite and Loki is probably a favorite thanks to the Avengers movie, but Morbius? The character choice is uninspired when you think about ALL the villains that could have been used over these three. How about adding in a mini of the Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus? One more piece would have made this box on par with the others and added another villain.

Overall, I can’t recommend this box to anyone.