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Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Spider-Girl
Kudos once again to Hasbro for really putting in that extra effort to really sell new fans on this figure. Let's take a minute to review this marketing genius to see how Hasbro does it. First off let's have a look at the front of the package. Very typical window box format that most legends come in. Typically the front is where you may find the name of the character that is within, but the only name I can see, likely due to the fact that it is the largest font is “SPIDER-MAN”. Well that makes no sense. I mean, this is a girl in a spider costume, but not a Spider-MAN as noted. Thankfully I’ve amassed a collection of Marvel Legends and know that the figure's name is often found below the main heading in the subtext, but not going to find much help there as it says “Web Slinging Heroine”. Well at least they confirmed her sex. Lastly on the face of the package, in the top hand corner, it states that she belongs to Marvel's Venom Build A Figure wave. So 2 character names on the package and still no idea who the figure inside is.
Thankfully, the back of the package provides us a bit more detail as to who we are buying. According to the red text that blends nicely (/S) with the red background that this is in fact Spider-Girl which is odd because I already have multiple Spider-Girl figures that look nothing like this one. Perhaps a quick read of the bio on the package will clear this confusion up.
It reads: These fierce females fight for justice with quick reflexes, super strength and classic web slinging action. Well, that is just maddeningly unhelpful. Well, I’m already this far down the rabbit hole, time to figure out who Spider-Girl really is. An oddly long Google search brought me to the Wal-Mart.ca buy and sell page for this figure where it is received that this is actually Ashely Barton (as in Hawkeye Barton) and she also goes by the name “Spider Bitch”. Now I didn’t do a ton more research, but learned that one iteration of the character is featured in the “Mad Maxy” world of the OLD MAN LOGAN story where Ashley, who is Granddaughter of Hawkeye, kills the Kingpin and takes over his territory. So yeah, she’s not a hero nor does she fight for justice. Perhaps there is more to her back story that I didn’t see, but again, Hasbro could have easily added a blurb on the cardback with a bit more detail or partnered with Marvel for a QR code to unlock a web comic featuring the figure.
Pros: I really like the overall look of Spider-Girl. She has a really great head sculpt with a unique look,a different, yet familiar costume and a decent amount of articulation for a good amount of poses.
Cons: It’s really frustrating that Hasbro puts such little effort into explaining who these characters are and a little backstory would go a long way. Also the figure is far to light on accessories to make it worth the retail price. No spare spidy type hands, no alternate head and no web accessory? Not a great value.
