Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is here, and with it, another entry into the great long history of adaptations of one of Spidey’s greatest foes-turned-frenemies in Venom. But do Marvel’s Spider-Man fans really care about examining this latest take on the iconic character, or are they… interested in a certain amount of inches of him?
“19 inches of Venom” became the rallying cry of the overlapping circles of Spider-Man fans and horny monster lovers alike back in September, when Playstation UK inadvertently set social media on fire advertising the then-upcoming collector’s edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which features a sizeable statue of the game’s take on Venom battling the Spider-Men.
But now, the day is finally here with the actual release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and we can indeed treat ourselves to 19 inches of Venom. Didn’t manage to snag one of the collector’s editions yourself, or that fancy new PS5? 19 inches of Venom too rich for you? Saving yourself for Hot Toys’ 21 inches of him later next year? Have no fear, io9 is here to give you a close-up look on what you’re missing out on.
In All Its Glory
In hand, it’s a very impressive statue, and suitably bigger and more complex than the one creature for the original game’s special edition, depicting Spider-Man atop the gear and gadgets of the Sinister Six.
Open Wide
He’s doing the Venom tongue thing. Of course he is. What, you’re going to do a Venom statue and not have him doing the freaky tongue thing?
Miles, Ready to Blast
The statue’s very clever way of getting both Spider-Men in on the action starts off with Venom grasping Miles out of the air, in effect actually acting as the support for the figurine.
Peter, Ready to Thwip
Likewise, Peter is shooting a web that acts as his sole connection to the rest of the statue. The Spideys themselves are pretty lightweight, but you’re still going to want to be careful with the minimal assembly required to get the statue all ready for display.
Aerial Attack!
It’s a very cool effect, to be honest. Venom is absolutely the star, but the verticality of the scene is still nice to see rendered in real life.
Another Side to Venom
No comment.
Thwip!
The connector for Peter’s webline that holds him up is very well integrated into the statue, but still absolutely petrifying to think about. I’ve had the statue on display for a couple of days now, and it’s still secure as it was out of the box, but that’s still very early days. I live in fear of a real-life-fall-damage Spider-Man situation.
A Very Goopy Base
Venom himself is, unlike his appearance in the game, painted matte for the statue, but it serves as a nice contrast to the goopy morass of the symbiote that’s enveloping the base. Just the right amount of creepy alien slickness.
The Statue: The Steelbook
The collector’s edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 doesn’t come with a physical copy of the game—just a digital code—but it does come with a cool steelbook that depicts the concept art that inspired the statue’s design.
Hi, Spider-Man
Miles having a little crackle of his bioelectricity powers is nice.
Hi, Also Spider-Man
And Peter being Peter? Also nice!
Breaking: Exclusive: Report: Venom Is a Size Queen
Alas, dear readers, I have terrible news. Disturbing, even. We have been lied to about the size of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Collector’s Edition’s Venom. Despite Sony’s offer to treat ourselves to 19 inches of Venom, Venom is in fact, upon a thorough investigation conducted by io9 today, just shy of 14 inches tall—closer to twelve, if you if you take the base out of consideration.
Hell, the statue itself barely hits 18 and a half inches, from the very bottom to the highest tip of Peter Parker’s fingers. The deception! It’s a good job Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a pretty decent video game, otherwise this would just be insult to injury.