Marvel Collector Corps Review: June 2015

Marvel's second submission is...well...smallish.

Review by Matt Cummings

The opening salvo by Marvel Collector Corps in the subscription box war resulted in a fabulous and memorable April, complete with a great Funko Hulkbuster and impressive t-shirt, along with a ton of other stuff. Whether it could sustain it with a solid June followup was the only question/concern, while competing with excellent Loot Crates from April, May, and June. Well, the boxes have shipped and I'm force to utter the same word I've used to summarize my entire feeling about the Ant-man movie: MEH.

The Promise

Before we begin, let's look at the deal again: promising a value of $50, the box would keep the "fluff" (their words) to a minimum with Funko partnering each time to deliver an exclusive figure. Joining at the Founders level would get you an 8" exclusive figure on your one-year anniversary, but you can also subscribe at the Collector level at $25 with $6.95 shipping. We're still not sure which figure they will release to Founders, but I have a suspicion that it will be Funko related. With my Marvel Unlimited Plus comic sub, I get a terrific (and exclusive) Legends figure, so I'm hopeful that we'll see something as high quality as the Rocket Raccoon which graced my door a few months ago.

The Delivery

From the looks of it, this box is smaller than the Cap-themed case. It's also lighter, which means no Hulkbuster-sized figure inside. As I soon discovered, the contents were decidedly a let down. This month's theme is (of course) Ant-man, which tags with the release of the July 17th Phase 2 bow. Again, the outer box features a classic Ant-man image, as well as lettering across the entire sides of the box. There's also classic art on the inside and both are nicely done.

As with April, the flap contains two collectible "accessories" including an Ant-man Marvel Collector Corp patch and pin. Both are very nice and well constructed. It looks like these are selling briskly on eBay, confirming my belief that they're worth between $7-10. I'll be keeping mine, as these are quickly becoming the best parts of the boxes.

The Guts

Immediately upon opening this, we see three - yes 3!(?) - Funko bobbleheads. Some of you will be thrilled, me not so much. It's clear that Funko is heavily partnering with Marvel, and that each month will feature some sort of exclusive lot. I just hope that the piling on of the bobbleheads isn't a trend.

To their credit, the Ant-Man is AWESOME: beautifully designed and painted with the unmasked Hank Pym. The other great part is the smaller Ant-man buddy that comes in the box (seen here behind the label). They claim it's the smallest bobble they've ever made. Although I'm not a huge fan of these, it's clear that these are well-made and totally exclusive to Corps.

But as I mentioned, there are two mini bobbles included in the box. While each was equally made, there is a chance that I and others could have received the same one. I don't intend on opening mine, as their boxes are glued down. I would hate for my disappointment to be compounded, but the images I've seen of them are merely decent. The thing I hated about the last box - two of the same type of figure - is disappointment enough.

Just Another Shirt

My favorite part of April's box was the 1:4 incredibly cool Avengers "boxing" themed shirt. June's is just not that good: the 'big logo with small Funko dude' theme is a bit on the nose. April's had not only a diversity of images, but it was busy with lots of creativity. I've been very underwhelmed with Marvel's marketing push for the film, with posters looking either very 90's-ish or the now-infamous series with Pym standing next to Cap's shield, Thor's Mjolnir, and Iron Man's repulsor. The shirt is also not as soft as the boxing one, which might banish it directly to Fall. Although Hot Topic might try to charge $25 for such a travesty, I doubt anyone would buy it. I get the theme, but it's still pretty boring.

The Comic

Included with the set is another comic: a MCC variant cover for the current run of Ant-man. Created by Justin Ponsor, we're also given this summary:

The explosive first arc finale! There aren't actually any explosions - but there IS a big showdown with our poorly lit villain, and plenty of heartbreak to go around. Nothing will be the same again! Except you're still aging. That's not going anywhere.

It's a pretty good read, and should give you a decent idea of what to expect from the movie. Based on the $2.99 eBay sales for April's Guardians Team Up, I'm not sure the Ant-man one will rise any higher. However, kids should like it, and it's immediately going into a sleeve. Considering these boxes arrive via USPS, MCC should look into protecting these better, as I've heard some subscribers complaining about receiving dinged editions.

The Bottom Line

Marvel's Collector Corps' June release is a disappointment. Filled with several 'exclusive' items, the box is missing that power punch of Pym Particles that makes his hero such a tough customer in the comics. But like the marketing for the film, MCC's efforts here do little to impress upon anyone that the July 17 release will be anything other than a blip on a very busy Summer movie radar. True, the company is making an effort, but in a race where they came out of the gate hot and clearly in the lead, the last few months of Loot Crate has certainly caught up.

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