[Ultra Seven]

2022 was a funny year for me ML wise. I bought less than I ever did (roughly fifteen figures total), but I was consistently impressed with almost every figure I *did* buy. 2023 is looking more expensive: I have as many figures on pre-order for 2023 already as I bought in 2022 total! Anyway, here’s my top ten:

1. Spinneret- not a popular pick, but man, it made me really happy. MJ is my favorite comics character ever after Peter Parker, and I loved “Renew Your Vows.” I was never expecting to see figures based off of it, I was over the moon when she was announced.

2. Spider-Man (Renew Your Vows)- pretty damned close to a perfect Spider-Man figure. The articulation, the hands, the alternate headsculpt… my only quibble is that he’s based on modern art rather than the Romita & Andru I remember from when I was a kid.

3. Daredevil- holy shit. Again, a near perfect classic version of an all-time favorite super hero. Sure, there’s a few accessories that could’ve augmented him (alternate head, mostly), but I haven’t been able to put him down since I got him.

4. Elektra- wish she was in red, but this is easily the best Elektra figure ever. The head-sculpts are some of the best in the whole line, and she can finally hit all the action poses I could ever want! So glad they finally put the tooling dollars down for double-jointed female arms.

5. Lizard- I can’t believe he’s number five, because this figure is just incredible. It’s seldom that Marvel Legends delivers a figure that feels truly “silver age,” but goddamn. He might as well have stepped off the cover of “the Amazing Spider-Man” 44#. Lizard was always my favorite Spider-Man bad guy as a kid, so this satisfies a want I’ve had my whole life.

6. Rhino- after Lizard, Rhino would unquestionably be my other favorite. I remember vividly reading “the Amazing Spider-Man” 41# on the school bus in eighth grade (it was a reprint, obviously. I’m old, not that old), and the issues following it. That’s been my favorite Spidey story-line since eighth grade, but somehow Rhino never found his way into my collection until last week. Sure the articulation is dated, but he’s everything I need him to be.

7. Shocker- my dad’s favorite Spidey bad guy, so classic Shocker has been a want for a long, long time. And he turned out amazing! They put such effort and detail into his costume, and it’s a level of love I’m “shocked” Herman received. Unique sculpts for comics characters are fairly sparing, so I’m glad that a personal favorite got one.

8. Spider-Man (Black Costume)- a really simple, obvious repaint, executed wonderfully. Great representation of the bronze age black costume. I’ve had so much recreating covers from my high school reading with him. He does highlight my desire for a better Black Cat, and the Rose.

9. Controller- obscura like Controller is always awesome to get. He’s this year’s Xemnu for me: old favorite who you assumed never had a shot in the line. Controller’s silver age stories freaked me out when I was younger (seriously, “Iron Man” 12# is a freakshow), and this figure looks exactly like my nightmares! I dunno, body snatcher/ mind control stuff always bothered me. Excellent reuse of Thanos, and a great addition to my too-small shelf of Iron Man rogues (Unicorn next, please!).

10. Nova- literally speaking, I did not think I’d get this figure. I have loved Nova’s character and look since I was introduced to the character, and she’s hovered around my top twenty wants ever since. When she was announced, I was so disappointed that it was as a pack-in for Galactus, as it left me two choices: overpay on the secondary market, or don’t get one. Fortunately, Blue Marvel came through for me, sending me Nova (along with Morg & the Silver Surfer, which are also dynamite figures!) for an extremely generous price. She’s been on my desk since then, and I couldn’t be happier with her. Thanks, BM.

There’s a couple figures that I haven’t gotten around to buying yet (Razorback, Amazing Fantasy Spider-Man, Black Panther), who I’m confident would make the list if I had them.