Toybox REVIEW: MAFEX Spider-Gwen (Gwen Stacy)

Release Date: September 2021

RRP: 9800 yen

These days numerous companies have gotten in on the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse action but when Medicom first announced they'd be tackling the Academy Award-winning film in their MAFEX line, things were pretty damn exciting. Fast-forward nearly two years and several delays later and both their Miles Morales and Peter B. Parker figures proved to be worth the wait, so it's only natural that they should be joined by a third. MAFEX Spider-Gwen (Gwen Stacy) is the first time MAFEX have tackled this alternate universe Spider-Man where Gwen was bitten rather than Peter, even though they've been also been tackling comic versions of Spidey for some time now. However since her appearance in Spider-Verse Spider-Gwen (or Ghost Spider if you prefer)'s popularity has only continued to skyrocket, so if any version deserves to join the ranks of the MAFEX line it's this one.

Toybox REVIEW: Figure Complex Amazing Yamaguchi Spider-Gwen

Release Date: June 2017

RRP: 5900 yen

Between Infinity War, Venom, the Playstation 4 game and of course Into the Spider-Verse, 2018 was truly the year of Spider-Man. My enjoyment of that last release in particular found me wanting to go back and pick up some of the Spidey figures I've missed over the years, and Figure Complex (aka Revoltech)'s Amazing Yamaguchi Spider-Gwen seemed like the perfect place to start. Parallel universes have always been my absolute favourite sci-fi trope, and from what I've read of the Spider-Gwen comic the writers have done an excellent job of twisting pre-established Marvel characters into something new and exciting. Both the comic and her design itself have proved exceedingly popular, and between her appearances in both Into the Spider-Verse and Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors it seems Spider-Gwen's popularity will just continue to rise.