Venture Bros Retro Expands The Monarch Family

The Venture Bros retro figure Comic Con exclusive does a nice job rounding out The Monarch’s team.

Two summers ago, Bif Bang Pow! released a two-pack of Venture Bros retro figures packed in a tin tote (read: lunchbox}… That set gave us Jonas Venture Sr, as well as Rusty the boy adventurer and ORB.  It was a great set, with the packaging as appealing a collectible as the cool, Mego-style figures inside.  It was a winner.

That’s why I’m happy to see Bif Bang Pow! bring the concept back this year to finish off one of the other major families of the Venture-verse.  The Monarch takes center stage in this year’s set, which again includes two all new figures– Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and The Monarch himself in his “Death’s head” armor– plus in scale figurines of the murderous Moppets, Kevin and Tim Tom in their pupae outfits.  So really we get four figures, all packing in a very nice tin lunchbox featuring an uncharacteristically battle-ready Monarch on one side, and a seductive, pin-up style image of Dr. MTM on the reverse.

As a huge fan of the Mego style Venture figures, I think this set is a definite winner.  While Death’s Head Monarch may not be essential, he’s a good variant to the villain, and there’s enough new about him to feel truly unique.  I especially love his wings, which are perfectly executed in both design and function, with none of the looseness we saw in the wings of earlier figures.

Dr. Mrs. The Monarch is a much more important variant, I believe, since this has been Sheila’s default look for the past few seasons already.  It’s always a challenge to do stylized or skimpy outfits on the Mego style, but Dr. MTM translates remarkably well.  Like Molotov Cocktease before her, Dr. MTM sports a piece of clear plastic under her top to keep a rough shape to her costume, but it is a much better hidden piece here, leaving a much smoother effect on the overall figure.  The use of yellow arms keeps them slim, while the over-sized stocking that make up her boots also keep the figure looking as streamlined as possible, to great effect.  Dr. MTM’s wings/ cape is made of a semi-sheer mesh material, whose wispy consistency works perfectly, as well.

Rounding out the set are Kevin and Tim Tom, and each murderous Moppet gets his own unique sculpt.  The unpleasant pupae costumes totally nail their on screen appearances, and they maintain a good sense of scale with the 8″ figures.

These two diminutive bad guys are cast in hollow vinyl– the same as the Mego style heads– and feature no articulation.  While I would have loved to see each one brandishing their omnipresent knives, I’m happy as it is that they match so well in scale and style.

If you are a fan of Venture Bros, the Monarch themed tin tote set is one of the best items of the year.  The lunchbox is a great looking piece, with two sides of excellent, original artwork, and the four figures packed inside are all welcome additions to this ever-expanding retro Venture universe.

The Monarch tin tote set made its debut at Comic Con, but Entertainment Earth has it in stock now– Click Here to order yours today!