Welcome back, Spidey fans! Hard to believe we’re about half-way through 2025, isn’t it? Anywho, I got to thinking about what I wanted to look at this month in terms of Spider-Man history, when I remembered a few toys from ToyBiz that I really enjoyed playing with during my childhood. I don’t see these toys getting a lot of coverage, and thought it would be a perfect toyline to shed a spotlight on. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the Pocket Comics Action Playsets.
Each of these sets featured a comic book cover on the front of the box from Spider-Man’s long comic history, as well as a matching trading card that could be inserted on the back for safe keeping. Inside were two figures; one Spider-Man, and a villain to tie into the cover on the front of the carrying box. Also inside were two mechanisms built into the carrying box for added play value. It’s worth noting that the figures (which each only had waist swivels for articulation) and inside diorama designs were all based on how they looked in the 1994 Spider-Man cartoon, despite having a comic cover on the front.
While ToyBiz did make a line of X-Men Pocket Comics Action Playsets, we’re only going to be looking at the Spider-Man sets, starting with…
ESU Lab
In the case of the ESU Lab, “The Amazing Spider-Man” Vol. 1, #3 is the featured cover, which, of course means that Doctor Octopus is the villain of the set. Dr. Octopus has a spinning set of four extra tentacles to attach to, while Spider-Man has a launching platform that allows him to leap and attack Otto. While Empire State University, Peter Parker’s college, was a good choice for a set, I must admit that the Lizard probably would have fit the theme a little better, especially for those of us that watched the cartoon. The set was still awesome, of course. Up next, we have…
The Daily Bugle
With this set, “The Amazing Spider-Man” #373 is the featured comic cover, and if you guessed Alistair Smythe was the villain of this set, you’d be right! Smythe’s battle chair launches him at Spider-Man as he scales the building where his alter ego, Peter Parker, works! Getting a Spider-Man that could stick to and crawl on surfaces was always cool to me as a kid, so of course, I really enjoyed this set. Another set that was a lot of fun was the…
Skyscraper
“The Amazing Spider-Man” #238 being the featured cover means one of my favorite villains, the Hobgoblin, headlines this set! Winding up the propeller atop the skyscraper with the villain attached means Hobgoblin can whirl around the top of the building while Spider-Man dangles from a crane above him, ready to strike. I have to admit, even as a kid, I always thought the crane looked like it was capturing Spider-Man vs acting as a perch for him. Oh well, this was still a cool set. And finally, our last set is the only one I never had growing up; it’s the…
Bridge
Let me get it out of the way and just say that nope, Green Goblin is not the featured villain of this set, which would have made a lot more sense “The Amazing Spider-Man” #121, anyone?). However, keep in mind that Green Goblin didn’t arrive until the third season of the 90’s cartoon, which may explain his absence here. That said, our featured cover is “The Amazing Spider-Man” #300, which means that this set features Venom as its villain. Inside, Spider-Man swings from a web, while a launching platform launches Venom at the Web-Head! This was a neat set, and it wasn’t one I was aware of until years after these had come out.
For the three sets I did have, I used to especially love taking them on long car rides, ever careful to not lose the figures in the car. Did any of you guys have these comic playsets? Either way, let me know what you think of them in the comments section below!
