Rogue's Gallery Shocker Bust
Spider-man has a ton of guys who have made it their mission in life to beat him, hurt him and kill him - not necessarily in that order. Add to the ranks of the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus someone who isn't quite as well known (or likely to appear in a Spider-man movie in the near future), and that is the Shocker. He looks like he's wearing something quilted by his grandmother, but he's a little more dangerous than he looks.
Herman Schultz was a graduate of the New York Penal System, a repeat offender who was not especially successful as a burglar. Even though he wasn't bright enough to figure out a new way to run his life, while in prison he did decide to develop a device to open any safe or door. The result of some stolen parts and high school shop classes were a pair of wrist units that sent vibrations out. The vibrations are powerful enough to break doors, hurt people and even injure the wearer. Luckily, the guy designed some vibration-damping clothes for protection after he nearly killed himself on the trial run.
The Shocker is generally a light-weight Spidey villain, and this is obvious when you just take a closer look at the guy. You start with the name - Shocker. At first glance you'd think that with a name like 'Shocker' he'd have something to do with electricity. Well, you'd be wrong since his powers are vibrations. However, you can see why he didn't go with 'Vibro' or even 'The Vibrator', though the latter moniker might help his popularity with the ladies.
The name aside, after escaping from prison he has basically suffered a variety of defeats and even more jail time over the years. On the one hand, you have to admire his dedication and commitment. On the other hand, this guy probably needs to get committed and change his life, because it just hasn't been anywhere near what the brochures promised. Getting a mini-bust has to be highlight at this point!
The Rogue's Gallery line is a joint effort between Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys, and it is the best line of mini-busts available today. Why? Aside from the great sculpting, dynamic poses and paint to match the excellent designs, the line is 100% bad guys. The innovative designs of the line include bases that are integrated into the overall look and feel of the character, complete with a stylized faceplate. There are many great mini-bust lines out there, but none match the Rogue's Gallery in an overall sense.
The scale of the Rogue's Gallery is roughly the same as that used by Gentle Giant in their various movie busts (like Star Wars and the Matrix) and is significantly taller than the Bowen busts, with the Shocker just over six inches tall. He's shown busting out of the remnants of a bank vault door, after he's 'shocked' it open with the magic of vibration waves. Usually the Rogues are disarmed (in the sense that they don't have arms or hands sculpted), but since the Shocker's focus of power is in his gloves, they had to include one arm. The Shocker was generally a slight man in build, but he's been working out (and may run for governor of his cell block).
Art Asylum's Eli Livingston sculpted the Shocker (and even put his initials on it), along with the Mandarin, Sunfire and the Vulture. Eli also assisted on the Scorpion bust with Ken Usanami. To match the work, there are 5000 copies of it floating around (the certificate of authenticity erroneously says 7500 maximum), so you should be able to find one for yourself.
The Shocker joins a distinguished list of villains, including the Lizard, Kingpin, Scorpion, Vulture, Green Goblin, Venom, Kraven, Sunfire, Sandman, Carnage and the Mandarin. There is also an Electro available and a Sabretooth due in June, all scaled for display as a group (hence the gallery).
More Pictures of the Shocker
| Where to buy the Shocker Bust: This piece is limited to a run of 5000, and you can find it at your local comics shop and various online retailers for between $35 and $45 USD. |
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