Spider-Man 3: Deluxe Colouring Book (Funtastic)

Background

After having just reviewed the first Funtastic coloring book to tie-in with the Spider-Man 3 movie - Spider-Man 3: Colouring Book (Funtastic) - I was expecting this review to be a complete copy of that, simply replacing "24 pages" with "48 pages".

Instead, this "Deluxe" coloring book is a complete shift from it's "non-Deluxe" brother. Instead, this NZ/UK/Aus/SA released Deluxe version uses art taken from the U.S.-released Spider-Man Color/Activity Books (HarperCollins) series.

Story Details

The 48 pages of puzzles and coloring pages are definitely grabbed from the Harper/Collins books. I just can't comprehend why you would make the editorial decision to release a lousy 24-page book featuring lame new art, and then released the full-sized Deluxe version with higher-quality "borrowed" art.

That just makes no sense at all. Why go to the bother of hiring an artist if you were just going to lease art from another company. It's just crazy.

General Comments

The reproduced art and puzzles are offered on good quality bleached white pages. Something funny happened to the fonts in the process, they got a bit fuzzy, though it doesn't affect the art at all.

All of the characters - MJ, Peter, Spidey, Venom, Sandman, the New Goblin... they all appear, and are all suitably cartoony yet still recognizable versions of their movie selves.

The back cover promises "hours of fun", and I guess 48 pages is enough to at least give a decent weight to the coloring book.

Overall Rating

The Deluxe version of the coloring is far superior to its non-Deluxe sibling. The art is good enough to earn three and a half webs on its own terms.

But since Funtastic clearly screwed up, hired a crappy artist for the smaller coloring book, and then ended up having to lease-in some artwork, I'll dock them half a web for lack of basic professionalism, leaving a final rating of three webs.

Footnote

There are two other offerings in this series - a "Spider Web Sticker Book" and a "Fun Pack" which includes the basic coloring book plus some pencils and an activity pad. I haven't managed to find them in shops yet, but I'll keep looking.