The announcement floodgates have opened and new Marvel Minimates series are being unveiled one after the next! Following up on the three new Minimates series revealed last week, the next Marvel movie to be released is getting in on the act as well. Though these have been shown previously to press, Diamond Select Toys is now giving collectors everywhere their first official look at the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Series 56 figures!

Though the buzz surrounding the Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie (which opens in theaters just one week from today!) is nowhere near as ubiquitous (or positive) as the hype surrounding Captain America: The Winter Soldier was, I’m looking forward to the film nonetheless.

While Hasbro has really dropped the ball with their Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends and 4″ action figures, Diamond Select Toys is going all-out with a fairly comprehensive assortment of Marvel Minimates Amazing Spider-Man 2 toys. No, we’re not getting a Rhino (who I’m still in shock about Hot Toys announcing), but we are getting every other relevant character from the film.

As is the case with many series of Marvel Minimates, there will be both a comic book and specialty store assortment of Marvel Minimates Amazing Spider-Man 2 figures and a Toys R Us exclusive Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates remixed series. Whenever this sort of release happens Toys R Us tends to get the better end of the deal, and I think that’s what’s transpired once again with these Minimates Amazing Spider-Man 2 figures.

The case ratios for the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates (Comic Shops) are as follows:

(3) Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Battle-Damaged Spider-Man with Electro
(3) Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Spider-Man with Green Goblin
(2) Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Peter Parker with Gwen Stacy
(1) Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Alistair Smythe with Aleksei Sytsevich

Meanwhile, the Toys R Us Amazing Spider-Man 2 Toys “R” Us Minimates will be packed:

(3) Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Damaged Spider-Man with Translucent Electro
(3) Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Spider-Man with Grinning Green Goblin
(2) Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Peter Parker with Gwen Stacy
(1) Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates Flashback Spider-Man with Max Dillon

Looking at the two assortments, you can see that the only complete repack between the two sets is the Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy Minimates two-pack. Comic book stores and Toys R Us stores will each get an exclusive variant of Electro and Green Goblin, as well as one totally unique two-pack.

While we’re not getting a Minimates Rhino robot mech, we are getting its human pilot: Aleksei Sytsevich. This is a figure with limited mass appeal (so it’s good that he’s a specialty store exclusive), though I commend Art Asylum on the fun design of the figure’s attire and that great facial expression on Aleksei. The Alistair Smythe Minimate is basically just a guy in a suit and has even less appeal than Aleksei, but he’s a character that may be important in future movies.

Meanwhile, Toys R Us has an exclusive Minimates Max Dillon (Electro) and Flashback Spider-Man set. For whatever reason I’m tickled about owning a human-form Jamie Foxx Electro figure, and I didn’t buy the Amazing Spider-Man Minimates figure from the first movie, so I’ll be content to add that version of Spidey to my collection as well. All-in-all, I think this Flashback Spider-Man/Max Dillon Minimates set will end up being a bit more popular than its Smythe/Sytsevich counterpart.

While online stores and comic book stores will get a serious-faced Amazing Spider-Man 2 Green Goblin and a solid-painted Electro Minimates figure, Toys R Us will get (far cooler, in my opinion) translucent Electro and grinning Green Goblin figures. I prefer the Toys R Us versions, personally, and will be tracking their version of the sets down there this summer.

The comic shop Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Minimates series is now available for pre-order at the discounted rate of $29.99 (regularly $39.99). For eight figures with accessories and 14 points of articulation, that’s a totally fair price. Marvel Minimates Wave 56 (Amazing Spider-Man 2 series) is scheduled to be released in May 2014. The Toys R Us Amazing Spider-Man 2 figures should arrive in stores shortly after the specialty store assortment hits.

Which version of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Minimates do you prefer, Marvel fans? Will you be picking up either set of figures (or even both), or is the most comprehensive line of Amazing Spider-Man 2 figures just not for you?