Death Row Marv

By KARI HASKELL
New York Times

SO you want to escape into the dark, violent world of a graphic novel? Do you want to act out its ghastly denouement with its last, grim death laugh? Try flipping a tiny switch and carrying out a miniature execution.

Death Row Marv, the rock-jawed antihero of the graphic comic, "Sin City," by Frank Miller (Dark Horse Comics, 1994), is the latest toy from McFarlane Toys, which is owned by Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn, another comic-book antihero. Marv, who apparently needs no last name, is railroaded to the electric chair, condemned to die for what he regards as a justifiable revenge killing.

The battery-operated toy, which is sold in specialty shops and music stores for about $20 and marketed for ages 13 and up, is not for the faint of heart: "Watch Marv convulse as the switch is thrown," say the words on the box, "then hear him say, 'That the best you can do?' " His eyes "glow red as he fries." The toy's typical buyer is the 15- to 45-year-old male.

"Our first production was completely sold out in pre-order sales, before we even shipped," said Beau Smith, director of marketing at McFarlane Toys, who did not provide production numbers.

"As soon, as I saw Marv -- oh, man! -- had to have one," said Eric Wahland, 34, a customer service representative and salesperson at Spider's Web, a comic store in Seattle that is the largest outlet for McFarlane Toys.

"We keep them up front, on top of the counter, 10 to 15 feet from the register. Already 500 of 700 deluxe sets ordered have been sold in just four weeks."

Marv is half convict, half hero. He is the guy who never gets the girl because his face is a cross between Freddy Kreuger and Bluto; his body is a muscular mass that is as wide as it is long. To some, he is the loser they desperately want to see win. O.K., he's an antihero with no charisma, good looks or any redeeming social value.

In "Sin City," before his death sentence is carried out, Marv has the opportunity to kill the cannibalistic sociopath who murdered the woman he loved, a prostitute named Goldie. That gave him a sense of vindication.

Batteries not included.

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