This week the comic book I am most excited to read is... FLASH ANNUAL #1
"FLASH WAR" prelude! The biggest Flash story of 2018 starts here, with a special story starring the classic Wally West, who's conflicted over whether to let Iris West know he is alive-and he'll need the help of the Flash to figure out what to do! But when Magenta, Wally's old love, needs his help, the Flash returns home to Keystone City where he is confronted with violent memories of an unknown world...A major turning point for the Flash family that sets the path for earth shattering stories in 2018!
(W) Joshua Williamson (A) Christian Duce (CA) Howard Porter
One collecting obsession of mine has been picking up old wax packs of trading cards from the 80s & 90s. Sure, I have a ton of these non-sport cards from when I was a kid, but the artwork and design of the packaging is something I missed. When you would buy one of these packs you would tear it open and throw away the wrapper. Never giving it a second thought. Seeing these again brings back memories of feeling the slick paper in your hands, seeing the simple artwork, the rush of finding a chase card and of course the smell of bubble gum. Let's dive into a few of these packs that I have on display once more!
AAAHH!!! Real Monsters (Fleer, 1995)
Even though "Rocko's Modern Life" is my all-time favorite Nicktoon, I still have a soft spot for AAAHH!!! Real Monsters. This was a great cartoon in it's own right and most definitely deserves to have been immortalized on cardboard. The set looks nice and the graphics are clean. Along with the 90 card base set, there was also the chance you could score a hologram or pop-up insert card!
Ghostbusters (Cryptozoic, 2016)
I had been looking for these cards at local shops for years now and never found them. My wife was just recently in Portland for a work training for about a week. She discovered these at calendar store there and bought me a few packs as compensation for watching the kids and taking care of the housework by myself for 6 days. I was hoping for an autograph, sketch card or other sweet subset, but I just got the basic cards. Nonetheless, I was still very happy to receive these as my reward.
Marvel Universe: Series III (Impel, 1992)
The week before my wife left for Portland, I was in Spokane for 4 days on a work retreat. While there I visited a couple local comic shops and these were at the front counter for $1.99 a piece! I am kicking myself that I didn't get more! These were my introduction to the Marvel Universe line of cards and my life was never the same. I still remember pulling that Wolverine hologram card and showing it off to my friends. The artwork is excellent and the stats on the back of every card make this set a must own for any non-sports card collector!
Wacko-Saurs (Zoot, 1987)
Wacko-Saurs...where to begin with these? As a kid we wound up with a few of these in our collection. No one seems to remember where they came from or who even got them. All I know is that these are possibly the greatest non-sports cards in the history of humanity! The crazy card fronts are only to be outdone by the jokes on the back of almost every card. For example, "How can you tell if a Brontosaurus has been on the roof?...Look for his footprints in the BASEMENT!!!!" Ha Ha Ha! That is prehysterical!!
PGA Tour Cards (ProSet, 1991)
Okay, the only reason I added these golf cards to my collection is because back when I was 10 years old one of my friends told me golf cards would be the future of sports card collecting. He bought these very cards while the rest of us were buying Topps Baseball cards and Action Packed Football cards. I guess in some ways my friend was right, because a few years later a Mr. Tiger Woods took the world by storm and every collector wanted one of his cards in their collection. So when I found these at the Dollar Tree and they were 2 for $1, I couldn't resist. Now feel free to watch 16 minutes of a guy opening old golf card packs...and you're welcome!
This week the comic book I am most excited to read is... INHUMANS: JUDGEMENT DAY #1
THE INUMANS FACE THE WRATH OF THEIR CREATORS! The Royal Family has spent months tracking down Primagen, the element that birthed Terrigen and could save the Inhuman race from its slow extinction. But to get it, they confronted the Progenitors - beings older than the Earth itself. They stole fire from the gods. And the gods are angry. The fate of planet Earth once again sits in Black Bolt and Medusa's hands. The Progenitors are here to end their experiment once and for all - and our world with it. Who will be able to stand...on Judgment Day?
(W) Al Ewing (A) Michael Del Mundo (CA) Daniel Acuna
Found another cool Marvel relic from the nutty 90s at the Dollar Tree the other day! Seriously, who would pass up a visual representation of Captain America as a werewolf fighting the ultimate militant mutant from the future, Cable for just $1! I was sold. But as with any comic from the 80s & 90s some of the greatest content within the covers is the fantastic advertising that is inside. Let's take peek, shall we?
The Adventures of Apple and Cinnaman
Ah, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, I was sold on this product before the true dynamic duo of Apple and Cinnaman were introduced. The taste of these unsinkable Os was amazing, and everyone wanted a piece of the deliciousness! Who could save us from these cereal stealing fiends? Apple and Cinnaman of course! In all honesty, I really don't remember this advertising campaign from the early 90s, but after watching a few commercials I can definitely see the genius behind it. Here is an example...
Marvel Universe Trading Cards Series III
Who didn't collect these cards back in the 90s. I had missed the first 2 series of Marvel Universe cards, so Series 3 was the real jumping on point for me. The artwork was fantastic, the card design was epic and the stats on the back...OH BOY!!! Now we finally had the metrics to back up our claims that Major Victory could mop the floors with Night Thrasher! Oh and also...HOLOGRAMS!
American Comics & Entertainment
I always loved looking at these ads and seeing what they had to offer on the cheap. This ad stands out because of the inclusion of the picture from the 1992 Marvel Swimsuit Special! Remember those? Why don't they make them anymore? I mean, how have we lived so long without a Marvel Swimsuit Special and missing great content like this...
Battletoads Nintendo Awards Ad
I loved this game! Eventhough it was hard as hell and super frustrating in co-op mode, the charm of these three transcendent toads was enough to make me a fan and rack up the rental fees. With all the knocks against this game it's surprising to see that it grabbed so many awards including the 1991 Nintendo Power Award for "Best Overall Game". I mean it was up against Tecmo Super Bowl, Ninja Gaiden III, StarTropics and Starwars! I just revisited this game recently. I played for about 5 minutes, got my nostalgia on and eventually swapped the cartridge out so I could play DuckTales instead.
Thanks for checking out another blog article about comic book ads. I hope you haven't seen some of them before and they spark some nostalgia in your dome. If you see some of these bargain comics at the Dollar Tree, I highly suggest you grab some up. They may be a little beaten up, they may not be the best stories, but $1 for a trip down memory lane is totally worth it!
This week the comic book I am most excited to read is... BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II #3
Batman and the Turtles go on the offensive in the belief that they can take Bane down while he's weakened, due to a lack of Venom on the Turtles' world. But that's not true any more! The Turtles' foe Baxter Stockman has found a way to reproduce the deadly substance that feeds Bane-which means the Dark Knight and the Heroes on a Half-Shell are in for the fight of their lives.
Now that I am a parent Christmas is mostly all about making the kids happy and helping Santa get them the toys that were on their list. But every year I still look forward to unwrapping my own gifts from my kids & wife. They typically do a great job of getting me some sweet presents and this year they did not disappoint. I know it's a little late, but lets look behind the wrapping paper and see what goodies were under the tree for me this year!
Super Mario Maker for the 3DS
I have been wanting this game for a long time now. It didn't matter if it was the 3DS or Wii version. I just wanted the power to control Mario's adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom. For so many years Nintendo dictated to us what perils would befall our fearless plumber, but now I can put 100 Bloopers in Bowser's castle and give Mario all the abilities he needs to succeed! I love this game, my kids love this game...kudos to you Nintendo!
DreamWorks Voltron Action Figures
Every Sunday for about the last year my kids and myself have been watching a new episode of the DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender series on Netflix. We love it! It is one of the few rebooted series from my childhood that I can actually say is better than the original. The animation is top notch, the action is great and the humor is fantastic! If you have not seen this show, I highly recommend you do it soon. Anyway back to the toys. We all got a lion that all come together to form a huge, interactive Voltron figure! I received the Black Lion. We have had a lot of fun with this guy since Christmas morning!
Gremlins Glasses and Ice Cube Tray
I had never seen these before. I didn't ask for them, but I am glad I got them! I am a big fan of the Gremlins movies and anything with a Mogwai or devilish Gremlin on it is a winner in my book! One glass has Gizmo on it and shares the "Rules" of Mogwai caretaking that I am sure we are all familiar with. The other glass features Stripe on it and his "REVISED" rules which include "Feeding after midnight", "Keep out of sunlight" and "Get them wet". Very cool! BTW the Ice Cube tray was in the freezer when I took this pic.
Movies: Logan, Apocalypse & Wonder Woman
I had not seen any of these movies yet. So far the only one I have watched out of this all-star trio is X-Men Apocalypse. It was okay, not my favorite X-Men movie. Hopefully soon I can check out Logan & WW. I am so far behind on my movies! I guess that's what happens when you're a parent?
Dome Basketball Game
I used to have one of these when I was a kid and me and my brother would spend a ton of time slamming the buttons hoping to score a bucket and become basketball world champions! I played it with my kids, but they didn't seem to get as excited as I was when playing Dome B-ball!
Stocking Stuffers
I love stocking stuffers, maybe even more than the main gifts. I love the anticipation of seeing how much stuff got shoved into my Spider-Man stocking every Christmas morning! This year I got a few TMNT blind boxes, a TMNT fidget spinner, a Kylo Ren figure eraser, Star Wars playing cards, a bootleg Turbo Football and of course lots of candy including Snickers bars and Sour Patch Kids!
That's it for this year! I hope you got everything that was on your list. I can't wait until Christmas 2018! Enjoy the new year everyone and let us know what your favorite holiday gift was in the comment section below!
This week the comic book I am most excited to read is... HARLEY QUINN: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR #1
If you thought you'd seen all the mayhem Harley was capable of unleashing with the help of an all-powerful genie and infinite wishes...well, we wish you'd known better! This oversize special presents the Loot Crate-exclusive story as a stand-alone comic, available in comics shops for the first time ever, with an additional eighteen (18!) pages of brand-new story and art by Amanda Conner!
(W) Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti (A) Amanda Conner (A/CA) Chad Hardin
I make it no secret that I am a huge Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan! So when I kept seeing posts pop up on my Twitter feed with the option to purchase autographed TMNT figures from the personal collection of Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, my interest was piqued. I tried a few times to grab one, but they sold out within hours. Finally I was able to get one...
Head Droppin Leonardo made it to my house within a few weeks of purchase and he is AWESOME! I tried to find a figure I currently don't own that I could add to my collection. He was on sale, but I can see the prices for these items scaring off potential customers. Even with the discount he was around $50. At least they added in a few Topps TMNT cards as a bonus!
As you can see, this is a used figure that Kevin Eastman hand signed himself across the chest. The accessories for the figures are not always the correct ones that belong to the character, but I am glad some were included at all. The box design is nice and includes some Kevin Eastman artwork.
Along with the figure, I also became a member of the Kevin Eastman Fan Club. My 6 month membership cost $30, but it included some comics...
This foam board was on the top of the box when I opened it and was meant to protect the comic books inside. I don't know who scribbled this on the front, but I'm hoping it was Kevin Eastman himself. That would be RADICAL!
The foam board did it's job and my comics arrived without a dent, scratch or tear. I have a massive collection of TMNT comics spanning from the Mirage run to Image comics to the new IDW series, but I did not have these in my collection yet. The comics are IDW issue #73 Comics and Ponies Retailer Exclusive variant and IDW issue #69 El Paso Comic Con Exclusive Variant. I would have paid almost $30 for these comics alone online...
The cool thing was that issue #73 was signed by Kevin Eastman with a little turtle head sketch.
The prices for these figures right now run anywhere from $67 to almost $200! I'm glad I've added this piece to my collection, but unless the prices go down a little bit more this will be my only Kevin Eastman turtle added to my collection. If you are interested in grabbing one of these Turtles or one of their friends & foes visit Kevin Eastman Studios at https://fan.kevineastmanstudios.com/
This week the comic book I am most excited to read is... COSMO #1
NEW ONGOING SERIES! "Space Aces" - Part One: Get ready for out of this world fun in the ALL-NEW sci-fi adventure series COSMO! Join Cosmo and his Martian crew as they find adventure and dangers in the deepest corners of space! Their latest mission turns into a much larger adventure when they stumble upon their most unique specimen yet: A panicked human!
