Comic Book Pick 12/29/21

   The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
STRAY DOGS: DOG DAYS #1

(W) Tony Fleecs (CA) Tony Fleecs (A/CA) Trish Forstner
A series of vicious short stories howling straight out of the pages of STRAY DOGS, 2021's surprise cartoon/horror smash hit! In DOG DAYS, each stray will get their moment to shine-questions will be answered, mysteries will be solved, and old wounds will be torn open. Starting this December...every dog has its day.
REGISTER PITCH: The Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs horror thriller that took the industry by storm is back in this standalone spinoff.
SRP: $4.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 12/27/21

 Throw on your Santa Hat and Ninja Bandana and head to the sewers as we take you back to the 90's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Song: The Wrap Rap
Album: We Wish You A Turtle Christmas (1994)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A
Bonus Fun Fact: This song is from the direct to video 25 minute special "We Wish You A Turtle Christmas" which was released in 1994 by FHE!

A Peek at Christmas 2021: Part II

This year Christmas is returning to a little bit of normalcy after last year's restrictions. Either way, nothing has stood in the way of my family taking part in some of our favorite Christmas traditions like watching Christmas Specials, decorating the tree and just enjoying the season together. Below may seem like another random dump of photos, but it is a peek into what the season is like in my household. I hope you and yours have an amazing holiday season. No matter how you celebrate or what you celebrate, appreciate those around you and just remember the good times. Feel free to let me know about your family's favorite traditions in the comment section below and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Our Elf on The Shelf, Buddy, has been surprising our kids for years. He shows up the day after Thanksgiving and he usually brings my kids donuts and chocolate milk for breakfast on his arrival. After that, we never know what type of shenanigans he will get into. Here he is during his audition for "Into The Spider-Verse".

The Smurfs are a must watch every year. I remember having the original 80's cartoon on VHS back in the day. We have recently upgraded to DVD. The other Smurfs special is a more recent addition to the rotation and is a pretty good take on the characters.

Every year, my family visits Hallmark and gets an ornament for our tree. This year, we all agreed on getting this Mini-Pufts version, but when we got to the store...they were sold out! I went back a few days later and the kind lady behind the counter informed me that they would be getting 4 more of these cute & delicious ornaments in and she put me on the wait list for purchase. A few days later, I got the call and finally I GOT ONE!

The kids and I watched "We Wish You A Turtle Christmas" this year. It was a first time viewing for my family and my kids really enjoyed the crude absurdity of the special. They are still singing about "4 Manhole Covers"!

Speaking of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, IDW did not disappoint with this years festive covers. These are always a welcome treat and addition to my ever growing TMNT comic collection. 

A few other Christmas specials we knocked off the list this year were Heathcliff's Christmas and "A Wish For Wings That Work". These are not the typical upper tier of Christmas Specials, but they do hold a place in my 80's loving heart and now my kids are able to enjoy them also.

Last year my family chowed don on the Elf on The Shelf "Sugar Cookie" flavored cereal. This year we decided to try the "Hot Cocoa" flavor and I can honestly say, I don't know how it tastes because my kids ate it all before I could get a bowlful! 

It wouldn't be Christmas without a visit from Vader Claus. Also featured is the Star Wars Christmas Caroling sign my wife picked up on clearance last year from Hobby Lobby.

Lastly, just wanted to share this Turtly Magnificent Christmas light set up that the wife and I took the kids to see this year. AMAZING! I hope your holiday is full of cheer and good times. From all of us at 20 Years Before 2000...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Comic Book Pick 12/22/21

  The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
STRANGER THINGS: THE TOMB OF YBWEN #4

(W) Greg Pak (A) Diego Galindo (CA) Adam Gorham
With the storm still raging outside, our group of adventurers have finally found the treasure inside the Tomb of Ybwen! However, when the contents of the treasure prove disappointing, Will's anger gets the better of him. Now, with Mr. Clarke's condition worsening and the gang still stuck inside the mine, Will must face the consequences for his actions and come to terms with his grief.
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 12/20/21

  Throw on your Adidas, Gold Chains & Kangols and head to Hollis, Queens as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: RUN DMC
Song: Christmas In Hollis
Album: A Very Special Christmas (1987)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: #78
Bonus Fun Fact: The music video for this song won Rolling Stone's "Best Video Of The Year Award" in 1987. It beat out Michael Jackson's "Bad" for the honor!

A Peek at Christmas 2021:Part I

This year Christmas is returning to a little bit of normalcy after last year's restrictions. Either way, nothing has stood in the way of my family taking part in some of our favorite Christmas traditions like watching Christmas Specials, decorating the tree and just enjoying the season together. Below may seem like a random dump of photos, but it is a peek into what the season is like in my household. I hope you and yours have an amazing holiday season. No matter how you celebrate or what you celebrate, appreciate those around you and just remember the good times. Feel free to let me know about your family's favorite traditions in the comment section below and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

You can always find cool wrapping paper at the Dollar Tree! This year they had these Super Mario Bros. Snowman papers. Love it!

My son added his own personal touch to the Nativity scene this year. I know how the shepherds passed the time while waiting for our savior to be born!

The annual busting out of the VCR to watch Home Alone on VHS is always a welcomed treat in our house. This is the same VHS tape that my Dad bought for us kids back in the early 90's!

Whoever was in charge of the Christmas Crunch box art this year really knocked it out of the park and should be allowed to design the next 100 boxes. Who knew the Cap'N and Ugly Sweaters were such a natural pairing?

Mountain Dew Gingerbread Snap'd was a fantastic discovery this year. It really tasted like someone drained the essence of a ginger snap cookie and bottled it up for us to enjoy. I hope this comes back next year...and the year after that...and so on.

Disney's "Prep & Landing" Christmas Specials are some of those rare recent specials that really are great! It has become tradition for us to watch these at the beginning of the holiday season each year. With Kids In The Hall alum Dave Foley as the main elf, Wayne, you know this is a winner! 

Bought this ornament for our Christmas tree this year. We have a few other of these penguin ornaments in our collection since each one of these cheerful critters represents one of our 3 kids.

I love reading my kids Christmas books and one of their favorites is Olive The Other Reindeer. Of course we had to follow up that read with a watch of the Matt Groening produced "Olive The Other Reindeer" Christmas cartoon special!

Watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles any day is a must in my household. The fact that this DVD has an episode titled "The Christmas Aliens" which is an animated version of the Mirage Michelangelo special comic makes it a staple in our rotation. The episode even features a cameo appearance by Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo! You can watch the episode at the Youtube link below, but be quick, who knows how long it will be available!

Comic Book Pick 12/15/21

 The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
BATGIRLS #1

(W) Michael Conrad, Becky Cloonan (A) Jorge Corona
Um, hello—you didn’t actually think we’d keep you waiting this entire year without giving you the Batgirls series we’ve all been wanting for forever, right? No way, we love you too much—just like Batgirls Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, who are only able to navigate the dark, gritty and oftentimes scary city of Gotham by leaning on the bright light that is their best-friendship. Mentored by Oracle, the Batgirls move to the other side of town where Barbara Gordon can keep a better eye on them while the hacker Seer is still invading their lives. Steph may be too rash sometimes, and Cass doesn’t speak much—but what they lack in similarities, they make up for with their mutual respect and love for each other…and what makes them stronger together as Batgirls! And they may be good at kicking ass, but they are just trying their best to be normal teenagers—who’ll borrow the keys to a muscle car that belonged to a bad guy and perhaps give it a joyride around town without a driver’s license, then race to get back home to Oracle by curfew! Splashing the pages with bright colors against a dark backdrop of Gotham, Batgirls is the pizza slumber party of the year you don’t want to miss!
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: DCcomics.com

Throwback Jam of the Week: 12/13/21

  Throw on your Dinosaur Pajamas and head to the Airport as we take you back to the 90's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: Darlene Love
Song: All Alone On Christmas
Album: Home Alone 2: Lost In New York Soundtrack (1992)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: #83
Bonus Fun Fact: This song was written by Steve Van Zandt and features The E Street Band. The music video features Macaulay Culkin acting as the songs producer!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

This past weekend my family finally had the chance to see the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie. We had been so excited for this movie ever since it was announced a few years ago. We had survived the ups and the downs of each release date and pushback, but now it was finally time to sit back, relax and enjoy some ghost busting action!

I have to say that I was actually really surprised at how well done this movie was. Yes, there were some parts that were a little predictable, but the performances were solid and I enjoyed the cameos. I can't wait to see where this series goes after that post credits scene! So many different ways this road can wind. That being said, this movie really hit me emotionally. 

Just a few months ago my father passed away. It was really sudden and hard on my family. He was a great Dad who taught me so many great lessons over the years. How does this relate to Ghostbusters? I have my own family now and my kids are the same ages my brother and I were when my Dad took us to see Ghostbusters II in the theater. While watching Afterlife, I couldn't help but look over at my kids to see the smiles and wonderment on their faces, just as I am sure my father did when he took us to the movies back in 1989. Yes, it was an emotional moment for me and yes a tear did roll down my face as the movie came to it's end. I'm glad I could share this with my kids and I hope they remember what this experience was like 30 years from now.

I also remember my Dad letting us play the Ghostbusters II soundtrack on repeat over and over as we made a roundtrip from New Jersey to my Grandpa's house in Tennessee. I'm sure it drove him crazy, but he did cool stuff like this for us kids all the time. Looking back it's these small gestures that made him a great Dad. Unfortunately, there was no bumping soundtrack for Afterlife, but I'm sure the song "Haunted House" by McKenna Grace will be on repeat in my home for the foreseeable future and I will let my kids play it as many times as they want. I miss my Dad, but at least I have those great memories that will keep him a part of my life forever.

Comic Book Pick 12/8/21

 The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
DEVIL'S REIGN #1

(W) Chip Zdarsky (A/CA) Marco Checchetto
The story that's been building for years is here! Wilson Fisk went from Kingpin to Mayor of the biggest city in America and is going to bring his full criminal and political power to bear on the super heroes who call NYC home. The man who once destroyed Daredevil has set his sights on The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and more. And since it's Fisk, once he takes them all down, you know he's going to sign it. CROSSBONES! TASKMASTER! TYPHOID MARY! SHOCKER! WHIPLASH! RHINO! KRAVEN! Fisk has an ARMY of super villains at his command - and this is just his opening salvo. For years, Fisk has waited for his time to strike, and YOU WON'T BELIEVE the aces he's got up his sleeves!
SRP: $5.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 12/6/21

 Throw on your Santa Hat and head to the Christmas Party as we take you back to the 70's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: Donny Hathaway
Song: This Christmas
Album: This Christmas (1970)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: #39
Bonus Fun Fact: This song has been covered by such notable acts as The Temptations, Patti LaBelle, Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green!

Ghostbusters Collection: Part 3

A few weeks ago we reached a huge milestone in the history of American Cinema, it was the release weekend for the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie and I couldn't be more excited! I still remember watching the original Ghostbusters on VHS at my friend Ron's house the summer before I started Kindergarten and being awestruck by the combination of scary & funny elements. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I ran home and told my Mom all about this movie and we eventually had our own copy. We wore that VHS out with repeated watchings. A few years later The Real Ghostbusters cartoon hit the small screen and me and my brother were glued to our TV every weekday after school. It didn't matter if we had seen the episode 100 times, it was must watch television. We had our share of Ghostbusters action figures, books, magazines and we even dressed as Ghostbusters for 3 consecutive Halloweens! We were hooked and that love for this franchise continues with me today as I share my memories and merchandise with my kids. Below are a few selections from my Ghostbusters collection. I hope you enjoy and continue to keep busting heads...in a spiritual sense of course!

Ghostbusters "Jam" picture by myself & my son

Ghostbusters Lottery Ticket

Campfire Stay Puft Marshmallows

Mini Puft Funko POP

Hasbro Ghostbusters Figures & Ecto-1 w/ Twinkie

Kenner The Real Ghostbusters Action Figures (2020)

Build-A-Bear Slimer Stuffed Toy

NOW Comics Slimer! Comic Book

Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Soundtrack Record

Kenner Screaming Hero Ray & Replica Ecto Cooler Boxes

Ghostbusters Cake made by my Wife

Well, that wraps up this journey through a portion of my Ghostbusters collection. I hope to share more with you soon and I hope you enjoyed this look at one of the most iconic franchises in recent movie history. Now get out there and see Ghostbusters: Afterlife. If you've already seen it, go see it again and enjoy the ghost busting shenanigans! Thanks for visiting and before we leave the firehouse, here's a look at one of my favorite Halloween decorations...a dancing ghost music box that plays the Ghostbusters theme song! Does it get any cooler than that?

Comic Book Pick 12/1/21

   The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
HAWKEYE: KATE BISHOP #1

(W) Marieke Nijkamp (A) Enid Balam (CA) Jahnoy Lindsay
KATE'S HEADING HOME! Or at least, back to New York. And as much as she wants to go back to where her friends - her chosen family - are, she's changed since she was last on the East Coast. So she's picked up a pit stop case first. A confidence-booster, to prove to herself she's making the right decision and not going to backslide into her past just by changing time zones. Besides, the case is perfect: Swanky resort? Check. Jewel heist? Check. Almost definitely 100% a trap? Check. Don't miss this exciting new miniseries from New York Times bestselling writer Marieke Nijkamp and artist Enid Balám!
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com