Throwback Jam of the Week: 2/28/22

 Throw on your shiny suit, and head to Electric Avenue 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: Refugee Camp All-Stars feat. Pras & Ky-Mani Marley
Song: Avenues
Album: Money Talks Soundtrack (1997)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 35
Bonus Fun Fact: The Refugee Camp All-Stars never released an album and this song from the Chris Tucker movie "Money Talks" marks their one and only single!

New Additions to the TMNT Collection V

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are probably my favorite characters from my childhood. Close by are the Masters of the Universe, Thundercats and Ghostbusters, but none of those stand up to my passion for collecting all things TMNT. Recently, I've been scouring the internets for any great deals I could find on merchandise featuring the Mean, Green Machine in an attempt to recoup some of my childhood collection. I did find some cool stuff that I would like to share with you. Hopefully it brings back some great memories from that time in life where animals in bandanas were everything to us. Here we go!

Henry Gordy International TMNT Flash Gun (1988)

I loved these "Rack Toys"! You know the kinds of cheapish toys that were always in grocery stores or drug stores back in the day. They featured some of our favorite cartoon characters on seemingly strange products that really didn't relate to the characters. This is one of those. I remember seeing this on the racks and honestly wanting it! I don't know if it was the fact that this was a toy gun with a built in flash light or if it was the incredible card art that really drew me in. Anyway, for a couple of bucks it is now in my ever growing TMNT collection

Mello Smello Glow in the Dark TMNT Stickers (1990)

I remember having quite a few TMNT Mello Smello stickers in my collection back in the early 90's, but I don't think I ever had these glow in the dark versions. The artwork on these is fantastic and look at that seemingly random Ace Duck sticker in the middle. TMNT merchandise rarely included characters like him. The back of the sticker pack is also a nostalgia trip in itself. Who didn't collect stickers back in the day?

TMNT Lenticular Motion Cards (1991)

I have no idea who created these cards, but I do remember pumping quarters into the machines at our local A&P Grocery store in NJ in an attempt to complete the set! We never did complete the set. Luckily I was able to buy it for about what i would have paid back in 1991. The cards say to "Collect All 24!" cards, but in all honesty, there are only 12 cards. Each card features 2 characters which are revealed when you tilt these mini sized marvels in an up & down motion. This set has a real mixed bag of characters and features everyone from Mondo Gecko to Tatsu! Did anyone else call these "Flicky Cards" back in the day or was it just me and my older brother?

The backs of each of these cards breaks us off a little TMNT trivia for each character. Who knew Krang's favorite phrase was "Home is where you hang your hat!" or that Shredder's favorite food is "Anything Raw". These cards shed a lot of light on the inner thinkings and likes of these rad dudes!

IDW TMNT "Inside Out" Director's Cut Comic (2017)

This book is from the recent run of TMNT comics published by IDW. I must say, I really have enjoyed reading these books. This hardcover "Director's Cut" features issues 1-5 of the TMNT Universe series and is a limited edition that is signed by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and TMNT writer Tom Watlz. I actually stumbled upon this book while I was helping my daughter purchase some My Little Pony books from the IDW website to fill some gaps in her collection. The book was only $14.95 and I am glad I found it when I did!

Thanks for checking out some more great Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles items from my collection. I hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for "New Additions to the TMNT Collection VI" coming next Friday!

Comic Book Pick 2/23/22

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

(W) Ben Percy (A) Smith, Cory (CA) Jorge Fornes
JOHNNY BLAZE!! Johnny Blaze has the perfect life: a wife and two kids, a job at an auto repair shop and a small-town community that supports him... But Johnny isn't doing well. He has nightmares of monsters when he sleeps. And he sees bloody visions when he's awake. This life is beginning to feel like a prison. And there's a spirit in him that's begging to break out! Benjamin Percy (WOLVERINE, X-FORCE) and Cory Smith (CONAN THE BARBARIAN, CAPTAIN MARVEL) are going back to basics with the Spirit of Vengeance in this extra-sized first issue!
SRP: $5.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 2/21/22

 Throw on your Dark Shades, and head to Southern California 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: Tony! Toni! Tone!
Song: Feels Good
Album: The Revival (1990)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 9
Bonus Fun Fact: The rap break in this song was performed by Mopreme Shakur under the stage name Mocedes! Mopreme is the step brother of the late Tupac Shakur!

Funko Pop Collection: Part #2

I am a fan of the Funko Pop figures. They are inexpensive and feature some amazing characters. if you are a fan of any show or movie, Funko has probably made a Pop of it! That being said, I really don't collect Pops, but if I do see one of a character I absolutely love, I will pick it up. My collection is not huge, but it is selective and here are a few that I would like to share with you...

Jason Voorhees from Friday The 13th

I'm gonna mention this for about the 1,000 time here, but I'm proud to say that I grew up in NJ, specifically the part of NJ where the original Friday The 13th movie was filmed. It was a great childhood and Funko Pop Jason was an absolute must have for my collection!

Rocko & Spunky from Rocko's Modern Life

Rocko's Modern Life was unquestionably my favorite Nickelodeon Cartoon back in the 90's. The cartoons were funny, witty and a little bit adult. Chokey Chicken anyone? I saw this Rocko Pop at Barnes & Noble and quickly grabbed him up. I wish they would have made the whole crew, but at least we got Rocko, Spunky and Heffer. I wonder why they never made a Filbert?

Slimer from Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters is one of my all-time favorite movies. Ever since I saw it in the summer of 1985, I was hooked. As a kid I was hooked on Slimer. The ugly little spud was funny, unique and cute in a gross sort of way. He became synonymous with Ghostbusters. Anything branded Ghostbusters most likely had a picture of Slimer on it. That's how they would hook us kids and even as adults we were all clamoring for one more shot at a taste of Hi-C Ecto Cooler!   

Spider-Man from The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

I know this may not be a popular take right now, but I did not care for the Amazing Spider-Man movies. I just did not feel like Andrew Garfield was Peter Parker. If you like the movies, I'm not gonna hate on you. Everyone is free to have their own opinion and this is mine. Anyway, I got this Spider-Man Pop for less than $2 on clearance at Target. The one thing I did like about the Amazing Spider-Man movies was the style of the Spider suit and this Funko Pop captures that look nicely.

Toby Armored & Gnome Chompsky from Trollhunters

Myself and my kids loved the Trollhunters series on Netflix. It became a fixture in our house on Saturday mornings. Each Saturday we would watch one episode in an attempt to recreate the magic of those 80's & 90's weekends spent watching morning cartoons. We made it through the Trollhunters series and then watched 3Below, Wizards and the finale movie Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans. Guillermo del Toro created a fantastic world for these characters to play in and one of our faves was Gnome Chompsky, so my kids got me this Funko Pop for my birthday and it is amazing!

Scoops Ahoy Steve from Stranger Things

Again, I am a fan of the Stranger Things series and when Baskin Robbins joined forces with Netflix a few summer's ago it was magic. B&R pretty much turned their stores into a real life version of the Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream Shop from Stranger Things. The employees wore Scoops Ahoy uniforms, they sold Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream you could even order the U.S.S. Butterscotch sundae! As part of this alliance Baskin Robbins sold these exclusive Steve Pops at their store, so myself and the fam made a few trips and I got this Pop to commemorate this moment in pop culture. Check out a commercial for the promotion below:

Comic Book Pick 2/16/22

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

(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Yg, Michael (CA) Jim Cheung
WHO IS THE NEW IRON FIST?! After giving up his power to save the world, DANNY RAND believes he's seen the last of the IRON FIST...But when DEMONS begin to attack cities around the world, a MYSTERIOUS NEWCOMER in a FAMILIAR MASK appears, hands blazing with the CHI OF SHOU-LAO THE UNDYING! Who is this NEW IRON FIST? And does his power really come from the DRAGON OF K'UN-LUN... Or from something far more sinister?
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 2/14/22

  Throw on your Post Apocalyptic Gear, and head to the West Coast 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: 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre
Song: California Love
Album: All Eyez on Me (1995)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 1
Bonus Fun Fact: This music video was directed by Hype Williams and features cameos by George Clinton, Chris Rock and Roger Troutman!

Funko Pop Collection: Part #1

I am a fan of the Funko Pop figures. They are inexpensive and feature some amazing characters. if you are a fan of any show or movie, Funko has probably made a Pop of it! That being said, I really don't collect Pops, but if I do see one of a character I absolutely love, I will pick it up. My collection is not huge, but it is selective and here are a few that I would like to share with you...

Blanka from Street Fighter

Around my neighborhood, Street Fighter II was the fighting game of choice. Me and my friends would play this game for hours on our SNES during the summer of 1992 trying to perfect all the characters special moves. Of course one of the easiest to master was Blanka's electrical attack. That paired with his crazy look, made him a favorite of mine to play with.

Casey Jones from the TMNT Movie (1990)

The summer of 1990 brought my favorite Heroes In A Half-Shell to the big screen. My Dad took my brother and me to the theater to see this movie and our minds were blown! The movie was gritty & dark, but it still had the humor and action that we loved from the TMNT cartoon show. It was the perfect balance of the Mirage comics and Fred Wolf cartoon. Of course one of the highlights was the appearance of Casey Jones. He had some of the best scenes in the movie and of course I needed a Casey Jones to go along with my TMNT Funko Pops.

Doctor Octopus

Spider-Man has always been one of my favorite comic book superheroes. So much so that I have a Spider-Man tattoo and back when I was a DJ, my stage name was Spyda-Man. Those days have passed, but Spider-Man is still one of my favorites and my family got me this Doc Ock Funko Pop as a birthday gift a few years ago. He's a bad dude and still looks awesome, even as a Funko Pop!

Gremlin from Gremlins (1984)

Seeing Gremlins with my Dad and siblings in the movie theater is one of the earliest memories that I have. I don't actually remember seeing the movie, but I remember getting home from seeing the movie and the power went off in our house. Of course everyone was joking that it was the Gremlins that caused the power outage, but in fact it was a blown fuse. I didn't know that and those innocent jokes led to a few sleepless nights in my bed!

Harley Quinn from Batman: Arkham Knight

I have the Batman Arkham games collection for the WiiU and honestly, I've only played it a handful of times. I'm not a huge fan of the game itself, but I do like me some Harley Quinn. I picked this Pop up at a going out of business sale at a retro store in our mall. So for a couple of bucks Harley came home with me.

Dustin from Stranger Things (Target Exclusive)

I have been a fan of Stranger Things since the first season hit Netflix way back in 2016. Recently, my oldest daughter has watched the series with me and my wife and now she is in love with the show! For my birthday, my wife and kids got me a Target exclusive Funko Pop Dustin set. The set came with this Funko Pop of Dustin in his "Camp Know Where" outfit and a shirt with the "Roast Beef" design on it that Dustin wore in season 3 of the series. I love this shirt!

That's it for this round. Check back next week for some more random Funko Pop figures from my collection!

Comic Book Pick 2/9/22

  The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #20

(W) Greg Pak (A) Raffaele Ienco (CA) Chris Sprouse
THE QUEEN'S SHADOW RETURNS! Darth Vader continues his quest to destroy the agents of Crimson Dawn, abetted by an unlikely crew of heroes and assassins. But every twist in the tale gets thrown into question with the shocking return of SABÉ, handmaiden of Padmé Amidala! Who's the hero? Who's the villain? And will they choose chaos or order in the age of Crimson Reign?
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 2/7/22

 Throw on your Dancing Shoes, and head to the launch site 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: SNAP!
Song: Rhythm Is A Dancer
Album: The Madman's Return (1992)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 5
Bonus Fun Fact: This song reached the #1 position in several countries including Austria, France, Ireland, Spain and Zimbabwe!

Kevin Eastman Studios Order: Part 2

Dino Island #1 & Bioneers #1

Welcome back! Last week I showed off some of the great stuff I recently purchased from the Kevin Eastman Studios website. This week the reveals continue! As I mentioned before, I purchased the "Vintage Mirage Bundle". This included 15 comics from the personal collection of Kevin Eastman, which is pretty cool in itself, but the bundle also includes one signed comic from a former Mirage artist. Take a look at the books below. Did you read any of these?

Stupid Heroes #1 (1st & 2nd Printings)

Stupid Heroes #2 & Stupid Heroes #3

Plastron Cafe #2 & Plastron Cafe #3 (Includes Casey Jones TMNT story)

Plastron Cafe #4 & Prime Slime Tales #2

Eagles of the Vortex #1 & Xenotech #1

Xenotech #1 (Variant Cover) & Xenotech #3

Xenotech #2 (Autographed by Michael Dooney)

Michael Dooney is one of my all-time favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle artists. I own quite a few of his prints and he also once saved me from an accident involving some of those prints and a can of The Simpsons Duff energy drink. You can read about that by clicking HERE if you would like. Overall I am happy with the eclectic mix of books in this "Cowabundle" and I love the look back at some of the more obscure comics put out by the studio that brought us those Heroes in a Half-Shell! Now I've just got to find some time to read them all!

Comic Book Pick 2/2/22

 The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
SAVAGE SPIDER-MAN #1

(W) Joe Kelly (A) Gerardo Sandoval (CA) Mark Bagley
SPIDER-MAN LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE!
Peter Parker finds himself at the middle of the biggest, most wide-ranging adventure he's ever had and out of the gate it has turned him into a SAVAGE BEAST! Forget everything you know about Spider-Man. All rules and regulations are out the door and Peter Parker may never be the same!
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com