Throwback Jam of the Week: 5/31/21

 Throw on your Sparkly Futuristic Garb and head to the disco ball 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: Kool & The Gang
Song: Fresh
Album: Emergency (1984)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 9
Bonus Fun Fact: This song made it to the #1 spot on the US R&B and Dance charts in 1984. Kroger Supermarkets used this song to help promote their stores in a 2021 campaign of television commercials!

Wax Pack Revolution #6

Over the last few years, I've been collecting old wax & foil 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 and the smell of bubble gum. Let's dive into a few of these packs that I have on display...AGAIN!

FOX KIDS CARDS (Fleer, 1995)

I love this set! I never knew these cards existed back in the mid-90's, but if I had known, I probably would have the entire set! Where else could you get a complete base set of 150 great looking cards that feature Spider-Man, the X-Men, The Tick, Bobby's World and Eek! The Cat? What a great blend of classic after school cartoons! There also was a Fleer Ultra version of this set that included foil stamping on each card and also had some chase cards available like "Power Pop-Ups" and "Suspended Animation" cards!

WildC.A.T.S ANIMATED (Wildstorm, 1995)

I was a fan of the WildC.A.T.S comic when it first hit the stands in 1992. It featured gorgeous art by Jim Lee and the stories were fairly entertaining in a 90's extreme kind of way. My liking for the series had already waned by the time the WildC.A.T.S cartoon hit the air in 1994. These cards are based off of that series and I maybe caught 1 or 2 episodes of it's 13 episode run. Still, pretty nice set.

MUPPETS TAKE THE ICE (Cardz, 1994)

I got a few of these card packs in those 2 comics and 1 card pack combo set that the Dollar Tree used to sell. For $1 you could not go wrong. These cards are officially licensed NHL products and feature the Muppets on the ice in all the NHL teams uniforms and use official logos. There are 80 cards in the set and include such variations as "Team Facts", "Team History" and "Rules" cards. Glad to see Animal representing the NJ Devils here!

VR TROOPERS PUZZLE CARDS (Saban, 1995)

My younger brother was big into the Power Rangers in the early 90's, so when VR Troopers, a sister series to MMPR, hit screens in 1994, he was there to watch it. The premise of the show followed 3 California teenagers who stumble upon experimental VR technology. They use this technology and their martial arts talentsto find their leader's father and also to fight the evil Grimlord alongside their talking dog, Jeb! This pack of cards features cards that are puzzle pieces to a large picture of the canine sidekick. I just found out that the popularity of VR Troopers was close to that of Power Rangers, but the show was cancelled after 2 seasons due to the production staff exhausting all of the Japanese footage they had licensed to make the show! Wow!

1987 TOPPS BASEBALL CARDS

This is my favorite baseball card set of all-time! This was the set that introduced me to card collecting. I love everything about it from the selection of players included to the wood grain borders. It also helps that I could collect the entire 1986 World Series Champions Mets team. I also received my first Bo Jackson card through this set! Now enjoy this hot "Get Metsmerized" jam from 1986 featuring the mad mic skills of Dwight Gooden, Lenny Dykstra, Howard Johnson and more!

Comic Book Pick 5/26/21

     The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
TMNT: THE LAST RONIN #3

(W) Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz (A) Ben Bishop (A/CA) Kevin Eastman, Esau Escorza, Issac Escorza
Unexpected allies from the past reveal a possible path to salvation! As the Foot Clan sweeps NYC for the rogue Ronin, a final desperate plan in the name of vengeance is made! Spanning decades, this issue's action and intrigue will set up the astounding final issues!
SRP: $8.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 5/24/21

Throw on your untucked button down shirts and head to the roller rink 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: Soul For Real
Song: Every Little Thing I Do
Album: Candy Rain (1995)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 17
Bonus Fun Fact: This song was certified gold by the RIAA and the music video includes cameos by R&B group Total, rap group The Lost Boyz and Heavy D!

Kool-Aid & Mutants!

 
A few weeks ago I was placing an online order at the Midtown Comics website and decided to search for some Kool-Aid Man comics. The search came up empty for Kool-Aid Man, but something did pop up. It was an X-Men comic that had the subtitle "w/ Kool-Aid". At first I wasn't sure what that meant, but then I remembered that back in the 90's Marvel comics did a promotion with Kool-Aid where packets of the flavorful sugary drink were included in select Marvel titles. This must have been one of them! I put it in my shopping cart and about a week later the comics arrived!

Inside the X-Men book was this Kool-Aid ad for their new Island Twists drinks. Flavors in this new line-up included Kickin' Kiwi Lime, Man-O-Mango Berry, Oh Yeah! Orange Pineapple and Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade.

The flavor I received was Slammin' Strawberry Kiwi! I can honestly say that I don't ever remember tasting this twisted flavor back in the 90's, but the packaging alone takes me back to those hot summer days riding bikes with a water bottle full of Kool-Aid! Great stuff that I stumbled upon by chance. There were some other great ads included in this X-Men issue that I would like to share with you below. Scroll down and take a quick trip back to 1995!

Cereal ads, candy craziness, a Marvel house ad featuring Domino and of course The Simpsons. This truly is a time capsule of the era. Even the cover of the X-Men book includes an M.C. Hammer "Can't Touch This" pun! I hope you enjoyed checking out some old ads, below you can view the vintage commercial promoting Kool-Aid's new Island Twist flavors. ENJOY!

Comic Book Pick 5/19/21

    The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
NIGHTWING #80

(W) Tom Taylor (A) Bruno Redondo
Dick Grayson’s always had a big heart. From protecting those persecuted by bullies in his youth, to combating evil alongside Batman as Robin, to pledging his newly inherited wealth to enriching Blüdhaven as Nightwing-his kindness and generosity have always guided his life. But now a new villain stalks the back alleys of Blüdhaven, removing the hearts of the city’s most vulnerable. Who is this terrifying new menace named Heartless, and will he be able to resist plucking out the biggest heart in all of Blüdhaven? Read this (literally) heart-wrenching issue to find out!
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 5/17/21

    Throw on your Jean Jacket and head to the DJ booth 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: Chaka Khan
Song: I Feel For You
Album: I Feel For You (1984)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 3
Bonus Fun Fact: This song features rapping by "Furious Five" member Melle Mel. It also features samples from Stevie Wonder's song "Fingertips" and was originally written by Prince for his 1979 album titled "Prince".  This version won Prince a Grammy in 1985 for "Best R&B Song" as the writer of the song!

Goodwill Finds!

Because of COVID I have not been hitting up the local thrift stores as I once did, but recently I decided to make a trip to the local Goodwill store...and I am glad I did! I searched through the wall of toy grab bags and found one that had some vintage action figures in it for only $1.99! Let's check out the highlights!!!

1989 Spinhead Beetlejuice by Kenner

I have not seen a Beetlejuice action figure in years! I remember owning a few of these figures back in the late 80's, but not this one. We had Shish Kebob Beetlejuice, Harry the Haunted and Otho The Obnoxious. I vividly remember picking these up at a toy store and having to make the tough decision of Beetlejuice toys or The Simpsons action figures. Beetlejuice won out. These figures were a bit strange because they were based off the movie by Tim Burton and not the animated Beetlejuice series that was more aimed at kids. This figure actually has a fairly good Michael Keaton likeness to it and recreates BJ's look from one of the iconic "Waiting Room" scenes from the movie. You can even pop off his head to reveal the shrunken version underneath!

1986 Screaming Heroes Ray Stantz

Just like most kid in the 80's, I was obsessed with The Real Ghostbusters. I remember owning this toy as a kid and it's probably still somewhere at my Mom's house. Who could say no to any RGB toy? This Ray has a wind up feature that makes his hands raise and head spin once a trigger is pushed on his front. Ray also came with a companion ghost called Vermoan that when attached to Ray's back would make a sound that sort of resembled screaming. This toy line was filled with all kinds of gimmicks and this one was one of my favorites!

1992 McDonald's Super Looney Tunes Petunia Pig

In 1992 McDonald's released a line of Super Looney Tunes figures in their Happy Meals. There were 4 figures in all: Super Bugs (Bugs Bunny/Superman), Bat Duck (Daffy Duck/Batman), Taz Flash (Tasmanian Devil/The Flash) and the figure I recently pickup Wonder Pig (Petunia Pig/Wonder Woman). These figures featured Looney Tunes characters in normal attire, but then you could snap on their super hero outfits for some zany hijinks! The only figure I ever remember owning was Taz Flash, but honestly, I could see myself searching out the rest of the set. These are pretty cool Happy Meal Toys!

1990 Pizza Hut Batly Puppet & 101 Dalmatians Pongo Figure

These items were cool, but not really anything I collected back in the early 90's. Eureka's Castle was a show that ran on Nick Jr. from 1989-1991. These puppets are cool and remind me of the ones Pizza Hut had sold for "The Land Before Time". The Pongo figure has no date or manufacturer on it, but I assume it was made available around the time of the 1991 re-release of "101 Dalmatians". 

Some pretty cool stuff in that $1.99 grab bag. I should start getting back into the swing of things and hopefully when I do, I'll be able to show off some more cool finds from the local thrift stores!

Comic Book Pick 5/12/21

   The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
FANTASTIC FOUR #32

(W) Dan Slott (A) R. B. Silva, Javier Rodriguez (CA) Ron Lim
THE BRIDE OF DOOM!
Part 1: "Betrothal" The HUMAN TORCH's love life is changed forever when he must choose between his soulmate and his ex-wife...And is Johnny Storm's first heartbreak, CRYSTAL, back in the book?! This is all too much! Fortunately, there is also a lot of punching, hitting and clobbering going on! All this and an ominous decree by DOCTOR DOOM! PLUS: A second tale in which Reed Richards duels Doctor Doom for the strangest prize imaginable!
SRP: $4.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 5/10/21

   Throw on your Ruffled Shirt and head to Paisley Park 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: Prince & The Revolution
Song: Kiss
Album: Parade (1986)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 1
Bonus Fun Fact: This song was originally written for funk band Mazarati, but Prince decided to make a few changes and finish the song himself. This song earned Prince a Grammy for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" and the video features Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin.

These figures are totes DORBZ!

Over the years I have collected certain Funko POPs figures, but mostly just of characters I really enjoy. These have included the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stranger Things, Spider-Man and Street Fighter. I had seen the Dorbz figures, also released by Funko, at stores before, but never really wanted to pick them up. That is until our local Hastings store was closing and I was able to grab some for around $3 each.

The figures in question were these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! I was able to pick up Leo, Raph & Donnie for the $3 price tag, but there were no Mikey's available. I waited until I was able to find one on ebay for a good price. I think I paid around $5 for him and was able to complete the set!

A few years later I spotted these Ghosbusters Dorbz figures on clearance at Gamestop. Once again they were around $3 each and I was able to add Peter, Ray & Winston to my collection. It wasn't until about a month ago that I was able to add Egon to the team. I paid around $7 for him and I am glad the crew is back together to bust some heads...in a spiritual sense of course!

The Funko Dorbz line was just as vast as their POPs line with characters from Marvel to DC to horror icons like Jason to cartoon favorites like He-Man. There was a Dorbz out there for everyone. They just never caught on like the POPs and were recently discontinued. I wasn't a huge fan in the beginning, but these figures have grown on me for their cute faces and really affordable price point. I suggest you pick some up to add to your collection and enjoy! They are pretty awesome!!

Comic Book Pick 5/5/21

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

(W) Jason Aaron (A) Ed McGuinness (CA) Mark Bagley
A WORLD WITHOUT AVENGERS!   
Welcome to a world where Tony Stark never built an Iron Man armor. Where Thor is a hard-drinking atheist who despises hammers. Where Wakanda is dismissed as a myth. And where Captain America was never found in the ice because there were no Avengers to find him. Instead this world has always been protected by Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Squadron Supreme of America. And now the Squadron faces an attack from some of their fiercest enemies, like Dr. Juggernaut, the Black Skull, the Silver Witch and Thanos with his Infinity Rings. But why is the Daywalker Blade the one man alive who seems to remember that the entire world has somehow been...reborn?
SRP: $5.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 5/3/21

  Throw on your Darkest Shades and head to Epping Forrest 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: Soul II Soul
Song: Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)
Album: Club Calssics Vol. One (1989)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 4
Bonus Fun Fact: The original album version of this song was done a cappella. It was later remixed and issued as a single with backing vocals and a music track.