Throw on your Tune Squad Jersey, and head to the Space Jamas we take you back to the 90s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: Chris Rock & Barry White Song: Basketball Jones Album: Space Jam: The Soundtrack (1996) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A Bonus Fun Facts: Cheech & Chong released the original version of the song "Basketball Jones" in 1973!
A few weeks ago I met up with a friend as we went on the hunt for retro treasure at one of our local antique malls. I enjoy going to these kinds of stores, because you'll never know what you're going to find. Most of the time the cool stuff that I like is way over priced, but it's cool to know it's out there if I really want it. There were a ton of booths to go through. Some of them did have some great stuff, but nothing that I really collected. Below are some of the items we found this time around...AGAIN!
Marvel Comics Wolverine #75: $2
This issue was a big one back in 1993! Wolverine's Adamantium was ripped out of his body by Magneto and the X-Men were trying to save him. Things turned out well for the Canadian mutant and he had "Bone" claws for a while, but in true comic book fashion, he got his Adamantium back a few issues later and all was right in the world. This book written by G.I. Joe legend, Larry Hama and drawn by Adam Kubert sported an amazing cover that was made all the more better by the inclusion of a freakin' hologram! Take a closer look at this one and you'll notice the hologram is upside down! You better believe this came home with me! At $2 how could it not?
Matchbox Pee-Wee Herman Talking Doll: $25
This doll was released by Matchbox in 1987 and I have some pretty vivid memories of it. I had a friend named George who owned this doll and after the whole "Adult Theater" event happened in 1991, he came to despise the character. One day while at his house, he decided to give the doll a burial at sea and launched Pee-Wee directly into the retention pond behind his housing complex. I never owned this doll or any Pee-Wee merchandise, but I must say that I did enjoy the Pee-Wee's Playhouse show from time to time on Saturday mornings.
Spuds MacKenzie Plush Toy: $20
Everybody loved Spuds MacKenzie back in the 80's (1987-1989)! He was the lovable "Original Party Animal" who promoted beer. That's where things went wrong. When people started to realize that kids were loving this character as much as the alcohol drinking adults, Budweiser pulled the plug on Spuds after a ton of pushback by parent groups and senators. I can't go to any antique mall without spotting at least one Spuds item. From old beer signs, to plush stuffed animals to t-shirts, Spuds was everywhere. His life as a marketing icon was short, but damn was it successful!
Playmates TMNT Leatherhead Action Figure: $75
This figure was released in 1989 as part of the extremely successful Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line of toys by Playmates. My brother got this toy when it came out and it was one of our favorites. Who wouldn't love an evil mutant alligator? Leatherhead has been a part of the TMNT universe since his first comic book appearance in the Mirage published "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6". Although his appearance and origins have varied from series to series, Leatherhead has always been a staple in TMNT lore.
Kellog's Corn Flakes Batman Box: $20
Who doesn't love gimmicky cereal boxes? This one has it all. The lenticular photo of Batman transitioning to Bruce Wayne is worth the price alone. This box that was found still includes the original Corn Flakes! I honestly don't remember seeing this on the cereal isle shelves back in 1997, but I wish I had!
Pepsi Jacksons World Tour '84 Can: $10
I love this can! I should have picked it up. I was all of 4 years old back in 1984, but I already knew what a big deal Michael Jackson was. My sister's played Michael's "Thriller" album non-stop on their record players during that time and every track was a classic. This tour brought Michael back into the mix with his brothers after his massive solo success. Many believe Michael did this to help his brothers out financially. The tour itself was a smash success, but tensions between the brothers led the cancellation of the European and Australian parts of the tour in 1985. This was the only time all 6 Jackson brothers performed together and it was also the last. The hype for the tour was big and the names connected to it were as impressive, featuring Paula Abdul as choreographer and Don King as the promoter. This can symbolizes that brief moment in time where the entire Jackson family was back on top of the world. Like I said, it was brief, but it gave us this kick-ass Pepsi commercial that shows off the dancing skills of a young Alfonso Ribeiro! ENJOY!!!
The comic book I am most excited to read this week is... SPIDER-MAN 2099: EXODUS #1 (W) Steve Orlando (A) Dave Wachter (CA) Ken Lashley INTRODUCING THE WINTER SOLDIER OF 2099! After a massive CELESTIAL body crashes into the Wastelands outside of Nueva York, a new Garden of Eden erupts from the crash site, offering unimaginable power. And it's not just THE CABAL who is hungry to control the Garden. Everyone's got something to gain from Paradise...including WINTER SOLDIER 13. Salvaged from the black market as a child, the Winter Soldier - raised on mad science - is bent on vengeance and rebirth. But what truly lies within the Garden? SRP: $3.99 Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com
Throw on your thick rimmed glasses, and grab your synthesizer as we take you back to the 80s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: Herbie Hancock Song: Rockit Album: Future Shock (1983) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 71 Bonus Fun Facts: This song features turntable scratches by Grandmaster DXT & Grandmaster Caz! The music video for this song won Herbie Hancock 5 MTV Video Music Awards and 2 Billboard Music Video Awards in addition to a Grammy award in 1983 for "Best R&B Instrumental Performance"!
The comic book I am most excited to read this week is... BATMAN '89 #6 (W) Sam Hamm It’s a battle between former friends for the heart of Gotham as Batman faces down Harvey Dent. Can Bruce save his friend before he goes too far, and what does this mean for the future of Gotham City? SRP: $3.99 Synopsis Provided By: DCcomics.com
Throw on your Leather Jacket, and head to Harlem as we take you back to the 90s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: Keith Sweat Song: Twisted Album: Keith Sweat (1996) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 2 Bonus Fun Fact: This song topped the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 for 14 straight weeks in 1996!
A few weeks ago I met up with a friend as we went on the hunt for retro treasure at one of our local antique malls. I enjoy going to these kinds of stores, because you'll never know what you're going to find. Most of the time the cool stuff that I like is way over priced, but it's cool to know it's out there if I really want it. There were a ton of booths to go through. Some of them did have some great stuff, but nothing that I really collected. Below are some of the items we found this time around.
Ms. Pac-Man Coleco Tabletop Arcade Game: $175
I love these tabletop games! When I was younger I always admired the collection that my cousin had. He would rarely let us play them, but when he did, it was an amazing experience. My favorite of the tabletop games that he had was Mario's Cement Factory. I'm still on the lookout for one of those machines for an affordable price. Speaking of price $175 for this Ms. Pac-Man with the box and paperwork is actually a fair deal. I've seen these go for twice that price in worse condition. If I were a richer man, this would have come home with me!
Dave Stevens Autographed Art: $75
Dave Stevens is most well known as the creator of The Rocketeer. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 52 after a battle with leukemia. He had such a distinct style that is immediately recognizable. At $75, this autographed piece of comic art titled "Hot Cargo" is a steal! I should go back and grab it before someone else comes to their senses and adds it to their collection!
Nestle Crunch/Upper Deck Slam Dunk Bar: $5
I was an avid collector of basketball cards in my youth, but I don't ever recall seeing these sold in stores. If I had, I know I would have bought them in bulk. Each pack contains a special "Slam Dunk" Nestle Crunch Bar and 4 Upper Deck basketball cards. The cards highlight some of the best dunkers of the era like Michael Jordan, Shawn Kemp and Isaiah Rider. This is an item that I did pick up and I'll show you what was inside in a future post.
Vintage Lunchboxes: $15 - $50
I love old lunchboxes and these ones especially. I had those Real Ghostbusters and Super Mario Bros. lunchboxes when I was in grade school and they were well used and well loved. I may still have them somewhere at my Mom's house, but they are nowhere near as clean as these ones are and I'm pretty sure the Thermos are long gone! For $30, I will go back and pick these up to add to my Ghostbusters and Nintendo collections. The She-Ra and Golden Girl boxes were a nice surprise to see in the display case.
X-Men #25 (Blue Hologram Error): $2
This X-Men issue was released in 1993 during the peak of X-Men mania! The cartoon was on FOX, the comics were selling like crazy and Wolverine was the hottest comic book character around. Of course I collected the X-Men books around this time and I do have the regular green/yellow hologram version of this book, but when I saw this for $2 at the antique mall, I couldn't pass it up. Allegedly, these blue holograms were a printing error and are fairly rare. I just think it's a cool looking book from an era of X-Men that had me hooked!
My Pal 2: $30
My Pal 2 was released by Toybiz in the early 90's. I never owned one, but I vividly remember the commercials for this little robot companion. He could talk, his nose glowed, he played games like Simon says & ring toss, he could throw and he had a basketball hoop on his chest for impromptu games of HORSE on a rainy day! This example of My Pal 2 is missing his sweet hat and hoop, but man did this bring back some memories. I've attached the commercial from 1993 below. Take 30 seconds to watch it and bask in all that My Pal 2 could do. If that's not your thing, at least give it a watch to see one of the kids truly magnificent mullets!
The comic book I am most excited to read this week is... THE JURASSIC LEAGUE #1
(A) Juan Gedeon (W) Juan Gedeon, Daniel Warren Johnson
You know the story: an infant escapes the destruction of its home planet and is deposited on Earth to be raised by human parents. A goddess from a lost city defends truth. A Tyrannosaurus rex dons the visage of a bat to strike fear into evildoers’ hearts. This heroic trinity, alongside a league of other super-powered dinosaurs, join forces to save a prehistoric Earth from the sinister machinations of Darkseid. Wait…what? Okay, maybe you don’t know the story. So join us and bear witness to a brand-new-yet older than time-adventure and experience the Justice League as you have never seen them before!
Throw on your Eye Black, and head to the ATL as we take you back to the 90s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: TLC Song: Diggin' On You Album: CrazySexyCool (1994) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 5 Bonus Fun Fact: This song was the 4th and final single released from the album CrazySexyCool and features synthesizers and drum programming by Babyface!
Saturday, May 7th is Free Comic Book Day! You can go to your local comic shop and choose from a variety of great comics from publishers like Marvel, DC, Darkhorse and more! If you want more info or need to know what shops are participating, check out the Free Comic Book Day website. Every year I take my kids out and make this day an event. It's something we look forward to every year. Here are my top five comics for the 2022 FCBD:
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
(W) Tom Waltz (A/CA) Sophie Campbell
The Ninja Turtles have broken out of the locked-down neighborhood of Manhattan known as Mutant Town . . . but which Ninja Turtles? And is that... VENUS(!)... spying on them?! As all new mutants haunt and terrorize NYC, enemies and allies of the TMNT alike prepare for a confrontation greater than any that has come before . . . the Rat King's diabolical Armageddon Game! The TMNT event of 2022 starts here from Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell, Ronda Pattison and Kevin Eastman!
SPIDER-MAN & VENOM #1
(W) Al Ewing, Ram V., Zeb Wells (A) Bryan Hitch (A/CA) John Romita
Announced last week, Spider-Man is gearing up for a brand-new era just in time for the character's 60th anniversary! Fans who pick up FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM #1 will see the very beginning of the major storylines writer Zeb Wells and legendary artist John Romita Jr. have planned for their run on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, including Tombstone's first steps towards becoming Spidey's most terrifying villain. FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM #1 will also give fans a chance to check out the thought-provoking work Al Ewing, Ram V, and Bryan Hitch are doing on VENOM! The groundbreaking changes this mastermind trio has in store for the symbiote mythos starts here!
STRANGER THINGS/RESIDENT ALIEN
(W) Michael Moreci, Peter Hogan (A) Pius Bak, Steve Parkhouse (CA) Diego Galindo
Celebrating the weird and wonderful, we present stories both strange and alien! In Stranger Things, Eleven, Will and Jonathan go to a drive-in theater for a double creature feature, but the local festivities and scary costumes bring back haunting memories. In Resident Alien, Dr. Harry and nurse Asta help an elderly patient in the sleepy, small town of Patience investigate a ghostly presence in her house! Exclusive Original Material.
DISNEY MASTERS DONALD DUCK & CO.
(W) William Van Horn, Joe Torcivia, Dick Kinney, Bas Heymans, Pasqua Heymans (A) William Van Horn, Giorgio Cavazzano, Al Hubbard, Bas Heymans
A star bunch of Disney Masters bring us wild Disney adventures from around the world! In "Snore Losers," Uncle Scrooge has nightmares of giving Donald Duck a million bucks-and then dreamologist J. Slumberbunk Swoonsnooze insists Scrooge must do it for real! Next, in "Here Today, Gone Apollo," that mighty Mouseton madcap Super Goof faces evil Emil Eagle and Dangerous Dan McBoo in a booby-trapped castle... and in "Fall Guy," Cousin Fethry longs to ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel, but only Donald repeatedly takes the plunge!
STREET FIGHTER MASTERS: BLANKA
(W) Matt Moylan (A/CA) Genzoman
It's time to go green with Blanka, the Brazilian berserker beastman! This electrically-charged icon of Street Fighter tears through the jungles of the Amazon in his first solo comic adventure! Exclusive Original Material
The comic book I am most excited to read this week is... SPIDER-MAN 2099 EXODUS: ALPHA #1 (W) Steve Orlando (A) Paul Fry (CA) Leinil Francis Yu MIGUEL O'HARA IS BACK! After fighting battles across the timestream, MIGUEL O'HARA is at last back defending hispresent and our our future! For SPIDER-MAN 2099, the only thing constant about life in Nueva York is change. So when a cataclysmic crash creates a new Garden of Eden in what was once the American Wastelands, Spider-Man knows exactly what the next atrocity will be. Watch as THE CABAL plans to set society ablaze - and you'll never guess who is leading them! SRP: $4.99 Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com
Throw on your Parachute Pants, and head to the track or the club as we take you back to the 90s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: MC Hammer Song: Have You Seen Her? Album: Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 4 Bonus Fun Fact: This song samples heavily from the Chi-Lites 1971 hit "Have You Seen Her". The original version of this song reached #3 on the Billboard charts.
