Fantastic Four #268 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

This 1984 issue of Fantastic Four has heartbreak, mystery and tons of action. Not to mention a bunch of guest stars!

The story takes place after the Secret Wars. The Thing has temporarily stepped away from the team in order to find himself on the Battleworld. Taking his place is She-Hulk. Jennifer Walters has been on the team for a couple of weeks now and seen action as the FF's heavy. But she's yet to seen the interior of the Baxter Building. Sue Richards has just previously experienced a miscarriage. So in order to give Sue and husband Reed a chance to mourn, Johnny Storm thinks now is as good a time as any to give She-Hulk the deluxe tour of the team's headquarters. 

One of the areas where Johnny takes Jen is to a little seen 'trophy room' full of tech recovered from the Fantastic Four's numerous encounters with baddies. One of the newest additions to the room is the mask of the recently deceased Doctor Doom! And it gives both the Human Torch and She-Hulk the creeps . Rightfully so! Because all of a sudden the mask comes alive and starts destroying the entire building!!!

I had mentioned that this issue had a bunch of guest stars in it. Assisting with the complications of Sue Richards gamma infused pregnancy are some of the Marvel Universes leading experts in gamma radiation. Dr. Michael Morbius, Dr. Bruce Banner, Professor Walter Langkowski (Alpha Flight's Sasquatch) are consulted to tragic circumstances. Even the diabolical Otto Octavius is given a day pass from prison on the good and desperate word of Mister Fantastic. But alas it just wasn't meant to be.

As a parent of multiple multiple miscarriages, I can completely sympathize with Reed Richard's. Knowing my wife was suffering and that my children were at risk, I too would have moved Heaven and Earth to save them. God knows I tried.

Speaking of Bruce Banner- he actually makes 2 cameos! That's because during her tour of the Baxter Building, She-Hulk recounts her origin story to Johnny Storm. Thanks to a blood transfusion from cousin Bruce, Jen first became the Savage She-Hulk before gaining full control of her rage and emotions as the Sensational She-Hulk!

The characters all with beady little eyes. The blondes all with Farrah Fawcett style hairdos. The dark blue uniforms with the white collars. She-Hulk in all her Amazonian stature and allure. This is quintessential John Bryne Fantastic Four! The only thing missing is Wyatt Wingfoot. But don't worry; he's teased to be returning in the next issue.

Lastly, I have to marvel at the cover. It's a combination of an actual photograph of Doctor Doom's mask and John Byrne's version of ray beams shooting out of the mask's eyes! The creator of the real life Doom mask is Eliot R. Brown. Some of you might recognize his work of the famous live action cover of 1985's Amazing Spider-Man #262! Note: The image I have used is a hi-definition version found on Marvel.Com. Here you can see the full outline of the mask and the rivets. On the original cover, all that is really hard to make out. One of the few times that digital beats paper...

A great issue with action, adventure and sadness! But absolutely powerful. 

Completing this review completes Task #6 (Fantastic Four Comic from the 1980s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars. 

Avengers #239 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

This comic book came out with a cover date of January, 1984. I was 5 years of age. To say that by the time I was 5 that this comic book was my introduction to David Letterman would be a good guess. But you would be wrong.

My parents were on the young side when they had my in 1977. By 1983, neither were the age of 30 yet

 My mom, a nurse, worked nights. My dad was in college. They were night owls. They were hip-ish. To say that the exploits of David Letterman, his musical sidekick Paul Shaffer and the rest of the Late Night crew was already a nearly nightly session at my home would be an accurate description. The infamous interview between Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman in a cervical collar, was an early childhood memory for me. A traumatizing one. But one that I remember fondly. That's for sure.

This is one of those issues that I owned in my original childhood collection. The one that I foolishly allowed to be stolen when I was in middle school. I don't remember where I bought it. Heck, my dad might have bought it and then it ended up in my collection. But I could guess 3 possible locations that it was bought at: the Grocery Boy Jr., 7/11 or Tales Resold. All from the Raleigh Brentwood area. 

The story is a classic. Wonder Man's movie career has stalled. To help jump start it, Simon's agent gets him booked to Late Night With David Letterman. Unfortunately, since Wonder Man is currently on reserve status with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the show's producers are wanting some more well known Avengers to tag along as well. With heavy hitters Captain America and Thor away on personal missions, Hawkeye and the Vision call in as many favors as they can to support Simon's big break. 

Along with Hawkeye, the Beast, Black Widow and Black Panther are all able to make. (I just realized that it appears that Clint Barton and Vision only made it to the letter B of the Avengers roll call!) Also in attendance is Fabian Stankowicz, a recent lottery winner who's been creating ways to attack the Avengers in order to make a name for himself. Using his knowledge of mechanics, Stankowicz turns Letterman's studio into an arena of death! 

This story also features the SHIELD super heroine Mockingbird. Fresh from their honeymoon, Hawkeye introduced her to his teammates and it's a good thing too because Stankowicz hadn't planned on Mockingbird being in attendance and she pretty much is the catalyst that saves the day! Though Letterman and Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band lend hands as well. 

This issue was part of Marvel's notorious 1984 Assistant Editor's Month event.  In 1983, Shooter and his editors went to the West Coast for Comic-Con and left the junior editors to take over the reigns for a month. As a result, some of the most off-the-wall stories and ideas were brandied about, such as the canon story where Aunt May temporarily becomes a herald of Galactus! I've got a few of these issues. I'd love for Marvel to reprint all of those issues as an omnibus. Though with GI Joe, Conan the Barbarian and other titles not being licensed by Marvel anymore, such a collection might be impossible. Perhaps I will add them to my already rather large wish list...

A fantastic issue that I am more than excited to have back in my collection!

Script by Roger Stern. Art and cover by Al Milgrom and Joe Sinnott. Michael Carlin is the editor to blame for this story!

Completing this review completes Task #9 (An Avengers Comic from the 1980s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Superman #401 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Prior to the Crisis of 1985-86, Lex Luthor was a man obsessed. Determined to finally kill Superman, he constructed a massive green and purple war suit. It could fire blasts of humbling red sun energy at the Man of Steel. It could fly. Plus, it increased Luthor 's energy, allowing the villain to go toe-to-toe with Superman in a fist fight, while preventing Luthor from feeling whatever his foe could dish out.

Lex Luthor's increased rage came from the destruction of his adopted home planet Lexor. Superman arrives on the planet to arrest his arch enemy for numerous crimes. It's here that the Warsuit is introduced and Luthor has the advantage because Lexor orbits around a red sun which renders Superman powerless. In the fight, the duo damage an atomic battery which makes Lexor unstable. With his Warsuit damaged, Lex can only watch as his wife and son are killed when the planet explodes similar to Krypton.

In this 1984 issue, Luthor uses a pair of Siamese twins baddies named Pluto and Plato Statler to hold the 6 o'clock news at WGBS hostage. There, the twins issue a challenge to Superman on Luthor's behalf at high noon the next day before leaving the studios. Clark Kent quickly changes into Superman, seeking to track the evil siblings back to Lex's lair. However, the hero has fallen into a trap and is assaulted by his foe's empty Warsuit that Luthor can operate remotely.

Superman awakens from the attack now encased in the Warsuit. Any attempts to break free causes him great pain as the suit blasts him with red sun energy. But even more dastardly is how Luthor has changed Superman's facial appearance and voice making his friends and allies think that it's the super criminal inside of the Warsuit. As Luthor causes his foe pain with any attempts to alert his pals that it's really Superman in the armor, the Last Son of Krypton will have to use subterfuge in hopes of being freed from Lex's clutches.

A regular sized issue, there's no official backup feature. Instead, in the middle, there is a 15 page insert for a short lived futuristic toy car line from Matchbox called Flash Force 2000. The main feature 'Operation: False Front' was written by Cary Bates with art by Curt Swan. 

Cover by Eduardo Barreto.

Completing this review completes Task #17 (A Superman Comic From the 1980s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Thunder Bunny #1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Martin L. Greim's Thunder Bunny first debuted in  1977. For almost a decade, Greim had self-published one of the first fanzines devoted to comic books. The 17 issues of Comic Crusader were heralded by comic collectors and creators alike. In 1977, Greim published a massive 150 page plus archive of original artwork that had appeared in the pages of Comic Crusader called Comic Crusader Storybook. New stories were also crafted just for this edition such as a Mister A. adventure by Steve Ditko and the origin of Thunder Bunny titled 'The Sound of Thunder', written by Greim with art and inks by Gene Day and Jerry Ordway. The character was inspired by the Golden Age funny animal superhero Atomic Mouse and Greim's love of Captain Marvel, of which he boasted a large collection of SHAZAM memorabilia. Thunder Bunny was also given the team-up treatment in a back cover pin-up with the Silver Surfer by Joe Sinnott.

Afterwards, Greim ceased publication of Comic Crusader. It appeared for a while that his dream of working and thriving in the comic book industry had come to a close. Then in 1981, Greim was invited by Charlton Comics to present his Thunder Bunny origin story to a mainstream audience. ' The Sound of Thunder' appeared in the 6th issue Charlton Bullseye; an anthology try-out series with a March, 1982 publication date. The character would appear again in issue #10 with Greim working on a second follow up.  Unfortunately, low sales resulted in the cancellation of Charlton Bullseye, leaving Thunder Bunny without a home once more. But not for long.

In 1984, Greim was invited to bring Thunder Bunny to Archie Comics. The idea was for the character to join the Crusaders superhero team revival happening under the Red Circle imprint. The first issue was to introduce the character to new readers. Instead of reusing the origin story for a third time, Greim re-wrote the script with new artwork by Brian Buniak.

Thunder Bunny is the greatest hero of a long-dead planet of anthropomorphic animals. Before their civilization died, it was decided that they would channel Thunder Bunny's energy into a special battery. Once placed inside a spaceship, the battery would travel from planet to planet giving a portion of the hero's super powers to a single citizen before flying off to another world.

The earthling deemed worthy of empowerment was young Bobby Caswell. A mental image of Thunder Bunny was placed in Bobby's mind. Every time the boy visualized the hero while clapping his hands together, thunder would peal, transforming Bobby into a large pink bunny in a crimson and white suit complete with cape. 

The shock of the transformation is also the greatest downfall for Bobby. In order to become human again, Bobby must visualize himself as human while slapping his hands together once more. However, the more Bobby remains in his rabbit form, he forgets what Bobby Caswell looked like; potentially trapping himself as Thunder Bunny indefinitely.

The first Red Circle issue featured a backup Thunder Bunny tale. Riffing off of the cancelled story that would have appeared in a future issue of Charlton Bullseye, Greim and Buniak send Bobby and a friend to a comic book convention where a group of costumes thugs are planning to steal a rare comic book up for auction. Summoning Thunder Bunny, Bobby must save a convention hall filled with comic book legends such as Jack Kirby and Neal Adams.

Though it's billed as the first of a new series, Red Circle's Thunder Bunny #1 was the only issue produced. Thunder Bunny did manage to team with many of the Crusaders in a trio of issues before the entire line was cancelled in 1985. 

Greim found a final home for Thunder Bunny, signing with WaRP Graphics. A 12-issue series along with an annual was published from 1985-1987. Half of this series was published under WaRP's Apple Comics imprint. 1988's WaRP Graphics Annual #1 would be the final ever appearance of the character. 

Martin L Greim died in 2017. 

Completing this review completes Task #36 (Bought From Your Favorite LCS) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Generic Comic #1

Never before has a comic book cover offered so little that it has inspired generations of fans to seek it out as a part of their collections nearly 40 years after its release.

According to the cover, this one-shot offers a self-doubting superhero with real life problems, a villain with a shtick out to rule the world, a good looking (but otherwise absent) girlfriend, family drama, conflict, twists, turns and fisticuffs. Basically the sort of stuff you would find in just about any other Marvel Comic on shelves in 1984.

Marvel's Generic Comic was the idea of then Marvel editor Larry Hama. Hama had been toying with the satirical idea of a story that checked off all the boxes of the Marvel style of comics a year or so earlier. Hama had planned to include such a story in the pages of Marvel's humor mag Crazy, when the publisher unceremoniously pulled the plug on the MAD Magazine imitator. 

Larry Hama was not a creative force known to let a good idea die, no matter how generic. Over the course of about a year, Hama kept pitching the idea until editor Tom DeFalco caught on to the concept and the project was greenlit. Steve Skeates was assigned writing duties for a project he went on to proclaim the most fun project he had in his career up to that point.

Generic Comic tells the origin story of a character commonly referred to as The Unnamed Super-Hero. With his brother Bobby in a coma and a girlfriend tired of waiting for a proposal, he's desperate for a long promised promotion. A collector of glow-in-the-dark chatchkes, the lad gains all around super powers when he smashes his Three Mile Island snow globe in frustration. Along with abilities of flight, speed and super hearing, the young man's lanky body begins to rival that of a bodybuilder. 

Seeing a chance at changing his fortune, the man decides to become a super hero. Thanks to an ad in the morning paper, he heads down to a superhero supply store for a costume. All he can afford is a generic all-white bodysuit complete with equally plain domino mask and cape. It's not much to look at. But at least it matches his hair which turned white thanks to all that radioactive day-glo.

Things begin to look up for the newest hero of the world designated Earth-84041. He performs a couple of acts of heroism. A couple of goons are defeated. However, this string of good luck comes crashing down when the Unnamed Super-Hero meets the Unnamed Super-Villain who comes complete with a special hypnotic helmet that causes the protagonist to lose his confidence and become a quivering ball of jelly!

It seems rather odd that Marvel would back such an unusual project. Especially one that openly mocks the very formula of the House of Ideas. One theory is that Marvel supported the project in order to secure the copyright to the terms 'Super-Hero' and 'Super-Villain'. If you use a magnifying glass or a dose of super-vision, readers will notice that under the copyright information on the bottom front page, it does indeed state that Marvel co-owned both terms. If it's true, this seems like a legal blunder on par with Marvel's earlier attempt to enforce their copyright on the word 'Zombie.' However, some fans dispute this theory claiming that the copyright statement was a joke put in by Hama or DeFalco.

Unfortunately to this day, we still don't know how illustrated and inked the book. Not a single by-line credit is attributed to anyone, anywhere in the book. Despite both Hama and Skeates discussing their roles in creating the Generic Comic in interviews, it's a real head scratcher that nobody has ever asked for them to identify the missing staff members who contributed to this uniquely common work.

Worth Consuming!- if only for being such an oddity!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Iceman #1 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

There are very few instances of the mutant known as Iceman working independently of the X-Men and it's numerous offshoots. The frigid protagonist was a member of both the short lived Champions as well as the New Defenders. Anyone alive in the early 80s might remember Iceman's secret identity of Bobby Drake being roommates with Peter Parker on NBC's Saturday morning toon Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. But that wasn't considered comic book canon, was it? If you count a pair of 1983 comic book inserts that appeared in Dallas and Denver newspapers and co-starring a third member of the team, Firestar, as official; then yes, it's canon!

Iceman #1 marks Drake's return to the East Coast after years away from the Xavier School in Upper New York due to his time with the Champions and New Defenders in California and Colorado subsequently. Bobby Drake has come home to Port Jefferson, Long Island, to celebrate his father's retirement. Apprehensive about his return, Drake's misgivings are founded when in his frosty form as Iceman, he encounters bigotry from the local police department after a misunderstanding.

Unknown to Drake, a pair of thugs from another universe or dimension have also arrived in Port Jefferson searching for a person who is a source of unimaginable power. Readers are fooled into believing that the Laurel and Hardy appearing duo known as Idiot and White Light are actually looking for Iceman, when in reality, it's the daughter of the Drake's next door neighbor, a young girl named Marge Smith who caught Bobby's eye.

This 4-issue miniseries from 1984-85 would be Iceman's lone solo book until the new millennium where the character has been the focus of 3 limited series in less than 25 years time. J. M. Dematteis, who penned the first half dozen issues to star the New Defenders, crafted Iceman's starring role debut. Pencils were by Alan Kupperberg with inks provided by Michael Gustovich. Cover by Mike Zeck.

Issue #1 would be high on melodrama as Bobby Drake is extremely apprehensive about returning to visit his family, who except for mom and dad, are unaware he's a superhero. Only the last 4 pages does any action finally occur with Iceman taking on Idiot and White Light inside of the Smith family home before the fisticuffs results in the buildings collapse and Bobby being outed as mutant superhero in front of his entire family!

Completing this review completes Task #49 (Involves Ice or Snow) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Super Powers Which Way Book #2: Supergirl, The Girl of Steel

Growing up, I loved those Choose Your Own Adventure books. Being given the chance to be your own director and guide was such a novel idea that I fell in love with. It's a genre of book, that if I find a comic or graphic novel that follows the Choose Your Own Adventure format, I will read it and review it.

I'm also a member of a Facebook group devoted to Kenner's Super Powers lineup. It's where I discovered the existence of this book. From 1984, this novel dropped during an important time for the Maid of Might. Supergirl was set to take the world by storm with a live action film starring Helen Slater. Unknown to fans, the existence of Supergirl in the DC Universe hindered on the success of the film. Unfortunately, it was a flop. Thus, the axe fell on Superman's cousin, resulting in her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. Also on the chopping block was Kara Zor-El's inclusion in the Super Powers toy line.

This interactive novel debuted a year after book #1 starring the Man of Steel did. A Wonder Woman and a Darkseid heavy Justice League volume were both slated to join the lineup. Later in the year, fans got to control the JLA's fate against the New God despot. Batman was given the CYOA treatment in 1986. Ultimately, Wonder Woman's adventure never came about.

With this Supergirl time, there are essentially 4 main story lines that readers can explore:

Direction A: Resist or assist Mr. Mxyzptlk in a 5th dimension contest of strength.

Direction B: Research the days of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table for a school project by going back in time.

Direction C: Save Superman from the clutches of Brainiac.

Direction D: Escape From the Land of Oz after being transported into the pages of L. Frank Baum's masterpiece due to a mad scientist!

There's also a minor 5th plotline where Supergirl remains in her secret identity of Linda Danvers and helps a classmate struggling with math.

One peeve I had with 'select your fate' books would be if you made a wrong turn and the story ends after literally only making 3 or 4 choices. This time around, I made sure that I would explore as many story lines as possible. The cover to this book informs you of the 4 main paths to take Supergirl. You'll have to dig to find that secret identity plot and there could be more. I dug deep. But maybe I didn't hit the absolute bottom line of material available.

I liked that Supergirl battles traditional villains such as Brainiac and Mxyzptlk. I'm torn over the inclusion of Superman. He's only in 1 plotline. Yes, I'm more than aware how much the Kryptonian cousins fared in each other's titles. But did Supergirl guest in Superman's book? Or did writer Andrew Helfer or this book's editor lose faith that the Girl of Steel could lead the book on her own?

I enjoyed the heck out of this book. Now I've got to figure out a way to display it in my office because this is going into my Supergirl collection!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #1 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

While Jack Kirby created a sizable chunk of the mythos of the comic book industry, he was not very well compensated for it. Some of that was because of how poorly comic book creators were paid for their work. That was the result of being employed in a young industry that didn't have copyright protections yet built in for its workers. A bit was due to poor business arrangements made by Kirby himself, as he was constantly trying to provide for his wife and children. Getting fast bored on his projects didn't help matters for Kirby much either. Sadly, a large portion was because others publicly proclaimed themselves the sole creative genius behind the characters that were like childhood friends to comic book collectors such as myself. 

1984's Super Powers Collection was one of the few times in Jack Kirby's illustrative career that he received both royalties and long overdue credit for some of his DC Comics creations. While the original team of villains were Brainiac, Lex Luthor, The Penguin and The Joker, both DC and toy manufacturer Kenner sought to add some heft to the toy line. However, the majority of Generation X kids weren't very familiar with Darkseid and his Apokolips cronies. Aside from a 1982 story arc starring the Legion of Super-Heroes, Darkseid hadn't really made that many appearances in comics since Kirby left DC in 1975.

Needing to get kids introduced to the New Gods characters, DC Comics released the first of 3 mini series devoted to the Super Powers Collection toy line produced by Kenner. In the first issue, Darkseid oversees a battle royale of his best foot soldiers. The quartet that remains are dubbed on the cover of this issue as 'The Disciples of Doom.' These fighters are given portions of the leader of Apokolips' power and ordered to invade Earth. 

To claim Earth in the name of Darkseid will not be an easy task as a band of super heroes led by Superman and Batman protects the planet from threats both terrain and extraterrestrial. Each newly empowered warrior selects an arch enemy of the Justice League to carry out their invasion orders. Lex Luthor is given the power to manipulate time. The Penguin gets the ability to control birds and to control minds; whereas the Joker is allowed to alter reality in his own warped image. The fourth villain bestowed new abilities is Brainiac. He is tempted with the chance to devolve a population into their most bestial selves in hopes that they might conquer the world through brutal force. However, the android baddie is in another solar system and cannot enact his part of Darkseid's plan until he re-enters Earth's atmosphere.

The first wave of Super Powers had 12 action figures total. 11 of those characters have active parts in the first issue. Wonder Woman is shown as part of Brainiac's plan to conquer Earth, as the race selected for the robot's experiment are the Amazons of Paradise Island. Other than a single page of hypothetical, the Themysciran Princess is notably absent from this issue.

Jack Kirby penciled the cover and crafted the plot which Joey Cavalieri scripted. Adrian Gonzales' pencils were inked by Pablo Marcos. Ben Oda lettered. 

Essentially a 24-page promotional comic for the Kenner line, the inside cover features a full color ad of the original 12 figure line-up with an action shot of a Superman action figure punching the lights out of an illustrated Lex Luthor in his iconic green and purple armor. 

Completing this review completes Task #27 (Based on a Toy Line) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 21

Nowadays, the crafting of action figures has become an art form. But back in the 70s and 80s, there were action figures based on iconic characters. Growing up, they seldom looked anything like the characters on the screen. That all changed with Kenner in 1984 as a superior toy line, that brought the characters on paper to life, debuted. 

For today's Advent, I'm talking about Super Powers!

I remember the day I discovered this iconic toy line. I was watching a rerun of Super Friends when a commercial for Super Powers came on TV. It was a mix of cartoon and reality as Superman punched out a wall  and Batman did too! And there were villains! (Oh, how I love baddies!) I was instantly hooked and I had to have it!

Somehow, my mom decided we needed to run to K-Mart and get me a couple of those figures. Normally, she'd poo-poo such an idea. But on this day, she was all for it. 

Unfortunately, Batman and The Man of Steel wasn't at K-Mart that day. Instead, my Justice League was first comprised of Aquaman and Robin, the Boy Wonder. But that's okay. As by Christmas of 1984, I was leading all of the heavy hitters including Green Lantern, Hawkman and The Flash. Oh, and Firestorm! My favorite!

Look folks, if you are to ask me if I am a DC person or a Marvel guy, I am going to answer DC. I love any and all super heroes. But I grew up on DC! And a lot of that is thanks to two men- Dick Giordano and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. These two amazing artists had created the DC style guides which were used to instruct licensing companies how DC Comics wanted their characters to look like. And Kenner got it right with the Super Powers line! These heroes looked like they had come right from the comics I adored so well!

Each action figure came with 2 unique features. First of all, each figure had a distinct 'power action.' For example, if you squeezed Red Tornado's arms, his lower torso would spin around like a cyclone. 

The other feature of a Super Powers action figure was my absolute favorite. The mini comic! Every figure came with 4-inch tall 8-page comic book that starred the character whose action figure you bought. The mini books are the rarest thing for fans to locate. They often either got lost or destroyed or thrown away. I've been asking for years for DC to reissue these as a collection. But my pleas always seem to fall on deaf ears. 

One of my favorite Christmas gifts from the Super Powers line wasn't the toys! It was the case that you collecting them in! Yes, the Super Powers carrying case was that awesome! The case has 2 lids that opened on both sides like a book. Inside both lids were several 4 panel strips that revealed the secret origins of all your favorite super heroes. I read and re-read those so freakin' much. 

As my Advent gift for you today, I want you to enjoy those awesome commericals as much as I did. It's kinda long, but it's every commercial from Super Powers' 1984-86 run. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have!

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 20

There's a great debate about today's featured franchise. Is it a Christmas toy? Is the movie today's Advent is based on a Christmas movie? No- I didn't get Die Hard toys as kid. I'm talking about Gremlins.

In 1984, my parents took me to see Gremlins. It's about a young man named Billy whose father gives him a mysterious creature called a Mogwai. There are 3 rules of care for the Mogwai that Billy names Gizmo-

1. Don't get them wet.

2. Don't feed them after midnight!

3. And whatever you do, don't expose them to sunlight. It will kill them!

There's a fundamental flaw with one of these rules- the not feeding them after midnight thing. See, if you feed a Mogwai after midnight, they turn into a reptilian Gremlin. But what time zone does this apply to? Billy's dad buys Gizmo in San Francisco but he heads east to give his son the creature. Won't that mean that if it's midnight in New York, that you still have 3 hours in which you can feed Gizmo without the penalty? Gizmo's owners infer that the creature is from China. So, wouldn't the rule be to not feed a Mogwai after midnight in Beijing?

Then there's also the whole when does after midnight stop being after midnight. Can you feed a Mogwai at 5am when the sun comes up? When you are a kid, things like that don't seem so complicated. It's all left to a sense of innocence and wonder. Leave it to turning middle age to screw that all up.

Okay- I've ranted enough. Needless to say, I feel in love with this movie. Whether it's a holiday movie or not (I think it is), I always get in the mood to see Gremlins right around Christmas time! One reason is because in the Christmas of 1984, I got a ton of Gremlins toys.

Of the ones I remember fondly were a set of PVC figures of Gizmo and his arch-enemy, Spike. Then there were the Colorforms. I had the regular set, but I really wanted that Deluxe set with almost 3 dozens Gremlins clings! I did get the Rubn'Pay set in which you transferred images to a colorful snow scene with the aid of a coin.

Another item I fondly remember from Christmas of '84 that was Gremlins themed were a series of books with record based on the movie. They were from McDonald's. Over the course of 5 weeks, I would go with my mom to get a Happy Meal toy in order to receive these audio treasures. 

Man, I wish I had a record player again!

Lastly, if you were in love with Gremlins you had to have a Gizmo doll. There were several versions of this toy. Some, like mine were just plush and stuffed. But there was a really expensive one which was electronic and it hummed and cooed. Again, these were pricy and my folks didn't shell out the big bucks for that. 

Side note: In honor of the film's 35th anniversary, the previously mentioned toy has been re-released at Target. This one also dances along with making noise. It's only $25.99 and while I'd love it, I'd rather buy more comic books for that cash instead.

Okay- I've really rambled on on this Advent. So let's wrap this up quick. For my present for you today, here's a reading of The Gift of the Mogwai, the first part of that 5-part series from Mickey D's. Sorry it skips! And pops! But it's still a fun adventure to listen to!

Enjoy!

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 9

I made an executive decision for today's Advent. See, I've been working on this Advent for several weeks, researching and drafting ideas. I had another toy planned for today. But a recent review I posted on this blog inspired me to make a change. 

A couple of days ago, I reviewed Disney A Christmas Carol Starring Scrooge McDuck. It was a recent birthday gift from my wife. As I was reviewing the graphic novel from Dark Horse, I remembered a much beloved set of toys that I got over the 1984 holiday season. I'm talking about Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie and ole' Scrooge himself- all in stuffed animal form!

If you read that review, you'll know that I was a huge fan of Mickey's Christmas Carol. It debuted in theaters; to which I remember going to see it with my mom at the old Cameron Village movie theater in Raleigh, NC. You might also recall that in one of my previous Advent posts, I recalled that unlike today's almost instantaneous release of films on home media formats, it could take a couple of years for movies to come out on VHS in the 80s.

In the Fall of 1984, the fast food company Hardee's ran a promotion to coincide with the long-awaited release of Mickey's Christmas Carol on home video. For a period of 5 weeks, you could go to Hardee's and get one of 5 plush figures based off of the characters from the animated film. 

(I think you could have also bought the movie at the restaurant. But I am not certain on that.)

I remember each Friday night after we visited my grandparents after school, we'd stop at the drive-thru of the Hardee's near our house. My mom would order a Pepsi for her and a stuffed Disney character for me. 

I loved those guys. I remember putting them out on display for the Christmas season for many years. Uncle Scrooge wore his purple nightshirt and cap. Mickey, Minnie and Donald were in Victorian era garb. Goofy was decked out like an English gentlemen. The only problem is that I really thought Goofy was colored blue like a ghost. But apparently, I remembered that wrong. I guess I got that mixed up with later beanbag versions of these guys released by Disney in the 90s. 

Oh well... I still have fond memories of them. 

Needless to say, the promotion was a success for Hardee's. There was at least one or maybe two more runs of plush Disney. Characters such as Dumbo, Pinnochio and Bambi were sold in the years to come. I collected those too. But the first wave was and always shall be my favorite!

As my Advent present for you today, I thought I would share with you the commercial for the plush dolls from all the way back in 1984. If they inspire you to go out and grab a set for yourself, may I recommend eBay? 

Enjoy!

They Made A Christmas Album?- Advent 2018: Day 25

Well, we finally made it- It's December 25th! And there's just one band that I could think of to usher in the holiday. It's my favorite of band of all-time Queen!

2018 has been a great year for the band with the release of the bio-pic Bohemian Rhapsody. Plus, Queen + Adam Lambert kicked off an amazing tour. And several albums, long out of print, finally made it to CD. But today's song was never officially released on a album until the band's Greatest Hits III release. 

Released as a single in November, 1984, the song I choose to cap this year's Advent says it all- Thank God It's Christmas!

So without further ado, here's Brian Taylor, Roger May, John Deacon and the incomparable Freddie Mercury!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

They Made a Christmas Album?- Advent 2018: Day 20

Sometimes when you are researching for these Advent postings, you find some really unusual stuff. Case in point is today's offering. It's by Bryan Adams who has done some Christmas stuff before like Run Rudolph Run and Christmas Time. 

With both of those releases, which have had some semi-regular play on the airwaves, the Canadian rocker should be disqualified from this year's theme of artists not known for putting out holidays hits. And then I came across this 1984 ditty.

It's called Reggae Christmas. That's right, it's a reggae tune. Something Bob Marley or some endless incarnation of the Wailers should have put out. Instead, it's performed by the guy who brought us Summer of 69.

Reggae Christmas was released in 1984 as the B-side to the song Christmas Time. As it's never been re-released on any of Adams' Greatest Hits albums, unless you are a fan of Bryan Adams, odds are you've never heard of this song before. And even that chance is slim seeing that Reggae Christmas has never been issued as a cassette or CD single either.

I had this song being presented to you a few days prior. But I really had doubts as to if this song belonged on this year's Advent. But then I saw the music video and I just couldn't put off sharing this any longer. 

In the early days of MTV, they would host a holiday party. Select artists would comprise Christmas tunes meant only for the televised special. And that's what Bryan Adams did in 1984. All of the original MTV Veejays are in the clip having a gay ole time to the Caribbean carol.

Again, this song probably would not made my list if not for the addition of one fan favorite of mine being added to the video, Mr. Pee Wee Herman! Not only does it have Pee Wee in it; Reggae Christmas has Pee Wee dancing while wearing a Santa hat... with dreadlocks! It's truly bizarre and something you must see!

So for the sake of fairness, I am changing the theme of today's Advent to THEY MADE A REGGAE CHRISTMAS MUSIC VIDEO?

Enjoy!

The Blade: Shellville High School Yearbook by Don Novello

This is exactly what the title says it is. It's a high school yearbook for the small Midwestern town of Shellville. Only all of the faculty, staff, and students are sheep and goats!

From the warped mind of Don Novello (The Lazlo Letters, and SNL's Father Guido Sarducci) comes the weirdest book I have ever come across. Novello is a weirdo genius. Who else looks at a high school yearbook and decides that they'll make it better with sheep!?

I imagine that this book was murder to make. The old adage 'Never work with kids or animals' comes to mind here. How difficult must it have been to have all that livestock posing together in pictures. Plus Novello crafted a full lineup of characters here and to keep the sheep separate and distinct throughout the book takes a maddening amount of organizational skills. 

From 1984, this book has a very strange cult following. While no longer in print, used copies can be found on Amazon and other online sites for upwards of $40 and more. That's a mark-up of over 100% of the original cover price. But it's rare and highly sought after.

Worth Consuming!- if only for the sheer level of oddness.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

A Classic TV Christmas- Advent 2017 Day 16

As you are reading this, I really am in New York City. I'm on a mini-vacation before the bulk of Christmas family visiting. 

It's seems I forgot to pay the meter, so I have to go to the court house and pay off a fine. New York being such a busy city, they have court at all hours of the day. I'm supposed to be seeing a Judge Harold T. Stone in the Criminal Court Part 2.

Yes, you guessed it- since I am in the Big Apple, I'm talking everyone to Night Court. This very goofy show debuted in 1984 and ran for an impressive 9 seasons. Even more impressive is considering how silly the show was, it won 7 Emmy awards!

The show had several Christmas episodes. One of my favorite's is when everybody gets snowed it due to a blizzard. But since I have talked some much about snow for a while, I am going to focus on the January 11, 1984 episode from the first season. Santa Goes Downtown actually is a Christmas episode. But it aired after Christmas. That's because Night Court was a mid-season replacement series. NBC was afraid to air a couple of episodes and then have fans lose interest when it went on holiday hiatus until the new year. Thus the show's very first Christmas episode was aired just in time for MLK Day!

The episode features a very young- not quite a household name- Michael J. Fox. His TV series Family Ties had been running for just about a year when he filmed his role on Night Court as a teen runaway. But by 1985 and the release of the comedy sci-fi film Back to the Future, Fox would become one of the biggest stars around!

So back to Night Court. As I mentioned Fox plays a runaway, who along with his girlfriend get caught panhandling. With it being almost Christmas, Judge Stone (played by Harry Anderson) hopes to reunite the kids with their parents and holds them until they cant determine who the kids really are as neither are talking.

As court continues, a man dressed as Santa is brought up on charges of trespassing. However, when he declares himself to be the real Santa. He too is held over until he can be evaluated by a psychologist. But he seems to know a lot about what all of the court officers got for Christmas when they were younger.

Santa tries to make friends with teens. But the boy openly yells and mocks him. So Judge Stone makes the boy apologize. At this time a file has come in on the missing kids and Santa fools the kids into revealing their true names. At one point, Santa is picked up by the folks at the local mental hospital and the kids are reconciled with their families. But it is revealed that the kids in the file are different from the ones that just meet back with their folks. So was that Santa the real deal? And is that jingle bells in the distance??? 

I'm pretty sure I did not do that episode justice. But that's okay. As my Advent gift for you today, I have the episode in it's entry

 for you to watch. Sorry that the frames are so small. But it will have to do. 

Oh, they're calling my case. Gotta run. Enjoy and until next time, Merry Christmas!

SORRY-BUT DUE TO COPYRIGHT, THE VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED.