Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

 It took 42 years. But the Skywalker Saga finally came to a close for me last night.

Being born in 1977, I have been in the mix of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows of everything Star Wars. I know that fans have taken issue with the prequels and Episodes VI and VII. But you know what? I decided to say the heck with the 'experts.' I stayed away from articles about secret reveals and fan reactions. I didn't even check out the reviews. My students tried to get into my head telling me yesterday that the movie got terrible reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and some Disney advisory panel. But I did not care! 

Star Wars is like life. You are who make it good or bad! I love Star Wars. Having been a shut-in with asthma, my Star Wars toys and vehicles were all I had growing up. (Thank you dad for buying all those toys and keeping them until I was a little older to play with them!)  I consider it my best friend. It's family. I love it unconditionally. 

Well, except for Jar-Jar. Oh, who am I kidding- he's like the crazy uncle that you don't talk about but still invite him to dinner. I like him too. Just in small doses...

Being a movie with a run of over 2.5 hours, there's no small dose of Star Wars here. Yes, things start off slow. You can tell that a stand-in was used quite a bit for some of the parts with the late Carrie Fisher's Leia. There was also some CGI used that made things look a little off. But the movie itself wraps things up nicely.

Ray's mysterious heritage is revealed. Kylo Ren makes his final decision into his ultimate fate! And so much more happens in this epic film! So much that I will limit my description of this film in order to not spoil the ending.

The Rise of Skywalker was almost ready the overthrow Empire Strikes Back as the best Star Wars film. Just when I was about to bestow that moniker on this film, about halfway through, director J.J. Abrams (LOST) decided to pepper tributes to some of his favorite films of the 80s. 

The middle act pays tribute to Goonies, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Castaway among others. There was another cliche floating around at this point; but I can't remember what it referenced. I felt like I was watching a Star Wars parody of movies I grew up watching. Thankfully, that third act wrapped up the Star Wars saga that has been a part of my whole life. 

The Rise of Skywalker might not have been the perfect Star Wars movie. But it was the perfect ending to it. I am so thankful that I got to see all IX movies before my saga comes to a close.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie's Christmas Spectacular #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Family Comic Friday closes out the 2019 holiday season with the long-anticipated Archie's Christmas Spectacular #1!

Archie's Christmas Spectacular #1

Written by Dan Parent, Various
Art by Harry Lucey, Various
Published by Archie Comics
Retail: #2.99

When it comes to comic books, I look forward every year to anything and everything holiday related. It could be an Arbor Day special and I'm going to want it for my collection. And the publisher whose specials I go ga-ga for the most are crafted by Archie Comics! 

Their Halloween stuff is spooky without being overly terrifying. And their Christmas stuff is timeless and festive without being too preachy or syrupy. above all, it's just good, clean fun with a group of high school buddies! 

I used not be so enthralled by the world's oldest teenager and his friends. After I turned 12 or so, I moved on from Archie Comics.. But a couple of things have happened in the past 5 years or so to change my opinion on the wacky redhead. 

For one thing, the company upped it's game. Archie Comics was known for producing kids stuff that seemed stuck in a loop when it came to ideas. But with the Afterlife with Archie horror titles for mature readers as well as insanely nostalgic team-ups such as KISS and Sharknado, The Archies took a quantum leap into being relevant again.

 Another element that has greatly helped Archie Comics become an industry leader again has been it's TV programming. 10 years ago, the idea of an edgy teen drama about the residents of Riverdale would have been unthinkable. But when you have Jughead raising his dog Hot Dog, from the grave only to become a ghoulish zombie in the pages of a comic for teens and older, anything is possible in your live action mediums!

While Archie Comics has matured, they've done something that other publishers (I'm looking at you DC and Marvel) have failed to do: they've embraced their past! A special like Archie's Christmas Spectacular still maintains that innocence of the style of Archie Comics one read when they were kids. Nostalgia is a big money maker. With shows like The Goldbergs and Mixed-ish and a rebooted He-Man on the way, nostalgia might be bigger than ever! 

What Archie Comics does right with it's classic Archie fare is maintain a sort of timelessness to it's stories. Dan Parent sprinkles in some forgotten Archie characters such as Noelle, the daughter of Santa Claus in these yarns. (I'm still waiting for the return of L'il jinx, by the way!!!) Then you have artists such as Rosario 'Tito' Pena, who draws each character in a different style from the past 70 years or so of Archie Comics. 

Veronica, with her Veronica Lake hair-style, looks primed for the 1940s silver screen while Betty sports a spiky 80s fitness enthusiast's hair style and similar array of outfits. By illustrating the stories in such a way, you see elements of the past in these charming Christmas themed tales. But you can't quite put your finger on just which time periods these adventures were set.

Fans of Archie, young and old will delight in the four stories comprised in this holiday comic. The girls in this comic are certainly alluring. But there's nothing overtly or covertly sexual that should prevent young Archie fans from enjoying this Christmas read with their parents and guardians who too grew up on everything Archie. 

Production delays kept me from enjoying this special earlier than I got to. But that's okay as i enjoyed every panel and page. Though, I really think that the third story about a cookie competition between Betty and Veronica was reedited for the holidays. The outfits worn especially by Betty aren't appropriate for cold weather. Yes- this oddity peaked my interest in wondering if that story really was a non-Christmas reprint reboot. But with that curiosity aside, my only regret about this book was that it ended way too soon! 

For future reference, Archie editors, I'd gladly pay an extra dollar for 2 additional stories; just so I can keep the fun times going! 

With less than a week until Christmas, Archie Comics saved the best for last, making this issue filled with fun, pratfalls and Santa, certainly a holiday delight!

Archie's Christmas Spectacular #1 debuted in print and digital platforms on December 18th, 2019!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com. 

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 19

For Today's Advent I'm focusing on another toy that some might consider a flop- but I was a big fan! 

Silverhawks!

For some, this follow-up to Thundercats was a one-hit wonder. It was about a group of bionic police officers who operate in outer space. Led by Commander Stargazer, the Silverhawks were a rag-tag bunch recruited to bring down the intergalactic mob boss, Mon*Star. Characters included Bluegrass, a singing cowboy pilot and the copper plated Kidd; a robotics whiz who only spoke in beeps and whistles. (As you could probably tell, those two were both my favorites!)

Many considered Silverhawks to be Thundercats in space. Yet that's just not true. While I liked Thundercats visually, the stories were pretty complicated and hinged on ancient prophecies. Plus, it was done as a serial in that if you missed and episode, you were sunk!

Unlike Thundercats, which lasted from 1985-1989, Silverhawks ran for only 65 episodes in 1986. For many, Silverhawks was lame. But I was a huge fan of that show to the point that in the Christmas of '86 I wanted any and everything Silverhawks while all of my friends wanted Thundercats!

The Silverhawks figures were embossed with this shiny metallic paint, which were very pleasing to the eye. Each good guy came with a weapon-bird: an android bird that doubled as a tool for offense or defense. Made by Kenner, the sculpts were far superior to those of the first wave of Star Wars figures. But unlike those action figures, the Silverhawks were at all not durable.

The Silverhawks figures were designed for one to squeeze either the arms or legs in order to make their wings detract or perform some some sort of kick or karate chop. However, I think the type of plastic used for metal painted action figures was different from other forms of molded plastic because these guys broke all the time. It must have been a design flaw by the Kenner design team because the metallic Brainiac figure from the Super Powers line was also very fragile. Stoopid android arm snapped clean off!!!

Anyways, it wasn't just the metallic figures that broke. Mon*Star had a feature in which when you squeezed his legs, his chest would open and an uglier version of the baddies' head would flip out. The chest plate kept snapping off. But unlike the metallic finish figures, the hinges would snap off. However, if you didn't have a collector's case, you'd have to hunt for Mon*Star's chest plate each time you wanted to play with him.

One aspect of the Silverhawks that was of high quality was the comic book series from the Marvel imprint, Star Comics. The series lasted 7 issues, which doesn't seem like alot. But when you take into  account that some Star Comics titles were cancelled after only an issue or two due to poor toy sales- seven issues of Silverhawks was the equivalent of a James Michener epic! And yes- I am constantly on the hunt to add these books to my collection! The Silverhawks comics- not the collected works of Michener.

I'd love to share with you an episode for an Advent. But Youtube makes you pay for those. So, as my Advent present for you today, here's the opening theme song. Enjoy!

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 18

Honestly, you can't do any look at classic toys without including the one that is my focus for today's Advent. In fact, what I am going to talk about isn't even a toy per se. But it's uses by kids are the stuff dreams are made of. I'm talking about cardboard!

Parents- you know the scenario. You spend hours upon hours of planning. Your little one has told you what they want for Christmas. Then you scour the internet for where to get it. You either order it or pick it up in person. Then you place the gift in a large container, wrap it up and place it under the tree. Then Christmas comes. Your little one destroys the paper, pulls out the gift of their dreams! Your child plays with the toy for a while and then BOOM! It happens!

They ends up playing with the box and have tons more fun with it!

What about the gift wrapping procedure itself? Once you use up all the paper, what's left over? Only the greatest thing ever! The cardboard tube!

And it's not just the kids who love cardboard! My cats are addicted to an empty box!

Who hasn't used the tube as a make shift horn. Or put their ear to one side and listened to the odd swooshing sound made by air entering the tube's tunnel. Or you've used the tubes to play with as swords or in my case- lightsabers!

Sometimes if you were really lucky, a family member had to buy something large- like a new fridge or a washing machine. INSTANT CLUB HOUSE! Or Fortress! Or pirate ship! Or tank! The ideas were literally endless.

Companies actually got wise to this and started making club houses out of cardboard. My cousins got one in which you could color it with markers!

There was this really awesome one I got for Christmas one year in which it unfolded into a space ship! It was printed on both sides. The interior had buttons and a view screen like the cockpit of a ship. But the really cool thing about this cardboard UFO was that it had all of these corners that could unfold the ship into dozens of shapes even turning it into a tall rocket!

Sadly, I cannot find pictures of this toy either in my collection of Christmases gone by photos or on Google. But man, was it cool! 

If I ever find a picture, I promise to update!

For my Advent gift for you today, here's a really cool video with over a dozen ideas for reusing that cardboard, including some neat stuff for the kiddies to play with! I hope they never get rid of cardboard- It's uses truly are limitless and FUN!

ENJOY!

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 17

Thinking about yesterday's featured toy reminded me of another all-inclusive toy from my youth that I really loved. You might be familiar with Colorforms. But have you ever visited Marvel World? Well for today's Advent, welcome one and all!

Marvel World was an all-in-one playset from Amsco. The set was made of heavy-duty cardboard featuring 360 degrees of full color graphics. With this material, you got to build the Baxter Building, Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorium, the Daily Bugle and other Marvel icons of the New York skyline. The sets even had a working elevator and other cool surprises for the kiddies to explore on the inside.

Along with the buildings, you got literally dozens of little stand-up figures of Marvel Universe greats including Spider-Man, Hawkeye, The Green Goblin and Shang-Chi, The Master of Kung-Fu. You even got a Galactus but unfortunately, he was the same size as the other characters. 

This toy debuted in 1975. That's 3 years before I was born. But I remember owning one of these. I wanna say that my grandparents found one of these at a yard sale. I'm not 100% certain if I had this for a Christmas gift or not. But man, did I have fun with these!

Marvel World is definitely one of those toys that I wish I still had. I really think I'd continue to have hours and hours of fun with this. Yet, I seriously doubt I'll ever get my hands on one of these. Individual figures without the plastic stands sell for upwards of $65 each!

Behold, I am the herald of ridiculous collectible prices!

Maybe Marvel would re-release this. I'd pay upwards of about $60 for a replica set. 

As my Advent present for you today, here's an unboxing video. Obviously somebody shelled out some big bucks. Lucky guy... Oh well. Enjoy!

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 16

The toy for today's Advent is something that if it's not in the Toy Hall of Fame, then it really should be. It's one of the all-time greats. I'm talking about Colorforms!

Here's the problem with most toy lines. Let's say for example, you start collecting something like He-Man figures. The first figure is so lonely. It might take several months or even years to get some allies, enemies and even playsets and vehicles before things really got interesting. 

With Colorforms, you got everything you needed for fun in one little box! Each kit came with a a sheet of vinyl clings. If you were lucky to get a deluxe set you might get 2 or 3 sheets of clings. With these clings, you got heroes, villains, vehicles and maybe even some accessories like weapons or furniture or even different costumes.

A Colorforms set also had playsets. The box was designed so that the clings could stick to a slick panel designed with scenery in which your characters could interact within. 

I always wanted this one...

I had tons of Colorforms sets. I remember playing with these awesome sets for years. Heck, if I could, I'd still buy Colorforms and play with them today. Yet, I don't think they make Colorforms anymore. 

If I had to choose my top 3 Colorforms sets, I would have to say it's the following: 

• CHiPs- Based on the NBC live action series about a pair of highway patrolmen who rode motorcycles. This set not only came with Ponch and John on their hogs. But it also had accident victims that had posable body parts. Yes, I had quite a few amputations in my Colorforms kit!
• Marvel Super Heroes- This set had 3 different images set up in panels like a comic book. So you could have Spider-Man fighting monsters on a city rooftop, Captain America battling mad scientists in a far-out lab and The Hulk running amok in a fancy mansion! This had Stan Lee's handiwork written all over it and it was beautiful!
• I really had to think about this one, but I am going with the Smurf Land Deluxe Playset. These Colorforms came with Smurfs! A lot of Smurfs. Along with Papa Smurf and Smurfette, this set had almost 30 different Smurf clings, dozens of accessories and the scenery actually unfolded for an extra 25 percent of play space. 

This was the type of cool Christmas toy in which you could spends hours of fun with. And they were cheap too! A set usually only cost about $2.00! To get figures, vehicles and sets in which to frame your adventures for a couple of George Washingtons, that was a freakin' steal!

As my Advent gift for you today, here's a really cool video that highlights several really fun Colorforms sets. Enjoy!