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Thursday, January 31, 2019

Savage Strike


It’s time to strike with the new Yu-Gi-Oh! Savage Strike Booster Packs Trading Card Game from Konami.

In the TCG, there are 9 Cards per Pack and 24 Packs per Box. The Set contains 100 Cards:

8 Secret Rares
10 Ultra Rares
14 Super Rares
20 Rares
48 Commons

Take a look at the Cards I received in just one Pack!

Savage Strike is the first 100-Card Booster Set of 2019.

Look for Cybernetic Horizon revitalized Ritual Summoning and Soul Fusion created powerful Fusion Summoning strategies.

 

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Tribute

I am amazed.

I stand in awe of those individuals (past and present) who have the talent, patience and determination to become comic book artists.

Legendary artists such as Neal Adams, George Perez, John Buscema, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Bernie Wrigthson, Jim Steranko, Arthur Adams, Curt Swan, Gene Colan, Frank Brunner, Mike Ploog, Michael Golden, Barry Windsor Smith, Frank Miller, Jerry Ordway and scores of others have brought great pleasure to me with their drawings.

To be able to take blank sheets of paper and illustrate a story is an astounding talent. 

To do so month after month is Herculean.

To master drawing perspective, shading, anatomy, architecture, layout, story flow, clothing, vehicles, composition and more is a profound talent few people possess.

When I was young I dreamed of being a comic book artist (I still do sometimes).  I constantly doodled, drew and wrote stories.

I learned to cartoon and managed to become a competent artist-enough to make a living at it.

But, I lacked the patience, determination and ability to layout a story convincingly.

Rendering 2D drawings to look like 3D eluded me.  I had neither the talent nor skill to pull it off.  It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Even now at 66 years old that young kid in me wants to draw comic books. 

It will never happen. 

Too many years have gone by.  My eyesight and eye/hand coordination are not what they used to be.

I have to settle looking at other artist’s work, content to traverse in their self-created universes.

Occasionally I’ll pull out a classic comic book, flip through its pages and marvel at the drawings.  I’ll feel myself drawing ever line, solving every problem and marveling at the incredible talent it took to do such things.

I have my books, my toys and other comic book related memorabilia and that will have to be enough.

But, at times, I wonder what would my life have been like if only......

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Origin Stories


Batman and Superman: the name of two comic book heroes known worldwide.

As heroes they have their enemies-some ordinary and some extraordinary.


Capstone/Stone Arch Books present four origin stories of some of Batman and Superman’s most deadly foes.

Artist Luciano Vecchio and writer Louise Simonson present origin tales of two of Batman’s most nefarious and cunning foes: one stark-raving mad, the other beautiful but deadly.

The Joker is considered by many as one of, if not the number one, comic book super villain ever created.  Some would go as far to say he is one of the most famous fictional criminals ever created.

In The Joker An Origin Story readers are treated to the tale of the criminal the Red Hood, who when chased by Batman into a chemical plant falls into a vat of chemicals and emerges as the criminally insane Joker.

The book weaves a tale of his various encounters with Batman, his teaming up with Harley Quinn and his association with other Batman foes.

Kids also get a section all about the Joker, a glossary of terms and the chance to ask and answers some Joker questions.

How much do you know about the Clown Prince of Crime?

Catwoman and Batman have an unusual relationship.

While Catwoman is a cunning criminal and formidable foe she and Batman have an attraction to one another.

Catwoman An Origin Story delves into her past as amateur criminal Selina Kyle and what transformed her in the Feline Felon of Crime.

A gallery, glossary and Q & A sections are included.

Like Batman, Superman has his nefarious bad guys.

Chief among them is billionaire, business man, scientist and criminal genius Lex Luthor.

Lex holds a deep-held hatred and jealousy of Superman and will do anything to rid the world of him

In Lex Luthor An Origin Story, by Ivan Cohen and Luciano Vecchio, reveals to readers how Luthor’s hatred of Superman came about, his rise to power and his mad plan to destroy the Man of Steel and become the ultimate power broker.

Superman’s distorted and wacky doppelganger Bizarro has the same powers of Superman.

Unlike Superman and human beings Bizarro has a twisted sense of reality where opposites rule.

Ivan Cohen and Luciano Vecchio show his origin, his relationship to Superman and his ultimate goal in Bizarro An Origin Story.

Both the Lex Luthor and Bizarro books contain a gallery. glossary and Q & A sections.

All four books are written for early readers. feature art similar to that seen in the Warner Bros. animated cartoons featuring Batman and Superman and make reading fun and enjoyable.

Gunsmoke


I miss the old TV Westerns:  Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Have Gun, Will Travel, Bonanza-the list goes on and on.

Some were more for kids, others for adults.

The granddaddy of all the ‘adult’ Westerns was Gunsmoke.

For 20 years Marshall Matt Dillon, saloon owner Miss Kitty, town physician Doc and deputies Festus and Chester and a plethora of other characters (both good and bad) thrilled TV audiences with their ‘authentic’ Western adventures.

Gunsmoke was grim and gritty and never candy-coated the tough way of life in the Old West.
CBS/Paramount presents Volume One and Two of The Fourteenth Season of Gunsmoke on two remastered DVD collections which also include episodic previews.

Seven discs make up the two collections.

Follow Matt and his friends as they defend Dodge City against the roughest, toughest and downright despicable bunch of criminals.

The series delved into the lives of those who choose to go West in a series of episodes laced with action, adventure, danger, feel-good moments and humor.

It’s humanity and its best and worse as seen through the lens of history.  It’s a classic!

Friday, January 25, 2019

Speed Duel

Decisions!  Decisions!

Blue or yellow?

Have you ever been in situation where you have to decide between two things?  Bummer!

Why choose?  Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel Trading Card Game Starter Decks lets you choose your Deck: Destiny Masters or Duelists Of Tomorrow.

Better yet, get both and double the fun.
 



Destiny Masters contains:

1 20-Card Yami Yugi Deck
1 20-Card Ishizu Ishtar Deck
1 20-Card Pegasus Deck
9 Skill Cards (3 for Yugi, 3 for Ishizu and 3 for Pegasus)
3 Ultra Rare Variant Cards

Duelists of Tomorrow contains:

1 20-Card Seto Kaiba Deck
1 20-CardMai Valentine Deck
1 20-Card Joey Wheeler Deck plus 3 Extra Deck Cards
9 Skill Cards (3 for Kaiba, 3 for Mai and 3 for Joey)
3 Ultra Rare Variant Cards

It’s is easy to learn, and is based on the rule set found in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links video game.

Starter Decks features: Monster Cards, Spell Cards, Trap Cards and Skill Cards.

Summon powerful monsters, power them up with Spell or Trap Cards, and battle your opponent.  It’s cool to duel!

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Rick and Morty

I happened across the Rick and Morty animated TV show when I was visiting my daughter at her home.

She and her boyfriend were watching it and chuckling constantly.

After watching it a few minutes I too found myself snickering under my breath.  It was funny.

And then it happened.  The show took an expected turn I’d never seen on kids’ program before.  The language got a little blue and the action somewhat awkward and violent.

Rick and Morty is definitely not a show for kids. 

I have to admit though the stories are intriguing and funny, the animation first-rate and the characters as diverse and strange as they come.

I love the premise of a crotchety old grandpa and his grandson jumping from dimension to dimension and from time to time.  The meet some of the most bizarre, strange and unique characters on their journey.

It’s sort of like Back To The Future on steroids.

By far my favorite story-arch is Rick as a pickle and then there's the numerous Ricks and Mortys.  Honestly, the series is real mind-blower!

Rick and Morty The Complete Season 1-3 DVD collection from Adult Swim and Warner Bros. also includes commentaries, deleted scenes, animatic sketches, Behind-The-Scenes goodies, inside the recording booth, a free poster and much more.

After watching Rick and Morty you will never be the same.

Monday, January 21, 2019

Aliens, Ninja, Samurai and Brain Workout


Watkins Publishing
has released a quartet of books that is sure to spark the interest of a wide range of readers.

I’m a sucker for a good movie, TV show, documentary or book about Aliens and Ron Miller’s Aliens Past Present Future fits the bill to a tee.

Whether you believe in aliens or not the book examines the phenomenon from all angles.

Starting with the earliest hints of alien presence the book proceeds to examines alien encounters in literature, as portrayed in movies, TV shows and so forth.

A whole subculture of ‘alienites’ has existed ever since the possibility of alien life having visited Earth has existed.

Is there alien life?  Where do they come from?  Are they here on Earth or visited it in the past?  Have people ever encountered aliens?

These a re just a few of the questions posed in this wonderful oversize, hardbound book filled with archival art and photos, recent photos, movie and literature interpretations and more.

Whether they exist of not, the book offers a fun, fascinating and photo-filled excursion into imagination and possibility of intelligent alien life.

These next two books by Anthony Cummins, with assist on one book by Yoshie Minami, contain information I could have used growing up as a wimpy kid.

I seemed to have been the fodder for bullies and with the help of these books I might have saved myself a few bumps and bruises.

Ninja Skills delves into the mysterious and mystical realm of Japan's premiere spy-commandos and their secret fighting and espionage tricks and trades of the profession.

Learn how to be stealthy, quick and deadly using this expose of the Ninjas’ fighting skills, weaspons, mental conditioning, religious and philosophical mind set and much more.

Lessons cover every physical skill that must be mastered in order to be a true Ninja.

Just as impressive is The Book Of Samurai: Samurai Arms, Armour & The Tactics Of Warfare featuring The Collected Scrolls Of Natori-Ryu.

Any martial arts warrior worth his salt will want to examine this book cover-to-cover.

It explores each and every aspect of the Samurai way of life from warfare to weaponry and strategy.

Illustrations lead the reader through a comprehensive examination of the spirit and life of the Samurai.

The older I get the more I need to exercise my brain.

Gareth Moore’s Brain Workout Tips And Techniques To Train Your Mind is the perfect vehicle by which I can do so.

Puzzles, mental exercises, intelligent stimulators, brain challenges and more combines to stretch your brain cells and stimulate your gray matter.

Trust me.  I need all the help I can get and this book delivers just what I need.

Third Reich, Secret Weapons and Classic Cars


I’ve been fascinated with the WWII era German Nazi ever since I was a kid.

I recall WWII veterans in my home town talking about the fighting prowess of the German army, the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi regime and the impressive weapons and fortifications established by the Thousand Year Reign of the Nazi.

Mind you, I don’t approve of the Nazi, but you have to admit they were a formidable foe and possessed some of the most advanced weapons during that period.

Only the combined might of the Allied Forces was able to defeat that horrific regime.

At the heart of the Nazi was Hitler’s Third Reich.

Amber Books/Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. and author Chris McNab, as part of the World War II Germany Series, present The Third Reich Facts, Figures, And Data For Hitler’s Nazi Regime, 1933-45.

War historians and casual readers will be fascinated by mass amount of data pertaining to the Third Reich contained in the book.

Geography, Economy, Politics, the Military and other factors outline the inner workings of the Third Reich demonstrating how it came to be.

Facts and figures, combined with archival photos, charts, statistics and text combine to illustrate how this terrible regime was born and flourished.

Just as fascinating and frightening is David Porter’s Hitler’s Secret Weapons containing Facts And Data For Germany's Special Weapons Program.

With Germany’s incredible armed forces it is a miracle that the Allied Forces were able to defeat Hitler's technologically advanced weapons, aircraft, land vehicles and ships.

If it were not for some serious military strategic blunders, bad weather and Hitler's ego the Nazi would have won the war. 

Take a moment to look over the weapons photos and illustrations and ponder just how powerful and advanced the Nazi’s military might was.

On a lighter note, let’s talk about cars.  Not just any cars, but American Classic Cars.

In the book by the same moniker author, Richard Nicholls presents 300 Classic Marques From 1914-2000 with full color photos of the mechanized muscle courtesy of Detroit, Michigan.

Each car is spotlighted with information packed text and full specs.

It’s a classic car lover’s dream come true in a handy pocket size book that delivers big news.

Friday, January 18, 2019

Woodstock, Wall Chart and 100 Greatest Moments X 2


To quote Maxwell Smart from the classic 1960’s spy, comedy sitcom, “Missed it by that much!”

In 1969 the counter culture youth revolution was at its peak when the rock and roll concert Woodstock came on the scene.

Thousands of hippies, hippie wannabes, revolutionary youth and the top R&R legends, both young and old, descended on Woodstock, New York in what was supposed to be a paid concert.

Not so!

Woodstock defined a whole generation and author Ernesto Assante and Becker & Mayer! Books, celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the event in a brand new book packed with photos, memories and observations: Woodstock The 1969 Rock & Roll Revolution.

Talk about bringing back memories!

I was sixteen years old at the time and still in high school.  Others my age wished they could have gone to the concert but it was not meant to be.

Looking back now I’m glad I didn’t go.  History tends to have us look back at events through rose-colored glasses.

While Woodstock was an amazing event, it was also unorganized, filthy (tons of trash and not enough restrooms) ripe with drugs and unprotected sex.

Still the images presented in the book are striking and are bound to strike a cord of nostalgia of those from that generation.

If you are a Marvel Comic Book fan then you are sure to want to pick up a copy of the Marvel The Expanding Universe Wall Chart, and expanding it is!

This hardbound, expanding chart, with its spot varnished cover featuring a plethora of Marvel good guys, is a great way to track the history of the Marvel Universe.

The gate-fold expansion chart starts with the Golden Age of Marvel and proceeds up until the present day.

Featuring over 300 Marvel characters the chart’s atomic design pattern echoes the origin of so many Marvel characters.

Filled with fun facts and trivia the book examines those characters that have changed over the years, married, died and returned and even shared the same name.

Discover how the entire Marvel Universe is intertwined and connected.

Imagine displaying this chart on a wall accompanied by a comic book collection.

As much as I like Marvel Comic Books I enjoy DC Comics just as much.

That’s why I'm so excited to present two DC Comics themed books by Robert Greenberger from
Chartwell Books.

Justice League 100 Greatest Moments-using cover, interior and character art, examines the most pivotal moments in DC Comics Greatest Super Hero Team’s existence.

Readers are treated to entire sections (accompanied by stellar art) about the Justice League Membership, their Headquarters, Aliens, the Occult, Allies, Enemies, their Greatest Battles, Team Rosters and more.

This beautiful oversize hardbound book with a wraparound protective sleeve is a real treat.

As a huge DC Comics fan I love the extensive history, cover and interior reproductions and sheer magnitude of this book.

DC Comics Super Heroines 100 Greatest Moments looks into the lives of DC’s lovely ladies. 

Tracking their existence, starting with the Golden Age, the book examines each heroine in alphabetical order.

Each character spotlight talks about their origin, their lives, who they associate with and their greatest victory in battle.

DC Heroines get their just credit in an absolutely outstanding look at the woman who make up the DC Comics Universe.

Move over guys, the women are in town and they’re taking no prisoners
!

The Nutcracker

Unfortunately Disney’s The Nutcracker And The Four Realms film did not receive the audience it deserved this last holiday season.

Like most holiday seasons the various movie studios unleashed a plethora of films, many of them blockbusters. Disney's The Nutcracker got caught in the melee.

And that’s a shame.  The Nutcracker Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Code Combo Collection is the perfect way to appreciate this much under appreciated film.

Absolutely stunning with its visual effects, amazing sets and lavish costumes and dance routines The Nutcracker is a magical adventure the whole family can enjoy.

Viewers are invited to accompany Clara as she searches for the elusive key which eventually she finds at her godfather’s Drosselmeyer’s annual holiday party.

Once she finds it she hopes to unlock a box containing a priceless gift from her late mother.

Once found the key disappears into a magical parallel world where Clara joins two citizens of the three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets, who venture into the dark and dangerous Fourth Realm.

They must find the magic key in order to restore the harmony disrupted by the tyrannical Mother Ginger.

Extras include music videos, several featurettes about the making of the film and deleted scenes.

It’s a magical, musical, mystery tour that brings the holiday tale of The Nutcracker Suite to life.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Wagashi The Art Of Japanese Confectionery

You have to admire the Japanese people and their culture.

Their ability to hold onto long held traditions and their unswerving dedication to perfection are somethings we here in the Western world need to admire and emulate.

I’ve never been to Japan but I’ve watched a number of documentaries and programs about Japan's people and society.

Every aspect of the Japanese culture exudes organization; respect for tradition and a no-excuse attitude that is if something is to be done it should be done right the first time.

For an example, look at Japanese retail.   Every toy, household item and appliance, tools, clothing, food and its preparation are done efficiently, presented in an aesthetic pleasing manner and represent a fragment of the Japanese culture.

There are various reasons I suppose.  Maybe it’s the limited space available, tradition, an overriding sense of organization and practicality or other cultural influences that shape the how, why, when, where and what of the Japanese outlook on life.

In Wagashi The Art Of Japanese Confectionery, published by PIE International, readers are given a first-hand visual tour of the sweets and goodies so lovingly prepared by Japanese confectionery artists.

It’s a remarkable collection of candies, pastries and other delectable treats, with informative text, presented as only the Japanese can.

It features book and cover design by Kazuya Takaoka, selection and text by Mtsuo Takahashi and photographs courtesy of Hiroshi Yoda.

I’ve had the honor of sampling several Japanese confectionery goodies and all of them were absolutely delicious.  They are like nothing we have here in the United States.

We Westerners could learn a lot from Wagashi

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

I’m So Excited!


I’m a Christian.  I make no bones about it.  I believe God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to the earth, to be born of a virgin, live a sinless life and die to pay for the sins of mankind.

It’s up to each individual person to accept or refuse his free gift.  It’s that simple.

I’m also very excited.

Before I get started I am not one of those ‘name and claim it’ Christians.

God never promised that after a person is saved that their lives would be bed of roses.  Keep in mind rose beds also have thorns.

He did promise to be with us, guide us and help us.  That’s comforting.

Back to my main point.  I’m excited.

As many of you know, if you’ve been reading my blog, Collectors’ Corner has been in print and then on the web for 27 years.

There have been ups and downs, but God has always been faithful.

I’ve learned (with a little prodding from God) to place him first and he’ll take care of all the rest, and that includes Collectors’ Corner.

I used to fret about not receiving enough review items and that the blog readership was not growing enough.

Enough of that.

Over the past few months I’ve been treated to some unexpected and hopeful developments, that if I interpret them correctly, will see a significant upswing in viewership and review material.

A lot of companies are interested in the blog, many that pooh-poohed it off a couple years ago are reconsidering their position and the viewership is slowly growing larger.

I’m excited about the possibilities!

I’ve given it all over to God.  I want Collectors’ Corner to not only to be about pop culture reviews but a venue by which I can demonstrate the love of God.

I’m sure some of you who are reading this disregard and shrug off what I am saying.  That’s OK-that’s your right.

But, if I reach just a few people.  Demonstrate to them what kindness, compassion, trust and commitment are all about while touting the love of God - I believe that pleases God.  It’s not about the blog or me.  It’s about God.

Too often Christians are characterized as bigots, homophobic, racist and the like.  Regrettably some are.

A true Christian is to love everyone unconditionally-even their enemies.   It’s not easy.

That doesn't not mean that as Christians we are to overlook sin.  It does mean we love the sinner-not the sin.  Contrary to what many believe nowadays, there is a right and there is a wrong.

People often say that the church is full of hypocrites and that may be true in some instances. It should not be that way. 

The only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians are saved sinners and non-Christians are unsaved sinners.

Newsflash-Christians still make mistakes and sometimes sin.  A true Christians recognizes when they goof up and they strive to do better with God’s help.

Anyone looking for a perfect church may as well give up that notion.  The minute they join, that church will no longer be perfect.

God willing Collectors’ Corner will be more than a review site.  It will be a beacon pointing toward hope and salvation.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

What To Do?


“Baby, it’s cold outside!”

Here in North Florida the weather is anything but predictable.  One day it's hot, the next day it’s hovering around freezing.

Today is one of those cold days.  It’s chilly, especially for a Floridian.

Northerners will probably laugh when I say that 40 degrees is cold.  After all, in my home state of Michigan it was not unusual for the temperature to be below zero in the winter.

In Florida when the weather gets ‘cold’ there’s not much to do.

Read, write, watch TV and do inside chores--all pretty mundane activities.

In my case, my boredom level is practically nil.  I want to do something. 

I thought about pulling out of my comic book collection the ‘hot’ comics and compiling them all together in a separate spot-maybe even making a wall display.

But, what’s the point?  Recently I separated all the hot Silver Age and Bronze Age comic books into separate long boxes-along with the current ‘must have’ issues.

Seems rather redundant to separate them even more.

I could rearrange my Man Cave (for the umpteen time) or price my collectible toys for sale at a later date.

Again, why repeat myself?  Besides, at the rate toys keep changing prices, if I price them now I’ll only have to go back and price them again when I do decide to sell.

I could write something-like now.  I have several ideas and story concepts I’ve outlined-completing them is something I have trouble with.

I could draw, except drawing doesn’t have the allure it used to have to me.  After having worked in Commercial Art for 25 years and then having taught it for 11 years, I’m a bit burned out.

I’ve already contacted literally hundreds of publishers and merchandise manufacturers for review items-numerous times.

It’s time to stop, before I make a nuisance of myself.

What to do?  What to do?

I suppose I could wait for the Post Office, Fed-Ex or UPS to deliver review samples, reread a few comic books, make a few notes and jot down a few more ideas, putz around the house finding things to fix or work on, wait patiently until my grandson shows up this afternoon, call a few friends, read my Bible, pray, formulate a plan to up my blog traffic and garner new ‘friends’ on Facebook, find a way to keep the chill off, see if my wife has anything she needs done or just sit and vegetate.

I enjoy being retired full-time.  However, there are days, like today, that working on an ad campaign or teaching a room full of rowdy high school students doesn’t seem like bad ideas.

I’ll be 66 years old in a couple of weeks and I don’t want to spend my last years sitting around, growing older and weaker and becoming one with my easy chair.

I can’t picture myself as a sedentary senor citizen.

So, I’ll brush myself off, finish this article, post it and hope for the best.

I'm sure there is something I can do.

Monday, January 14, 2019

Star Trek The Art Of John Eaves

When you’re dealing with a mega-property like Star Trek it’s important to make the design of the human and alien ships, equipment, weapons, space stations and the like consistent.

It’s not easy.  It takes a special kind of illustrator and designer to accomplish such a feat.

John Eaves is just such an artist.  Painter, illustrator, architect, mechanical engineer, landscape artist, color composer, and other skills are necessary to develop a fully realized universe such as Star Trek.

Star Trek The Art Of John Eaves, by Joe Nazzaro and published by Titan Books, traces the long and illustrious career of whom many consider the ultimate Star Trek artist and designer: John Eaves.

As a fellow artist I found it especially interesting and fascinating to see his earliest pre-Trek sci-fi art and his first Star Trek concept designs and drawings.

John would go on to design/illustrate much of the technology associated with the various Star trek TV shows and films.

Gorgeous full color art accompanies informative and compelling text explaining how he went about his work, his inspirations and influences.

The huge hardbound book contains full color paintings and illustrations, black and white art, conceptual sketches, ship, equipment and technical studies and variations and so much more.

To me it is exciting to see how John thought out various design problems, how his mind works, putting his thoughts on paper and the final completed projects.

This is a great book on not only Star Trek lore but also on how an artist thinks, conceives and implements ideas and designs.

I enjoyed looking at each page; analyzing each piece of art and going away with a deep appreciate of such a stellar talent.

Friday, January 11, 2019

The Complete Covers and Flashlight Projections

The Dark Knight, The Caped Crusader and The World’s Greatest Detective--these are just a few of the names given to Batman-the second superhero created by DC Comics in the late 1930s.

First appearing in Detective Comics #27 Batman would go on to become a worldwide phenomenon, right up to the modern age.


Insight Editions presents the first 300 Detective Comics covers (pre-Batman and Batman) stretching from the Golden Age to the early Silver Age.


The small, square bound book: DC Detective Comics The Complete Covers Vol. 1, is packed with cover illustrations and resembles the old Big Little Books popular in the early part of the 20th Century.


If you’re a Batman fan this book makes a fine addition to your collection.



Created in the same format, the Wonder Woman The Complete Covers Vol. 1, traces the first 300 Wonder Woman comic book covers.


The Amazon Princess dominates each cover beginning in the Gold Age and culminating in the early Silver Age.


The first true super heroine, Wonder Woman would go on to influence other super heroines that followed her.


The Wonder Woman movie is the most successfully DC Comics superhero movie (beside Batman) and has encouraged movie studios to create other super heroine movies helmed by women directors.


Protected in its clear plastic slipcase, the Batman Flashlight Projections Heroes And Villains is a collection of clear plastic sheets with black silhouette images of Batman and his fellow heroes and rogue's gallery,


Shine a flashlight through the plastic panels and the images appear on any flat surface.


Holy Bat-Signal Batman!  The Dark Knight never looked so good!









Thursday, January 10, 2019

Sisters Of The Rose

Girls and ladies get their just due in the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game from Konami.

The 5-Card Booster Pack in Foil Wrapper lets the ladies shine.

Legendary Duelists: Sisters of the Rose debuts brand-new cards inspired by past heroines of Yu-Gi-Oh!: Mai Valentine and Akiza Izinski. 

Watch out guys for the Harpie Lady Strategy!

The girls are back in town!

Look for the following Cards in the Legendary Duelists: Sisters of the Rose Booster Packs. 




The Set contains 56 Cards:

9 Ultra Rares
8 Super Rares
10 Rares
29 Commons

To quote Sister Sledge,

“We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up ev'rybody and sing!”

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

The League Of Regrettable Sidekicks

It all started with Robin The Boy Wonder, Batman’s kid sidekick.

When he proved to be popular other comic book companies teamed their superheroes up with kid and teenage sidekicks.  Some were quite good such as Toro for the Human Torch, Bucky with Captain America and several more.

The sidekick phenomenon proliferated to included grownup sidekicks (many providing comedy relief) and in some cases-love interests.

For every sidekick that worked, unfortunately there were those that flopped.

The League Of Regrettable Sidekicks, by Jon Morris and published by Quirk Books, traces the long and not so illustrious history of sidekicks whom would have been best left on the drawing board.

From the Golden Age to the Modern Age the book lists the various completely unnecessary, sometimes silly, totally inept, more trouble than their worth and ridiculous sidekicks of not only superheroes but super villains as well.

Some even had more than one sidekick!

Filled with full color art and historical text about each regrettable sidekick, the book is a fun read about how ideas for new characters don’t necessarily translate to the printed comic book page.

What readers won’t regret is picking up a copy of this book. 

Monday, January 7, 2019

First Man and Johnny English

Universal Studios has just released two new Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Movie Combos.

One is serious and the other is seriously funny.

It seems like yesterday.

The year was 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft and its crew land on the Moon.  The whole world watched as astronaut Neil Armstrong made his famous first step on the Moon.

It’s hard to describe the excitement and pride I felt.  The impact of the event was felt all around the world.  America had done it-successfully landed men on the Moon and returned them home safely!

But, there was much more to the story. 




In Universal Studios’ First Man film, viewers are taken on a historical journey as seen through the eyes of astronaut Neil Armstrong.

The film explores the tremendous amount of preparation, groundbreaking technology required and the cost to the families of the astronauts.

Considered the highest achievement of mankind at the time, the Moon landing was as dangerous as it was exhilarating.

First Man successfully chronicles the human cost, the emotional ups and downs and the sheer magnitude of such a monumental feat.

Included with film are several extras such as deleted scenes, a feature commentary, several featurettes and much, much more.

Relive the most exciting adventure in human history with this astounding film.

‘English...Johnny English.’

Rowan Atkinson returns in the third installment of the bumbling, accident-prone adventures of Britain's most inept spy in Johnny English Strikes Again.

When Britain's top spies have their identifies revealed by a rogue hacker, top spy officials have no choice but to bring Johnny English out of retirement, along with his faithful sidekick Bough.

Hilarity rules as the out-of-touch Johnny English must contend with new spy technology as he plunges into the mission to find the mysterious hacker.

As usual Johnny manages to stumble, bumble and bungle things up.

While Johnny considers himself a master of subterfuge, secrecy and a ladies man-the espionage world knows otherwise.

It’s classic Johnny English as only Rowan Atkinson can deliver.  It’s an analog spy coping with a digital world.

Extras include featurettes about making the film, a commentary, character descriptions and a special tribute to Rowan Atkinson.

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Blog And Facebook Wish List For 2019


It's been a rough couple/three years when it comes to my Blog and Facebook Page.

Review samples are getting more difficult to come by and visitor numbers are not as high as I hoped they would be: respectable, but not phenomenal.

That being said, here are few things I'd like to see happen in the next year.

1. Blog and Facebook traffic increase.

2.  More/expand review samples: Books, Toys, Magazines, Anime, Manga, Trading Cards, Model Kits, Comic Books, Die Cast, Electronics, Blu-rays and DVDs, Games, Video Games and review samples from other product categories.

3. Attend trade shows and conventions.

4. More industry contacts.

5. Ad revenue. 

God willing, all of these things will happen.