Wrapping Up Christmas 2022

Now that I am a parent Christmas is mostly all about making the kids happy and helping Santa get them the toys that were on their list. There is nothing like seeing their little faces light up on that special December morning...even if it's at 4am. I guess that's karma, but every year I still look forward to unwrapping my own gifts from my kids & wife. They always do a great job of getting me some sweet presents and this year they did not disappoint. I know it's a little late but let's look behind the wrapping paper and see what goodies were under the tree for me in 2022!

NECA Black & White Shredder figure

I received the NECA set of 4 Black & White Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles years ago as a birthday gift from my wife, so when I saw that NECA was releasing a Black & White Shredder to compliment those previous TMNT figures, I immediately added it to my "Want" list! Unfortunately, NECA made getting this figure a bit of a hassle. These were part of the "AutoT" series of figures. In order to get your physical Shredder, you needed to go to Walmart, find the AutoT package, buy the code, go to a website, enter the code and then wait weeks for NECA to send you your figure. Pretty convoluted, but well worth the wait. This figure is amazing, and I was happy to finally receive it on Christmas morning. One cool thing about the AutoT experience is the fact that everyone has the chance to receive an autograph from TMNT co-creator, Kevin Eastman. I did not get one of these randomly packed autographs, but hey, at least there was a chance.

Playmates Toon Turtles 4-Pack

I never had these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures when they were first released back in the 80's. By that point I had already amassed several variations of each Turtle, so getting these was not high on my priority list. Man did I miss out! I love the action features on these figures and the retro packaging really takes me back to perusing the toy aisle at our local department store, Toys R' Us, Child World or KB Toy store. The commercial for these toys really shows how cool they actually are! You can view that below.

It was another great Christmas filled with family, fun and of course presents. I hope you all had an AWESOME holiday and look forward to the new year. Thanks for reading!

Comic Book Pick 12/28/22

 The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II #1

(W) Ryan Parrott (A) Dan Mora (CA) Kevin Eastman, Freddie Williams II
It's been six months since the Teenagers With Attitude and the Heroes In A Half Shell teamed up to defeat the unholy alliance of Rita Repulsa and Shredder, but a new threat will force them to reunite in the crossover YOU demanded! Between an invasion from beyond, old enemies teaming up with unlikely accomplices, and a threat to the Rangers' powers themselves, will the two teams survive the onslaught, or will they need help from the most unexpected ally imaginable? Longtime Power Rangers architect Ryan Parrott (Rogue Sun) joins forces with superstar artist Dan Mora (World's Finest, Once & Future) to deliver the follow-up to the hit crossover!
SRP: $4.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Merry Christmas 2022!

Wishing everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Hope it's full of great food, cups of cheer, awesome gifts from Santa and tolerable family appearances! Can't wait to see what 2023 brings to the table. Whatever it is...we'll be ready! Ho-Ho-Ho!!!!

Comic Book Pick 12/7/22

  The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
TMNT: ARMAGEDDON GAME #3

(W) Tom Waltz (A/CA) Vincenzo Federici
The TMNT and their new mentor, the Shredder, have quickly discovered their mission to recruit new allies to battle against Rat King and his minions (Baxter Stockman, Madame Null, and the newly minted MetalKrang) in NYC has its own set of perilous circumstances. In Dimension X, Michelangelo and the Neutrinos are forced to join the Nova Posse as would-be bounty hunters. Meanwhile, in Dimension Z, the Shredder and Dark Leo realize they must undertake a deadly rescue mission if they are to have any chance of bringing Cherubae to their side. And on Earth, Raphael is finding nothing ever comes easy when Old Hob is involved, while nearby, Donnie and Jennika have their fair share of dangerous problems, not the least of which is the mysterious Null Turtles!
SRP: $4.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 12/5/22

  Throw on your Bandanna, grab your Bo Staff and head to the sewers as we take you back to the 90s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Song: Splinter's 12 Days of Christmas
Album: We Wish You A Turtle Christmas (1994)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A
Bonus Fun Fact: This straight to VHS video features the first time the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rap!

Comic Book Pick 9/28/22

 The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
TMNT: ARMAGEDDON GAME #1

(W) Tom Waltz (A/CA) Vincenzo Federici
The Armageddon Game Has Begun! Under the leadership of the Shredder, the TMNT begin a dangerous quest to seek out allies against Rat King's trio of terror: LeatherKrang, Baxter Stockman, and Madame Null. It's a mission that will see the Turtles spread out across New York City... and across multiple dimensions! But they better hurry, because their enemies are already on the march, and things are not looking good for Mutant Town while most of our heroes are away. Desperate measures, false flag attacks, mysterious new villains, and unexpected alliances... It all starts here in the premiere issue of the biggest TMNT event of the year!
SRP: $5.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

New Retro Toy Store Discovery!

Recently a co-worker told me about a new retro toy shop that opened in town. You better believe that's where I took my lunch break that day. There was a ton of great stuff to look at and I had limited time to do so. I will have to go back and take a longer look at some of the stuff in this store. The prices were a little bit all over the place. Some things were priced too high and some were surprisingly affordable. In my haste to squeeze this trip in, I did find a few solid pick-ups in the comic book bins. Here is the TMNT item I grabbed:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #2 (Archie)

I always love finding some sweet deals on new comic books and you know I couldn't leave without picking up a new TMNT item for the collection. I looked at their selection of vintage TMNT toys and saw a carded Venus for $150! The card was a little beat up and I already have the loose figure, so I passed this up and my wallet thanked me. Maybe next time?

Turtles Under Glass!

 A co-worker gifted me this old glass TMNT picture today! Looks like one of those prizes county fairs would give away back in the 90's. Anyone got any info?

Ben Cooper!

 Would have totally grabbed one of these Ben Cooper TMNT retro costumes if Donatello was available! Only Leo & Mikey at my Spirit Halloween store!!

Toon Turtles!

 These Turtle boys are finally all together!

Sunday Morning Reading!

Silly Rabbit!

 Finally found a Usagi Yojimbo at Target! I'll call this an early birthday present for myself!!! Love this character

My official shirt for 80's Day 2022!

80's Day was something I started years ago to show my kids how cool the decade was. I share some of my favorite 80's music, movies, video games and food with them and they seem to really enjoy it! Typically we head out and take part in some activities that I liked to do as a kid. The recreation may not be 100% faithful to what life was like back in the 80's, but I feel like we did the best we could with the resources we had available. After we watched some cartoons, it was time to throw on some of our best 80's licensed character t-shirts, so we could go out and hit the town! Represented in my kids' attire were the Care Bears and The Legend of Zelda. I chose to wear my Mirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt and my wife had her Jem shirt on. 

Looking good and ready for some adventure! Of course we had to eat at the Turtles favorite chain pizza restaurant!

We stopped by an old 80's staple...PIZZA HUT!

We got a stuffed crust peperoni pizza and a traditional supreme pie. We were going to eat in the restaurant, but when we walked in we were told that due to the lack of staffing the dining area was closed! Oh well, I guess we'll take it home.

TMNT Tournament Fighters!

 Tournament Time!

The COWABUNGA Collection!

 Got my copy! COWABUNGA!!!

Ice, Ice Baby!

 Check out these shirts that Vanilla Ice is selling at his shows! Photos courtesy of David Onda.

TMNT II: The Arcade Game!

 Been about 30 years, but I finally beat TMNT II: The Arcade Game for the NES again! I feel so accomplished dudes!!

WINNER! WINNER!

 Look what came in the mail! Thanks again Grouchy Godzilla!! These are Awesome!

Second Viewing!

 Dinner is finished and now we are ready for our second viewing of the Rise of the TMNT movie on Netflix!

Rise of the TMNT: The Movie!

 WOW! That Rise of the TMNT movie was fantastic! My daughter says "It was a heartfelt movie, but also very good!"