It was 40 years ago this week...

 I wanted to write up a special blog to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a movie that means a lot to me. It was the first movie I ever saw in the movie theater. I was six years old. And it probably was the first time I cried at a movie. That movie is STAR TREK 3: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. 

 

New 2024 Re-release poster.

In 1984, a third Trek movie hit the big screen and it had huge shoes to fill. The Motion Picture (1979) was an effects spectacle and in my opinion is the most "Star Trek" of all the films. Obviously Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982) is widely considered the best of all the Trek films even up to today. Very hard to top that. It was around this time that I saw TMP and TWOK on Betamax at home. At five years old, it captured my imagination. Then I discovered there was an original series... and a cartoon! It was truly the moment I came online as a geek and it forever changed the course of my life. 

My family was into Star Trek. My brothers grew up watching it. My mother was a fan of it. And when they heard a third movie was coming they told me about it. I was begging to go see it. And so we did. It was at the Broadway Theater in downtown Mt. Pleasant. I remember that night well. I didn't know what "going to the movie theater" was like. And here were my new heroes on the big screen. There's the Enterprise! I think I fell in love with Star Trek mainly for the Enterprise. I loved the ship. I had the model kit. I had the FASA mini figures. (that was all the "toys" one could get back then) As a kid, I was obsessed with anything to do with outer space and space vehicles. Had I lived my original childhood dream, I would have tried to work for NASA or something similar. But I just became a movie geek instead. So it goes.

We sat down and watched the flick. And (spoilers) I was shocked to see my beloved USS ENTERPRISE blow up on screen. I wept. I remember crying hard at that moment. How could they destroy the Enterprise??! That ship WAS Star Trek to me! I was floored. It felt like my whole love and life up til that moment just had ended. It was gone and not coming back. Blown up and crashed onto the Genesis planet. After the movie we went to Taco Bell and got the 4 pack of the special STAR TREK 3 glasses. I used them forever. In fact, I still do. I got three sets of them in my cabinet right now. No bullshit. Hey, this is me we're talking about here. If you knew me well, that nerdy fact would be no surprise. 

Being six years old and obsessed with Star Trek was a good time. I grabbed whatever collectibles I could get around the movie. Some of which I still have to this day...

My copy of Trek 3 on laser disc (remember those?) and the novelization by Vonda McIntyre (A Michigan native, BTW) - Not pictured is my versions on DVD, Blu-ray. But I got this: 

In the 80s we had VIDEO DISCS. Yes, I have a bunch of Trek on these too!

I had all 3 of these Trek ships as a kid. I still have the Enterprise one in the box! Here's a pic of the Betamax tape I had. Yes, we bought that. It was expensive for the time, but we had it. And I had the soundtrack on vinyl! I have the 2 CD expanded score edition now that came out in 2010.

Of course here is a look at the Taco Bell STAR TREK 3 glasses. (I have three complete sets) and the model kit I had for this version of the Enterprise. It was my second one, as I had put together the Wrath of Khan version a year earlier. Im sure it looked like shit. I was six years old at the time! I knew nothing about proper model kit gluing and painting!

Instead of youtube, as a kid I had books on record! Of course I had the Star Trek 3 movie on record. It held me over while I was waiting for the movie to come out on tape. And my uncle Doug got me these four ERTL Trek figures. The figures were shitty, but it was all we had back in the day. I used to have all of these complete in box but sold them off about 13 years ago when I needed money. I will get them back someday soon.

(Not pictured are my Comic adaptations, official movie/poster magazine.. of which I had some of those posters on my wall as a kid!) 

My hunger for all things Star Trek increased at the end of that movie. I had to know what happens next! Would the Enterprise come back? What about the crew? They disobeyed Starfleet orders to save their friend. Is it over for them too? I had to know. I started reading STARLOG magazine. I started buying the comic books... they were my first comics I ever bought. (The rest is history with that... but that is a whole other blog) And of course, a happy ending... the Enterprise came back in the next movie. But I had to wait til 1986 to see it! And as of STAR TREK PICARD season three (2023) That version of the Enterprise still exists in Canon. She's still out there. :)

Over the years, I've heard the snark that all "odd numbered" Trek movies sucked. While I thought Star Trek 3 was awesome, I began to hear rumblings about how it wasn't good and how shitty it was. Trek podcasts I listen to even now seem to just tear it apart for various reasons. I do see some of their points but Trek 3 will always be special. It was epic. A movie about family and sacrifice. There are emotional moments in that movie. The excitement during the whole stealing the Enterprise segment. Seeing Kirk's reaction to the death of his son. The Enterprise... RIP. The moment when they were all reunited with their dead friend on Vulcan, resurrected and he remembers them. I still think that scene where McCoy talks to Spock alone before they land on Vulcan is one of the best moments in all of Trek. It means even more now that DeForest Kelly and Leonard Nimoy are no longer with us. I watch it much different now because of that. Star Trek never felt epic in that way until movie three came along. And I will defend it to my dying day. Naturally I am grading it on a curve. It was my first theater movie. It hit me at the exact right time. It changed my life. 40 years... it seems like yesterday to me. The story was about family and Star Trek to me, is a family affair.

Often I am asked what my most prized collectible is that I own. I have a huge collection of movies, records, CDs, games, toys, comics... But if this place were going up in flames tomorrow and I could only grab one thing, it would be this...

My Star Trek 3 poster. Just look at it. Honestly, its ugly! That horrible vector art. Its nothing like the good ol' Bob Peak painting for the tape cover or the new 2024 re-release version (pictured above). But this poster means the world to me. You see, it was hanging in the Broadway Theater in 1984 when I saw the movie that night. I remember it. They unfolded it and mounted it on foam core and put this frame on it. After the movie was gone, it hung by the bathrooms in the Broadway Theater for years. I'd always see it when I would return to there to see other movies throughout the years. And then one day, it was gone. 

Cut to May 1999. Im in college and I get a job at the Cinema Four Theater in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. The same theater chain operated the Broadway Theater but opened a larger 4 screen theater closer to campus. My first day was The Phantom Menace opening night. One of the perks of working at a theater back in the day was that we could take home freebies that came in. Promo posters, standees, reel to reel trailers and other things. One night I was looking around upstairs and saw a few posters stuffed in a corner. These posters were vintage and mounted on foamcore. Terminator 2, Ghostbusters 2... and this! It was the Trek 3 poster from the Broadway! I asked my boss Bill if I could have it and explained its historical significance to him. He said, "Naw I think they got plans for those posters. I can't let you take that one, sorry." It was okay. I understood. I was just happy to see it again and know that it wasn't thrown away. 

Many months later, October of 2000. The night I found out that my mother 100% had three months to live. The cancer was winning. I got the call at work that day and was understandably bummed. It was late in the night. We were waiting for the last movie to end so Bill and I could shut down the theater, turn on the alarm and I could give him a ride home. He did his counts upstairs and came down to see me. "How you holding up, T?" He asked me. I cannot remember what I said. Just that I was coping with the news. In shock maybe. It didn't feel real that my mother was going to die. The woman who, beyond just giving me life, gave me MY LIFE. She turned me on to movies, books, TV and... STAR TREK. I literally and figuratively wouldn't be who I am today without her. I was damn lucky to have the mom I had. And in a few weeks, I would have to say goodbye. It wasn't real. But it seemed final. Of course, I was upset. But I was swallowing it down. We chatted for a bit and he said he was going to head back upstairs to finish his counts and wait for the movie to be over so we could leave. He starts back upstairs and stops. He half turns to me and says, "Hey... if that Star Trek 3 poster disappeared tonight... I never saw what happened to it." And he went upstairs. I went up to the room where it was, grabbed it and tossed it into my back seat.

It meant a lot to me that he did that. He was breaking rules to give me that gift. A gift that was tied to memories of my mother. A silly thing I shared with him that months later he remembered. I was blown away that he did. I remember that act of kindness every time I see that poster. I remember the night in 1984 when I saw it in the theater when I look at that poster. The times I would see it again over the years revisiting the movie theater to go on other cinematic adventures as I grew up. Those memories tied to it, make it my most prized possession. And to me, its priceless. Its ugly. Its a large pain in the ass to have moved it from apartment to apartment over the last 24 years. But I always made sure I had space on my walls for it. I kept it clean and safe. And I'll never let it go. 

STAR TREK 3 is my movie. Its not my favorite Trek movie, but damn close. Naysayers be damned, I love that flick.  Pastels and crappy costumes and acting. The recycled Wrath of Khan score. The death of my beloved starship. Christopher Lloyd overacting. The obvious soundstage sets...Warts and all. And to prove my love for it.. I can spoil this: I will be honoring it in a very special upcoming issue of my comic: PLEASANT LIFE. The comic about Star Trek geeks and their relationships. My story. My "movie." You'll see what I mean when the issue comes out. Its my way of giving back to the movie and what it means to me. It birthed my whole life. My fandom. My obsession. Me.

So June 1st, marks 40 years since that movie was released. Paramount already announced a one night only theatrical release for the movie. Unfortunately as I type this, its only in the UK. But if they make a North American run somehow, I will gladly burn one of my few vacation days to go see the movie again on the big screen that night. I'll sit there with my popcorn and drink and laugh and tear up in all the same spots I always do. I'll think of all the actors in the flick who I met over the years and are now gone. I'll think of Bill and that act of kindess. I'll think of my brothers. I'll think of my mom. I'll probably listen to the score on the way there and back. Fully immersed like the big nerd I am. And proud of it. 

The search is over. Spock was found. And the search for my whole life was found along the way. Happy 40th Star Trek 3. I still love ya. And the human adventure continues...

Unsuccessfully Coping with Turning Older and Dealing with Life's Bullshit

Thanks for coming here for a read, my friends. Gather round as grandpa titillates you with another barely coherent ramble of nonsense from his aging spine flower. I appreciate those who come here and also who stick through til the end of my postings. I wish I could say I do it all for you, but in truth, it is for me. To get things off my chest and rid myself of some of the thinky pain, by sharing my thoughts aloud to the ether and to those who would lend me an ear. I do appreciate it.

I turned 42 this weekend. I received lots of messages of love and appreciation, all of which got a return thank you note. The least I could do. My lovely bride got me the Harlan Ellison book I've been wanting. I'm reading it rather quickly, enjoying every word of it! I got a gift card from my dear father in law, with which I took the wife on a necessary trip to a couple local swap shops, diving deep for physical media to fill our already well fed media shelves. Oh so necessary. I love my gluttonous shelves jam packed with dusty but well loved DVDs, Blu-Rays, Video Games, Books, Records, CD, Toys and anything else I can use to distract myself from the daily grind. I found three vintage in the box STAR TREK TNG figures from Playmates, as well as TMNT (1990) on Blu-ray, BATMAN ANIMATED SERIES season 4 DVD set, yet another JEFF BUCKLEY live Cd (How many of those things exist? I do not know, but they all must be mine), and KING DIAMOND'S "ABIGAIL" on vinyl. Do I need these things? Of course not, but yet I do. Don't judge me. Its how I fill the holes. I also sat down to a lovely lunch/dinner at Logan's Steakhouse, where I had grilled chicken and shrimp. I plan to have a steak dinner with my father in law sometime soon, so I shall savor that moment to come.

All of these things I have used to be a welcome interloper to the stress, anger and depression that has been swirling around my head like a vulture waiting to gnaw on the remaining unspoiled specs of meat. The last couple weeks have been hell. My wife to be has lost a parent and we are coping with all of that. On my side of the fence, my father is having some personal struggles of his own. All of this indeed weighs heavy and sometimes I think I'd rather french kiss a cactus than face it head on. But despite all our distractions, the pain exists and we are working through it. Everyone has been lovely with their messages and gifts of food and comfort. It means the world to us. Thank you so, so, soooo much. That is all I will say about that for now.

I passed out the bad news of the delay of the physical release of STARSLAM RETURNS. Just have had too much going on to finish the things that need finishing to send it to the printer. But for those who are waiting, I do promise (as I always do) to deliver. I appreciate your patience and bearing with me. I also have been busy keeping steady work on the PATREON comics for the year of 2020. Right now I have scanned in all the original art and partially colored the flats for stories that lead all the way through to September. My goal is to finish all the year and get it scheduled, uploaded and done so that I can focus on other things for a while. I want to get PLEASANT LIFE 2 finally launched sporadically on the Patreon, as well as doing some writing. I want to finish one of the 19 novels I have planned/started/almost finished. Seriously, I want to.
I need to.
I shall.
This year.
Promise.

I have seen the first episode of STAR TREK: PICARD and I am pleased to say that I enjoyed it. I think there are a couple established cannon factoids they didn't address but perhaps those will be answered in later episodes. It feels good to finally be taking the STAR TREK story forward instead of doing another prequel. I detest prequel stories in general. I feel that they fail on all levels, most important of which is living up to expectations. While I sometimes do flashbacks in regular stories, you will never see me do a prequel to anything I ever write. Always moving forward is a good thing. Not just in creative endeavors but also in life.

This week I have taken the time to watch some new things. Movies like RUNNING SCARED, JAY & SILENT BOB REBOOT, and episodes of the classic THE OUTER LIMITS and THE TWILIGHT ZONE. I'm also sitting down to read not only my Ellison book, but the booklets of some box sets I have purchased but haven't dug through as deeply yet. I also got my preordered SONS OF APOLLO album, which I haven't listened to yet. I am currently enjoying a re-listen/re-appreciation of the NEAL MORSE BAND'S "SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM," ALTER BRIDGE "FORTRESS," OPETH "IN CAUDA VENENUM" and other stuff. New stuff I've pre-ordered include the new PEARL JAM and STONE TEMPLE PILOT records. Exciting stuff in music coming!

Currently I am reading ELLISON'S ENDLESSLY WATCHING, UNFUCK YOURSELF by Gary John Bishop and a re-read of DRAGONLANCE: DRAGONS OF AUTUMN TWILIGHT. Its all keeping me sane but most importantly as I said, distracted.

Its been a bumpy road so far this year. In 25 short days, we've had threats of war, a circus of a senate trial, the death of Neil Peart, Terry Jones, my mother in law and other things. I've been dealing with back trouble and up and down eating patterns around the anger/depression of the above things happening. But I'm getting through it. That is the important thing right? I'm still here, trying hard. I'll get it all sorted and figured out someday.

Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you all have it sorted and figured out someday too. It's the goal, right?

--T

Great Time to be an old Geek

Its been a weird week for me. Its a week where we lost some BIG BIG BIG names in Star Trek fandom. I mean, Robert Walker, Jr. (Charlie X), D.C. Fontana and last night, Rene Auberjonois left us. Its odd for me as a man in his 40s now, watching his heroes slowly retire, drift away or pass away. In a world that is constantly telling you to "grow up" or that movies, comics and games are things for children... its pressure. And I would be lying to you if I said I never agree. Because sometimes I do. That maybe I had these things and I had my time with them. Those times are over and I have to move on.

But if you look around my home, you'll see its filled up as an entire museum of my life. Especially my early years. I have toys on the wall. I have in boxed Nintendo games. I have shelves and shelves of DVDs, Blu-Rays, Comics, Books, Magazines, LPs, CDs and so many other things. I still drink out of Star Trek 3 Taco Bell glasses from 1984. I watch old cartoons like The Real Ghostbusters or Scooby Doo. I play Mario and Ghostbusters for Ps4. On and on and on. I'm a giant man-child and I don't think I will ever grow up. I've come to terms with that and I like that about myself. I think my kids like that about me too. We share in these things together. Lately I've been turning my youngest into a Ghostbusters fanatic. He's got a jumpsuit and a proton pack and he plays the video game constantly. He's got toys for it and we watch the cartoon together. Its awesome!

The geeks have grown up and now they are making the media. Some get it right, some miss the mark of what made that thing so great. But really, it doesn't matter. We have SO MUCH of the right thing. Like STAR TREK. Okay, so older fans don't enjoy the new stuff. But we have so many old episodes, books, comics that get it right. I'm willing to bet that all the ranty fans online haven't seen or read all of it. Why focus on the bad? And okay, I wasn't a fan of the 2016 Ghostbusters movie. I gave it an honest chance but I felt like it wasn't funny and it missed the mark. There were things I liked about it, but ultimately, I wasn't into it. That is okay. Did I need to go online and threaten the makers or the actresses in it? Of course not. Why do people do that? I don't get it.

Perhaps the best thing about me growing older is that not only did I never leave these things, but I also left my elitism behind. I remember a younger, angrier version of me who judged anyone who didn't like this movie or that band.  I sometimes playfully act that way in front of younger co-workers who talk excitedly about anime or Pokemon and I say, "Whats a Pokemon?" Cause it is funny to "play" like I'm an old angry man, just barely tolerating the youngsters around me. But inside I am enjoying that they like something. They can dress up and play and collect, just like I did. Its actually awesome. It feels good to have let go of my elitism and put down the swords of a gatekeeper of the old cool things, so that when someone asks about it, I'm not all, "you weren't there for that and its only for me!" I'm more like, "wow... you got so much cool shit you missed out on. Let me show you." And I'm really happy to open the door for anyone who wants to check it out. I think its a much better way to be.

As I look to my left I got a shelf with an Enterprise ship and an Ecto-1 car on it. Both are screen accurate and immaculate looking. If I had these things as a kid, I woulda lost my mind. But I have them now. My kids have them. For all the wrongs that happen, there is a lot of right things to embrace as well. So why dwell in the negative? I am entertained by the ranters and naysayers who tap into the anger and use it as entertainment. Like the RED LETTER MEDIA youtube folks, or the ANGRY VIDEO GAME NERD. That is for entertainment. But those actual ranters... the ones who boycott and threaten and use their anger to spread hate and vitriol everywhere.... that I don't get. What is that? How can you spend your time dwelling in that head space? I feel sorry for you. Cause there is so much good shit out there. All you gotta do is go find it!

Aging is weird. Everyday I wake up, someone I liked is gone. A project I like ends. A creative team I liked has left a project. But then, new cool shit comes up. Its refreshed. Reborn. Because there will always be cool things to come. I can't tell you how excited I am for the rest of the season of The Mandalorian. or Star Wars Episode Nine. Or Star Trek Picard. Or Ghostbusters Afterlife. or the Creed movies. On and on and on.

Being an old geek ain't so bad. Drop the hate an enjoy it. There's no better time than now.

-T

Vintage TOY Memories

For you toy nerds, this will be a fun one.

I decided to run down some of my favorite toy lines from when I was a kid. Now, I will say up front there are a couple major toylines that everyone loves that I had none of. That being TRANSFORMERS and GI JOE. I wasn't into Transformers, although I do recall having a couple GOBOT toys from Mcd Happy Meals. And GI JOE I wasn't allowed to get into because it "promoted war and it was against our religion." So it goes.

But I don't say that to knock my parents at all. They bought me a shit-ton of toys when I was a kid. When I sometimes find old toys on con tables or in vintage antique toy magazines, I'm always remembering, "Wow I had that!" I had a lot of toys. (Thanks mom and dad) But I thought I would highlight some of my favorite toylines and give some of my memories about them:

Of course it all starts with KENNER's Star Wars toys with me. I was born in 78, so I didn't see STAR WARS until it came out on Betamax home video around 1982 or 83. But of course, I loved the movies. So as the movies came out on home video and I also read the kid's books and had the books on record covering the movies and the side fictions, I made my own stories up too with these figures. I still have around 16 of my original Star Wars figures too. Those were my BUZZ and WOODY of my life, I suppose. My favorite figure was my Endor Han Solo. I had the original Han Solo, but his head broke off the first day I had him. My mom tried to glue his head back on but it didn't work. So I had a headless Han Solo! I had a ton of the figures and the Falcon, Landspeeder and not much else vehicle-wise. Truly, the best of times.

In the 90s I had a complete set of the POWERS OF THE FORCE line. Now I just have the orange backs and some of the green ones of characters I like. I have a few random 40th anniversary, vintage collection, black series (small and large) and others. Its very piecemeal but I get what I enjoy.

While STAR WARS was in my life first, I discovered STAR TREK shortly after and it became my favorite thing, as many of you know. When I was a kid, TREK toys were severely lacking. I missed the 70s Megos but I did have a few of the MOTION PICTURE Mego figures. And I had all the ERTL Trek 3 figures. I had to make my own accessories out of cardboard. I had about 85% of all the episodes all dubbed onto Betamax compilations, and those were edited for TV. So when I got the DVDs later in life, I saw all these additional scenes. They still take me aback for a second when I see them now cause I saw those older tv versions over and over and over. They are drilled in there!

In 1987, TNG came out and I had all the Galoob figures and the aliens. I didn't have any of the vehicles and they teased playsets on the back of the packaging but they never came out. The toyline was cancelled before they released them! But I had them all and still have some of them loose. I had a few of the Playmates toys in the 90s but by then I was in my teens and into video games more and out of toys. But I do have a bunch in the box now. Not a complete collection by a longshot, but quite a few!

Probably the toyline I was most into and had the most of was He-Man. I think I had every figure up until She-Ra kinda took off. I had a lot of the vehicles and play sets too. Castle Greyskull and Snake Mountain. Attack Trak and Mashor... I had a ton of them. I loved the toyline a lot. Eventually when I grew up, my mom gave all my toys to a friend of hers for her young son. I wish I still had some of them, honestly. In the box, some of those are worth MAJOR money. Luckily they will be re-released next year. I think I might snag a couple for old time's sake. I do have one He-Man out of the box just for the shelf. Cause why not.

Of course I am a major Ghostbusters fan and I loved the REAL GHOSTBUSTERS cartoon. I had a lot of the major figures, ghosts and the Ecto-1. The last Christmas I had as a kid I got the Firehouse HQ. I didn't even know it was a thing but my parents bought it. Despite that there wasn't much to the toy, I loved that thing. I still have a couple of them. These are VERY expensive in the box. So I will have to work up to getting them. I'm sure the fever for them will only increase when the new GB movie comes out. One of my favorites of all time.

I was big into PEE WEE HERMAN as a kid too. I had everything you see in this pic above. But I don't have any of them anymore. I am not even sure what happened to them. Probably went to that same kid who got my He-Man toys. I miss these guys.

In the late 80s, a RAMBO cartoon came out and lasted maybe a season. But I had about 5 of the figures from it. Plus a helicopter and a playset. It was an awesome toyline! And I loved how they had his chest scars from FIRST BLOOD PART 2.

I don't talk about it much but in the 80s I got into WWF wrestling. I watched from around 1987 to like 1992. Then for a year or two around the WCW NITRO era. I had a bunch of the old bendable figures, the giant unbendable figures and then these stiff ones came out. I saved up allowance money to buy the ring and steel cage for the figures. Old skool wrestling is something I toss on while I am drawing once in a while. I can't get into modern wrestling. I've tried. Something about the cheese and innocence of the 80s storylines and characters I enjoyed a lot. 

The last official toyline I got into before I got serious into video games was TMNT. I had all the classic figures and the Turtle Van. I was way into the cartoon as well. But it slowly turned into the 90s and things like Nintendo and grunge music was turning my attention away from toys. I don't have any of these guys anymore. I wish I did.

So there you go. Just a quick run through memory lane from me. I wish I still had all these figures. Cause getting them again, complete in box will all cost major major money! But for now I watch youtube unboxers and collectors and also look at people's vintage toy collection pics and videos to remember and enjoy that I am not alone in how I feel. I have many toys that are opened for my kids to enjoy and I have a bunch hanging on their walls. But they don't really seem interested in action figures like I was. Its all ipads, youtube videos and video games. So maybe it is all dying out once we old fogies croak. And these in box toys can go to that great antique store in the sky... or a landfill with Atari games!

Luvs, T

Solo Nerdity

Thanks for coming back, friends.

Been working solid for the last good while, so a vacation was needed. I did a big one last year and can't afford another this year. Not in money but mostly in time off. I had to plan my days off sparingly around things and not just use a whole week for myself. But that is okay. I try to take breaks where I can. My girl had this last weekend off and she went up north to a lake with her friend, leaving me from Friday til today (She will arrive later tonight). I figured I would take an extra day off myself to get some things done around the house that I need to do. Cleaning/organizing to actual production on art/writing that I need to catch up on. I've been so busy.

But first it was a day of play on Saturday as I went to Dearborn to see the STAR TREK EXHIBIT at the Henry Ford. I have a ton of pics on my Facebook and instagram. Instagram is HERE - But here are a few that I shot:

Believe me, I have a TON more on the Facebook and Instagram. It was deeply cool to see. I haven't been to the Henry Ford in over 20 years, so it was good to go back and see their collection again.

Afterward, I hit DEARBORN MUSIC for the first time and I lost my shit at how cool that place was. I walked out with a bag of vinyl, cds, patches and stickers. I also got a new coffee mug, necessary. Later in the weekend I hit disc traders for a few discs. Then Saturday night my friends Dean and Mjit came over for some much needed drunken fun and movies. I missed them. Overall, my kind of Saturday!

Sunday I did some administrative and online stuff, as well as cleaned the house. Today I have to do laundry. I'm up early every single day because my pattern is off. I miss my girl, a lot. I'm glad she got away for a sorely needed vacation but I never sleep well when she isn't here. Sometimes when you spend every day with someone you do wish for a few hours or even a day or two apart. I'm no picnic to spend time with either at times. But its good to know that the heart does grow fond and that being away from someone throws your patterns off. It means we miss and love each other too much. But hey, she will be back later tonight and life will return to normal. Back to work tomorrow with me. But at least I know she will be home waiting for me. :)

I feel bad that I have a ton to do art and writing-wise... and I didn't use much of the time doing those things. I read and watched STAR TREK. I guess I needed some days off too. I have the rest of today to get some things done... and hell, I'm up early enough today to make some real progress. But on three hours sleep, I don't think its going to go well. But I shall try.

Download the new episodes of the IDIOTHEAD MORNING SHOW wherever you get your podcasts. I talk in depth about the STAR TREK EXHIBIT, new movies and music and many other things. Now I'm off to hopefully make some progress. I'm hoping anyway.

Thanks for reading!
-T

Screw It, I Like it that Way

Welcome my friends. I'm always excited to see how many people take time out of their busy days to check in with me and see how my world is creeping along on this mortal plane. To answer: Its been hectic. A busy time. Constant work. Endless TO DO list. Nothing is dissipating, only compounding. Here is a laundry list of items circling my brain today :

-Day job OT. Tons of it. I had to work two Saturdays in a row. I don't mind it when it happens (Extra "Skrilla" as the kids call it, is a good thing), but when I have my kids and I have to work I get completely depressed. It was almost to happen again this weekend but luckily it was cancelled. I took the kids out for lunches and got D a new laptop, as her old one died. I did manage to squeek out a quick trip to get vintage toys and STAR TREK books I didn't have collecting dust on my shelf yet. Currently, I am hunting the great white whale of owning all the Pocket Books series and a few Hardcovers in order of release. I'm about 65% there. Then maybe I'll read them. Who knows in this wacky world, eh?

-Fuck the Oscars.

-I decided now that I police myself and my shitty stupid feelings, I am back on the facebookz. Mostly because I missed the memes and keeping up with people I know who do not suck.

-I've been busy working on these Bettie Page cards for Diamond Comics. I am also on two other sets for them which I don't think have been announced yet. I finished the KISS cards back in November and that set should be out very soon. I do have extras if you are a fan (of either them or for some reason, me) and want some commissioned. More on that later.

-I am currently in production on a couple of different personal comic projects. I will show and talk about them when the time is right. However first up to the plate is my adult comics collection: THE EROTIC ZONE 2, which will be on Kickstarter in March. The book is done, I just need to compile it and get it all print ready.

-I am five months ahead on erotic comics for my PATREON page, which directly funds my day to day happenings and you can get commissions from. Join it to support me by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/ADAMTALLEY

-My personal life is at a noiiiine (For those Stern show fans out there).  D and I got engaged last year and we are slowly making decisions as to the wedding, which is now slated for October 2020. Right now we are just clearing the cobwebs on some debt so we can save for it. My in-laws are the best people you could ever want in your corner. My kids are calling them grandma and grandpa, and I'm very happy about that. I've really lucked out by meeting D and her family in that I found the nicest, most honest folks a schmuck like me could ever hope to run into. And my oldest son turned 19 this month. Daddy sent him a little bit of scratch and he's chin deep into his studies up in the frozen tundra of the upper peninsula at Michigan Tech.

-As far as new media I've been slowly slowly slowly consuming, I've been watching Veronica Mars with D, early The Next Generation episodes (yes, the bad ones. I haven't seen them in a long while), The classic The Twilight Zone episodes and I've been finishing the Zappa Autobiography. I got a pile of Trek and Harlan Ellison books that are next on the read pile. For new movies off my "Oh my fucking god you have never seen that" list, I can finally scratch off RAGING BULL and HAROLD AND MAUDE. Both were excellent, as I figured they would be. Also I pulled out all my model kits and got some new glue and paint thinner. Maybe do those at some point? We shall see. On my radar for the movies this year are: Alita Battle Angel, Captain Marvel, Avengers Endgame, Yesterday and of course, Star Wars 9. I got a pile of video games that I haven't bothered to play yet. I had my NES classic modded by my pal JD, who put about 750 games from the NES library on it. I have yet to plug it in. I also got DRAGON QUEST 11 and only played maybe an hour and a half. Right now, my son James and I are trying to 100% LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER. Almost there. Mission accomplished. Big life goal achievement!

-To consume these things, I usually reserve my mornings and then a couple nights a week for production. Then every other night I am either watching something with D or we read in bed together. Its a healthy balance of working and then absorbing.

This next week D and I both will be working long hours and I will be focusing on pushing some of this TO DO list shit out the door.  Next weekend got some plans for a double date with some old friends I am way overdue to see. (Yes, sometimes I emerge from my nerdy Hobbit hole and get scared of my own shadow. But I do socialize at times)

Thanks for bothering to read all this and letting me tell you whats new. For those that just skipped to the end, I'm good.

--Endless Luvs, T

Birthday Weekend

Hey friends. 

 

My 41st Bday came and went and it was a good one. It started off on a bummer. I had to work on my birthday and it was a stressful week already. Thursday (The actual birthday date) was full of a few bummers but I got through it and got home to some sanity. We had been tracking the weather all day to see if our little one night getaway was even going to happen. But luckily a break in the weather came for us mid-day Friday and we decided to go for it. 

 

We spent the day in Grand Rapids, Michigan... We started off at a restaurant that was recommended to me, before hitting a large antique store near downtown. I didn't find anything there, but looking at all the 60-70s vintage furniture was a highlight! I was hoping to find in box toys or Trek books for my collection. I found none of them. The snow started dropping heavy and so we went to the hotel and got checked in. I started boozing immediately! We then went to the pool and the lovely hot tub to relax. My back and knee has been hurting me lately with all the overtime at the day job, so I was really enjoying that. My girl and I spent the night in the hotel and it was a night of drunken fun. Always great! 

 

The next morning we got up and headed to this used bookstore I wanted to find and see if I could score some TREK books. We found it but unfortunately it was in a weird area without parking and the snow was preventing much searching from happening. Nothing really looked that good to stop and park at. So we abandoned the idea and headed to a local DISC TRADERS where I found a lot of DVD/Blu-Ray and NES game deals! 

 

We then headed back to Lansing and stopped to get my birthday cake from a bakery I've always wanted to try out. We then stopped at another CD/DVD resale shop where we shopped and petted the store kitty. We then headed back home where D took a nap and I decided to go back out to the hobby store for some deals that were expiring. I got some Micron pens, a frame for a poster I got D for Xmas and I finally decided to pull the trigger on my model kit obsession again. I used a 40% off coupon and scored the NCC-1701 TOS Model kit again (I've put this one together about 15 times in my life). I also got some paint thinner and some glue. (I checked out my stock on those things last week and the stuff I had is extremely old! I still have an EXCELSIOR, ENTERPRISE E, NX-01 and ECTO-1 in the box and ready to be finished assembling and painting as well) It feels good that I am going to reconnect with doing model kits again! One of the joys from when I was a kid. 

 

A few things I ordered last week arrived as well: The KIRK MEGO TARGET figure I got from Ebay, some COPIC refills and markers, my NEAL MORSE BAND and KING DIAMOND Special Edition Cds/DVD pre-orders. And just today I ordered some ReAction figures from SUPER7. Namely: KING DIAMOND and METROPOLIS ROBOT. All essential. So I got some great Birthday gifts! D's parents hooked me up with STAR TREK: THE LOST SCENES book... which I highly recommend! Might be the best BTS making of the series book I've ever seen. Get it! Also they gave me some money, which I then gave to D so she could shop too. She spent a lot on the hotel, food and other things for our trip, so I felt it was only fair of me to offer that even though she was reluctant. But we both needed a day or two to get away, relax, reconnect and shop! 

 

I got home and cleaned up my desk area a little bit and watched some youtube stuff. D got up and took the stickers off our discs. I grabbed a movie from my large "TO WATCH" pile and finally sat and watched "TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA," which was good. I then passed out around midnight.

Today is Sunday and I got my boys. I saved the cake so I can eat it with them and celebrate with them! All in all, a long weekend birthday celebration. I needed the break. Tomorrow we are expecting 8-12 inches of snow. Its been a very tame winter and I am not looking forward to the deluge to come. But I shall endure. And get through the overtime. I got a card set to finish and model kits to assemble. Oh and all the other artworking I am doing too! Very busy... but most of all, very happy! 

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

-T

PLEASANT LIFE Sexy story on my PATREON!

Right out the gate for the 25th anniversary year, I have released a short story featuring MORTIN and his girlfriend from the pages of PLEASANT LIFE. Best of all: It is in color!

Being that it is on my Patreon it is a NSFW story and does feature the characters naked and doing activities... so if that is your thing, I encourage you to join my patreon today to see this and a whole year's worth of other erotic content I have made. I appreciate the love and support.

Join here: https://www.patreon.com/ADAMTALLEY

Here are a couple teaser images of the PLEASANT LIFE story (safe for work):

I think you can see where its going! ;)

Cheers, T

CHRISTMAS 2018

Some picture highlights of my Christmas 2018:

Belle Belle says: MEOW HUMBUG!

Santa really poured it on this year!

Lily loves the empty boxes.

Watching my boys open their presents is always a delight!

Above: My gifts from my lovely in-laws and my lovely fiancee Santa D! They know me so well.

I ended the day making Ham, Green Beans, Biscuits, Dumplings and Potatoes using my mom's mixer and Gloria's rolling pin. Its like they are with me every time I cook those meals for my family!

I spent the rest of Xmas drinking booze, playing games and chatting. It was a fun day. Now back to the day job grind for the rest of the week. Gotta get ramped up for the end of the year and get some stuff off of my TO DO list! Here's hoping!

Merry Holidays to all of you. Thanks for your support.

--T

TOY SHOW RECAP

Hey friends!

Did my one and only "Appearance" show at a TOY SHOW in Okemos, MI where I mostly sold off a good chunk of some nerd stuff I had laying around. I brought all my books, some original art and things but they didn't sell at all (just like at a real comic show! Just like old times!!) But I did sell off some of my old con prints to one guy who took a nice stack. I'm just glad that my things go to a good home, you know? I don't care at this point. My focus is online stuff like Patreon and Kickstarter here. (Plus I've had a surge in online sales at GUMROAD too! Have you got my comics digitally from Gumroad? If not, consider yourself a holiday purchase right here: http://www.gumroad.com/phymns )

The show itself was well attended and full of vendors. It was really steady all morning until like 2pm. I got to catch up with a lot of old friends I had not seen in a while. I made a few new ones too. That is what I love best about the shows. See old friends, make new ones, etc. I sold off all my "big ticket" nerdy items and of course poured that money right back into collectibles I brought back home. (so it goes) But overall I had a great time! I really enjoyed being a sort of "dealer exhibitor" this time as opposed to just selling my original stuff. A lot of people saw my books and made with the "Whoa! YOU make these??" statements. It was cute. No buyers. But hey, that ain't what its about for me. I'm just glad to go out and share my nerd love with other like minded people. I had a nerdy garage sale, I suppose. I enjoyed myself. Getting out of the house for some sun once in a while is a good thing, right? Anyway, I'll gladly do it again.

Here are some pics of things I saw and got. First up my neighbor had these cool SPOCK PJs. Oh if I were a kid again...



I found this really creepy looking Spock doll that the dude sold me for cheap. Looks like he's been smoking waaaaaaaay too many cigs... (Side note: Leonard Nimoy died of COPD from his years as a smoker. So I call this COPD SPOCK. Is that wrong?)



So I scored the Spock, a couple custom STAR WARS lego figures and I got a box of TREK CAPTAINS COLLECTION cards. I pulled two autographs and bought a third of Celeste Yarnell. She just died a couple weeks ago, so I wanted to get her autograph before anything. Might have been the last thing she signed for all I know. Good to have in my collection.



I got this original HE-MAN animation cell too. It captured my imagination. Is he tossing something, or is he gonna catch something? Either way, it made me giggle.



I found this cheap TARDIS thing that I guess is a sort of jewelry case or something? I got it for my girl. She will enjoy it. (and yes, it is bigger on the inside)




I didn't do much this week besides day job work, but I did finally watch INCREDIBLES 2 with my girl. It was a fun little flick. I'm still counting down the days until I get to see CREED 2! I'm such a massive fan of the ROCKY flicks. CREED 1 was the shit. and this new one looks to be equally as good. Can't wait!!

On the art front, I am finishing up commissions this week, inking STARSLAM BONUS PAGES (which are all finally penciled and complete BTW) and I got two new Patreon stories penciled and ready to ink. Plus some new pinup stuff. TONS of things to come from me. I better get back to it!

Later gators!

Ramping Up

Hey friends. Taking some time from a busy and very productive week to check in on some various things.

First of all, the Kickstarter for THE EROTIC ZONE is less than 20 hours away from its end. As it stands, we got funded and hit one of the stretch goals. I couldnt be happier or prouder of its success! It didnt hit the numbers of its big sister: STARSLAM, but it did well on its own and got lots of new readers interested in what Im doing in the world of erotica. I work hard to write and draw sexy stories with substance, where all the characters have a brain, a spirit and a soul... much more than just a sexy body that serves the needs of the person in the story who fucks it. What I do isnt just a bunch of fuck books. I keep reaching to hit that deeper level. I hope you folks enjoy it.

The money earned will go to pay for printing/shipping and what is left will help pay my colorist for STARSLAM 3 and other things. I really appreciate the support. The book order will go out on Monday morning and I will begin prep for all the things to come.

Meanwhile, I cracked the pens open on my new card set this week. So far, I am very happy with the results! I cant share yet, but when I can, I will! I really need to stay on top of these cards this month because the time frame in which they are due is short. But so far, its going smooth!

I am taking the time to smell the roses around me a bit, in an effort to keep my stress levels in check. My GF and I are watching THE IT CROWD on a nightly basis so I can finally scratch that show off my list. I like it so far. Also, THE ORVILLE continues to be the best STAR TREK show on tv. I know some dont want to try it for fear it is too Seth McFarlanesqe... but please, give it an honest shot. Its very STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION and orgasmic Trekking. I have given up on ST: DISCOVERY, and from what I am reading, its a good thing I did. Maybe they will turn it around, but I am trying to avoid negativity right now. So thus, I avoid DISCOVERY.

I had hoped to play some SNES today but we lost power for about 5 hours, so I drew by cloudy sunlight. Its back on now, thank the lords, so I am just catching up on TV and other things. All this week I have been checking minor things off the big TO DO list in my life. It feels good to stay productive. So many great things are on the horizon... its an exciting time! Im just ramping up until it all comes to fruition!

Anyway, I thought I would just drop a note catching up a bit. Here are some recent pics:

Some of my finds out and about this week. I was pretty happy about the inbox Black box NES game for $2!! Box is in considerable condition. But looks nice on the shelf. Its a goal of mine to have all the original black box NES games complete. One day...

My new acoustic I got from Jacob. I look forward to writing some new music on this bad boy. I havent given it a name yet but I will consider options. You gotta name every guitar you get!

The boys in their Halloween costumes. DC/Marvel crossover!

Thanks for coming back! Its about to get REALLY busy in Adam~land. Lets hope I can keep up with it all!

~~T

Apocalyptic Mind Debris

Oh man does this look good or what????

Welcome back my friends.

This is literally the only moment I've had the opportunity to sit at my desk since this time last week. Had the boys over the weekend and every day beyond that has been overtime at the day job or just been too damn busy to get things rolling, creatively or otherwise. So that is why you haven't heard anything about my new book's Kickstarter (that I teased two posts ago). But rest assured it is coming. I got a few last things to do... some pinups to draw and color that I want to include in the book but I want to make sure its 100% in the bag before I start trying to sell it. So maybe another week or two at the most. I do have some commissions to finish from the previous sale I did and I got another one this week from a longtime trusted client I always do work for, even when I am not taking any work.

So I really haven't had much opportunity to get work done. But this weekend coming up I should get some breathing room and I hope to take advantage of it. 

All work and no play make Adam go something something......

While I don't have much time or energy to go out and play and live some life, I get to enjoy other people doing it around me. My co-worker just flew to Seattle for a wedding this past weekend and asked if I had any ideas of what he and his wife could do. Immediately I suggested the Sci-Fi museum. They took me up on the idea and brought back a picture of something that I would kill to see there. Probably the main reason I'd go there... the TOS Enterprise Bridge set!!!! (Well, what is left of it) Check it out: 

Oh, to be there and see that... I would weep openly.

At home, our cable bill raised $22... because my move in special from last year expired. So I called the cable company to see what other packages they had... because if I am going to pay that much I might as well get my dick sucked a bit. So we upgraded from 25 MB internet to 75MB and 10 channels to 140 channels. Last night I sat down for the first time in three years and actually watched TV after we got home. Immediately the commercials pissed me off. Heh! I never watch TV for that reason. But I did promise myself I would check out a few football games this season. I didn't watch any last year. I'm not MASSIVE into sports but I do love a good game now and then. Something about football season turns my nerd into a little bit of testosterone flowing in this old dude and dare I say, I become a tiny bit of a "man".... heh! 

Funny shirt from an indie cartoonist. I forget the guy's name but his shirts are funny. Look him up!

When the kids were sleeping this past weekend, D and I finally caught up with Preacher. Holy shit, has it turned awesome! They are nailing Herr Starr so well and the new stuff they have added to the show really adds a lot to it. I'm very satisfied with what they are doing.

We also watched an indie horror flick called "House of the Devil," which was a decent watch. Very slow paced but stylized in the 70-80s horror movie style (ala Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, etc). Worth a visit.

______________________________________________

Okay, filled you in on a little bit of what is going on around me... now some discussion on actual artworking!!!!

Yes, I am finishing up the new erotica book. More hardcore pron from me. It will launch soon, I promise. I'm getting that creative mindset flowing again and shit is starting to ramp up. I even considered doing some comic shows to get the juices flowing again. I heard of a show in my old hometown of Mt. Pleasant, but artist alley tables are sold out. They have some more expensive ones available but I don't want to invest that much money into it. It was more of a whimsy to chase for a day. Maybe next year. But I am excited to tell you guys that I did sign up for MSU COMICS FORUM for next year February. So after skipping this year, I will make a triumphant return next year. So that is a start.

Also my new sketchbook has been very active: 

This week my mission is to finish all commissions and the pinups for THE EROTIC ZONE and get it all pdf'd and ready for the printer. THEN the Kickstarter will launch. Might take a few days or a couple weeks, but I will get it done.

May the spirit of Bettie Page guide my carpal tunnel-stricken hands to finish this erotica that the world so desperately needs! 

My spirit animal!

Next time we talk I hope to have it all figured out.

---Luvs, T