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

Father's Day Week

Hey friends!

Father's Day weekend was awesome! I got to spend time with two of my little buggers and then I got some nice presents from everyone! D got me a SLIMER Pop and METROPOLIS complete on Blu-ray and a neat little pop up Beatles card. Her parents got me a large coffee table book on the making of RETURN OF THE JEDI. My oldest son got me this really cool metal STAR TREK display that I will hang in my collection. James and Scotty got me hand made cards and paintings. It was all very lovely. And I got to spend time with them over the weekend.

James laid on me while we watched Cars 3. Some nice cuddle time. I got Scotty some discs and James some candy. Scott also played a bit of an old Family Guy video game I got for him. That is a very old and frustrating game!

Speaking of video games, I got this:

Its been on my radar for a while to have one, so I got a Nintendo Switch! So far I have played MARIO ODYSSEY. I haven't plugged in ZELDA yet. I got a couple other games that are out that I want to get but I've been too busy to go out and get them. I guess this was a Father's Day treat for myself. Its been a rough go of things as of late. Needed a nice pick me up.

But don't think for a minute that I am just playing video games and ignoring my creative duties! I finished the VAMPIRELLA card set. Here's a look at some of them:

 In comic news: I've got about 15 pages on STARSLAM to ink. Here's a couple teaser images, no spoilers!

Plus also I got hired to do an 8 page horror comic for a nice dude. I gotta shoot pencils to him this week sometime so no video gaming until I finish that! But, I got a sore left thumb right now, so video gaming is off the table until that is healed. Just sore from biting my nails too much. Stupid me, but no biggie.

I also got some commissions that are overdue so I am not taking on anything else until these are done and out. I also shipped out all the books from LATE NIGHT SHORTS, so that is done. Just gotta finish a couple things for the bigger reward level people, as understanding and supportive as they always are! And then its my job to color all the completed PATREON stories... of which I am done and scanned in all the way to November, with a couple more in the pencil stage. I just want to get them all done and off my plate so I can finish these other things. So much to do. I feel guilty even getting a new movie or game system to distract me sometimes... but I know you need to take a break or else I go mad.

Coming up this fall are some great Switch games like Dragon Quest 11 (Where you can switch back and forth between regular modern and SUPER NINTENDO style graphics). Also a new LEGO STAR WARS game next year. A couple other ones I am forgetting too as I type this. But what is also coming out this fall is something I must get:

Look at that beauty! She's gonna cost a bit... like $500 but it should be out in November. This game and GALAGA are my two favorite arcade video games of all time. To have that in my kids' room along with all my toys might make me the biggest nerd... but perhaps the best dad ever! If I had this in my room as a kid? Oh man...

Not that my childhood wasn't great already, its just that now in this modern age we can get cheaper versions of these nostalgic things and I can share them with my boys. (But they gotta wait til daddy is done with them first!)

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

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

STAR WARS AP CARDS AVAILABLE!

Hey friends!

I'm on the newest Star Wars set from TOPPS called "STAR WARS FINEST."

I do have some ARTIST PROOF Sketch Cards available from this set and others. Here they are: 

Most are from STAR WARS but a couple from WALKING DEAD. I am blowing these out at $50 each. If you are interested, EMAIL ME HERE

Hope all is well with you my friends. Stay safe on the roads with this new weather! 

--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!

40 Years

Ive thought about what I wanted to write in this blog about turning 40. Ive gone over it a few times and I still do not know what to say. I got a million things I would love to bitch about, sing praises for, plug, scream and cry about, remember, forget, etc.  Just everything. The wickedness of the world seeps into my brain. The push/pull feelings of my own lack of time or creative rhythm beat in my head like a sore throbbing and leaking varicose vein. Im happy, grateful, excited, tired and worn out all at once. The distant past swirls in my thoughts and my future hangs over my head if I only were to reach up and grab it. But I dont. I just sit here thinking. Plotting. Pondering. Worrying.

So I wont go into any of it. I will just let the pictures of my recent life do the talking for me. Because right now, I just don't have much to say.

Not yet. 

I'm grateful for everyone who sent me an email, a private message, a gift, a twitter or facebook post acknowledging my birthday. I saw you and I appreciate you caring enough to toss me a thought. Its means the world to me. Thank you.

My girl made me a birthday cake!

My two youngest enjoying STAR WARS. Its hard to get Scotty to sit and watch anything, but he and James were glued to the TV for the most part of watching A NEW HOPE this last weekend. Maybe I will never have to sit through another episode of PAW PATROL or PEPPA PIG again. :)

For my birthday, I told my girl to not get me any presents. She of course, would not listen. She dug through my want lists and scored these.... four vintage STAR TREK TMP mint on card figures. Will go very nice in my collection!

My in laws got me a nice collection of comics and graphic novels to read, as well as a card with a large amount of money in it to get something else I want. I really am blessed to have her and them in my life.

A couple weekends ago, my coworkers and I had another vintage game night. I beat DUCK TAILS for NES...

Hard to see, but they tag teamed and beat the original GHOSTS AND GOBLINS... which as some of you know is next to impossible to do!

While they wrestled with that, I did an entire playthrough of the first quest in THE LEGEND OF ZELDA... which shows you how long they were playing it! I started Zelda here when they were on their second play through near level 5. The beat Ghosts N Goblins when I was in the middle of beating level nine. So about an hour and a half of playing just one level to my whole original quest! Some patience they got, thats for sure!

To cap it off, we played a quick run through MARIO 3. Necessary.

Lastly on the pictures front, I found this meme this week and it very much rings true. Do not worry about me folks. I am just overworked, overtired and burned out. I haven't had a true vacation since last May. I have tried to take a day for myself here and there, but it has not really helped. This coming weekend I am going away for a bit, so I hope that fills my bone dry fuel tanks. Because feeling this way just sucks. But Ive been through worse. I will push through.

Final thoughts:

I recorded the LAST EPISODE of the IDIOTHEAD MORNING SHOW. Stream it HERE ~~ News about the new, reworked podcast is coming via my PATREON.... which will launch sometime this first quarter of the year. I have a bunch of stuff I am working on and saving for when it launches. I just want to be sure it is all ready before I pull the trigger on it and commit. I hope to shake this big draining cry of ennui off my shoulders for good and get to work on what I know I need to work on. It will be worth it when it rolls out. You will see!

Anyway, Thanks for reading and supporting. You will hear from me again soon.

~~Much love eternal, T

Last Jedi Thoughts and Christmasy Things

Okay folks. Im ready to give my thoughts on THE LAST JEDI. Note: This blog may contain spoilers, so you are forewarned.

But before I get to my thoughts on the flick (which I KNOW you are all screaming to know... #sarcasm), I wanted to state one thing: ya’ll dont make being a fan easy. All weekend Ive seen back and forth, this and that, suck this, hate that.....we must be careful to not DEFINE OURSELVES only by the things we hate. Rather, build up things we love. And... if we are so insistant that the people in charge are fucking it all up and we can do a better job... GO DO IT. Go make something good... for yourself. Go write a better screenplay. Make it. Make a better album. Or a better book, etc. Do it. Become that child again, creating adventures with your action figures and dream of the stories in your head. Nothing can extinguish that fire inside you except you. So enjoy it or dont. Take it or leave it. Just keep yourself happy. Because the reason we even like going to these flicks is to feel like a child again. So tap into that and be that child again before the jaded, harsh world made you pull about things and look for reasons to hate it. Opinions I get, and certainly you are entitled to not like a thing. But to let it define you, time after time, and yet still you line up for the next one to fill that hate tank... don't become that person.

That said, my review simply is this: I liked it. I didn't LOVE it, I liked it. It took risks. It wasn't formulaic and it showed some balls. There were things I thought were silly and things I wanted way more of. But I don't feel like nitpicking anymore. I had a good time and that is that. And yes, I will buy a Porg. I thought they were cute. I wished Luke could have been just a smidge more bad ass in the end. I got questions about speed velocities of First Order ships and Resistance cruisers. I wished some questions I had the first time around could have been answered. But hey, there is a third one coming.... and another... and another... It will all be okay.

Watching my youngest son play Lego Star Wars on the PS4 teaches me that STAR WARS isn't just mine. Neither is Star Trek. Or anything else. Its igniting the powers and flames of his imagination now and  in turn, I'm grateful to get more and enjoy what I get. And yes, it sucks and it is sad when I see my childhood heroes age and die. But that's part of the gig, man. Take the ride or don't. But sitting there being angry with nothing to channel that energy into... I couldn't do that, man. No way.

Christmas is this coming weekend! All my gifts are wrapped and ready. This last week I did what I used to do as a kid and laid on my back and looked up into the tree. The lights dancing across the needles and decorations filled me with joy as a kid. I took a pic to remind myself of that joy I recreated. 

Luna Butt is ready for Xmas as well!

James and I made Christmas cookies together. Always important to make new memories with my boys when I can.

My day job treated us with a big holiday feast. Alfredo, beef, chicken, potatoes, beans... man it was good!

I guess the whole point of this blog is basically that its hard to be mad when so much great shit is going on. The fun and wonders of the holiday season is in me. I got all my xmas shopping done and I am thrilled with what is to come! I wish you a merry holiday weekend, my friends!

Last bit before I go, on the business end of things:

~~All THE EROTIC ZONE books are sketched in and commissions are done. Will be shipped this week, if not already by the time this goes up.

~~I penciled and inked 8 new STARSLAM 3 pages this week.

~~I scanned and touched up two PATREON exclusive stories. Things are happening, folks. We are gonna make it!!

Much love, T