Needless Things Podcast 167 – 1987

The dynamite team of Phantom Troublemaker, Beth V, Rad Ranger, and Chris DePetrillo reunite to look thrity years into the past!

1987 - The Movies

This Friday on the Needless Things Podcast I’ll be talking with Beth, Rad Ranger, and Chris DePetrillo about the pop culture of 1987. We recorded a similar episode last year about 1986 (and will do another one next year about 1988 – see the pattern?) and I accompanied it with posts about the toys, music, television, and movies of the year.

It all started out as one post, but as I poked around my memory (and the internet) I realized that there was simply too much great stuff to include it all in one post. At first glance 1987 seems a bit leaner in terms of pop culture awesomeness, so I’m going to start this post with the same intent that I did the first one last year – to write a single post.

We’ll see how it goes.

SyFy's Blood Drive

by Beth

The SyFy channel has long been a joke. Well, it has been for me anyway. Terrible horrible terrible movies, and original shows that don't quite get the job done have left SyFy adrift in a world of not knowing what it wants to be. Sometimes it's like they're trying to pick up the geeks G4 left behind (man I used to love that channel), and then they run off to make more bullshit for the dudebros. I've made no secret about how I feel about the direction the movies have taken, but I have given some of the shows a chance. Z Nation was very literally the worst, 12 Monkeys got old pretty quickly, and I'm reading the first book The Expanse is based on and it's so fucking slow that I can't imagine it being a worthwhile show. I'm only finishing the book because I paid money for it, otherwise I'd have given up a few hundred pages ago. Face Off is done, Cosplay Melee is their second cosplay show that hasn't worked, and I keep hearing that Killjoys is the new Firefly so that must mean it isn't even close.

Toy Review – Entertainment Earth Exclusive One:12 Collective Space Ghost from Mezco Toys

By Phantom Troublemaker

I did not understand what I was looking at the first time I saw Space Ghost: Coast 2 Coast.

That has nothing to do with this action figure, as this release is based on the original cartoons, but I can’t very well write about Space Ghost without mentioning his talk show and Cartoon Planet.

Needless Things Podcast 166 – Memory Lane Comics

Recorded on location at Memory Lane Comics in Wilmington, North Carolina!

Toy Review – DC Multiverse Batgirl from Mattel

By Phantom Troublemaker

Mattel has been making some interesting character decisions with their Multiverse line lately. A mix of modern comic book looks and TV and movie characters has revitalized the style once called DC Universe Classics and made something old seem new again.

Guest Post - Are We Living in the Golden Age of Geekdom?

By Jeffrey Francis

Not too long ago, I was chatting online with some fellow geeks when one of them said that they were bored because there was nothing good on to watch. This was followed by the usual nerd battle over which particular fandom was the best and how all others pale in comparison. (For the record, classic Doctor Who is the best fandom.) It amazed me how so many fans of geek culture and shows put on blinders and tune out almost everything except one or two franchises that check all their beloved boxes. I pointed out that they should be thanking their lucky stars for what's going on in geek, and by extension, popular culture. Allow me to step out of my old man cave, yell at young nerds standing on my lawn, and explain why we might be living in a golden age of geekdom.

Needless Things Podcast 165 – Orgazmo Needless Commentary

Part of an ongoing series – the Needless Things Irregulars gather in the Phantom Zone to provide their own unique commentary on classic genre films!

Devlin's Domain - I Will Walk Like A Crazy Horse

Most people in this country today have never had to live in an environment where they weren't dependent on some sort of technology. Nearly everything that is not yet facilitated by machinery is going to be facilitated in some way. Even something as simple as typing this review can be done by speaking into a microphone and a computer will manifest my speech in text form. As convenient as things are now, one must wonder if humanity may be losing some sort of connection to it's primordial beginnings. As we have evolved suspiciously beyond every other life form on this planet, we've left them far behind and mutated the Earth into something barely recognizable. Interesting things this week in Devlin's Domain.

Movie Review - The Girl with all the Gifts

by Beth

I had been keeping an I on this movie since I first heard about it last year. I had no idea it was a book until I googled it tonight. I consider this quite a lapse on my part since I'm usually up on my zombie books. I didn't even realize it had been released since I'm not into "art house" theaters. If it ever came to the big screen in Atlanta I sure never heard about it. But when I saw it pop up on-demand I watched it immediately. I've made no apologies for my zombie exhaustion. I blame The Walking Dead for becoming so popular that it spawned countless terrible zombie movies. This looked like it would be something different though so I went for it despite the $6 price tag for an on-demand movie. It was certainly a different zombie movie, and very interesting, but I don't know that it was enough to revive a failing genre. This is a spoiler filled review though so consider this fair warning.

Toy Review – One:12 Collective DC Comics Joker from Mezco Toys

By Phantom Troublemaker

Personally, I find the Joker to be a tough project as an action figure.

In my head, when I think of the Clown Prince of Crime, I think of Jim Aparo’s Joker from A Death in the Family. For obvious reasons that story stuck with me and had a huge impact on my overall view of the Joker. I’d almost say it haunted me. For someone that grew up with Cesar Romero’s whooping, pink-clad hooligan, the murderous character depicted in that story was quite a departure. Even Jack Nicholson’s wonderful, maniacal performance didn’t have the same impact as Aparo’s depiction of Joker’s face as he was clubbing Jason Todd with a crowbar:

That’s a nightmare.

Needless Things Podcast 164 – Wonder Woman

The Needless Commentary team convenes live in the Phantom Zone to discuss DC's newest blockbuster – Wonder Woman!

Comic Book Wednesday – Previews June 2017: “Talking Shirt”

By Phantom Troublemaker

If you don’t know, Previews is the catalog that Diamond Comic Distributors use to offer the products they distribute to comic book stores around the country. This is where you can view and order (through your favorite Local Comic Book Shop) comic books, trade paperback collections, t-shirts, books, media, and toys and other collectibles from hundreds of different vendors that deal in geek-oriented merchandise. The genius part is that you actually have to pay for your copy of Previews for the privilege of ordering other things to pay for.

It’s like the Ren Fest except without the horse poo smell.

So every month a new edition of Previews is sent out to comic book stores. Contained in the pages within are products that might be currently available or could be released anytime in the next year; but are typically about two months away. Most of this month’s offerings are scheduled to ship in August.

Now it’s time to discuss a few of the weird and/or wonderful items offered in this month’s edition!

Guest Post - A Look Back at Sci-Fi Shows That Didn't Get a Chance

By Jeffrey Francis

Sci-fi shows are once again proving popular on cable TV. While I grew up with only Star Trek: The Original Series in syndication and Doctor Who on PBS (and their constant pledge drives), today's geek can watch a bevy of shows that are currently being made. We have the new Doctor Who on BBC America, and SyFy has Killjoys, The Expanse, Dark Matter, and a few more on the way. There's even a new Star Trek series coming, although it's only streaming. That being said, the TV gods are often cruel and capricious when it comes to sci-fi shows. Many of them have suffered a quick dismissal after a single season, and the graveyard of TV shows is littered with series that only had a handful of episodes. I figure it's time to pay some respects and take a look back at some sci-fi shows that didn't get a chance.

Needless Things Podcast 163 – Sir Roger Moore

In the newest episode of the Needless Things Podcast Phantom Troublemaker and Mike Gordon discuss the life and career of the recently deceased Sir Roger Moore.