Toy Stories - Christina's Toys of the 80s

By Christina

A depressing night hit me recently, with sad events occurring that left me in a mix of anger (at not only others, but at myself in all honesty) and in shock and sadness/tears.  In an attempt to alleviate the pain I went from some time on the PS4 killing Trinity soldiers in Rise of The Tomb Raider (which killed virtual men, but not the sadness) to Netflix.  

In the midst of my “Flix-Surfing” my heart jumped for temporary joy when I saw a new show that had joined the online ranks:  The Toys That Made Us.  Only a few episodes seem to be up at this point, but it was enough to send me back in time to the best days of my life.  The days of the thirty minute commercial, when cartoons were awesome even though they were just an advertisement for the joyful playthings that we all opened up on Christmas Day and birthdays.  The time when, thanks to these action figures and play sets, we spent most of our years either singing or screaming the likes of “I have the power!” “Yo, Joe!”  “Thundercats, hooooo!” or whatever we were into in that moment. 

Needless Things Podcast 197 – Days of the Dead Atlanta 2018

Son of Celluloid Nathan Hamilton returns to the Needless Things Podcast to talk about the upcoming Days of the Dead Atlanta horror convention and his own gruesome contribution, the Blue Track!

Superstars of the DC Multiverse!

By Dave

In 1995 I had a dream.

This was not a noble dream that would change the course of human history, nor was it an ideal of hope and peace for the future.

It was a literal dream and not only was it stupid, it is one of many indicators that my toy obsession is probably even unhealthier than I think it is. I mean, who has dreams about upcoming toy lines?

Days of the Dead Atlanta

by Beth

It took some doing, but I was able to secure myself a press pass for Days of the Dead which will be taking place at the downtown Sheraton February 2-4. Actually, I got 2 passes so Mr. Tibbs will be coming too so that he can take pictures for me (I'm terrible at getting pictures of the cool stuff I see. I can take notes or take pictures. I'm not great at doing both), and he'll allow more "divide and conquer" than I can do on my own. I may have to start doing this at Dragon Con if it works out well. Days of the Dead is a horror based convention that's been happening every February for several years. It's been a long time since I've been, but really enjoyed it, and thought I'd try my luck at getting in as press. It worked, and now I'll be able to tell you about all the great things you missed (in case you can't come) and things you might miss if your plans and panels don't match up with mine. Not everyone who will be appearing has a panel so I'll break this up into 2 parts. The people, and then the panels or events I want to see.

Needless Things Podcast 196 – Next of Kin 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!

Toy Review – Suicide Squad Harley Quinn from Hot Toys

By Dave

I decided over a year ago that I wanted to review a bunch of different versions of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad. I love the character design, which lends itself to plenty of variations between manufacturers. And there were plenty of manufacturers – Mattel, Medicom, Bandai, Funko, Mezco, and possibly more that I’m not thinking of.

Needless Things Podcast 195 – Masters of the Universe Part 1

Masters of the Universe toys have a significantly lower profile these days, so rather than attempting the usual annual recap, Dave and Mr. Beau Brown are having an Eternian free-for-all! No Masters-related topic is off limits as two superfans discuss their love of Mattel’s franchise.

2018 - The State of Toys

By Dave

Needless Things started as a toy review site, basically.

I shared recollections, life stories, and events as well, but there’s a lot less of that now.

There seem to be a lot less toy reviews, too, so I wonder what we’re even doing in this year of 2018. Podcasts, mostly. I like those a lot more and it seems that the internet does, too.

I do still collect toys and I’m actually getting a little more satisfaction out of the hobby lately because I only review one every once in a while. Mostly I just open them up and enjoy them as opposed to waiting until I’ve got time to take pictures and opening them in a certain way and in a certain order.

Once something turns into a job, it can cease to be fun. Especially if it’s a job that pays jack squat.

10 Reviews in 5 Sentences Each

by Beth

Another Christmas, and another several nights spent watching movies with my brother. He not only has Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, but also torrent sites that Mr. Tibbs and I are afraid to use. Yep, as much as we love movies and free things we’re total pussies. We’re old enough to remember Napster, and when people started getting in trouble for illegal downloads. This year he stayed for 5 days so you know we watched a lot of stuff. Much of it was pretty good, and not all of it was movies, but there really wasn’t anything I wanted to spend 1,000 words on individually. Okay maybe the new Star Wars, but that's old ground to cover at this point. So if you liked 13 Movie Reviews in 5 Sentences Each you'll love this. Or you'll hate it. Up to you really.

Needless Things Podcast 194 – Finish the Nog

Recorded LIVE in the Phantom Zone!

Ryan Cadaver swings by the Phantom Zone for a conversation about movies and more! 

Comic Book Wednesday – Previews January 2018: “We’re All Broke So Who Cares”

By Dave

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 March.

Phantom Troublemaker’s Best of 2017

BY DAVE

I’m not gonna lie – I had a pretty darn good 2017. I started a little down and bummed out; somewhat directionless, but I made some decisions and some changes and the year just seemed to get better as it went on.

While I don’t want to rely too heavily on pop culture diversions, as variable as they are, I do think there was a ton of fun stuff to enjoy.