If you’re familiar with me, you’ll know that I have been obsessed with 80’s pop culture since like forever. If you hear a familiar tune from the decade of excess playing in the store, it most likely will be my playlist. Why do I bring up the ’80’s you ask? Well there’s some cool 80’s-related memorabilia in stock or coming in this week. So put on your legwarmers or bandannas, pop in the Huey Lewis or Ray Parker Jr. song of your choice into your tape deck and let’s see what we’ve got.
I spent most of the day today receiving our restock of Funko’s ReAction figures in the basement and there’s a ton of 80’s goodness there. Horror fans especially have something to look forward to here as the two biggest 80’s horror franchise villains are represented. In one corner- the man of your dreams is back- Freddy Krueger has returned to give the rest of your 3 3/4″ action figures their worst nightmares. In the other corner is Camp Crystal Lake’s most notorious murderer- the man with the machete- Jason Voorhees. You can pit the two against each other ala 2003’s Freddy Vs. Jason or add them to your respective A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th collections. Bloody horror wasn’t all the 80’s had to offer and Funko has the perfect solution- time to cue up “The Power of Love” on your Walkman and chill out with the Back to the Future ReAction figures of everyone’s favorite time travellers- Marty McFly and Doc Brown as skillfully played by Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd respectively. Finally if you love furry critters with plenty of rules attached to them, you might want to take a gander at the Gremlins line, everyone’s favorite Mogwai, Gizmo is back in stock and we still have a handful of his human friend Billy left as well as a Gremlin in a bandit mask. ReAction figures may not be as articulated as modern figures but the throwback style to vintage Kenner action figures and inexpensive price range make these a fun addition to your collection.
If ReAction figures aren’t your scale or style, turn up Ray Parker Jr’s. “Ghostbusters” to 11 and check out Diamond Select’s latest series of Ghostbusters Action Figures. Which characters make up this second wave of figures? The lineup is solid with Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman, Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler and Sigourney Weaver’s Dana Barrett(Zuul possessed version) all releasing this week. Each figure in the series stands approximately 7″ tall and feature multiple points of articulation and come with pieces to build a giant rooftop diorama. Still in stock from the first series are Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore and Rick Moranis’ Louis Tully(Vinz Clortho possessed version). Future pieces in the line will include Gozer, the first ever Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz figure and more. Definitely a step-up from Mattel and NECA’s earlier lines.
If these ’80’s throwbacks aren’t outrageous enough for you, we’ve also got my second favorite all-female band(after the Bangles) returning to comics shops with a brand new issue. Jem and the Holograms #14 releases on Wednesday and is the next part in the current “Dark Jem” storyline. Can the Holograms disconnect Synergy and stop the infectious dark sound from spreading or are they too late? And if you’re behind on the series overall, the second trade of Jem and the Holograms will also be out Wednesday. This volume collects issues #7-10 of the ongoing plus the 2015 annual and holiday special.
There’s so much more 80’s nostalgia peppered throughout our shelves, whether it be trade versions of famous comic book events like Crisis on Infinite Earths and Secret Wars or even DVDs and Blu-Rays of obscure and cult-classic 80’s horror films to t-shirts, magnets, housewares and more based on properties like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Masters of the Universe and beyond. You should check it out! As for me, I’m going to “Walk Like An Egyptian” right out of this column for this week and catch all of you next time!
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