Sunday, October 31, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 31: The Walking Dead Playing Cards Walkers Edition

I had a dentist appointment earlier this month and that meant taking a road trip out of town. I went to Ollie's for the first time since one recently opened near my dentist. I picked up a deck of The Walking Dead Playing Cards Walkers Edition so called because they have half of Merle Dixon's zombified face plus other Walkers. This is actually half of a playing card set that originally came in a collectible tin. The other playing card deck is the Survivors Edition and features half of Daryl Dixon's face. Ollie's only had the Walkers Edition deck, which I picked up for ninety-nine cents because the back of the tuck box had a slight tear at the top. These are pretty cool cards to play Go Fish with during the Halloween season or to play with during the commercials when The Walking Dead is showing on AMC. I'm only showing the Diamond cards because the other suits has the same faces on them.





This is the final post for the thirteenth annual Halloween event here at Moongem Comics (yes, I started with a Halloween Countdown event in 2008) and I hope you all enjoyed it. I almost didn't do it this year and I almost didn't finish it (I'm not sure about next year yet). I was supposed to get a crown at the dentist this month but he wouldn't do it because he found out that the tooth had a dead nerve that was infected. I couldn't find another dentist to do a root canal that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. I ended up having the tooth pulled on October 22 so that is my horror story for this Halloween.

Friday, October 29, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 29: WWE SuperCard Frankenstein Cards

I've been playing WWE SuperCard game a lot this month on Facebook mostly because they have cards with special Halloween themes. Among my favorites are the Frankenstein cards where the wrestlers are made up to look like the monster. I don't know how many are in each set but I only have Big E, Bobby Lashley, Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins so far. The other Halloween sets include Day of the Dead, Deadly Dollhouse, Ghosts and Vampires.




Thursday, October 28, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 28: Task Force Z

DC Comics released Task Force Z yesterday with Red Hood leading a team of super villains turned into zombies. He appears on the cover with Mr. Bloom, Man-Bat, Bane, Sundowner and Arkham Knight. They tackle Crazy Quilt and then Mr. Freeze. It's a good start for the twelve issue series.


Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 27: Elvira Appearing On The Goldbergs Tonight

Elvira will be appearing on this year's Halloween episode of ABC's The Goldbergs tonight at 7 pm Central (8 pm Eastern). The title of the episode is "The Hunt for the Great Albino Pumpkin" according to Elvira Appearing on The Goldbergs 2021 Halloween Episode. I will be watching even though it will be Barry Goldberg meeting the Mistress of the Dark instead of Adam, who I like more (I wouldn't mind seeing Erica dressed up like Elvira either).

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 26: DC Trinity Candysticks Redux

I picked up a bag of the DC Trinity Candysticks at the local Dollar General at the end of September (the local Dollar Tree has them too). The bag is the exact same one from last year. The only difference is that the expiration date on the back is April 2024. I'm not even going to scan and post the front and back of this year's bag. Instead, I'm just going to repost last year bags.


I decided to scan the little boxes of Candysticks a little differently this year. I broke down each one of the different boxes and scanned them all on one page. There are some different artwork used on some of the boxes while others have totally different artwork. I got twenty-one boxes instead of twenty with Batman being on ten and Superman being on eleven. I ended up with five green boxes (Batman), three orange and yellow boxes (Batman), two purple boxes (Batman), four orange boxes (Superman), two purple boxes (Superman) and five yellow boxes (Superman). There were no Wonder Woman boxes at all in my bag. I'm thinking of getting another bag to see if they have any with her.

Monday, October 25, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 25: Haunted Mansion CD

This Haunted Mansion CD is another one that I picked up at the local Dollar Tree a few weeks ago. The first insert exterior's left side has the track list that includes "Outside The Mansion" (Intro), "The Grand Foyer" - Bach's Toccata and Fugue, "Whsipers In The Library", "The Family Room" - Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, "Chaos In The Kitchen" - Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King, "Laboratory Of Madness" - Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette, "Chills In The Cellar" - Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue, "Toys In The Attic" - Chopin's Funeral March, "Hallway Of Doors" and "The Cemetary" - Bach's Toccata and Fugue (Reprise). The right side is the front cover with a spooky haunted house, bats, a full moon and birds on a barb wire. The text states "Haunted Mansion - Traditional Halloween sounds & music to greet your guests".

The first insert interior's left side has a list of credits including Tom Hambleton - organ, piano, harpsichord, music box. The right side is the same picture as the front cover but without the text and the birds on a barbed wire. It would make a cool desktop wallpaper for Halloween.

The second insert's interior features a slightly bigger version of the haunted mansion found on the cover that would also make a good desktop wallpaper.

The second insert's exterior, which is the back cover, repeats the track list. The top text states "Put the haunt in your house with this creepy collection of spooky sounds featuring Halloween classics performed on pipe organ, harpsichord and piano". The bottom text proclaims "Over 50 minutes of Halloween sounds and music produced by Tom Hambleton". The Haunted Mansion CD was made in Canada in 2000 (yes, that's twenty-one years ago).

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Goodnight, Joanna Cameron aka Isis

I grew up watching The Secrets of Isis every Saturday morning on CBS and had the biggest crush on Joanna Cameron. Sadly, she passed away on October 22, 2021 according to Isis Actress Joanna Cameron’s Cause of Death at 70 Revealed.

Joanna Campbell aka Isis (September 20, 195 - October 22, 2021)
Joanna Cameron aka Isis

(September 20, 195 - October 22, 2021)

 

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 24: Halloween Party CD

I picked up this Halloween Party CD at the local Dollar Tree a few weeks ago thinking it was one of those deals where studio musicians do covers of spooky songs for kids. What I ended up hearing was the sexy voice of Janice Hagan doing jazzy lounge renditions of Halloween favorites. This CD was originally produced in 2007 and rereleased in 2012. The left side of the exterior of the Halloween Party CD insert #1 has the musicians listed with Janice Hagan on vocals, Kenny Vehkavaarn on guitar, Pat Kilbride on bass, Randy Cooke on drums, Rob Gusevs on piano, organ and synthesizer, Glendo Smith on saxaphone, Phil Gray on trombone and William Sperandel on trumpet and flugelhorn (yes, a flugelhorn). The right side (front cover) has a sexy witch singing in old-fashion microphone attached to a broom. In the background is a mummy and skeleton giving a toast while holding martinis. Behind them are more witches partying on either side of a cauldron with a fire underneath it. There are also bats flying around and an old leafless tree on the side.

The right side of of the interior of the Halloween Party CD insert #1 has the song credits while the left side has a recipe for Witch's Brew that can be made with or without rum or brandy. Just make sure you have plenty of apple cider.

The interior of the Halloween Party CD insert #2 would make a great Halloween wallpaper since it has plenty of orange with some yellow and black.

The exterior of the Halloween Party CD insert #2 (back cover) proclaims "Add a spooktacula to this year's Halloween Party with frightening festive music and scary sounds." The song list includes "Evil Ways", "That Old Black Magic", "Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead", "People Are Strange", "Witchy Woman", "I Put A Spell On You", "Spooky", "Black Magic Woman", "Witchcraft", "Monster Mash", "Bad Moon Rising" and "Welcome To My Nightmare". It's hard for me to pick just one favorite song since they all want me to drown a few martinis and just mellow out. The final track features about twenty minutes of spooky sounds, which seems out of place on this album.

You can listen to the entire album here for free on Spotify.

Friday, October 22, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 22 Bonus: Another Elvira's Movie Macabre on Comet TV Update

Elvira's Movie Macabre will be starting at 5 pm Central today on Comet TV with Manos, the Hands of Fate (1966) followed by A Bucket of Blood (1959).

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 22: Hot Wheels Halloween 2021 #1: '33 Ford Lo Boy

The only Hot Wheels Halloween 2021 diecast car that I found this year at the local Dillons store was the '33 Ford Lo Boy. This is number one in a set of five and I'm surprised that I couldn't find any of the others in the set. This year's theme is Day of the Dead so there are plenty of skulls to be found. In fact, the wheels have red skulls in a red circle on them. The body of the car is metallic green and the interior is red. I really like the artwork on the card that features a skeleton driving the '33 Ford Lo Boy against the '76 Camero SS, which is the fifth car in the set. The other cars in the set include'71 Maverick Grabber, '74 Corvette Stingray and King Kuda. The only place to pick up the Hot Wheels Halloween cars is at the Kroger stores.

Here is a close up shot of the '33 Ford Lo Boy still in the blister pack:

I decided to add a picture that I found online with the diecast car out of the package to give you a better look at the amazing paint job:

You can view the Kroger Halloween Hot Wheels 2020 Set here.

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Wonder Woman Gifts at DC Universe Online

You can get Wonder Woman gifts at DC Universe Online to help celebrate Wonder Woman Day. All players can collect the following items: Amazonian Warrior Chroma Pack, Bombshell Wonder Woman's Aegis (back item), Champion of Themyscira's Shield (back item), Reforged Wonder Girl's Bracers, Wonder Woman's 80th Anniversary Emblem, Wonder Woman's 80th Anniversary Poster. Members can also get a Transparent Wonder Plane (accessory). Click on the above link for some really cool screenshots. Unfortunately, I haven't played DC Univers Online since I had to get a new computer last month. For some reason, I couldn't get the online game to load so I gave up on it.


Happy Wonder Woman Day

You didn't think I would forget to post something for Wonder Woman Day did you? DC Comics released Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (December 2021) on October 5, 2021 so you may still be able to find a copy. The nine stories include "In Memoriam" (the story continues in Wonder Woman #780), Young Diana in "Dreamers", "Fresh Catch" (she is saved by Etta Candy and her cheerleader squad in the 1940s), "Dear Diana..." (members of the JLA asks her for advice), "Dated" (Diana goes on a date with Clark Kent after they get him some hip mod clothes), "Better Angels" (Wonder Woman battles Cheetah again but with a nice twist), "Saturn Rises" (Diana introduces Saturnette, Ambassador from Saturn), "Immortal Mysteries" (Wonder Woman faces Demeter to save Professor Barnes) and "Low Orbit" (she saves people aboard a space station in 2109 AD). There are also several pin-ups of various Wonder Women over the years and even one of a very muscular Cheetah.

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 21: Kellogg's The Addams Family 2 Cereals and Snacks

I have yet to find any of the local stores stocking the cereals and snacks that Kellogg's is doing to promote the new The Addams Family 2 animated movie. The cereals include Apple Jacks with Wednesday, Chocolate Frosted Flakes with Lurch and Froot Loops with Cousin Itt while the snacks include Rice Krispie Treats with Wednesday and Pop-Tarts Kooky Chocolatey Fudge Bites with Morticia. Kind of odd since the local theater has been running the movie for the past three weeks.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 20: World of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #9

Here's the cover of World of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #9 featuring Betty, Veronica, Archie and Jughead in costumes that was released last week (I do wish all of the stories inside were Halloween related but only about four are):

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 19: Meet Rob Zombie's The Munsters

Yesterday, Rob Zombie posted on Instagram the first look at the main cast members of his new movie, The Munsters, that features Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie as Lily Munster and Daniel Roebuck as the Count. In the background is the newly completed house at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. I'm a fan of the original tv series so I can't wait to see what Rob Zombie does with them.

Monday, October 18, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 18: Franken Berry 50th Anniversary Box

I picked up this 50th anniversary box of Franken Berry with the two other Monster cereals at the beginning of the month. My sister really likes this cereal but I always found it lesser than Count Chocula but better than Boo Berry. I'll be eating this when I'm done with the former. I still have yet to find any boxes of the Monster Mash cereal at any of the local stores and I'm about to give up at this point since it's so close to Halloween. I'm disappointed that none of the Monster cereals had any special toys inside.

The back of the box has the following text:

The Monsters have a new mash!

Meet the strawberry giant behind the electrifying music

Slapping away at the electric bass, this gentle giant is the spark that really brings the new Monster Mash to life. When it comes to touring, his only request is making sure his dressing room is twice the size of Count Chocula's.

Monster Mash

Scan to hear the Mash and go behind the music!

monstermashcereal.com

Show off your fancy footwork!

Stick your arms out straight

Stomp right then left

Shake like you got a shock

Sunday, October 17, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 17 Bonus: Dia De Muertos Pop-Tarts Update

The local Walmart's is no longer carrying the Dia De Muertos Pop-Tarts. Instead, they have the Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts, which I do not plan on buying.

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 17: Count Chocula 50th Anniversary Box

I picked up a family size box of the Count Chocula 50th Anniversary edition cereal at the beginning of this month. This will probably be the first of the three monster cereals that I will eat since it's my favorite. Of course, I still have to finish off the Halloween Crunch first and I don't always eat cereal every day (sometimes I just have a banana and/or yogurt).

The back of the box has the following text:

The Monsters have a new mash!

Meet the count who really rocks the choc!

Count Chocula tickles the ivories of his keyboard like someone who's been doing it for thousands of years. Well, because he has. On tour with Franken Berry, Boo Berry and the rest of the gang, Count Chocula always requests the darkest hotel room, please.

Monster Mash

Scan to hear the Mash and go behind the music!

monstermashcereal.com

Show off your fancy footwork!

Spread your wings

Flap your arms

Close the cape

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 16: Boo Berry 50th Anniversary Box

I picked up this Boo Berry 50th Anniversary box at the local Walmart's at the beginning of October. It's still unopened and will probably be the last Monster cereal that I eat this year. I have yet to find any of the Monster Mash cereal at any of the local stores.

The back has the following text:

The monsters have a new mash!

Meet Boo, the ghost with the most!

Boo Berry is the backbone of the band...which is pretty remarkable for someone without a skeleton. When he is not busy keeping Franken Berry and Count Chocula from fighting over whose songs and whose cereals are the best, he's laying down wicked electric guitar solos on the new Monster Mash.

Monster Mash

Scan to hear the Mash and go behind the music!

monstermashcereal.com

Show off your fancy footwork!

Wave you ghost arms in the air

Swivel your hips

Then stop and go boo!

Friday, October 15, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 15 Bonus: Elvira's Movie Macabre on Comet TV Update

Comet TV will be airing a double feature of Elvira's Movie Macabre starting today at 5 pm Central. The first movie is I Eat Your Skin and the second movie is Don't Look in the Basement.

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 15: Halloween Crunch 2021 Box

Cap'n Crunch is a mad scientist on this year's Halloween Crunch box. I picked this up at the beginning of the month and have about two or three bowls left to eat. Yes, the milk still turns green thanks to the red ghosts. I did have a few ghosts that were all green, which makes more sense. Unfortunately, no toy was found inside the box.

Sorry about the really fuzzy picture of the back. This is another family size cereal so I had to use my digital camera instead of my scanner. Cap'n Crunch is working in his lab with Crunch Beast looking confused. There are also a few puzzles to solve. Here is what the text says:

Somewhere...deep inside the SS Guppy, the mad Cap'n has been busy blending up a mysterious mix of madness! Lucky for us, he's crazy about Halloween Crunch!

Oops! Crunch Beast opened the ghost portal! Help him find which switch closes it.

Speaking of ghosts, how many can you find?

Can you find 2 matching beakers?

You can view Halloween Crunch 2015 Box and Halloween Crunch 2009 Box.

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 14: Ghostbusters Afterlife Cereal Box

I picked up a family size box of the Ghostbusters Afterlife movie tie-in cereal way back in the beginning of September. I finished off the so-so fruity flavored corn puff cereal with marshmallow ghosts by the end of the month. There were not nearly enough of the blue and white ghosts. Sadly, there is no cheap plastic Ecto-1 toy or Stay Puft Marshmallow Man spoon included in the box.

Unfortunately, I really need to get a new digital camera one of these days since the back of the box came out too blurry to read. Usually, I scan the cereal boxes but I couldn't do that since it is family size, which makes it too big to fit on the flatbed scanner. Here is what the text on the back of the box says:

Do you have what it takes to be a Ghostbuster? Strap on your proton pack, fire up Ecto-1 and get ready to see if you have what it takes to join the ranks of the Ghostbusters' team of paranormal investigators!

Do you believe ghosts are real? a. No...at least I really, really hope they aren't. b. Yes. My great uncle twice removed saw one onces. c. Heck yeah. There is one living under my bed right now.

You find a scret hidden chest of old ghost hunting equipment. What do you do? a. Play it safe and call the authorities. b. Cautiously test the equipment to see if it works. c. Strap on a proton pack and start hunting ghosts.

You are exploring your basement and you step in a puddle of ectoplasm. Do you... a. Run away screaming. b. Get mad about ruining your shoes. c. Say, "Here ghostie, ghostie. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

What equipment do Ghostbusters use to detect Psychokinetic Energy? a. Psychokinetic Energy sounds too scary. I don't want to detect it. b. PB&J Meter c. PKE Meter

What would you do if you found a ghost in your closet? a. Sell the house and move to another country. b. Try to tackle it. c. Grab a ghost trap and catch that noncorporeal entity.

You suspect your friend is possessed by an ancient spirit. How can you tell for sure? a. Ask them politely if they are an evil spirit. b. Throw garlic at them. c. Research Psychokinetic Biological Inhabitation in Tobin's Spirit Guide.

Add up your score to see if you are ready to start trapping ghosts. East a=1 point, b=2 points, c=3 points.

15-18 You are the Ghostbusters new fearless leader?

11-14 Welcome to the team Ghostbuster!

7-10 Keep trying and you'll get there one day.

6 Afraid you are too easily frightened to join the team.


Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 12: Chucky's TV Series Starts Tonight

Yes, the killer doll is back for SYFY and USA will be premiering the new Chucky tv series tonight at 9 pm Central. Expect some familiar faces of the movies to show up. I will be watching. Will you?

Monday, October 11, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 11: Dia De Muertos Pop-Tarts

I actually finished off a box of the Dia De Muertos Pop-Tarts the first week of October. I should of saved them for November 1st, which is the traditional Day of the Dead, but I didn't think they were going to be so tasty. They are frosted chocolatey churro flavored Pop-Tarts with nine different designs inked on the frosting. The flavor is not real strong and taste more like cinnamon brown sugar. I didn't get all nine designs in one box of sixteen and I might pick up another box if they are still on the shelves of the local Walmart's. The most common design seems to be the flowery skull and the Dia De Muertos banner. I would have liked the back of the box to show all nine designs instead of just four.


Sunday, October 10, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2013 Day 10: DC vs. Vampires #1 Primary Cover

The primary cover of DC Vs. Vampires is coming October 26, 2021 and will feature Batman and Green Arrow by artist Otto Schmidt (there will be at least fifteen variant covers with some of them that glows in the dark):

Friday, October 08, 2021

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Day 8: Elvira Chia Pet

Yes, the Elvira Chia Pet is real according to their official website and will be available this fall/winter. I have read on Facebook that it won't be released until November so it would make a great gift for your Halloween friends or you can put it on your Christmas list this year. It would be cool if they could make black sprouts instead of green.