3 VHS from the Junkbox 05/05/2016

Been forever since I did a 3 toys from the junkbox feature. Mostly cause while I am still cleaning,organizing and getting rid of pieces of my collections I haven't been finding any toys. Just recently though I opened up a box that was packed with VHS. Since about 2000 I have been collecting VHS off and on. If it is cheap and isn't on DVD/Blu Ray or I don't own it on either odds are good I will buy it.

Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad The Glitch that stole Christmas
DIC Toon Time
44 mins
Unrated

I think this VHS predates when I actually started collecting them. All I really remember is I was in Dollar General looking for some last minute X-mas gifts and saw they had a stack of 10 or so copies of this for a buck.

Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad was a syndicated Power Rangers ripoff.Tim Curry and Matthew Lawrence are the only names in the cast. And it seems way cheaper than Power Rangers. With the 2 episodes on this tape having 3 locations tops. Speaking of the episodes,this tape has  Do Not Reboot till Christmas and Kilokhan Is Coming To Town.

As far as I know this show isn't out on DVD or Blu Ray. So this is one of the few official ways to get episodes of this kind of forgotten piece of mid 90s television aimed at kids.

Knightriders
Best Film & Video Corp
147 mins
Rated R

I love that cover so much. Before getting this VHS I had seen Knightriders once late at night on TV. I was on lunch break from work and had stopped in at a pawn shop I went to fairly often. The owner would take in almost anything. So I was always finding good deals on books,comics and toys. You know things you never see at most pawn shops. Since this was around 2002 VHS was pretty much dead. And this was the only pawn shop in the area that would still let you pawn VHS. So it was always getting in all kinds of stuff.

Knightriders is one of Ed Harris and Patricia Tallman's earliest films. Ed is the head of a traveling RenFair group. Who joust on motorcycles. Yes it is as crazy as it sounds.

The only reason I have held onto this tape,since it has a great DVD release,is the cover. Pretty sure that was one of the theatrical release posters. And it is a very eye catching image.

 Moontrap
SGE Home Video
96 minutes
Unrated

I found out about this late 80s sci fi film thanks to the comic book adaptation of it. Until just recently the only way to get this Walter Koenig and Bruce Campbell film was VHS.I never saw this tape in any video store. So when at the annual library sale I found it I was pretty damn happy.

Recently a DVD of this film was released. But IIRC it was either a very limited edition or it got pulled early on. Whatever the case it isn't easy to get. But even if it was I would still keep this VHS all because of ....

Not sure how easy it is to read. But at the bottom of the back of the tape you will see this was a promotion copy that was sent out to Video Stores ahead of it's normal release. So this tape begins with the trailer then it has the film.

As with the 3 toys features I have no clue when the next of these will come out. But just from one box of the many I have,I have enough VHS for at least 4 or 5 more of these.

2016 Comic Challenge 159 DC Comics Presents #85

TITLE-DC Comics Presents #85
PUBLISHER-DC Comics

This issue came out sometime in the summer of 1985,it has a September cover date so that means it hit newstands in July or August.Under that great cover by Rick Veitch you get a story so good it made me a life long fan of the writer and of Swamp Thing. An issue so amazing that since I have read it I track down any artwork from Mr Veitch. Oh yeah forgot to mention this was written by a pre-Watchmen Alan Moore. During the rise of his fame while doing Swamp Thing,Moore and pretty much the entire current Swamp Thing creative team created this crossover with Superman.

When this came out I was buying almost no DC. I had just recently found a semi local comic shop. So what money was left over each month after buying all the Marvel titles I read,was spent on various indy comics. It was right before school started that year. My parents had to go overnight somewhere,I can't remember anymore where they had to go or why,so I was stuck spending the night with my cousin.For years he was the only family I had living near me. So while I didn't like him,never really have,I ended up spending more time with him than I wish. I get dropped off at his house around 3 on a Sunday afternoon. I had barely walked into the house when his mother reminded me that we were leaving in a bit to goto church. I go back to my cousin's room. And he throws me a comic. "I bought this last week and it sucks. Superman never fights anyone. And the plant dude is crap. You can have it." I looked at the cover and I knew of Swamp Thing since I had seen the movie with him a few years before.Right before I could sit down and start reading the comic my aunt yells for us to get out to the car so we can goto church.I grabbed the comic thinking I should be able to read it all on the ride to church. 

By the time the 15 minute drive to church was over I was barely 10 pages into the comic and hooked.I thought I could sneak it in with me. So I put it under my shirt and went in. About halfway through the service,IIRC this Aunt was Southern Baptist so the services were much longer than what I was use too,I excused myself to the bathroom. And I sat on the toilet and started reading the comic. I was almost to the last page when my Uncle knocked on the door. Seems I had been gone for a long time. Before I could put the comic back under my shirt he had opened the door.

The entire ride back my Aunt chewed me out about it. With my cousin egging her on.She had already taken the comic from me. And after she had said "I am so mad at you I have no idea how to punish you." my idiot cousin said "Why not rip up the comic book Mom?" So that is what she did. As soon as we got back to their home. She ripped it up to shreds in front of me. And I was pissed.Mostly cause I never got to finish it.

Years later I did get another copy. Which sadly got burnt up in 96. Since then I had gotten the story reprinted at first in a trade collecting lots of oddball Alan Moore DC stuff.Then a few years ago got a DC's greatest team up stories hardback and this story was reprinted in it. Skip ahead to a few days back. I am killing time by digging thru the cheap bins at the local comic shop. Saw the issue pictured above and for the cheap price couldn't pass up owning it in this form again.

The story is pretty simple. Superman gets infected with some Kryptonian virus. That causes him to lose control of his powers.So he rents a car and starts heading south. He ends up in Swamp Thing's swamp. And crazy from the virus has a run in with the protector of the green.

DC Comics Presents #85 gets a BUY!