The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987

In addition to working on the next volume in my Classic Home Video Games series, I've completed a book for Schiffer Publishing covering the greatest console video games released from 1977-1987. The working title is The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987. (You can see that I need a long nap after working on the book, which took more than a year to write, including more 12- and 16-hour days than I care to remember.) 

The book, which is scheduled for release sometime next year, will include, obviously, games for the Atari 2600, on up through some of the early titles for the NES. Cartridges for the Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Intellivision, Odyssey2, Sega Master System, and Atari 7800 will also be included, along with various dark horse entries.

The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987 features anecdotes, collector pricing, publishing histories, extensive gameplay details, tips and tricks, fun facts, my opinions on the games, quotes from other sources (magazines, books, and websites), full color photography (including screenshots), and more. Each of the 100 chapters is approximately 850-1500 words in length.

The book will also contain 100 honorable mentions, listed in an appendix near the back. Breaking down the book to 200 titles was a blast, but some painful decisions had to be made regarding titles that I enjoy, but that didn't quite make the cut. The bottom line consideration was how much fun the game is today, but I also took into account historical importance, graphics, sounds, and the like.

The Classic Home Video Games series, now at three books and counting, is a reference tool like Leonard Maltin's movie books, but this new volume for Schiffer will be a lavish coffee table book with lengthy entries, bookstore distribution, full-color photography, and all the trimmings.

Opening a Booth in an Antique Mall

As regular readers of this blog know, I recently opened a booth at LoneStar Antiques in Haltom City near Fort Worth. The name of my booth, which stocks retro pop culture, is The Time Machine. I wrote about opening this booth in a recent issue of AntiqueWeek, and I've reprinted that article here for your perusal:

So you want to open a booth in an antique mall.

Before following your dream, there are a few things you may want to consider. I don’t have all the answers, of course, but I can tell you what I did when I opened my first booth a few months ago, and maybe you can pick up a few pointers along the way.

I live in a major metropolitan area, , so there are several antique malls within 20 minutes or so of my house. Before I talked to anyone about signing a lease, I spent a couple of months browsing the malls, getting display ideas, making notes of what types of items each mall sold, and paying attention to customer traffic.  

Further, whenever I would see a vendor working in a booth, straightening up or adding more items (something any dealer should do on a regular basis), I would talk to them about that mall, tell them I was considering opening a space, and ask them how their booth was doing. This turned up a lot of useful information, especially regarding which malls were the busiest. One person in particular had booths in three different malls in the area, so what he had to say was especially insightful.

 As luck would have it, the antique mall right around the corner from my house—LoneStar Antiques—was a perfect fit. Not only was it close, but it was usually busy when I would go there, and every single one of the vendors I spoke with said they were happy with their sales. They also liked the staff and the facility’s reasonable rental rates. LoneStar wasn’t the cheapest antique mall I looked into, but it was definitely the busiest.

So I was ready to rent a booth. Since I do shows on the weekends, I already had plenty of stock—boxes and boxes of comics, action figures, retro technology (laser discs, old video games, and the like), vintage paperbacks, and collectibles, and much more. LoneStar had a couple of other booths with pop culture items of relatively recent vintage, so I knew they were allowable (certain malls only allow fine antiques and/or items 50 years old or older), but I wouldn’t have too much competition in this regard.

Unfortunately, when I went to reserve a booth—this was in June of 2012—they said there was at least a four-month wait before I could get a space. I was disappointed, but at least I had my name on the list.

It turns out I had to wait six months before any spaces were available. This was frustrating, but it turned out to be a good thing. During that six-month waiting period, I went to auctions, garage sales, thrift stores, second hand bookstores, and the like, looking for additional stock and, more importantly, fixtures. My plan all along was to build my booth on the cheap, and some of the bigger thrift stores in my area frequently sell and various other types of display fixtures.

During one of my outings, I went to a used bookstore and found more than 100 in near mint condition priced at just a dollar apiece (they typically sell for $5-$25 each in the collector’s market). I bought almost every one of them. My next stop on that trip was a nearby thrift store, where I stumbled across a vertical rack designed for displaying record albums, which are the same size as . The rack was made of welded steel, but only cost $10. Since I also plan to sell in my booth, purchasing the rack was a no-brainer of the highest order.

On another outing, I went into a  store and discovered a great way to display comic books in a lateral filing cabinet, a method that saves tons of space (you can read about this in the “Insights” column in AntiqueWeek #2280).

Another happy accident occurred when I helped a friend move. As “payment” for helping him relocate from an apartment to a house that was already furnished, he gave me two custom-made bookshelves that were perfect for displaying mass market paperbacks in an efficient manner (most store-bought bookshelves are designed to fit trade  and hardcovers).

By the time the manager at LoneStar Antiques called to say a couple of booths would soon be available, I had a garage full of bookshelves, racks, and other fixtures, plus plenty of fresh stock. However, I needed one more item: a glass showcase for displaying small, expensive items.

Fortunately, I found the perfect glass showcase at LoneStar.

After LoneStar called, I went in and looked at the two 12’ x 8’ spaces. One appeared freshly painted, had tons of peg board, and was fully finished out. The other needed a fresh coat of paint and had a large pole in the middle, stretching from the ground to the ceiling. Needless to say, I chose the former.

The current tenant was going to move out of the space at the end of the month, so I had to wait a couple of weeks before I could begin setting up. I noticed there were fixtures for sale in the booth, and it occurred to me that other booths might have fixtures for sale as well, so I walked the mall looking for just that.

Much to my delight, I found a large, horizontal glass showcase with sliding doors in the front, meaning I could situate the showcase at the front of the booth and place the lateral filing cabinet directly behind it. The showcase was in excellent condition and only cost $100. And, since it was already at LoneStar, I wouldn’t have to go through the arduous task of loading it into a truck and moving it.

Once all my fixtures were in place, I spent a couple of days pricing items (if you do use glass a showcase, make sure the prices on your items are visible as customers are much more likely to inquire about said items if they can see much they cost), arranging pegs in the peg boards, stocking shelves, and creating signs. One sign I recommend for any dealer to make is SMILE, YOU ARE ON CAMERA or a similar message letting the customers know their activities are being monitored (most antique malls have security cameras in place).

Opening a booth at an antique mall can be fun, rewarding, and profitable. While I was scouting out a location, several dealers told me “none of us are in this to get rich.” This may be true, but if you plan ahead, refresh your stock frequently, and follow a few other simple guidelines, you could turn your favorite hobby into a nice little business venture.

Collecting VHS Video

(this article originally appeared in a recent issue of AntiqueWeek)

Walk into most any thrift store and you’ll see piles and piles of VHS videos for 50 cents or a dollar apiece. Some places even sell them four or five for a dollar. If you ask nicely, certain businesses would probably just give them to you.

Short for Video Home System, the VHS format, which debuted in the late 1970s and became ubiquitous during the 1980s, has been dead for years, thanks in large part to the proliferation of the DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), which was invented in 1995 and introduced to the American consumer in 1997. Unlike the clunky and fragile VHS video, the DVD disc is slick, compact, and durable (video tape has the potential for wearing out much more quickly than the disc).

Moreover, the DVD has superior picture quality and sound, and most DVDs have special features, such as alternate languages, trailers, commentary tracks, and/or documentaries. Many DVDs offer interactivity as well, such as games and trivia.

In 2006, the even higher quality Blu-ray disc was introduced, putting the VHS video further in the rearview mirror.

Video tapes may be long extinct—the last major release to be issued on VHS was David Cronenberg's A History of Violence in 2005—but don’t tell that to Dan Kinem, co-director (with Levi Dabeedo) of a new documentary called Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector.

Kinem, who calls DVDs nothing more than a “disposable, flimsy, and convenient way to watch a movie,” loves VHS because of the many obscure titles that were produced. “You can find so many movies and TV shows that have not made the jump to DVD,” he said in a recent interview published on www.frank151.com. “That was my main draw to VHS from the beginning. I was able to watch tons of stuff that never made the jump to any digital format.”

During the filming of Adjust Your Tracking, Kinem and company interviewed more than 100 collectors, including Blood Slaughter Massacre (2011) director Manny Serrano. In the documentary, Serrano is shown waxing eloquent about the tangibility of VHS as he rattles and shakes a tape: “It has sound, it has weight,” he said. “You could kill somebody with this.”

Tony Timpone, editor of Fangoria magazine from 1985-2010, was also interviewed for the film. He remembers what it was like when VHS was the latest and greatest in home movie technology. “It was always a bit of a thrill to pop one of these VHSs into your machine and see a film you couldn’t see anywhere else,” he said.

As with many other collecting endeavors, the thrill of the chase is a big part of the appeal of acquiring VHS tapes. “As I got deeper and deeper into the collecting world I fell in love with the hunting aspect of it,” Kinem said. “I could travel and dig through thrift stores, video stores, and flea markets [looking] for rare and interesting movies that I didn't have.”

VHS copies of movies and TV shows that have never appeared on DVD, or that are out of print, can command hundreds of dollars on eBay. Hard-to-find exploitative and low budget horror films are especially sought after. A recent search of completed auctions turned up the following:

Black Devil Doll (1984): $666.67

The Flintstone Kids: Just Say No Special (1988, factory sealed): $501

Splatter Farm (1990, factory sealed): $327.29

Attack of the Killer Refrigerator (1990): $212.49

Inquisition (1984): $202.50

The Mummy’s Revenge (1973): $165

Warlock Moon (1973): $162.50

Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977, factory sealed): $149.99

The Abomination (1988): $149.29

Death of a Hooker (1971): $112.49

Dark Harvest (1992): $107.50

Phantom Brother (1989): $102.50

Collectability notwithstanding, most movie watchers prefer the quality of the DVD. This includes Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Entertainment, an independent film production and distribution company. “I personally don’t care for VHS,” he said. “The DVD is infinitely better because you’ve got the commentary tracks, and you get the history. I just got the full collection of Laurel and Hardy, and it’s terrific because yet get all sorts of history”

But if the movie or TV show in question has never been released on DVD (or in any other digital format), you may have to stick with a good old fashioned VHS tape—you might even find a copy for 50 cents or a dollar. Better yet, someone may give it to you.

Antique Booth Flier

Here's the flier I designed for my antique booth. My wife, who came up with "The Time Machine" as a name for the booth, usually does this type of thing for me, but I took a crack at it myself this time, and I'm pretty happy with the results.
(click on the image for a closer look)

Return of the Jedi Turns 30

A film that the late, great Roger Ebert once called a “picaresque journey through the imagination,” Return of the Jedi is the third film in the original Star Wars trilogy, releasing May 25, 1983. It is the follow-up to the dark, critically acclaimed Empire Strikes Back, which hit theaters in 1980, and the revolutionary space opera Star Wars, which changed cinema forever in 1977.

In Jedi, Luke Skywalker, with the help of Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, formulates a plan to rescue Han Solo from the grotesque crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. Meanwhile, the Empire is building a second Death Star, a structure the Rebels plan to destroy. The furry, diminutive Ewoks on the forest moon of Endor lend the Rebel forces a helping hand (or should that be paw?) in shutting down the Death Star’s shield generator. Best of all, Luke confronts his deadly father, Darth Vader, who redeems himself in the end.

Most sci-fi/fantasy fans seem to love Return of the Jedi, which was directed by Richard Marquand and written by Lawrence Kasdan and Star Wars creator George Lucas. However, the film has been criticized in some circles for repeating the primary plot point of the original Star Wars: the attack by Rebel forces on the Death Star.

Star Wars historian and novelist John Jackson Miller, author of the forthcoming Star Wars: Kenobi (LucasBooks, Aug. 27), disagrees with this assessment. “There was absolutely no reason for the Emperor not to have constructed a Death Star again—fixing the problems from the first time—so that's a natural direction for the story to take,” he said. “The assault on the Death Star is also significantly different on many levels, so I don't think it's similar at all.”

Certain Jedi bashers also point to the loveable, huggable Ewoks as a weakness, but Miller thinks they earned their rightful place among iconic Star Wars characters. “The Ewoks, we now know, were stand-ins for the Wookiees, which were too expensive to outfit and film,” he said. “But even so, there is something meaningful about showing how the least of the Empire's victims had the ability to stand up for themselves.”

When Return of the Jedi was being made, it was produced under the fake working title of “Blue Harvest,” which was used to hide the operation from fans, paparazzi, and curiosity seekers. As such, numerous “Blue Harvest” film production items were created, including buttons, caps, coats, invoices, and signs, all of which are rare and highly sought after by collectors today.

Also in great demand among is the “Revenge of the Jedi” poster. At one point during the production of Return of the Jedi, the name was altered to “Revenge of the Jedi,” but Lucas changed the title back to Return of the Jedi to better reflect the nature of the Rebel forces. Prior to restoring the film to its original name, Lucasfilm had printed thousands of teaser posters with the “Revenge of the Jedi” title. Although Lucasfilm stopped general distribution of the posters, the company sold remaining copies to Star Wars fan club members for $9.50 each. Today, a near mint “Revenge of the Jedi” poster is worth around $500-$600.

 “Revenge of the Jedi” action figure proof cards, manufactured by Kenner, are also highly collectable, frequently changing hands for as much as $400-$500 each. “Revenge of the Jedi” figures were never produced, but proof cards for those unmade figures “somehow” found their way into the hands of various Kenner employees.

“Revenge of the Jedi” production items are valuable as well, such as the custom-made jacket featured on the third season premiere of Storage Wars. Barry Weiss, known on the show as “The Collector,” paid $45 for the jacket, which he was later told is worth upwards of $3,000.

Regarding standard Return of the Jedi collectibles, here’s a listing of some of the more interesting items recently sold on eBay, along with prices realized:

Super 8mm Scope Feature Film: $630

Speeder Bike Pedal Car, a promotional item never sold in stores: $475.00

Imperial Shuttle toy from Kenner, near mint in unopened box: $455.99

Millennium Falcon toy from Kenner, near mint in unopened box: $399.95

Ewok Combat Glider from Kenner, near mint in unopened box (graded AFA 80): $180

R2-D2 action figure from Kenner, near mint on card (graded AFA 85): $299.99

Darth Vader action figure from Kenner, near mint on card: $299.99

Nicely preserved, unopened Return of the Jedi figures do indeed sell for hundreds of dollars apiece—especially when graded by the AFA (Action Figure Authority)—but loose figures can easily be found online, at toy shows, and elsewhere for just four or five dollars each.

The desirability of Return of the Jedi collectibles reflects the entertainment value and timeless nature of the film. “The space battle is wonderful, and everything that happens on the Death Star is moving and powerful,” Miller said. “The events on Endor are perhaps less gripping, although necessary to show that it's a team effort, and that the Rebellion is working in many places at once.”

Miller saw all the Star Wars movies in the theater, first-run, and he has special memories of watching Return of the Jedi with other fans. “The Jedi premiere was the only film I've ever been at when the audience all stood up during the climactic sequence, cheering Darth as he makes his decision,” he said. “That was a surreal experience for me as a high school freshman, and unique to this day.”

These days, Return of the Jedi is referred to as Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, thanks to a second trilogy of Star Wars films, acting as prequels, that began in 1999 with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In 2015, Disney, which bought the property recently, will begin releasing new Star Wars films.

For those of us who grew up watching the original Star Wars trilogy, it’s hard to believe that Return of the Jedi is turning 30 this month. But, like one of those AT-AT Walkers in Empire Strikes Back, time does march on.

Collecting Alien

 “In space no one can hear you scream.”

So goes the tagline for Alien, one of the greatest (not to mention scariest) science fiction movies ever made. Released in 1979 by 20th Century Fox, Alien was directed by preeminent auteur Ridley Scott (from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon), who would achieve further fame in the ensuing years with such fantastic films as Blade Runner (1982), Thelma & Louise (1991), and Gladiator (2000). Among other accolades, Alien earned an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, a Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation, and Saturn Awards for Best Director, Best Science Fiction Film, and Best Supporting Actress (Veronica Cartwright).

The story, which was influenced in part by the sci-fi B-movie classics It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) and Planet of the Vampires (1965), centers around the crew of the space freighter, Nostromo. After reacting to an apparent distress signal, the ship lands on a dark, dreary, windswept planet and encounters horrifying, acid-dripping, H.R. Geiger-designed aliens. These creatures go through several stages of increasingly scary metamorphoses, the most horrific of which is an incubation period inside the human body followed by bursting through the host’s chest. Needless to say, things don’t turn out too well for most of the Nostromo crew members.

Thanks to its shockeroo thrills, gothic imagery, and iconic monsters, Alien is as much a horror picture as it is a sci-fi feature. The film oozes with creepy atmospherics from the beginning—the awakening of the Nostromo crew—until the end: Ripley returning to sleep after her nightmarish alien encounter.

Watching Alien today, the viewer realizes that it hasn’t dated a minute, from the dark, greasy, industrial design of the ship to the gorgeous visual effects to the quality acting of the ensemble cast, which includes Sigourney Weaver (Ripley), Tom Skerritt (Dallas), Veronica Cartwright (Lambert), Harry Dean Stanton (Brett), John Hurt (Kane), Ian Holm (Ash), and Yaphet Kotto (Parker).

Willie Goldman, owner and administrator of www.alienscollection.com, a reference guide and resource library for Alien collectors, calls the film a “benchmark” in the history of believable sci-fi cinema.

“Alien wasn't the first movie to ‘dirty-down’ spaceships, but it was the first to do it with an incredible sense of realism,” he said. “With Star Wars taking place in a world that's as much fantasy as science fiction, Alien feels very much rooted in our world, and in doing so makes its most fantastical element—the Alien itself—all the more believable. Not to take anything away from [Star Wars creator George] Lucas, but the aliens in the Star Wars universe range from cute and cuddly to grand and gross, while the alien in Alien is simply terrifying.”

Alien spawned three direct sequels: James Cameron's brilliant Aliens (1986), David Fincher's dreadful Alien 3 (1992), and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's mediocre Alien Resurrection (1997). Plus, there were a number of offshoots, including films in the Alien vs. Predator franchise.

Goldman cites Aliens as his favorite film in the series. “James Cameron gave us the most logical extension to the events that transpired in the film before,” he said. “Most sequels are just another ride on the same rollercoaster with a different coat of paint, but what Cameron did in expanding the film's universe made it all the more real. If Aliens had been a complete failure, there never would have been a franchise—that would have been it.”

The Alien franchise is rife with collecting opportunities for the budget-minded film fan and for high-end collectors alike. While there are plenty of common action figures, comic books, games, model kits, T-shirts, and other such items available for sale from a variety of sources, there are rare and valuable items as well.

“The rarest stuff will always be the props and costumes used in the films,” Goldman said. “Toy prototypes are also highly sought after. Galoob created a space station playset modeled after LV-426 that never made it into production while Kenner produced a prototype for a large-size Dropship.”

One of the most desirable mass-produced Alien items is the original 18” Kenner action figure from 1979, which is worth $500-$1,000 new in the package and upwards of $300 loose and complete. According to BugEyedMonster.com, the toy didn’t sell very well because the film was rated R, meaning most children didn’t see it and therefore had no desire for Alien merchandise. In addition, the toy was cheaply made and is easily breakable, making complete, unbroken figures very hard to find.

Goldman has more Alien items in his collection than he can count, but “getting stuff” takes a back seat to interacting with fellow collectors. “The single greatest joy I get from doing this is the human element—meeting and interacting with other folks that share the same passion,” he said. “It's not the owning of something—after all, you really can't take it with you—but all the new people I meet and friends I've made through collecting.”

Alien turns 35 next year. To celebrate early, you can attend the Alien Reunion at Texas FrightmareWeekend in Dallas, taking place May 3, 4, and 5. Tom Skerritt and Veronica Cartwright will be on hand to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans.

Free Video Game Day! - May 4 in Plano (Near Dallas)

Free Video Game Day Saturday, May 4 in Plano (near Dallas)

Arcade Games Set on Free Play!

Free Video Games! * Free T-Shirts!

Free Food & Drinks! * Free Posters!

Video Game Tournaments!

And there's a comic book store next door, so you can enjoy Free Comic Book Day as well!

(click on the flier for a closer look)