Stranger Things Season 5

 

Stranger Things has come to an end.  I liked the ending and thought it did justice to the series and characters.  I had a friend who saw the final episode in the theater and liked that experience.  I thought the final season was pretty well paced.  There are always a few things here and there you wish they had done differently but overall, I enjoyed it.  

2023 Favorite Cards

Annual Favorite Cards:  Huge challenge for me this year as I look at my favorite cards from the year.  Cards shown today are from any blog post in 2023 no matter the year the card is from.  I'll show off my favorites from each sport as well as a non-sport entry.  Speaking of, this Stranger Things Upside Down insert is my favorite card of the year.  I know it doesn't scan well but I really like it. That combined with the fact Eddie is a character I really like from the show and this is maybe his shining moment in the series.  As such it gets the nod as #1 from 2023.  This one was appropriately posted in October.

I went back and forth between this one and Eddie for tops on the year.  This is from an April post of 2020-2021 Hoops.  I love the emotion and the photo.  There were other good cards to choose from but this card made it an easy choice as the best basketball card of the year.

This one barely edged two others competing for the top football card.  I really like the photo.  This is from 2021 Score which I posted in May.  In contrast to Saquon's athletic play, the player and coach in the background have no interest in what is going on.

Another card with great emotion, this Asuka card from a post in August is pretty cool.  The photo and emotion paint a great picture.  Not a surprise it is the #1 WWE card from the year.

In March I took a second look at 2021 Donruss NASCAR hobby box.  In the post I showcased this nice-looking Dominators insert of Brad Keselowski.  For winning the race, drivers receive a lobster which he shows off in the photo.  The mask he's wearing also takes us back to 2020 and the infamous look.  I like the look on this card and the lobster helping it be the #1 NASCAR card from the blog this year.

From a July post is this 2022 Juan Soto which has a nicely timed photo.  He's already celebrating with the bat flip while the fans and players watch the ball fly.

This '90-'91 Score Hockey card posted in October gets the top sport for the year in hockey.  I hope to post more hockey in 2024.  This card has cool photography magic going on.

Cards and the blog has been good to me this year.  Lots of fun.  I've gotten a little more organized and will continue to work on that in 2024.  I also hit 51 followers.  Not a lot to some but I'm very happy and very thankful for those who take the time.  Be safe tonight and have a Happy New Year!   

2023 Zerocool Stranger Things Season 4 Blaster

Stranger Things 4: Zerocool picked up the license for this franchise and I saw this blaster on Fanatics.  Fanatics owns both Zerocool and Topps who previously owned the rights.  I like Stranger Things and try to grab at least a blaster of these when for each season.  Winona Ryder as Joyce is one of the things that makes the series so good.

 Season 4 is set in 1986 and this design puts off an appropriate 80s vibe.  I'm okay with it though I think they could do a bit more with the border.  That Will card is a one per pack Surfer Boy Pizza Yellow Parallels.  The vertical cards are what I call character cards and are the first 30 of the base set.

The next 70 cards are these horizontal offerings.

Three of my insert pulls.  I like the Coming Soon! Video Store Ads inserts.  Two of them here with The Rainbow room really looking nice while The Nina Project didn't have the same cool look to it.  The Vecna's Curse Lenticulars cards have that 3D card feel and are good looking cards as well.  

Actually didn't see much of 11 in my pull.

The backs are nice.  They have a smaller duplicate of the front photo and nice write-up with some details about what is going on.  The bottom border graphics have an eerie/cool look I like.  I like them.

Gotta have a bad guy right and this guy is bad.

These are my Quotes inserts.  A bit underwhelming to me but I'm not complaining.

This Upside Down insert of Eddie is my favorite card.  Upside Down is a layered acetate inserts set and the colors and this photo work for me.  I love Eddie and this scene is classic.  Fun box.  Some good cards.  I like the series and I'm looking forward to the final season.  I probably won't search out more of these but you never know if they end up being discounted.

BREAKDOWN:
42 – Total Cards
7 - Surfer Boy Pizza Yellow Parallels
3 – Quotes
2 – Coming Soon! Video Store Ads
1 – Upside Down
1 - Vecna's Curse Lenticulars

 

Stranger Things Season 4 (NO SPOILERS)

 

Stranger Things Season 4: I really enjoy Stranger Things and I did enjoy this season.  Not quite there with season one but right there with season 3.  All your favorite characters are back and a few more sprinkled in for good measure.  And some of those new faces will be favorites of yours after you're done watching.  If you've seen the previous seasons, you'll enjoy this one.  It is the most intense and I've had a few folks I know say the same thing when talking about it.  I won't give anything away so I'll keep it short.  We learned a lot in season four and we know where it's going in season five.  And that last episode...phew.  Stranger Things is a fun watch from the beginning of season one and highly suggest the series to everyone.

As always there is plenty of craziness.  That's a big part of the fun.

You'll love Eddie!

Stranger Things Season 3 (NO SPOILERS)

I've enjoyed Stranger Things but was a big slow getting around to season three.  I think this might be my favorite season.  While the first episode seemed a bit slow to me things picked up quickly.  I really liked the different story lines and how they all met in a big crescendo in the final episode.  Some characters played larger roles and we get a few newbies to help round out an already strong group.  I think if you like the series you'll like this season..and you've probably already seen it.  Seems like more action in this season and it all plays out over a short period of time.  That's all I got and don't want to give away anything to those who may not have seen season 3.  I always look forward to hearing what others think.

    

2018 Topps Stranger Things Season 1 Blaster with Relic

2018 Stranger Things Season 1 Cards:  I've been wanting one of these blasters for a while so it was an easy pick for my Steel City Collectibles Black Friday purchase.  And today is Friday the 13th so a post about Stranger Things seems an appropriate post. I'm a fan of the show and while it's close I think season one is my favorite.  Eleven is a great character and this photo really resonates as a part of the series.  That particular look is a big part of it I know.

 The cards are pretty simple and are done on Topps Heritage stock (think Journey To... Star Wars cards).  The majority of what you'll pull from these are taken directly from scenes from episodes.  

Each blaster comes with a hit and mine was a commemorative patch.  Not sure the connection between Jim Hopper (town sheriff) and Benny's Burgers.  Maybe he worked there once?  No matter.  The patch is from one of the major characters and is  good pull.

As to be expected there are inserts to be had.  The Dustin card is a character card while the latter two are stickers.  The Nancy Wheeler is a character sticker while the "Concerned Brother" card is a scene sticker.

I like the design and the older card stock used is perfect for this show which is set in the 1980s.  I really like the R.U.N. card.  Winona Ryder is excellent in this series.  This photo with the Christmas lights and the look on her face is classic in my mind.

The backs are pretty simple but still effective with a nice write-up for the photo from the front.

I really enjoyed this blaster just as I do the show.  Not every photo resonates like some do but  looking back at a show you enjoy is fun.

Winona Ryder doesn't always look this strung out in season one...but probably 99% of it.  

BREAKDOWN:

71 – Total Cards
8 – Character Stickers
3 – Character Cards
2 – Scene Stickers
1 – Commemorative Patch