What A Book!: 'Mail-Order Mysteries' by Kirk Demarais

This colorfully eye-popping book exposes the "real stuff" kids got whenever they ordered something from old comic book ads back in the day. You know, stuff like the Secret Agent Spy Camera, X-ray Spex, Sea-Monkeys, etc. Sometimes they'd get pretty much what they expected, but MOST of the time "disappointment" was the name of the game. By documenting more than 150 of these "extraordinary, peculiar, and downright fraudulent collectibles", Demarais also reveals the secrets behind these too-good-to-be-true widgets and gizmos found only advertised within the comic books of yesteryear.

Here, take a look at some of the fun inside...

Horrifying!
Exciting!
Thrilling!
Disappointing.
(And it's all FREE... for only $1.00)

                                                                                                                                          Just add water!
Guaranteed to
grow disappointment!

                      Not X-actly what
kids X-pected...




I absolutely love this book! It's SO up my alley it's not even funny. Great layout/design, colorful, fantastic photos of everything, AND it's totally retro! I give it an A+!

So if you're at all intrigued by this mini-review, go get yourself a copy. Or, heck, you could mail-order one... At least now you'd REALLY know what you were getting BEFORE you got it!

Freak Show Friday: Marilyn Manson

Photo via Google Image Search

O.K., this guy WANTS us to think he's a freak. That's his whole shtick. And, clearly, it IS working for him. But I, for one, am not buying it! It all just seems soooo forced to me. I guess that on some level I do appreciate his theatrics. I mean, there is no denying that he's a pretty dynamic performer, albeit a little disturbing at times... But I find him coming across as way too desperate, like he's always saying "Look at ME, I'm f*ckin' CRAY-ZEE and sh*t!" He just proves that you gotta have a gimmick.




Photo via Google Image Search

Umm, Marilyn? Do you know where those

fingers have been?




'The Golden Age 1' photo by Gottfried Helnwein

Mommy, I don't like Mickey Mouse

anymore... He scares me!

As far as Mr. Manson's talent as a singer, I'm NOT that impressed. The only real exposure to it that I get is when my husband Tommy plays one of his CDs. I certainly don't CHOOSE to listen to it! And most every time, I bark at him like an old biddy to "turn down that racket!"

Photo via Google Image Search

Well, what do we have here?! It looks like yet
another ringmaster wants to conduct my circus...

Have a nice weekend, everyone! I hope you can "get your FREAK on"! Or, at least have fun trying!