Ugh, is it this time again? REALLY??? I’ve long since come to the decision that I don’t like doing these lists. I started doing them partly because they feel obligatory, and partly because I’m so busy in the final days of December and early January that I need to roll out what they used to call a “clips show” to carry me while I deal with real life issues. That and lots of booze. Yes, I’m coiffing a hefty tankard of Jameson right now. Wheeee! 

What are clip shows? Dammit I’m old! You see, before we had VCRs to record shows… What’s a VCR? Alright DVRs or Netflicks or Tivo or whatever you young’uns use today to view your damn programs! Sitcoms used to save money by coming up with some flimsy excuse to have the characters remember all the crap that happened to them in previous episodes. This allowed the network to film about ten minutes of footage and pad it out into an hour so they could all take a breather, smoke some cigars, snort cocaine off hookers, or do whatever it is TV Execs used to do in the 70’s and 80’s. And since chances are you didn’t have a copy of the whole damn season at your fingertips, you got to go along for the romp and remember all those fun times, like when Arnold almost got molested in the back of the bike shop. FUN! Speaking of fun, here’s a fun fact: The last actual clip show that I can remember was an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Weird! ANYWHO… I didn’t want to do it, but I’ve done it for the last three or four years so there’s no point in stopping now. Let’s kick start this mutha…

Y’all should know the deal now: Two lists based on purchases throughout the year. One comprised of my sweet and savory Favorites and the other populated by those damn dirty Disappointments. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!! The good stuff will be split between Tuesday and Wednesday and the rest between Thursday and Friday. That’s right, it doesn’t actually start until tomorrow. I lured you in under false pretenses. Just like that old guy in the back of the bike shop! LOLz! Oh yeah, these lists are also already completed and in the hopper, so the ridiculous amount of Jameson that I plan on continuing to consume during this week ahead won’t get in the way.

Are there rules, you ask? Sort of. I try to rule out the same toy line appearing more than once on each list. Hasbro Marvel Legends and Hasbro Star Wars Black, is therefore OK. Transformers Generations and Transformers Masterpiece can also both inhabit the same list. I also try to be as diverse as possible without locking myself into categories. For example, yeah all the Hot Toys figures I got in 2015 are going to stand out, so to avoid them clogging up the whole thing, I try to narrow it down to just one and let the other players have a chance. The idea here is to compile a healthy cross section of my collecting habits for the year. Also, each list is in no particular order, because doing that would vex my OCD to no end.

That’s it. Come back tomorrow and cast your glims on the my First Five Favorites!