The Great American Review Week - "Tradeables" by Fathead

If you may remember last month, I reviewed the new product by Fathead called Tradeables. I was not all that glowing in my review mostly due to the fact that I received three of the same Tradeable (Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs). Well, the good folks at Fathead decided that they wanted another chance here at TTFL by sending me an entire pack of Tradeables for review.

The standard pack (pictured above) contains five Tradeables broken down like this (according to the website):

• 1 Team Helmet (All 32 Teams available)
• 1-2 Authentics (25 Players available)
• 2-3 Game Time (125 players available)

To help differentiate between the Authentics and Game Time Tradeables, I'll offer a quick description. Authentics card not only offers a Player Fathead but also contains a small team logo Fathead and a second smaller Fathead of the same player in a circle shield-like design with the team and player's name in script in the circle. The Game Time card contains a single Fathead featuring the player in an action pose. Here's what I received:

• Green Bay Packers Helmet
• Tom Brady (Authentics)
• Eli Manning (Authentics)
• Clinton Portis (Game Time)
• Maurice Jones-Drew (Game Time)

Now, that I've had a chance to test and pour over the whole package, my opinion has definitely changed concerning the Tradeable product. I like the protection that is offered by the Fathead-stamped clear cellophane envelope that encases the new card sheets. The difference between the two types of Player Fatheads are pronounced and make either inherently more collectible.

Like before, the ability to move the cling from card sheet to new surface is still the same without any tearing whatsoever. Also, the only remaining drawback is the lack of associated player/team stats on the back of each card sheet. But that is really minor when you consider that the majority of purchasers will discard the sheet once the Fathead is removed.

One thing that I did not review which is included with the Tradeable purchase is the "Top Secret Code" which can be redeemed at Tradeables.com for Games and prizes. So, round out the entire experience, I went to the website to redeem the code.

After an initially complicated username login creation (due to the fact that the site uses the same Fathead customer database that is used for ordering products online), I entered my 12 Alpha-Numeric code and here's the first screen that I received:


The "Locker Room" site itself is basically a portal environment with individual widgets that you can move around on the page (although my browser never seems to let me but I have IE configuration issues). With the three column look, it's like an homage to the old Sport Pages of the last century. The game that I unlocked was Save The Cheerleader, an old-school 8-bit game while being simplistic, did make the old gamer in me laugh. Obviously, the point of the site to make you go back to unlock more games and other Fathead-associated stuff and based on my experience, I'll definitely go back.

Initially, I was leery of the $15 price point but when you include the differences between the card sheets and the online content, I would definitely recommend picking up one for the sports fan in your life.

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The Great American Review Week - "Too Cool To Be Forgotten" by Alex Robinson (Top Shelf)

Too Cool To Be Forgotten is the latest original graphic novel from one of my all-time favorite creators, Alex Robinson (Box Office Poison, Tricked). The story is about a guy named Andrew Wicks who allows himself to go under hypnosis in order to quit his addictive nicotine habit. While in his hyopnotic state, Wicks "travels" back to 1985 and his junior year in high school so he can stop himself from taking his first drag on a cigarette butt. But as the former Rosanne Arnold can tell you, there are some things that hypnosis uncovers that you may not want to remember. Thank goodness this book does not go down that same abusive road.

Robinson does a great job of mixing the all-too-familiar feelings of social awkwardness and poignant pain that comes with being a teenager. Characters are more than just stereotypes and the dialogue steers clear of using the dated pop-culture references or teenage-speak cliches. the pace of the book was quick and even at a shade under 130 pages, it was a relatively quick read.

The art is Robinson's forte. For those who only read the superhero books, Robinson's style may be considered odd. All of the characters look different (in a good way) and there are some layouts that could only be in the comic book medium. The splash pages are non-existant and the flow of the art from panel to panel and page to page makes reading the book almost effortless. A big plus is the cover of this hardcover, which is a sweet design marriage of the very familiar cigarrette soft pack of Kools and the overly trite yearbook signing phrase 2 Cool 2 B Forgotten.

If you're new to comics, a veteran of multiple Earth crisises or somewhere inbetween, you should read this book. Too Cool To Be Forgotten is an ideal piece of comic fiction with its compelling story and easy-to-follow layout Capes and tights stories can take a hike when compared to this book.

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One-Sentence Review: “In This Life” - Jet Black Stare

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Ripped from the KFR pages - One-Sentence Review: “Saints of Los Angeles” - Mötley Crüe

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Five More Days Left - Vote for The Litterbox Chronicles

There's no hiding this fact - Wes Molebash is a friend of this blog and of mine, personally. His art graces the Tripping the Life Fanatic's banner and his web comic is a great, fun read and is the toast of the Viper Website (at least from this biased person's opinion).

Wes has now turned his attentions to conquering another web domain as he has put up eight strips of his new webcomic, The Litterbox Chronicles, at Zudacomics.com . If you are unfamiliar with Zuda, here's a very quick description. Zuda asks for webcomic submission and selects 10 of the strips to offer up for a month-long competition. The winner gets a very nice cash prize.

The strip centers around two house cats named Sophie and Stella. Both can talk (to each other) and have their own separate agendas. Sophie is usually level-headed and even-tempered girl while Stella is a big-thinker, mad schemer kinda gal which usually gets both of them (much to Sophie's dismay) into some wacky situations.

I see the two cats having a kind of Lucy/Ethel instead of a Pinky/Brain dynamic, which plays very well in a four-panel strip. The chuckles are there to be had in the strip and the art brings the traditional comic sensibilities with it. It is not a revolutionary strip but it enjoys far more than disappoints. Fans of Wes' You'll Have That no doubt will enjoy this series.

However, while the strip may be far from controversial, the more juicier stuff can be found on the strip's message board. Midway through the month, it appeared that there was some argument over the validity of the voters as one troll in particular decided that Wes was networking so well and it was tainting the voting results. Then there were other posters who deemed that the contest was turned from voting for the best strip to a popularity contest.

My question to both of those mindset is "What did you think this thing was, a tea party?" Anything that has to do with masses of people submitting votes boils down to a popularity contest; whether it is for the office of the President of the United States, for the best singer on a TV Reality show or for the best webcomic on Zudacomics.com. If you think differently, then please explain the talentless hack that is Sanjaya and tell me with a straight face that he deserved to stay on American Idol longer than five others. I doubt that will ever happen.

Wes's comic is the best one there (as shown by its Number 1 ranking as of this morning) but please don't take my word for it. Take a chance and read the board if you're still on the fence about the strip. Go for the controversy; stay for the webcomic.

* Disclaimer - Voting does involve signing up to the site. I am not responsible for any spam mail that may or may not be sent your way as a result of signing up to vote for this contest. *

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What I'm Buying - Nike Air Max Moto 5 Plus

Since I've gotten back into the exercise, nothing is better than a pair of new running shoes. And after preparing for and finishing a biathlon last month, my old reliable kicks were no longer giving me the needed finishing kick during my runs. So yesterday I picked up the newest model in the Air Max Moto line (Pictured below):

These lace-ups are so solid. They've got a wide tread base and feel very stable. The mesh is nice and breathable. They are somewhat flashy with the light blue and silver highlights around the shoe so if you want low key performance, this one may not be for you. I'm not sure if I underpronate or overpronate but these shoes give me the confidence to run a half marathon. If you are looking for a very shiny but dependable pair of running shoes, you can't go wrong with the Nike Air Max Moto 5+.

These shoes, like the previous model, have the cutout in the sole of the left shoe for the Nike+ unit. I do not have either the iPod Nano or the Nike+ chipset but my wife swears by it and since there are multiple Nike shoes with this feature, I have a feeling that it may be around long enough for me to get it for my birthday in late August.


Where To Buy:
Most places are this thing of plastic, mesh and of course, Nike Max Air for the retail price of $90. However, that doesn't mean that you have to pay full price. If you have a Shoe Station in your vicinity, you can have these shoes for $79.99. I usually wait for a bigger sale but since my last pair lasted about five years, I figure that the life of the shoe will outweigh the initial cost.

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