#1 - Emperor Palpatine

As a child of the aughts, I was raised on three things: Pixar, Lego, and Star Wars. Perhaps to those with limited familiarity with the Space Opera, I would actually credit my love of fantasy to Star Wars even more than Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy (I’ve always admired Tolkien’s books more for their mythology than their prose- the psuedo Shakespearean dialogue has never meshed with me well). Jedi Knights, Sith Lords, The evil Galactic Empire (and its predecessor, the Republic), wise pointy eared ancient species, the religious/magical nature of the living Force... The world screamed high fantasy, but possessed the spectacle and scope of Military Science Fiction. It bled through cinema, television (at the time, only cartoons- The Mandalorian would have blown my adolescent mind), video games, comics, toys, and novels. No matter what sort of kid you were, during the era of the Clone Wars cartoon, with the prequel and original trilogies finished and seemingly the whole story laid out, there was something for every kid in that classic mythmaking. Star Wars wasn’t what it now is, managed like the MCU in space (Sorry Peter Quill) with a highly organized (if much smaller catalog of interconnecting properities) library and overly original trilogy favoring style. It was raw and wild, a saga traveling from the ancient religions of Jedi and Sith, to the far future filled with red skinned twi’leks and deathstick indulging Skywalkers, moving from childish to adult across different storytellers. The series has been subsequently simplified and tamed by the Walt Disney Company, but the disparate aspects of the franchise are still only loosely connected across the major installments (Skywalker Saga, Star Wars Story anthology films, Dave Filoni’s cartoons, Fallen Order, the Mandalorian, Battlefront, Doctor Aphra, etc). Skywalker isn’t the fiber behind it all- Vader has no presence in Solo or the Mandalorian, and has a passive role in The Phantom Menace. No, the one character who hangs like an inky black shroud over the entire narrative is Sheev Palpatine. In the prequels (and connected media- Clone Wars) he was a cunning manipulator, slowly gaining power by creating situations to force others to give it to him willingly, before destroying almost the entire Jedi
Order. In the original trilogy (and connected media- including Rogue One, Solo, Rebels, Fallen Order, Battlefront, many of the comics, etc) his empire stretched across almost the entire Galaxy,
holding in the maw of the Sith. And even in the sequels (as well as installments taking place after ROTJ, such as the Mandalorian. Also connected media- Resistance. Is that it? Somebody fix that, asap!) in Moff Gideon’s splinter cell, or the reorganized successor that was the First Order continue to carry on the visage, symbology (don’t believe The Boondock Saints, its an actual word) and spirit of Palpatine’s Empire. The character is ironically not the face of Star Wars’ evil, thanks to the fallen Jedi Anakin “Sand Sucks” Skywalker, but from a perspective of the direct mythology and canon, the Emperor is the franchise’s most successful and influential villain. He won the war and ruled for more than twenty years- and even in death, the vestiges of his will wreaked havoc across the galaxy. The Emperor has also evolved quite a bit as a character. In Return of the Jedi the Emperor was a simple character, at long last evolved from a cameo hologram, to a flesh (or what was left of it) and blood face of the Galactic Empire. The long unseen master of the dark side was revealed to have been playing a long game, plotting the death of his own apprentice, and the recruitment of the last Jedi able to stand against him (Ezra Bridger and Cal Kestis were busy, I suppose. Have the books revealed what the former was up to for the original trilogy yet?). His plans were seemingly undone by the films end (not before he revealed what is still the most awesome addition to Force powers, post- Episode V- the ability to shock people with lightning) but not before he made a significant impression on us fans. The strange and almost alien (yet eerily human) face, wrinkled not by age, but the dark side. That hood and cloak, clad like a weak and wizened old man, and like his counterpart, Yoda, holding strength not in a lightsaber or raw physical power, but in mastery of the Force (well, until the prequels at least). Despite what my adulation of the mysterious master of the dark side presented in ROTJ suggests, I believe it was the prequel trilogy that made him Star Wars’ second greatest villain. The revelation of his sham war, created only to grant him increasingly complete power, clouding the vision of the Jedi, by dragging them into something so very much against their nature, corrupting the ideals of the Order, before corrupting their chosen one, and destroying almost all of them through his design. If it wasn’t for the sloppy execution, cheesy dialogue, and problematic acting, the prequel trilogy could have been THE bad guy wins story. As it is, it worked heavily to flesh out this most diabolical of science fiction villains. I got the Pop! vinyl, because the Emperor remains the best fantasy big bad since Melkor.

(Note: this is a resurrection of an old series I planned, now based around exploring every character I decide is good enough to buy a Pop! vinyl of, and why this is so)

#5: The Haul

Freddy

The FNAF community has a bit of a toxic reputation, Which I feel is undeserved. I honestly haven't played the games myself, (My PC game library is mainly limited to Civ, LOL and WOW.) But I have been fascinated with the lore since the second game. So it's with that in mind that I got this pop vinyl. I always found the toreador parts of the first game to be the creepiest. Hence my curiosity with the Freddy character.

Drax (GoTG Vol. 2)

Initially Drax wasn't a character I was very fond of. However after rewatching Guardians of The Galax, I realized he was one of the funniest characters, and I like the new design for the character, compared too the comics. I am very eager to see how the character is used in the sequel Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2.

#4: Sporiadic purchases

Maria

One of my most anticipated films of 2016, was Assassin's Creed. Of course the film turned out to be another disastrous Video game film. In some ways it stands above the pack. One of those, is the fact that it takes place in the same continuity as the original video games. In this way I consider it a sort of spin-off, and ultimately I appreciated some of it's additions to the lore. In particular some of the characters interested me. I got the Maria Pop vinyl in anticipation to the film. One of my biggest problems with the films plot, was the fact that Maria was abhorrently underused, and I still hope for a prequel game that explores some of the underused characters.

Jamie Benn

The NHL is the sporting organization that has always interested me the most. and with it, Hockey being the most interesting sport in my mind. In my youth I played EA sports NHL games with my uncle a lot, and I credit those original games in the series To be very important, to my future Love of video games. and now that I am seriously looking into sports, The NHL is one of the sporting Leagues I am most intently following. Of course as a patriot, One of my favourite teams is The Edmonton Oilers, with my other being the Dallas Stars. And since I couldn't find any Oilers Pop vinyls, I bought the Jamie Benn Pop. One of the things I found funny about the NHL (and sports in general) is that players don't have to be from the home country of a team to join them. Hence a canadian; Jamie Benn, is leader of the Texan Dallas Stars team.

Cat In The Hat

When I was a kid, one of my favourite authors was Theodor Geisel. Otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. And for nostalgia's sake, I decided to get the Cat In The Hat Pop vinyl, as the character was more or less the mascot of the series of Children's books written by Geisel. Ironically I never read the original Cat in The Hat story, instead my connection to the character, was purely through The Cat's mascot position. The Pop, is my first Pop Books Pop.

Ancient One

One of the biggest controversies regarding Doctor Strange, was the whitewashing of The Ancient One by the casting of Tilda Swinton. I for one agree with it, as I found the original character a bit of an awkward stereotype in some ways. And In style the film still managed to sick with the ancient mystic theme, by making the character a Celtic mystic, something that's less typical. I enjoyed Swinton's portrayal of the character. Because of my issues with the original version of the character, I consider Swinton's version of the character the definitive characterization. I appreciated the set up, featuring the character as a wise, but heavily flawed sorcerer. The Pop vinyl itself was on sale.

Dory

The original Finding Nemo film, was in a curios position during my childhood. It arrived during my youth, so it should have been a childhood favourite, but since my parents never had a copy, (only my uncle) so it was always a B-Teir cartoon in my mind. I never watched it enough to get truly nostalgic about it, when I got older. And so I wasn't particularly thrilled to hear about Pixar's Sequel/Spin-Off Finding Dory. And without nostalgia to bind it's limitations, I had a mixed time with it. On one hand I hated some of the supporting characters, such as Destiny and Bailey, as I found them grating and irritating. Something rare for a Pixar film. But Ellen DeGeneres's Dory was a bright part. The character for the most part acted as a typically sympathetic Pixar protagonist, and ironically was more interesting than in the original film. There are two versions if the Pop vinyl. One for Finding Nemo and one for Finding Dory. I have the one for Finding Dory. I have the Pop because, my Dad found it at a chapters on sale.

#3 The Sign of Four

King Kong

The first King Kong film I watched was the 2005 film, by Peter Jackson. It was quite a few years ago, and I barely remember it now. I do remember that, I found it overlong and boring during the first act. I am greatly anticipating the film Kong: Skull Island. (The second Monstersverse film) it looks pulpy and fun, which is exactly how I feel The character of King Kong should be handled. Do not misunderstand me, I enjoyed King Kong, (2005) especially the action scenes and monster designs. I chose to get the King Kong Pop, both because the character is my second favourite classic giant movie monster, after Godzilla, and because of my anticipation of the Monsterverse. The figure itself is a six inch Pop vinyl, which was another motivation to get it.

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice (alternatively known as Betelgeuse) is probably Michael Keaton's greatest role, in my mind.
I feel most 80s film villains were bland and generic. there were some very notable exceptions. Darth Vader, Belloq, and of course Beetlejuice. The character is quirky, nasty and (at the time) fairly unique. The Pop vinyl itself is one of the oldest Pops made, as it is 05 in the pop movies line. Overall, I have mixed feelings about Tim Burton. His directing style, that made Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Miss peregrine's home for peculiar children so distinctive, also dragged down Batman. (1989) I am one of the few who have more mixed feelings over Tim Burton's Batman films. In particular I have mixed feelings about the portrayal of Batman himself. In that way I will never consider Michael Keaton's Batman even close to being one of the definitive versions of the character. as such it is Beetlejuice who is what I consider Keaton's best role.

Boomerang

I was one of those who were more forgiving of Suicide Squad. To me the second DC Extended Universe film had a sense of goofy fun too it. similar too the first (live action) Transformers film. It's sense of fun (though I felt it struggled with Humour) was refreshing after Zach Snyder's DC films. My opinion of Snyder remains mixed. From positive, (300, Watchmen, Man of Steel.) mixed, (Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Guardians of Gahoole.) and outright negative. (Sucker Punch.) but his newer films have struggled to bring a sense of fun. with insane CGI action set pieces, a sense of fun needed to prevent fatigue. Suicide Squad partially succeeded in this. In the DC universe Captain Boomerang was one of my favourite Flash villains. Along with Reverse Flash, Zoom, Gorilla Grodd and Captain Cold. And I felt pretty excited when I heard that The Digger Harkness incarnation of the character would appear in the film. Ultimately I enjoyed the portrayal of the character. For God's sake, nearly every character in the film was decently likeable and sympathetic, to the point of feeling like typical super hero film protagonists. Boomerang was one of the exceptions. Crude, Cruel and unpleasant, the character actually felt like a villain that happened to be a protagonist. Also I liked how the character was fairly loyally represented. The Pop is my first Pop Heroes Vinyl.

Eleven With Eggos

Stranger Things was one of the pop culture franchises I only watched for my pop goal. I completely expected to dislike it. too my immense surprise, I found it engaging and interesting and one of the best part was the characters. In particular I was impressed by the child actors. Child actors are typically terrible and I expected no better from the series, but It surprised me. Eleven stands out as one of the greatest roles ever given to a child actor. I really liked the character, and the acting was some of the most impressive, as the actress was pretty young during filming. I had honestly never heard of Eggo waffles before the series, and admittedly I am now curious about the food. the Pop's box has what appears to be, a small amount of water damage on the plastic of the box.

#2: EB Games & Walmart

After My first foray into the world of Pop!, I continued with a second EB games visit and a Walmart visit. As expected Walmart had almost nothing, besides a handful of Star Wars Pops. I picked one up and prior I collected Two from EB games. My aunt also brought one back from Honolulu. These are the four I got:


Krall

Immediately you will probably notice that, this time the Pops I got were much more minor characters. The first was Krall, who was the main Antagonist of Star Trek: Beyond. I enjoyed Star Trek: Beyond for representing both sides of Star Trek: The Exploration side And the Action side. I Personally prefer the action side, but Star Trek was originally based in exploration and it's important for a Franchise too stay true to it's roots. it's essential for the series to repeat both sides and I feel Beyond did that better than any Modern Star Trek film save the 2009 one. Krall was of course played by Idris Elba, who is one of my favourite actors. And so I was hugely looking forward to his part of the film. I thought the reveal of Krall's past was a bit silly, as you already know since Elba is credited as Krall, which means the big twist is spoiled by the poster… which is a bit amusing. otherwise Krall was arguably the most effective Villain of the Star Trek "reboot" series. Though I thought it a bit bizarre that Krall spoke a alien language. I mean, I can accept the altered appearance stuff, but speaking a weird alien language for no reason? Is it like the drone language? A bit unimpressed with that. The Pop I got had some wear on the side of the box.


Saw Gerrera

I grew up with the Star Wars prequels, So for the longest time I never minded them. however at around age twelve, I started to pay attention to criticisms, that were much more legitimate than my nine years of age, self thought. To many peoples surprise the Clone Wars TV series, was by season III, better than the prequel films in many ways. Saw Gerrera was a creation of the Clone Wars. A character that initially acted as the "First Rebel." The character originally was meant to appear in a live action Star Wars series, until the series was scrapped. Instead the character appeared as Resistance Fighter/Terrorist/Revolutionary in a story arc on Onderon. The character is okay, however things get truly interesting in the excellent film Rogue One. In it Saw Gerrera is old and grizzled. His war never ended, having fought through the Clone Wars and then fighting the Empire as a member of the rebellion. The animated series Star Wars: Rebels promises to tell that side of the story, but by Rogue One he has left the Rebel Alliance and formed his own splinter force. I felt it was a extremely interesting yet underused side of the film, featuring his extremist Rebel force and asking the question: Is their really a difference in-between The Rebel Alliance and the "Terrorists''? And as such I found his death underwhelming and wished there was just a bit more screen time for the arc.


Director Orson Krennic

Star Wars has a unfortunate history of creating brilliant Villains and immediately, killing them off. Darth Maul, Boba Fett And Captain Phasma, who survives but is embarrassingly utilized, thrown literally in the garbage. I am unsure whether or not to count Krennic among these. He's charismatic enough and definitely sympathetic, but he wasn't written that great. then again the entire movie had some iffy dialogue at times. Still Krennic's journey for recognition was interesting to follow, and I thought the addition of a cape to his officer's uniform, was a pretty cool look. I would love for the character to show up in Star Wars: Rebels. The Pop itself was brought back by my aunt, as a gift from Hawai'i. My first exposure too the character was through the video game Star Wars: Battlefront. specifically the Rogue One themed expansion pack. Fun fact: Director Orson Krennic is one of my favourite "hero" type characters to play as in Star Wars: Battlefront.


Galina "Red" Rezkinov

Orange is The New Black is one of Netflix's greatest success stories. unsurprisingly their most watched show Orange is The New Black, is one of the few examples of a TV series I have binge watched. I watched four seasons in two months. I was impressed with it's dialogue based humour, that reminded me of Get Fuzzy and it's story lines. To be honest I am not very fond of series lead Piper Chapman, as I am unimpressed with actresses skills. Instead I feel the supporting cast steals the show, and I appreciate how the series comes close to using an ensemble cast. One of the characters that stood out the most was Galina "Red" Rezkinov, a Russian-American prisoner who runs the kitchens. I found the storyline of the fall of Rezkinov over the course of the First Season. And then in Season II, her return to some semblance of power. One thing I hate in television and film, is over multiple installments characters failing to evolve in personality and position. Rezkinov is one of the best examples of a character succeeding in doing this, while still staying true to the character.

#1: The First Pops.

I went to a EB games recently to pick up my first Pop! Vinyls and kickstart my collection. I got four but had to return one, as it was damaged, and I will only go over the three I am keeping.

I knew for my first Pops I had to get some characters that were special. Some really significant Pop culture figures. Three characters that have had a huge impact on my relationship with film and television. So which did I get? 

Ellen Ripley

The first time I watched Alien I was eleven. I was extremely excited to watch my first horror film, AND on top of that it was Alien! Alien which every adult I knew swore that it terrified them when they were young. so when I settled down to watch the film I had just a tiny bit of dread. it was uncalled for. throughout the film, never once did it even make me feel uneasy. suffice to say I was massively disappointed. I have since forgiven it's datedness as a product of it's time, and come to appreciate it. however it's it sequel Aliens that I truly love, as a spectacular Science fiction action film. I feel the dated effects really fail at horror proper, but making a Action-Horror film really works. not to mention the improved visual effects. I still consider to this day Alien 3 to be one of the worst sequels of all time, but more on that a different time. The one thing that was consistent through the films was Ellen Ripley. Ripley is one of the greatest, if not THE greatest science fiction hero of all time. She was one of the few extremely well written, and acted characters in 70s/80s Sci Fi. While Mark Hamill and William Shatner were very iffy acting wise, Sigourney Weaver was convincing, and her character was interesting and complex. Ripley remains one of my favourite science fiction film characters. And on top of that the character is significant for challenging gender roles. so of course Ripley had to be one of the first pops i got. The pop I got is arguably my most damaged Pop, as the box has a worn spot on it's left side. I considered returning it, before deciding it wasn't that bad. 

Tenth Doctor With Hand

One of my Mother's favourite Tv series is Doctor Who. When I was younger (seven or eight) she watched a lot of the Tom Baker and Peter Davison era episodes. I liked them, but was a bit lost when it came to the plot most of the time. To this day I still haven't rewatched the classic Doctor Who series. The modern series though is another story. Years back I noticed Netflix had The modern Doctor Who series, and decided to watch it. I had a enormous amount of fun watching it. Yes it was silly. Yes it quickly got convoluted. But it was funny and entertaining and it's lore was interesting. sometimes I wonder how/if my opinion would differ if I had watched the original series, but either way I enjoy it. especially the David Tennant and Matt Smith era. Speaking of Tennant, the Tenth Doctor was probably my favourite incarnation, except for maybe the Eleventh. The Tenth Doctor was a great character because he was very human. He was witty and humorous and yet could have a terrifying temper and could be utterly merciless. He introduced audiences to so many different additions to the lore, and his relations with his companions was complex. He genuinely loved Rose Tyler and after being forced to wipe much of Donna Nobles memory, chose to travel without companions. The Pop version I have features his severed hand in a container, Which he lost in a memorable scene in the Series II debut episode. at first it seemed a amusing background object, until it surprisingly factored into the plot. one other thing, was that The Tenth Doctor had two "costumes". one with a brown coat and and a Blue tuxedo with rusty red stripes. The pop has the latter version. 

Harry Potter

As a kid my favourite fantasy books were (As is the case for many people from my generation) the Harry Potter books. I still enjoy and respect them for being one of the greatest modern fantasy series. The Films I respect also for being fairly loyal to the source material. And while I feel Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets are cringe worthy for the Iffy child acting, Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of The Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows parts I and II were spectacular and fairly smart for choosing what to keep. Though I feel Goblet of Fire was downright offensive to book fans for it's changes. (Durmstrang only brings male students and Beauxbatons only brings female students? Wtf?) But overall it is one of the most consistently entertaining fantasy franchises. Though I admit, I am one of those people with the "books are better'' mentality. Despite the stereotypical "chosen one" aspect to the character, Harry Potter himself was a great main protagonist. Like the Tenth doctor, he is compassionate and generous and yet has a lethal temper, which is very humanizing. The character's Journey from age eleven to seventeen, is interesting how it progressing from simple fantasy fare, to including colourful and unique plot devices, like Horcruxes and the deathly hallows. And as the character of Harry Potter grows and changes as does actor Daniel Radcliffe. it must be noted the pop appears to be based after the first few films. 

#0: The Pop Vinyl Plan

Starting January 2017, I have begun trying to collect every Pop! Vinyl available.

The vinyls are stylized representations of Pop culture characters, and they number over 1000 and counting. (My standards, are a good condition figure, and A excellent condition Box. I like to have no wear on the box, but I will accept a small amount of wear on the plastic window and a tiny amount on the front and side. the back, I don't care much about.)

however I am not just trying to collect all of them, (which is still my biggest goal, and one I am very excited about.) I am also trying to watch ( and in some cases rewatch) every film and television series, play every video game and listen to the music of every band that has a Pop! vinyl. 

This is because some of them I am not very familiar with and others I just would enjoy rewatching.

- Adar