Friday the 13th March Box of Dread

I was about to post the next installment of The Crossing omnibus review for you all when a special package arrived in the mail. Dunno how I missed this particular pop culture movement but when did subscription boxes become a thing? Two of my regular sites have had them for a while (those being dread central and the delightful Dinosaur Dracula) but after finally ordering one I did some research and found that there are hundreds of these things out for almost any interest. Ya want foreign candy? Done. Comics? Sure. Fishing gear? No problem. Ladies pads? Somehow, yes! Seriously! when did this become a thing?

Anyway, I've been meaning to order one of the dino drac boxes for a while now but finances are somewhat tighter this month. Dread Central played dirty pool though and had this month's box themed with Friday the 13^th and Wolfcop gear. I couldn't resist. I pulled the trigger and signed up at the last minute. As luck or immaculate planing would have it, the box arrived on Friday the 13^th. I dug in with anxiety as to what I'd get. Read on if you want details but for those strapped for time I'll give you a short write up. This box was worth the money and I got some awesome stuff but I don't plan on getting any more boxes of dread.

First let's look at the stuff that didn't match up with this months themes.

 

There's a nifty looking issue #1 of Blackcross by Warren Ellis with an exclusive cover only for this box. Haven't read it yet, for all I know it could be quite good. Maybe I'll even be able to pull an article from it. What's odd is on their website they claim this issue is worth $16.........ummmm, no. I don't buy that for a second. I regularly find trade paperbacks for less than that. And that's of top shelf stuff like Spider-Man. Overestimated value aside, this could still be a fun item.

Next we have a little fold out cardboard zombie box. Guess they've put these in previous boxes. None too interesting. It'll most likely become my receipt holder.

There's a temporary tattoo for the Dead Rising web series. Yeah; I just shrugged at that one too.

Next up was the secondary theme for the month. Wolfcop is a pretty cool looking horror comedy whose plot you can probably figure out from the title. I've been looking forward to this one so it's inclusion was pretty nice. Take a gander.

 

There's a decent quality mini-poster. A nifty sticker which will most likely end up in my sisters smash book. Then there's a cheap cardboard promotional pin. I'll probably hang that on my lamp shade with little fanfare. Pin's are nice but they're better when they're more substantial than a notebook.

Now let's get to the good, scratch that, great stuff.

 

Now that's more like it! Two nice metal pins which are firmly attached to my dress shirt at this very moment. They'll join Wolfcop on the lamp later tonight.

A shot glass with Jason front and center. I've looked at this before but never bothered to get one as they're usually priced higher than a single shot glass has any right to be. This kinda stuff I love. It's the reason why I took the risk on this box to begin with, but there was still something better waiting at the bottom.

An archive quality photo signed by the big man himself, Derek Mears! This one item made the entire box worth my time & cash. It would have been awesome to get an autograph from so many different folks involved in this series, let alone one of the Jasons. Dread Central didn't get just any old Jason though. They got one of the very best. Mr. Mears was at a convention not terribly far from me last year though as usual I couldn't make it, and affording the day trip woulda been a pain. Now I've got it right in hand. Tonight I'm digging through the old picture frames in hopes of finding one to protect & display this baby.

So here's the thing. I love all the 13^th gear. The signed print, pin, and shot glass are fucking outstanding! Problem is they don't even make up half the box. Out of ten items, only four are related to the core theme this month. Wolfcop looks nice but the related items are all things more likely to end up collecting dust in a corner than anything else. And the rest? The thought's nice and maybe the comic will be good. It's just a strange feeling cause on one end I'm so energized by the quality of Friday the 13^th items but the rest is just clutter that shoulda been replaced by one or two more Jason items. Like I said earlier; I'm very glad I bought this box, but the ratio of stuff I want compared with plain old junk isn't balanced. Next month I'll give Dino Drac a try cause I trust Matt to do a good job & I owe him for years of great blogs. Come back in a day or so for The Crossing. For now, get out there and enjoy your 13^th.