If You Love Horror, Here's a Couple of Companies Here to Help

It's amazing how people get away with donning costumes on one day of the year that they'd get stared at and talked about on any other day. But it's Halloween so it's all good.

Although most card releases you find in your local hobby shop and at the neighborhood box retailer are geared at families (even though it's probably adults who are buying them), there's a pair of manufacturers who aim to please horror fans. And they hold back no punches in doing so.

Monsterwax has been around for almost two decades and has always specialized in genre sets. Recently they released the Shock Stories/Urban Legends dual set (two separate sets in one package), which focuses on popular tales that have been told and distorted over and over again. The all-art set harkens back to the golden age of horror comics, offering depictions that are often grotesque and sure to outrage teachers if they were bargained about at the back of the classroom.

Each of the two base sets has 50 cards for 100 total. There's also a variety of inserts including 51 Shock Stories 3D parallels, sketch cards, printing plates and special prize cards that can be redeemed for such prizes as original art. Here's a link to a full article from Non-Sport Update Magazine on the set.

Previous Monsterwax releases have focused on classic horror movies and TV shows, The Night Stalker, old science fiction novels that are being turned into mostly crumby summer Hollywood blockbusters and even a hyper-patriotic set released in the wake of 9/11 that delved into some of recent history's atrocities. The company's next set is another dual one, this time focusing sci-fi novels The Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The set is scheduled to arrive sometime in the spring.

Terror Cards XL has focused primarily on individual card releases that center on autographs from both classic horror icons and faces familiar to those who follow the current indie horror scene. Past and current offerings include reasonably priced signatures from Kane Hodder (Jason from the Friday the 13th series), Ben Chapman, Joe Bob Briggs, Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen and Debbie Rochon.

The company ventured into sets and packs with the aptly titled Terror Cards. The 50-card set focuses on more than a dozen indie feautres and includes autographs. You can order all available Terror Cards XL items directly from their website via Paypal.

Box Break: Veronice Mars: Season Two (Inkworks, 2007)

Oh, Veronica Mars, how I miss you so. For its first two seasons, the show gave life in high school a mysterious, romantic, creepy, scandalous, funny and pop culture-infused tint. Part film noir, part coming-of-age comedy, creator Rob Thomas had one of the greatest shows on television, even if only 18 people watched it. One of them must have been Inkworks president Allan Caplan because he took a chance on the license and put out a pair of loaded sets, at least in the context of the cult show. Veronica Mars: Season One was one of the first master sets I put together. Landing the pricey Kirsten Bell autograph in my first box certainly helped matters as I didn`t have to think about throwing down a couple hundred dollars (pre-Inkworks going under and the market getting flooded with them) for one card. Being the completist that I am, I bailed when the details for Veronica Mars: Season Two came out, though. It`s not that the set wasn`t worth collecting. It was actually the opposite. The follow-up set was simply too daunting an affair to go for a second master set. Instead I`m busting a box way after the fact.

Highlighted by several major levels of chase hits, Veronica Mars: Season Two is a set that gets lost in being too good. You`ve got your autographs, Pieceworks costume cards, autographed Pieceworks and InkPlates, which are the actual printing plates used in making the cards. All-in-all, it compliments the first set very nicely as it fills in many of the main autograph holes. At the same time, it became too big for me to enjoy and try to track down at a reasonable price.

The base set consists of 81 cards. It starts out with episode summaries - normally two cards per episode. There`s also Neptune High profile cards, subsets on the show`s parental units, law enforcers, outlaws, Veronica`s best friend Wallace, and suspect cards. The set is bookended by a header card and a checklist.

Although comprehensive in covering the show, I`ve got a pretty major beef with the base cards - mainly the photography. Most of the images appear to be taken from screen grabs that are blurry and soft. When you put them next to the cards that come from promo shots, there`s no competition. Other sets are made from the same medium yet they have sharp photos all around. It would have been nice if it were the same here.

My box offered great collation. I completed two base sets and had another 20 triples.

Basic inserts follow the boring Inkworks model. Cliffhanger is the predicted nine-card foil puzzle, Justice is the six-card mid-level insert and Bad Boys is the three-card box topper set. I got exactly as I expected with all three sets including a puzzle piece of Veronica Mars`hair. If only I had a hair fetish.

The fun of Veronica Mars: Season Two is in the hits. Kirsten Bell signed again as did the main cast who didn`t sign for the Season One set. My signed card was of Kyle Gallner who played a central role in the season`s story. Each box also has a Pieceworks costume card. While there`s no Paris Hilton in Season Two`s set, there is Buffy the Vampire Slayer`s Allison Hannigan and Charisma Carpenter as well as Buffy creator Joss Whedon. I got none of them. Instead I got a three-color swatch of a shirt worn by Tessa Thompson who played Jackie Cooper.

For those who like to push the odds, Inkworks added two added levels of hits. Autographed Pieceworks and InkPlates. I didn`t get any signed Pieceworks cards, but I did manage to land a press plate, which are inserted 1:384 packs. Press plates are unique cards used in the printing process. Each card has four different colored plate, making each one a one-of-one. While I was extatic to pull one, the image is of a bulletin board. How exciting!

Overall, Veronica Mars: Season Two is a very comprehensive set that offers good unpredictability with the addition of bigger hits. But that`s what scared me off in the first place. My box came from a box of Razor`s repackaged Ink Vault release. Otherwise I still likely would have passed on a box even though Veronica Mars was one of my favorite shows when it was on the air.

Inserts

• Autographs (1:24): 1 (A-15. Kyle Gallner as Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas)
• Pieceworks (1:24): 1 (PW-6. Tessa Thompson as Jackie Cook)
• InkPlates (1:384): 1 (Y31)
• Cliffhanger (1:7): 3 (C-4, C-5, C-6)
• Justice (1:11): 2 (J2, J3)
• Bad Boys (1/box): 1 (BL3)

Click here for a complete breakdown and more images.

Razor Celebrates the Awkward High School Photo With Memory Lane Yearbook Edition

I'm a big fan of companies trying something new, but the latest announcement from Razor has me wondering.  Memory Lane Yearbook Edition doesn't offer cards or jerseys but rather high school yearbooks featuring notable celebrities. Yes, actual high school yearbooks.

Limited to 167 three-box cases (that's 501 boxes total), each box will have one yearbook. The celebrities come from sports, entertainment and politics giving it a full pop culture feel. Some of the names in the run include Mickey Mantle, Jerry Seinfeld, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Hugh Hefner, Bill Clinton, Derek Jeter, Eminem, Angelina Jolie and Robert Redford. There's even a Fidel Castro. I wonder if it'll be defaced like the cut autograph from a couple years back.

And what would a yearbook be without autographs. My guess is that most will contain some signatures, but most of them will be of the girls you crushed on, the jock who sat behind you in science and your best friend who wanted to be legendary by inscribing a random cuss word if for no other reason than because they could. But some of these yearbooks will also have autographs from the featured stars, signed back in the day from before they were famous. One yearbook will be redeemable for a signed Marilyn Monroe check. Why the connection of yearbook and check? I dunno but my guess is the winner is the Marilyn Monroe yearbook.

Expect to see Memory Lane pretty quickly as it's set for release in just three week on November 19.

(Picture from the Razor sell sheet.)

Box Break: 2003 Topps Series Two Baseball (Retail)

For many collectors, the Topps base set is an annual ritual. It's tradition. You collect it simply because if you don't there'll be a break in the binders and 800-count boxes that line your shelf from birth. To that end, sometimes I think the set gets a bit of a free pass based purely on its pedigree. So I'll just get it out there early: I'm not a fan of 2003 Topps Baseball's ugly blue borders. When I look at the cards, that's all I really see unless I stare at them like those weird 3D paintings that were popular 15 years ago. I should have to stare at my cards to have the pictures pop out (unless it's a gimmick insert). The blue borders stink. There. I said it. It feels good.

 

It's unfortunate that such a small part of the overall concept is so wrong because a lot of the rest of this set is actually quite good, even if I am discovering this more than six years after the fact.

I passed on 2003 Topps when it first came out. I bought a few packs of Series One, but until this box, I don't think I touched Series Two. I was too caught up in Topps 205 and Bazooka that year. Topps 205 was just too gorgeous and I got caught up in the mini parallels and Bazooka offered a bunch of fun inserts and game-used cards at a similar price to the base Topps set. Tradition and continuity weren't as big a deal back then as they are now for me. I actually thought I had the Topps Series Two set but as I was sorting through my sets a few weeks back I discovered the oversight. It was pretty easy too as this isn't an overly memorable set by Topps standrads.

The base set is made up of 355 cards. Card fronts feature a nice sized photo, a colored name plate, a nice baseball diamond-shaped inset with a second photo in it. That's the nice part. The ugly: the horrendous blue borders that over power everything else. I'm also not a fan of the gold foil or the fonts. 

The card backs are standard for Topps. There's lots of stats and some biographical information. It's missing a picture and has something of a Donruss card back feel, but overall, not too bad. The font seems a little bigger and easier to read compared to other sets as well.

For a base set, I was happy but not ecstatic with the collation. I did manage to build about two-thirds from this retail box. The 39 doubles and three tiples seemed a little high but not obscene. If I were opening this box back in 2003 I'd be using them as trade bait.

2003 marked the third year where Topps offered a serial numbered gold parallel. I thought the idea was fun in 2001 when the set was marking its 50th anniversary but I've been bored with it ever since. In an age where cards limited to 50 seem common and somewhat easy to find, there's not much of a place for cards numbered to 2003, even with a brand that has a massive following like Topps. Inserted at a rate of every fifth retail pack, I expected at least four Gold parallels but I only landed three. However, one was a Canadian I added directly into my personal collection and the other two are some of the generation's best so I'm happy.

My favorite inserts in this set are the Record Breakers. A continuation from Series One, the set offers a fun and not overly done design and a good mix of past and (then) present players. It's something that I've overlooked until now and might find myself going back and building a set. The shortcomings of the Gold card was made up for here. Inserted 1:4 packs, I got seven from the 24-pack box.

The other basic inserts are pretty boring. Hit Parade has lots of holographic foil but it's still a very boring design. The Red Backs are modeled after the 1951 Topps cards and look more like playing cards to me than baseball cards. My box was a bit of an odd one, apparently. I got the expected three Red Backs but got four Hit Parade cards when I expected two.

Autographs and game-used cards are also possible but I wasn't expecting any, nor did I get any.

Overall, 2003 Topps is an average set. I like a lot of the elements of the design but the blue borders bring it right down. As for inserts, they're okay, I guess but that's in large part due to the Record Breakers and their extensive checklist. For the $30 I paid for the box, I'm content. It could have been better "hits"-wise but I was really looking more to bust some packs and work on the set. That's exactly what I got.

Click here for a complete box breakdown and more images.

Easiest Contest Ever Winners

After inputting the comments (each assigned in order from #1-15), the winners were the fourth and sixth comments. That means that Captain Canuck gets frist dibs and dkwilson gets the other set. Congrats to both and thanks to all who entered!

Last Call for Entires: The EASIEST Contest Ever

Tonight is the cutoff to enter the contest. All you have to do is comment.

 Want to win some FREE cards that are cluttering my desk?

Thought so.

I've got a couple of non-sport sets to give away: Veronica Mars: Season Two and The Seeker: The Dark is Rising.

How do you win one? Leave a comment on this post. Easy? Yup.

Contest closes on Tuesday at 11:59 PM mountain time. Any comments left after that will not count. The first name I draw gets their choice of sets. The second place finisher gets the other set.

Literary Pets Pen Another Fun Set From Chet Phillips

Until a few months ago, I wasn't familiar with the work of Chet Phillips and his indie card work. Now I can't get enough of it. Whether it's fighting monkeys, steampunk primates or wrestling cats, the work is some of the funniest I've ever seen put to cardboard.

Phillips is back with another wacky spoof: Literary Pets.

 (Image from the Literary Pets Etsy page.)

The 20-card set carries a tobacco card feel and features classic authors given a pet doppelganger. Phillips continues to use a distinct style - not to mention unique concepts - to bring freshness to the hobby, even if they're not found in traditional shops.

Ordering info for Literary Pets can be found here. The cost is $8.00 plus minimal shipping.

Build Your Own Set: Mad Men Autographs

The critics, the Emmy voters, the Golden Globe voters and the show's rabid fanbase may love Mad Men, but there's not a lot of hobby love for the show or its stars. While I think the look of the cable show would carry over beautifully to cards, something tells me it probably won't make the hobby leap. So that leaves fans to comb through checklists and find cards of the show's stars.

Being a fan of autographs, I did just that. The results? Despite having a big ensemble cast, only two of the main players have appeared on certified autographs before.

The first is of the beautiful Christna Hendricks who plays Joan Holloway. Her autograph comes from Inkworks' Firefly set from 2006. Hendricks guest starred in two episodes of the short-lived Joss Whedon show.

The other autograph in the "Build it Yourself" Mad Men set is of Vincent Kartheiser who plays the young and motivated Pete Campbell. Kartheiser signed for Inkworks' Angel: Season Five set back in 2004.

So while a couple of the show's bigger stars have signed in the past, there's no Jon Hamm, January Jones or any of the other main cast.

I'd love to see a Mad Men set somewhere down the line. I won't hold my breath, but if someone like say, Breygent, is considering it, here's one vote for the license.

Anybody Want Some 2004 Topps Cracker Jack?

In my weekend push to tidy the desk off again, I've got a stack of about 120 2004 Topps Cracker Jack sitting here. They're leftovers from a box I recently busted. All that I took were a handful of cards I needed for my set. I'd be more than happy to move them onto a good home for just about anything from my wantlist, a similar starter set or future considerations if all else fails.

I've also got a bunch of minis and sticker minis. If anyone's working on the set, please email me with what yo're looking for.

Is This the Worst Sticker Autograph of All Time?

Browsing on eBay, I came across this card from 2005 Playoff Prime Cuts. The card design overall is very attractive. The alternating game-used pieces show that they're just not oversized single relics posing as a dual. It's got an all-time great. And it has an autograph.  What the heck is going on with that autograph?

I've got a few beefs with sticker autographs, but a big one is the fact that often they don't hold the entire signature. This is probably the most extreme example I've seen. It looks as though a good half of Aaron's autograph is gone, a victim to the edges. Add to that a bit of apparent smudging and you've got one immensely disappointing card.

Although I understand Aaron hasn't been of the greatest health in recent years, which would affect his signatures, it doesn't excuse Playoff for letting this one out there. It's called quality control. If something isn't at it's greatest, it should be removed from distribution. I feel bad for the person who pulled the card. It'd be great without the autograph and amazing if the scribble was even half an inch higher. But as it stands, ick!

Replacement Report Card: Dexter: Premier Edition Costume Cards

About a month ago I got a couple of costume cards from Breygent's Dexter: Premier Edition that had an entire edge lifting due to some bad glue. This is a very common problem that Breygent has been very quick to correct for those requesting replacements.

The cards I sent back were DC2, a shirt worn by Astor, and DC8, a uniform shirt from Debra Morgan. They looked something like this:

Here's the exact two cards I received as replacements:

The Debra card is something of a non-issue. But look at poor Astor. The once full costume swatch has been replaced by a swatch the size of a Chicklet and pretty much destroys the ascetics of the card's otherwise cool design. Am I missing something here? Is this some sort of trim variant? The card does have an overlay that I don't think my damaged full-swatch card had so I guess to that end it is something of a variant.

On the plus side, Breygent did graciously include a couple of extras, which I always appreciate when sending replacements considering the effort and cost - even if it is menial - when you're expecting something in good condition. Inside the package were two packs of Ghost Whisperer: Seasons One and Two and a Promo 1 card for the upcoming Ghost Whisperer: Seasons Three and Four set.

Topps Readies Star Wars Galaxy V

In case you were wondering, the Star Wars card well will never run dry. With Star Wars: Clone Wars Widevision pegged for release in the next few days, details are already available for Star Wars Galaxy V, which is slated to be out early in 2010.

If you're not familiar with the Galaxy line, they're all about the art. The brand began way back in 1993. The sets have combined art from the Lucasfilms archives along with new interpretations of the vast Star Wars universe. After taking a long hiatus following the third Galaxy set, the brand returned early in 2009 to include the new trilogy of films alongside the films of old. Galaxy 4 was also the first set in the brand to include sketch cards.

So what should you expect from Star Wars Galaxy V? According to Preview Magazine, much of the same. For me, this isn't a bad thing. The base set will be 120 cards deep, big by non-sport standards. Several newly commissioned pieces of art will be included as well as manga interpretations and a subset dedicated to the ladies of the franchise. 

Base inserts won't break the bank, if past incarnations are any indication. Foil Cards and Etched Foil Puzzle Cards will each fall 1:6 packs. The big chase is led by sketch cards, which will be inserted one per box. Topps is pushing manga Star Wars sketch cards for the first time. Die-cut sketch cards return, which have sketch cards cut out in iconic Star Wars shapes. These debuted in in Galaxy 4 and were exclusive to underground artists. There's no word yet on if this will be the case again this time around.

For the first time for the brand, cast autograph cards will also be inserted. Who these cast members will be? I don't know but I'm not holding my breath for Natalie Portman. If Topps were to land the actress, who doesn't have any autographed cards yet, I know that'd be at the top of my list of cards to track down in 2010.

Packs will have seven cards with 24 packs in a box. Suggested retail price is $3.00 per pack.

Non-Sport Update Magazine's Card Talk message board has a few images of card art posted here.

"The successful criminal brain is always superior."

Give yourself a cookie if you know what movie it's from.

The actor who played original on-screen nemisis of James Bond, the nefarious* Dr. No has passed away. Joseph Wiseman, a good Canadian boy, was 91.

Born in Montreal, Wiseman appeared on nearly 100 TV shows and films between 1950 and 1996. Amongst the highlights: The Twilight Zone, The A-Team, MacGyver and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. But Wiseman will forever be connected with the Bond franchise and his role as Dr. No.

Despite a huge checklist of signers over the years for their Bond-themed sets, Rittenhouse Archives was never able to produce a Wiseman autograph. But that doesn't mean there aren't any cards of the classic villain. The card below is an insert from Rittenhouse Archives' James Bond: Danger Liaisons. Art and Images is a 20-card set that features Photoshopped versions of the franchises' most notable heroes, villains and Bond girls. Printed on canvas cardstock, the cards were inserted 1:40 packs and serial numbered /350. For a complete gallery of Art and Images cards, click here.

*I felt the need to insert the word nefarious simply because it has been a long week and odd words are fun on long weeks.

5finity Brings the Sexy to Sketch Cards With Mandy

If you haven't heard of Mandy before, you're not alone. Even if you have read an issue of Playboy or two in your youth, you still may not recognize her. But there is a big following who do and 5finity is bringing the Dean Yeagle cartoon pin-up to cardboard for a sketch cards series done in a similar format to their Archie and Greatest American Hero sets.

Each pack will contain a sketch card so there's really no base set. So far nearly 50 artists have come on board for the set, which will consist of just 1,000 packs. Additional chase components will also be included. These include Dean Yeagle autographs (50 total, 1:20 packs), rare artist sketch cards (50 total, 1:20 packs), 40 hot packs containing two or three sketch cards (1:25 packs) and 10 redmeption cards good for personalized sketch cards from Dean Yeagle (1:100 packs). 5finity also promises for additional surprises.

Mandy is scheduled for a mid-November release. Packs carry a suggested price of $16.95.

Here's the current slate of sketch artists:

Dean Yeagle
Jeremy Treece
Amber Stone
Jess Hickman
Andy Black
John Joseco
Arie Monroe
John Watkins-Chow
Axebone
Justin Chung
Ben Glendenning
Justin Ridge
Ben Hansen
Keith Dotson
Bill Maus
Kelly Everaert
Bob Adauto
Kevin Graham
Chad Cicconi
Kristin Allen
Chris Allan
Lance Sawyer
CK Russell
Laurie B!
Dan Schoening
Leeahd Goldberg
Daniel Campos
Michael Dooney
Danny Devine
Michael Duron
David Namisato
Nicole Goff
Dominic Marco
Patrick Carlucci
Evan Shaner
Patrick Finch
Frankie B Washington
Randy Kintz
Howard Bender
Scott Zirkel
Hugh Vogt
Sherry Leak
Irma Ahmed
Troy Parke
Jason Worthington
William Bronson
Jay Fosgitt

Will an Extra "Hit" Make 2009 Topps Sterling Any Better?

Yesterday Topps announced that an additional game-used jersey card #'d/25 will be included in each pack of 2009 Topps Sterling at no additional cost. Is it going to make a difference? In the grand scheme of things, I doubt it.

Changing things up a bit from last year, Topps is doing away with player-specific packs and opting for themes instead like "Triple Crown Winners" and "Charter Hall of Fame Members." Get ready for more letter windows for jersey swatches, I'm guessing.

Jersey cards are done. Slap two swatches, five swatches, eight swatches and whatever serial number you want and not many people are going to care. There's literally millions of these things out there. Yes, some look nice and I'd love to have them in my collection but they're so plentiful none standout anymore unless they've got a massive swatch, colorful patch or some other gimmick that's likely based on real rarity instead of an arbitrary number on it. Sorry, but an extra plain jersey card isn't going to make me consider this release any more.

Then again, I'm not the market for these. The almost $250 presale price for five cards could net me a box of 2010 Topps Baseball, a box of 2009 Topps Updates and Highlights and probably both the 1982 Topps and Topps Traded sets. It's a no-brainer for my collecting habits that focus on sets and old-time rookies over generic "hits." So for those who like the chase and are all right with spending $250 on a pack, will this added content make you consider this set any more than before?

Gallery: 1982 Donruss Diamond Kings

Nothing much to say. It's been a busy bit. Enjoy some beautiful cards in this inagural set of Diamond Kings: