Nerd news: X-Men Archives Sketch Card

Pulling a sketch card is like hitting that one great golf shot in a round of otherwise unmemorable golf: it keeps you coming back.

Found this little gem in a pack of Rittenhouse’s X-Men Archives cards. I like the quality of Rittenhouse cards, so I bought a five-pack lot off eBay recently and, much to my surprise, this appeared.

To be honest, I have no clue which X-Man this is (I believe it’s Iceman, but, since I don’t follow the comic that pretty much means nothing to me). However, I did a little research and the artist is Daniel Brandao. It was pretty easy to find, considering the unique signature/logo. He did 147 difference sketch cards for the set, which seems about average. But that’s about all I know. Anyone know more about this guy?

Here’s his site (it’s in Spanish, so feel free to tell me what it means!). Here’s some more of his sketch cards from the X-Men Archives set. And, finally, here’s some information and a list of different artists who drew sketch cards for the set.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World of Commericialism

I didn’t see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World in theaters, but I saw it on DVD and enjoyed it. I seem to enjoy it more every time I see it.

It’s that second life of a media text that can often propel it into the stratosphere of cult favorite or make it languish in a sea of also-rans. One sign of a text’s long-term prominence is its ability to be grafted with other, more established texts.

Which brings me to these Scott Pilgrim shirts. Two short-run t-shirt companies featuring Pilgrim in their recent offerings.

Ript Apparel, as you can see above, has Scott as Spock, flashing the “Live Long and Prosper Sign. “Nowhere Bad, whose design is below, has Scott as Dr. Who, taking on the universe.

Both designs are cool, but reading through the comments, the reviews seem generally mixed. Most of the complaints, though, have to do with the pairing, not against the Scott Pilgrim character itself.

Which brings me to the action figure. After all, what better way to commemorate someone who took on the world than through an action figure? I saw these at the local comic book store (the one with action figures, not the one in the city, as the boy distinguishes the two).

So while the book series ran from 2004 to 2010 and the film is over a year old, the commercial culture seems to just now be catching up.

And that seems to be a sign that Pilgrim is pretty much here to stay … at least for a while longer.

Retro comic book ads

For some reason, advertising from my youth fascinates me. Maybe it’s because advertising has become so much slicker now, product placement is the norm, or my own nostalgia-fueled fuzzy memory. I can’t decide.

Either way, this ad on the back page is the sole reason rescued this ragged copy of Marvel Premiere #43 Featuring Paladin (from August, 1978) from the free bin last week.

I distinctly remember this Spalding ad on several comics as a kid. I remember playing with rubber-covered Spalding basketballs as a kid. They really did help with grip and lasted longer on the asphalt.

The non-computer-generated art gives that warm/fuzzy retro feel. The picture of Dr. J dunking the ball mirrors what we saw on NBA games Sunday afternoons. And then there’s Rick Barry. Well … our fathers liked Rick Barry. We were all about the Doctor.

 

Then, of course, on the inside cover of the very same issue, there is this staple of comic book ads:

Is it really any wonder why we grow up feeling insecure about our bodies?

But, say what you want, these ads DID promote physical activities. It would be interesting to do a comparison study of comic book advertising over the past 40 years. I would assume that much of comic book advertising is now pointed insular, towards other comic properties (video games, conventions, etc.). Probably the reason for that is the target audiences between the comics of the 1970s-1980s is different than the target audiences for comics of the 2000s.

Actually the audiences are probably the same. Exactly the same. It’s the same people who read them in the 1980s and today — it’s just that they’re 30 years older.

What advertisements from your childhood give you the warm fuzzies?

‘Thor’ memorabilia card

Went to the local Wal-Mart this morning (to be honest, I was delaying getting to the office), and look what popped up in a pack of Upper Deck Thor movie trading cards.

It’s an “F4,” which is an “Authentic Loki Memorabilia” card.

On the back, the text reads:

Congratulations! You have received a trading card with a piece of costume memorabilia The memorabilia has been certified to us as having been used in the production of the movie Thor. We hope you enjoy this piece of cinematic history as we continue to keep you as close as you can get! Enjoy your memorabilia card! Richard P. McWilliams, The Upper Deck Co., Inc.

Presumably a part of a Loki costume, the card is as thick as five regular cards (a pack), so it’s nearly impossible to discern.

Anyway, it’s the first costume card I’ve pulled. The Upper Deck site says there’s one memorabilia card/packs, for every 48 packs … which is four boxes … so it seems fairly rare. For this part of Florida, anyway.  It’s kind of geeky, but it’s pretty neat, don’t you think?

So now I guess I’d better see the movie. Maybe I can see a small hole in a costume and see if it’s mine.

“Uhm, yes please” of the day

And here I thought the Adam West comic on Free Comic Book Day was a one-shot deal … Nope. It’s a series.

I don’t know too much about the publisher, but with subject matter like Adam West …

Uhm, yes please.