James Bond Autograph Card

Pulled this autograph card from a new Rittenhouse James Bond 50th Anniversary pack the other day. It’s the third James Bond-type autograph I’ve pulled, though this is the most recognizable actor.

It’s Jeroen Krabbe, who played General Georgi Koskov in The Living Daylights. I never saw the movie (don’t judge), but I remember Krabbe as the bad guy from Harrison Ford’s The Fugitive. He was also in Jumpin’ Jack Flash … but since only five people saw that movie, I don’t expect you to know that. And Deuce Bigelow.

Anyway, what’s interesting about Mr. Krabbe is that if you type his name into a search engine, you’ll find an article saying that he has died in a snowboard incident. I doubt the veracity of the report, considering the date range for the accident is anywhere from April 3, 2012 to May 25, 2012. I also doubt the veracity, since the originating source, Global Associated News, carries this tagline at the bottom of its pages:

about this web site. FAKE… THIS STORY IS 100% FAKE! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes! this story was dynamically generated using a generic ‘template’ and is not factual. Any reference to specific individuals has been 100% fabricated by web site visitors who have created fake stories by entering a name into a blank ‘non-specific’ template for the purpose of entertainment. For sub-domain info, name removal requests and additional use restrictions: FakeAWish.com
Copyright © 2012 FakeAWish.com All rights reserved.
Questions or Comments about this fake news article?

The big question I have is this: this is entertainment? Why say someone has died? Why Jeroen Krabbe? Is it just so random that people will believe it to be true? After all, if it were someone with more name recognition, the story would easily be falsified. But choose someone whose face is recognizable, but whose name is not? Totally believable.

Does this mean everything you read on the Internet may not be true?!?

Sigh. You just can’t trust in anything anymore.

Except this card. Which is cool. And it makes me feel a little lucky.

And a lot nerdy.

Nerd news: Matias Streb sketch card

Pulled this beautiful sketch card from a Marvel’s Greatest Heroes (2012) trading card box at one of my favorite nerd stores.*

*(Key phrase: “one of”)

The Brazilian artist Martin Streb drew the card. I really don’t know too much about him, other than the bits and pieces I found online. I know he’s on deviantART, but hasn’t been for long.

The card is a picture of Namor the Sub-Mariner. All I know about the Sub-Mariner is that he isn’t Aquaman … and he had an affair with the Invisible Woman … but that’s a story for another time. I don’t really follow the ocean comics … maybe since I’m not a good swimmer. After all, I’d hate to drown myself (snicker, snicker …) in all that back story … (snicker, snort …)

Anyway, this is one of the better-detailed sketches I’ve pulled and I’m pleased as punch to get it. But can anyone tell me about Mr. Streb?. I mean, how many did he draw for the set? What else has he done? I’ve seen about 20 different ones online and such … but I’d like to know more about the artist.

 

James Bond (1965)

Here’s a Dr. No trading card from 1965 I picked up from a recent eBay purchase. It’s from Glidrose Productions Ltd., which was the name of Ian Fleming Publications.

I guess George Lucas wasn’t the only one to see value in geek movie tie-ins.

Back text:

“#4: Passions Rise!

“Nothing boils the blood of a secret agent like being told of a fellow agent’s death! As James Bond was briefed by Jamaican Police Chief Major Boothroyd on the disappearance of Agent Strangeways and his secretary, Agent 007 instinctively knew that his first job was to locate the native who took his fellow agent to mysterious Crab Key. He memorized the native’s facial features and raced to the harbor to search for the first major clue of his important Jamaican assignment. Trained for danger, 007 knew it would come fast.”

The sordid Fantastic Four?

I’ve never read much Fantastic Four, though one of my brothers used to have an extensive collection.  I know they’re icons. I know they’ve been around for 50 years. I know the Human Torch is now dead (or not). I don’t know specific storylines.

However, recently I came across some packs of Fantastic Four Archives, put out by Rittenhouse. Maybe it’s just the way the description is written, but some of these storylines for the Fantastic Four are so … sordid is the word that comes to mind … it seems soap opera-ish. Consider the description on the back of card #44 (above):

“Johnny Storm and Alicia Masters, the Thing’s ex-girlfriend, were getting married. In an attempt to bring the Thing back to the Fantastic Four, Johnny asked him to be his best man. It turned out not to be one of Johnny’s better ideas. Frustrated, angry and depressed, the Thing stormed out of the building with the She-Hulk in pursuit. Realizing that what the Thing really needed was to blow off some steam, She-Hulk started an all-out brawl with the Thing. This was just what the Thing needed and after he cooled down, he accepted Johnny’s offer to be his best man.”

What? Doesn’t that sound like a plot straight out of a reality show? Typically, asking one of your future-wife’s ex-boyfriend’s to be your best man is a recipe for drama. Am I wrong?

What other comic book story lines could be straight out of a reality show?

Random of the Day: Suckpax Trading Cards

Took a trip to Shake It Records, one of the great independent music stores left in the country, while on a trip to Cincinnati recently and lo and behold came across a box of Suckadelic Action Art Card Series 2 trading cards. In a wax pack!

Well, since I seem to be attracted to shiny (and obscure) objects, and, since the wrapper was a bright yellow and neon pink (and I had never heard of it before), I just had to get a pack.

The description on the pack says that it is the poop (though they don’t use that exact wording): “bootleg action figures, lo-fi sci-fi, outer space breaks, evil supervillainy, dusted video, retro trading cards, soft-core smut ….” (Sorry, mom.)

Inside was exactly that. Seven old-school trading cards, designed to look circa late 70s, early 80s a la Tron or E.T., produced in the good-ol’ U.S. of A.

Take a gander for yourself:

The pack, in a UPC code-type-puzzle, called you a jerk (though they don’t use that exact wording) for buying this. That may be true … but the pack was just too weird and random to pass up.

Anyone else have these cards?