DC Bloodlines Cards

For those of you that may not know, "BLOODLINES" was a 1993 crossover event produced by DC Comics in an attempt to introduce new characters to their super-hero universe. The story introduced a parasitic, shape shifting race of aliens that fed on the spinal fluid of humans. The majority of these victims died, while others found that the attacks awakened their dormant super powers. Honestly, it sounds like a pretty cool concept, but the majority of the characters introduced were pretty lame and the execution was a bit iffy. That is probably why this event is forgotten by most comic book fans. The story spanned over 23 of DC Comics Annuals and most notably introduced the character Hitman.

The only issue of this series that I can remember buying off the rack was Superman Annual #5. I bought it because of the appearance of the Cyborg Superman from the Reign of Supermen storyline.

Flash forward to a few days ago when I was at a newly opened store that specializes in vintage toys, video games and cards. I saw this pack in a display case and since I am a sucker for vintage card packs from my youth, I picked it up. It was only $1 and I was hopeful that I would get one of the cool insert cards that included foil embossed "Supermen" cards (1 in 18 packs) and "Superman Exchange" cards (1 in 72 packs). Enough chatting, let's tear open this beautiful foil wrapped pack from Skybox and see what's inside!

Most of the cards in my pack show off artwork from the comics. These are pretty cool and show some of the highlights from the series, but...

The card backs are puzzle pieces! There is no description of what is happening on each card or anything to let collectors know what the story is about. Don't get me wrong, I love puzzle cards, but I feel like a little insight into the action on the front would have helped make this a better set.

The other cards in the pack were character bio cards which tell the powers, origin and first appearances of these new Bloodlines characters on the back. The artwork is very 90's but not bad overall.

The back of the evil alien card shows off her human form with no info on the character. I don't mind this as much as the puzzle pieces because at least you are getting a full look at the character from both sides of the coin. I didn't get any of the insert cards, but in the end I am not disappointed with my $1 investment. At least it gave me a few minutes of enjoyment and the basis for another blog post! Would I attempt to collect the set? No, there are way better 90's products out there that i would rather sink my money into.