Topps Star Wars 40th Anniversary Cards

Every time I enter a Dollar Tree store, I rush immediately over to the trading card section. Most of the time you can find a nice selection of Baseball, Football, Basketball and Pokémon cards in addition to their comic packs and small novelty items. This time around I picked up a pack of Walking Dead Season 3 cards by Cryptozoic and these Star Wars 40th Anniversary cards by Topps! The Walking Dead cards were kind of plain and really didn't catch my interest, but on the other hand these Star Wars cards are AWESOME!

This Star Wars cards set consists of a 200 card base set and many insert set that include original art sketch cards, autograph cards and a buyback set. I don't believe any of these insert cards are available in the 4-card bargain packs though? Even though you may not have a chance to grab one of these special cards the set itself is excellent and includes character profiles, series highlights, art cards and poster cards! Each card has a foil stamped Star Wars logo on it and glossy coating.  

The card backs are not the best I've ever seen, but the border graphics are nice and they give you just enough info about the image on the front without being too wordy. Needless to say, this is a nice looking set and definitely worth the $1 I spent. Topps has created another great Star Wars set! I may have to see if I can get a box of these on the cheap to see if I can score one of those insert cards. If you are a fan of Star Wars and enjoy looking back on it's history in comics, film and toys I highly suggest giving this set a look. If  you find yourself in a Dollar Tree in the near future, check out the card section and grab a pack of these Topps Star Wars cards, you won't be disappointed.

Marvel Annual 2017 Cards!

Oh man! I couldn't believe these when I spotted them at a local Dollar Tree store. Upper Deck Marvel Comics cards for $1...YES PLEASE! There are 4 cards per pack, which is standard for Dollar Tree card packs and the odds of grabbing an insert were pretty good! The insert sets are "In Memorium Cards" (1:10), "Rookie Hero Cards" (1:10) & "Comic Cover Cards" (1:1.25). I grabbed one pack just to see what was inside and I was not disappointed. Here is what was inside.

I got a Quicksilver, Slizzik & Jessica Jones base card. These pieces of cardboard are slices of laminated perfection! The artwork is very nice, the layout is solid and each card has silver foil stamping! I am a sucker for shiny things. Time to flip 'em over!

We have some nice cover artwork featuring each card specific character and a very short snippet of what happened to them in 2017. This set is sort of a yearbook for Marvel's characters. But the greatest thing about these cards is the Attributes meters! Who knew Jessica Jones has an intelligence level of 2! I do question the ranking of Quicksilver's speed at only a 5. Isn't he supposed to be the fastest mutant alive? I mean even Slizzik's speed rating is a 6! I call shenanigans on this one. Either way these rankings remind me of my favorite Marvel cards of all-time, Marvel Universe Series 3!

I did end up pulling one of the insert cards from this pack. I got a "Rookie Heroes" card of Ironheart! 

I will be picking up more of these cards from the Dollar Tree. I may not get the whole set, but the fun is in the chase! Take a look at some more of the cards in the unboxing video below!

Dollar Tree Incredible Hulk!

I got suckered in again by the Dollar Tree! This recurring theme may become a problem. But seriously when you see a 1984 Incredible Hulk Annual for $1, could you pass it up? I obviously couldn't. The story inside is kind of ho-hum. The Hulk ends up on a tropical planet, a symbiote spine attaches itself to Hulk, hilarity ensues and in the end the spine sacrifices itself for the better good.

Not the best Hulk story ever told, but the 80s advertisements inside were amaze-balls! 1984 was a time when Atari ruled the world and this is reflected in the ads. We not only got the insane back cover Star Wars Arcade Game ad, but the original Mario Bros. ad! This was before the Brothers became Super and were just cleaning crabs and turtles from pipes to earn a buck. So simple, but so much fun and look at those retro drawings. That is Mario at his best!

The next ads were a whiff of nostalgia as they included Secret Wars figures for $5.99 each, a Captain America Shield & Spider-Man flying web for the low price of $4.49 and an All-New black costume Spider-Man shirt for $10! All OUTSTANDING BUYS!!! The next page featured an ad for the Tomy toys inspired comic series Starriors! I had one of these guys growing up and they were pretty cool. Definitely one of the more underrated toy lines of the 80s.

These next ads I added because of the oddity of them. I did not know the NYCC went back this far. In 1984 tickets cost only $9 and the show was held at the Omni Park Central Hotel! A far cry from what the con is today. The other ad for Military Diamond sales just seems so odd and out of place. In 1984 comics were still geared mostly towards kids, so what was an ad for $700 diamond rings doing in this comic? Who bought the ad space? And why is that sketch of the two people so damn creepy?

Am I the only one who liked ads like this? Yes they were trying to sell me something, but they were also a fun activity. Fig Newtons always had the best ones. I always viewed ads in comics like commercial breaks during cartoons. You had to hold my attention to keep my eyes on your product and these ads did just that!

I guess there was one more cool thing in this book....A FREAKIN SPLASH PAGE OF HULK GETTING CRUSHED BY A HUGE DINOSAUR/DRAGON THING!!!!! RAARRGHH!

GPK Card Review: Adam-Geddon

I don't know how many times I can state this, but I am a sucker for Garbage Pail Kids cards. I collected these stickers back in the 80's during the height of GPK Mania! So, every time I see a new series by Topps on the shelves, it gives me a nice warm feeling inside. It brings back the nostalgia of stopping at the local corner store with my Dad and picking out a pack. Naturally I recently purchased a pack of GPK: Adam-Geddon cards. Here's what was inside:

Stuffed Stephan, Whipped Kareem, Noah Room & Francis Fungus. I did enjoy the Whipped Kareem & Noah Room cards. They seemed like they could have fit into any retro GPK release. The Francis Fungus, just seemed lazy to me. I understand after all these years it is gonna be difficult to come up with fresh ideas, but I expect a little more out of my Garbage Pail Kids. I was not too happy to receive an A & B variation card of pretty much the same character in a 4-card pack, but it's not unheard of in a pack of GPK. I'll let that slide.

Here's where my biggest beef was with this new Adam-Geddon release. The backs are so plain and terrible! GPK is famous for their great backs that included everything from puzzle pieces to mini comics to fake awards. This unoriginality drives me nuts. I will not spend anymore money on this Topps release. Let's forget this nastiness and bask in the greatness that is the 80's GPK card backs!

Pop Culture League Challenge: Blind Baggin it!

This week's challenge is titled "Buying Blind". Who doesn’t love gambling on a blind box or mystery package? I for one, love it...if the price is right!

I found these Garbage Pail Kids Minikins blind bags at the Dollar Tree the other day. Who could pass these up for only $1! These were released by Topps in 2013. Each pack comes with 4 figures and 4 stickers. The reason I picked this pack is because I could see it had Nasty Nick the vampire from series 1 in it! Perfect for this time of the year!

Oooooo! Creepy! I love this guy! My only complaint is that the figure does not include the "Barbie Doll" in his arms like the original card did. I understand I am asking too much from a 1 inch tall mini-figure, but I'm kind of a jerk like that! Otherwise it is pretty accurate to his 1985 card.

Also included in the "Blind" portion of the pack I got the always popular Mr. Adam Bomb, Brainy Janie and Anna Banana. For $1, these things are great! They have the squishy, rubbery feel of a Squinky, but the paint and mold detail is awesome for the size!

Also included were 4 mini stickers of each of the characters contained in the bag. Each sticker has original Garbage Pail Kid art on the front and a nice little bio write up on the back.

There are 26 Minikins to collect in this series. Each in a blue, red, green, ultra rare yellow and painted variation. If these are still at the Dollar Tree next time I make a visit, I'll probably grab another bag. I really do enjoy the suspense and surprise of a good blind bag toy!

Click a link below and find out other Leaguers thoughts on "Buying Blind"!

Green Plastic Squirt Gun talks about his "Blind" addiction

The Last Hometown discusses their collecting troubles

Alexis' Universe shows us a great collection

Toy Break is not so enthusiastic about the concept

Calvin's Canadian Cave of Cool keeps it real!

Retro on the Cheap: Back to the Dolla Store!

Out running some errands today and had to make a stop at The Dollar Tree. While there I found a few new things in the trading card section. This time around they had comics. Not the 2 comics and 1 pack of cards for a dollar bundles I love so much, but single "Hot Comics" for $1 each. There were not any real winners out of the bunch, but I did grab a couple.

Captain America # 362 (Marvel, 1989)

Rogue #4 (Marvel, 1995)

I am a sucker for Dollar Tree's "Ultimate Super Jumbo Packs" of cards. It's 30 mixed sport cards for $1. How can you go wrong? This pack contained 27 baseball cards and 3 basketball. Hardly a "Mixed Sport" pack. I am starting to think these packs are a way for Cards One Company to unload all of their commons. They put a Superstar card on the front to suck you in and then you're stuck with 29 cards of players like Mitch Webster or Chris Nabholz. Anyway, here are the highlights:

Next up, the Dollar Tree had special 2 packs of vintage cards for $1! I picked up packs of Fleer Adrenaline (2000), Score Football/Soccer (1992) and TriStar Hidden Treasures Hockey (2006). Nothing great in these packs. Here are a few examples of what was inside.

And lastly I picked up a pack of Star Venus Swimwear International Model Search Limited Edition cards! Yes these were a thing and they are totally 90s! Reminds me of old episodes of the show California Dreams. From the hair to the card design to the day glo bikinis. AMAZING! Take a look for yourself.

Crazy how styles and tastes change so much over time. These cards are a true time capsule of the era. Click the video below and enjoy some more 90s hotness courtesy of Kelly Packard and the rest of the California Dreams band!

Retro on the Cheap: Garbage Pail Kids

I found myself in the trading card area again at The Dollar Tree and felt the need to pick up a pack of Garbage Pail Kids: American As Apple Pie In Your Face! Yes, I collected GPK as a kid and stuck them to everything from my dresser to notebooks to photo albums. Every time I see a pack of these gross-out era relics I feel the need to pick one up, especially when a pack is only $1. I tore open the wrapper and here's what was inside:

 Savage Sanders (2016 Presidential Candidate Sticker)

 Art Apart (America's Pastimes Sticker)

 Garbage Pail Kim (American Inventor Sticker)

Leaky Lou (U.S. Summer Olym-picks Sticker)

I felt sort of let down by the less-than-stellar artwork on these cards. The characters seem a bit rushed and there is absolutely no background on the cards. It also seems to me that the grossness of the cards has been toned down. I feel like the charm that these cards once had is lost due to concerns over parental backlash. I would much rather prefer a re-issue of older cards to these new ones...although the Savage Sanders card did make me laugh a little.

Retro on the Cheap: Dollar Store Card Packs

While visiting the local Dollar Tree store last week, I came across their trading card section. Dollar Tree had everything from Star Wars to Garbage Pail Kids to Topps Baseball cards. The one pack on the rack that caught my eye though, was the "Ultimate Super Jumbo Pack" mixed edition! These contained 30 cards per pack of mixed sports including Hockey, Baseball, Football, Basketball and even NASCAR & Golf. Most of these cards were from the 80s & 90s. All for $1! I dug through each pack looking for a card that I wanted and then I found it...

No, it wasn't that sweet Doug Wilson Pro Set card. It was the Topps Stadium Club "Frequent Flyers" Scottie Pippen card from the 1993-94 series! Anything from the 90s Chicago Bulls teams will always catch my attention. So, I tore open the pack hoping to find more super stars in the mix. Here are the best cards I pulled from the pack:

Orel Hershiser 1989 Topps All-Star card, Jeromy Burnitz 1991 Classic Rookie Card...

 Andre "Awesome" Dawson 1988 Topps card, Fred McGriff 1991 Classic Card...

and the silver tuna of the group, Scottie Pippen 1993-94 Topps Stadium Club "Frequent Flyers" card!

Then there were 25 other common cards that featured players like Bip Roberts that I really didn't care about. Overall, I feel like I got my dollar's worth out of the pack and if I found another "Ultimate Super Jumbo Pack" with a card I wanted to own in it, I would spend the dollar.