Monday, October 25, 2010

Hack/Slash (5finity) - Pack Breaks

I've said before how much I really like the products 5finity produces, and when I had heard they would be producing a set based on the comic book Hack/Slash, I was very excited. And that was a set I was really looking forward to.

The series promised at least one sketch per pack with 1,750 packs produced.

Pack

Last week, I received 10 packs and the results did NOT let me down. This is by far the best I've done with any product purchased for the sketch cards. The number by each artist's name is the number of sketches that particular artist did for the set.

BrentSchoonover
Brent Schoonover - 20
Unknown2
Unknown Artist
Unknown
Unknown Artist
ScottDMSimmons
Scott D.M. Simmons - 40
NathanStockman
Nathan Stockman - 25
LuisDiaz
Luis Diaz - 40
LakLim
Lak Lim - 40
KellyEveraert
Kelly Everaert - 4 (Rare)
JohnRiggle
Jon Riggle - 40
AmberShelton
Amber Shelton - 16



























































































The best part of my pulls was that I received art from 10 artists whose art I did not already own. And while my favorite is the Jon Riggle sketch, I was very excited to get a Kelly Everaert because of its scarcity.

Along with the Everaert Rare card, I also received a double-sketch pack. Included on one pack with the Hack/Slash sketch was a sketch from the Honey West set, a set that I had missed out on upon its release. And it is a very beautiful card.

PaulAllenBallard
Paul Allen Ballard




















Next up for 5finity is Lady Death...

Friday, October 15, 2010

Dexter Season 3 Preview (Breygent Marketing)

I previously talked about how I got back into the hobby of non-sport trading cards (part 1 | part 2), but what I have to talk about is my one true regret in my return to the hobby.

Last summer, after the joys of the Veronica Mars, Dexter Season 1 & 2, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sets, I was convinced by my nephew to return to Mid-Ohio Con for a second-consecutive year. We had not been planning to go again; I had been spending money on the cards. But he talked me into it by convincing me that we could drive up and back in one day. Mid-Ohio Con is not a huge show and one day is enough time to see everything, although the opportunity for commissioning art was reduced. So, I agreed. But I needed cash. And because I had just gotten back into the hobby, I wasn't fully committed to it yet (and certainly not as much as I am now). As a result, I thought I knew where I could get some capital for the trip: sell those cards.

And that's what I did. I sold all the cards I had from those three sets. That was my biggest regret in the hobby by far, especially since I had pulled a Michael C. Hall autograph from the first box of Dexter cards I had purchased. But that money went to me having a great weekend with my nephew, and I found some crazy deals on trade paperbacks and graphic novels.

I still wish I had those cards, though.

So, I was very, very excited to hear that Breygent Marketing would be producing a set for Dexter Season 3. Then the images started to appear of cards that would be included in the SDCC Mystery Packs sold at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con. I was impressed. With a small sample of cards produced for those packs, I thought Breygent had exceeded what they had done with the previous set. I purchased a few of these packs and pulled a number of Dexter cards. Not all of the ones available, mind you, but a nice share of them, including a Jimmy Smits autograph.

Then I saw the cards that would be inserted in the Season 3 set. And my interest went beyond excitement.

Once one of my favorite dealers made them available, I ordered a case. I couldn't help it. I knew if I didn't, I would regret it. And I was done with regrets concerning Dexter cards. According to Tom at Breygent, there will be 3 hits per box, which could be sketch, prop, costume and/or autograph cards. The details:

72 Card Base Set

Trivia Chase Set
Quotes Chase Set
Puzzle Chase Set

29 Costume cards

  • 27 Dual Costume cards
  • 1 Quad Costume card
  • 1 Eight Piece costume card

11 prop cards
9 Autograph cards

  • Michael C. Hall
  • Jennifer Carpenter
  • James Remar
  • Jimmy Smits
  • And others TBA

2 Metallogloss case cards
1 Sketch card per case

Sketch artists

  • Tim Shay
  • Brian Kong
  • Len Bellinger
  • Jason Carrier
  • David Desbois
  • Steven Miller
  • Trev Murphy

1 2-Case Incentive 7-Swatch Costume Card

Case is 12 boxes at 24 packs per box
3 hits per box ONLY 250 CASES BEING MADE

So, there will be 36 hits per case. Tom posted images of the cards over on the Non-Sport Update Magazine Card Talk Forum. There are 29 costume cards: 23 are dual costumes of the same character, 4 are dual costumes of different characters, 1 is an 8-swatch costume card of 8 different characters and 1 is a quad costume of 4 different characters. There are 11 prop cards and 9 autograph cards. There are 3 autograph-only cards (Michael C. Hall, Jimmy Smits and James Remar). There is 1 dual autograph-only card (Michael C. Hall and Jimmy Smits). And there are 5 autographed costume cards (Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Velez, C.S. Lee and Desmond Harrington).

With 36 hits per case, it is not unreasonable to think that (barring doubles) one could be well on their way to a master set in one case. But it is not possible to get one in a single case. As a result, I'm tempted to order a second case to increase my chances, but I may have to just wait and pick them up through purchases and trades. However, no matter how, I am determined for this to be my first master set.

These cards are beautiful and Breygent is raising the bar with the multiple-swatch costume cards. I am sure there is no way I'm going to be disappointed in this set, but I can't deny that I am extremely anxious to get my case. With teases that it would be coming throughout the year, it finally is set to release on October 28. My plea to Tom at Breygent: please don't delay it again...