Blog Bat Around: Pick 5

This month's Blog Bat Around topic comes courtesy of It's Like Having My Own Card Shop, and sense of general malaise effecting many-a-card-blogger these days.  So the question is, if I can only keep five specific card collections, what would they be?

The first four were actually fairly easy for me, because I've thought seriously about downsizing frequently in recent years.  Five was a tricky one though, and I am admittedly cheating all over the list.  My sketch card collection is made of numerous specific sub-collections therein, I could convert small parts of certain collections that don't make the list to fit the second pick, and picks three and five are multiple, related collections under a single banner.  But eh, it's my list.  So let's get on with it then.

Supergirl by JC Fabul..

1.) Sketch Cards- Probably the one and only virtually untouchable collection I own.  The 12 or 13 keepers amongst 15 I currently have waiting to be bailed out of COMC lockdown might put me over the 400 mark.  This is my one true (and truly expensive, even though I rarely break the bank for any one sketch) cardboard addiction.  I'm an artist, I love (primarily comic) original art, and I don't have enough space or money to own nearly as much as I'd like.  So sketch cards are basically the most perfect possible thing for me.  I think I found out about them in 2007 or 2008 and I almost instantly fell in love.  If I had to drop all but one collection, this is what I'd keep.  No question.

Pop Century Kristen Renton/Emilio Rivera dual auto..

2.) Random Non-Sport/Other Sport Autographs- I think maybe it's just the thrill of the hunt with these.  You can get some pretty decent names for surprisingly little coin sometimes, and every new score tickles the back of my brain.  It's just pure fun, untamed, lead with your Id collecting.  No real plan.  Just see a cool addition for a good price and buy it.  I quite like that.

Eve Torres gold parallel #'ed /10..

3.) Main Wresting PCs (Booker T, Eve Torres, Sarita/"Dark Angel" Sarah Stock)- As one of my earliest loves, not collecting more wrestling cards will likely go down as one of my great collecting regrets.  These are the only collections I've been able to put considerable time and effort into, and I have no desire to give them up.  Dakota Kai may be on this list someday as well (I saw a whole mess of signed stickers on her Instagram story the other day, and I am PSYCHED), but yeah.

Vault Metals #'ed /135..

4.) Fergie Jenkins PC- I wouldn't necessarily say this is my most favorite major sports collection, but it's the one where I feel like I have something to prove.  To own a copy of every card released of Fergie during his playing career is one of my only real completionist collection goals, and I can't part with it.  At least not until I've succeeded.  Plus, he has a ton of fun modern stuff like the gorgeous Vault Metals above (and his autos are often very affordable) to chase to distract from the relative monotony of hunting for vintage & oddballs & such.

She-Hulk PMG #'ed /100..

5.) Comic Card PCs (She-Hulk and Rogue)- This was the tough one.  Nothing else was quite jumping out at me like the first four.  I thought just maybe higher end Marvel in general, but that's too loose and a tad difficult to define.  But there's a good sized crossover between my She-Hulk (non-sketch) collection and higher end products.  I have the above Precious Metal Gem from 2015 Fleer Retro Marvel and a few other items from higher end sets.  As for Rogue, it's just a weird nostalgia thing.  A lot of my stuff of her is from the '90s, and I've always regretted never being able to afford all those sweet early & mid-'90s comic packs they had at the grocery store back in the day.

So there you have it.  The, err... five-ish collections I'd keep if I had to dramatically shrink my collection.  Thanks for stopping by!  Seeya again whenever I get around to editing scans.

Until our next...

Sketch Cards

A Moana from last year I finally got around to coloring..

It's funny (in a tiresome way) how people suddenly disappear whenever I state a desire to make money with my art, even when it's just to try to make a few bucks because I'm always completely broke by the end of every month (and often well before).  Nevertheless, I persist.  Making a little art here & there is all I have the energy for.  Perhaps spurred on by exceptionally the dire straights my checkbook is in at the end of this month, I've had a little more energy for it than usual.  Of course no one is going to pony up the $10 I'm asking for one of these (honestly, given the time it takes and the quality I can pretty consistently touch these days, they're worth 2-3 times that [and that'd just put me at earning minimum wage in a state with a slightly below average minimum wage]) in time for it to make a difference this month.  But anyway, they're done, and I'm not entirely displeased by them.  So take a gander, if you would.  They're available for sale of trade.

Raven..

There's probably at least one a Raven in most bunches of sketch cards I reel off, but this is easily the second best attempt at drawing her I've ever done.

Snake Eyes..

I don't really have much to say about Snake Eyes.  The shading just turned out really nice.  Arguably the best of the entire bunch.

Gray She-Hulk..

I don't pay much attention to comics anymore, so I didn't realize She-Hulk had been going through some shit until recently.  I think I might like the gray version better, tbh.

Cyborg..

I very nearly completely ruined Cyborg with the paint pen, but ultimately he might be better for it.  I'm also quite fond of how the bits of cartoon Cyborg look on an otherwise basically comic booky version of him.

Supergirl..

The first card I drew up of this bunch, but I think only the eighth I finished.  I have a growing love for the Kingdom Come-style black background on the S on her chest.

Captain Marvel..

And now one of the later ones I started but the first one I finished.  Not much to say again.  I like it, but it's not my favorite.

Poison Ivy..

Getting into the home stretch with the last one I actually like.  I thought about, & briefly attempted to make this a Harley & Ivy puzzle, but alas.

Nightcrawler..

Unless I'm doing athletes, I usually traffick in girlie cards, but the dudes were respectably represented this time.  I don't like how Nightcrawler himself turned out (though I don't mind it as much, looking at it as I type this right now), but the BAMFing background is alright, I guess.

Catwoman..

Yeah, I dunno WTF is supposed to be going on in the background there either.  I had an idea for it, but I pretty much I botched it completely.  Oh well, the rest is passable enough, I guess. 🙄

And that be that.  Like I said at the top, hit me up if you're interested in anything.  Thanks for stopping by!

Until our next...