Lord of the Rings Revisited

My first venture into the Non-Sport card realm were "Lord of the Rings" cards, and in fact if you go back and read my first blog entry you'll see that a Michael Duron "Gandalf" sketch was my first sketch card purchased on Ebay. Unfortunately the last Topps "Lord of the Rings" set (Masterpieces II) came out in 2008, so there's basically no new product coming into the marketplace. Still, I have an Ebay search saved so whenever an auction is listed with the words "Duron sketch" in the title, I get an email and a link. And I'm constantly looking for more of Mike's Lord of the Rings sketches. That's where I picked up the Gimli sketch pictured to the right. Classic Mike with the big nose and little dots for eyes, but also I like the crosshatching in both the beard and the background. Cool sketch. As for the Sam sketch, well I lucked out and pulled it at the Philly show back in May! Technically my nephew pulled the sketch, but from a box that I bought- so I'll give him credit for the pull.. but it's mine ALL MINE! My precious...

That's all for now, so thanks for reading...

Luke, R2, and a Chick with a Gun..

I picked up these two cards a while back and haven't gotten around to posting them. The Luke and R2D2 sketch is from "Galaxy 6" and the Aurra Sing is from "Clone Wars: Rise of the Bounty Hunters". The Aurra Sing was actually pulled from a pack out of a box of cards at the Philly show back in May- one of two Durons that I got out of boxes at that show. It was a good show! I won't say how much I paid for the Bounty Hunter box- but it was obscenely cheap- and pulling a color sketch by Mike was an added bonus. I picked up the Luke and R2 card on Ebay, and I must say I really like Mike's hatching and cross hatching shading work from this set. One of my other favorite Artists, Patrick Richardson, did some amazing cross hatching work on sets like Star Wars Galaxy 4 and Indiana Jones Masterpieces- check out his stuff if you get a chance (you can go to sketchcollectors.com, click on "Collectors Gallery", then under the "Select Artist" dropdown pick Patrick Richardson). I actually got 2 of Mike's "Lord of the Rings: Masterpieces II" sketches recently, so hopefully I'll be doing a post about them soon. Stay tuned.. and as always, thanks for reading...

Galaxy 6 Return

While I like all 6 of the Star Wars movies, I'm a big fan of the original trilogy. So when Mike asked me if I wanted one of his Galaxy 6 return cards, I said I definitely did and went to thinking about what I wanted on it. I thought about some of my favorite scenes and came up with Luke's training with Yoda on Dagobah- two iconic characters. Mike agreed to draw the scene for me.. but didn't tell me he was sneaking another character onto the card (more about that later). Now I had read that Mike recently got engaged plus he's working on other projects, so I knew I was in for a bit of a wait. But since I've dealt with Mike before with return cards I also knew it was worth the wait. Mike didn't disappoint. When I got the card I was super impressed. The first thing I did was posted a scan of the card on Scoundrel Art to share it other collectors, and I was a little surprised by the first response... "Awesome card. Is it just me or does the tree kinda look like Vader?". I looked at the card again and the tree definitely looks like Vader! One of the most important moments of Luke's training is his "encounter" with Vader in the tree, so I was impressed by how much thought Mike put into the card to find a way to add that special touch. This card definitely is one of my favorites! I hope it's been a good summer for everyone. As always, thanks for reading...

A Happy Ending..

In my "Red.. with character" post, I mentioned a card that I had bought on Ebay that I was waiting for. I waited for 11 weeks, and had pretty much given up on it. The seller had even given me a refund. The card was a cartoonie Caricature of Chewbacca, and Mike had put "Chewie" at the bottom of the card. As soon as I saw it on Ebay I wanted it. Around the same time, my buddy George had opened a case of Galaxy 6 and pulled the R2D2 version with "R2" written at the bottom, and George knows I collect Duron sketches, so I knew he would sell it to me. I don't know how many characters Mike had done in this style, but I knew I would have 2 of them. Then the wait for the "Chewie" card began. After a week the card hadn't arrived, so I checked the Delivery Confirmation number. It said the card had been mailed, went to a sorting facility in Maine, and had departed that facility. Then nothing. Another week went by and the D/C number said the same.. sorting facility in Maine.. then nothing. The card was lost. I called the Post Office that it departed from in Maine. They said they had some problems, but things were straightened out.. I should get the card shortly. Another week.. no card.. no change in the D/C number. By now a month had gone by. That's when I (reluctantly) asked for a refund. What a disappointment. I checked the D/C number for another 2 or 3 weeks and no change. Finally I gave up. No more checking. I went back to buying on Ebay and actually bought another of Mike's sketches from the same buyer from Maine- one with Luke and R2D2. So when I got an envelope from Maine last week I opened it expecting to see the Luke/R2D2 sketch. I almost fell off my chair when out slid the Chewie sketch! I checked the postmark.. March 7, 2011. ELEVEN WEEKS. There's alot I could say about the USPS right now, but I'll reluctantly say "no comment". At least I got the card. I contacted the seller, repaid for the card, and had a smile on my face. Now comes some irony. I waited for the "Chewie" card for 11 weeks, and had also talked to George in late February/early March about buying his Duron "R2" sketch. I met George on a Saturday to pick up his "R2" sketch, came home, got the mail, and there was my "Chewie" card. It was a good day. Until my next post, thanks for reading...

Two Mean S.O.B.'s

I like how Mike can draw anything- from cute and cuddly to scary and deranged. I like to post multiple sketches, so when I got my latest Star Wars Galaxy 6 sketch- this Retail Red Ventress- I didn't think I had anything to pair it with until I found this Essence of Fairyland sketch that I forgot I had bought. When you think Essence of Fairyland, you would probably tend to think of cute little fairy creatures. Leave it to Mike to make Essence of Fairyland look tough and mean.. in a good way! As for Ventress, she's not too happy. It looks like someone just stepped on her birthday cake! A woman scorned for sure..

There's a good chance I'll be at the Philly Non-Sport card show in a few weeks. If you're out there, stop by and see me. Thanks for reading...

Red.. with character

If you read my last post, you know that Topps retail sketches (found only at Target stores) have an intentional aspect of "redness" to them. I'll generally buy any of Mike's sketches that I can afford, so when these 2 popped up on Ebay I was hoping to win them. I thought Samuel L. Jackson was cast perfectly in the role of Mace Windu- he portrayed Mace with the toughness that a Jedi Master should have. Mike picks that up perfectly in this sketch, and equally as well with his caption of "I don't think so". When it was put on Ebay, I really wanted the Luke sketch. Shown on his home Planet of Tatooine (with it's twin suns in the background), I love how Mike intentionally made Luke's hair more shaggy. That's maybe Mike's greatest strength as an Artist- he adds character to the character. That's just my humble opinion. I've picked up at least one more of Mike's sketches on Ebay that I'm waiting for, and I was lucky enough to get one of his Returns, so when I get those I'll post them. Until then, thanks for reading...

Chewy x2

Galaxy 6 has been a bit of a roller coaster for me as far as being able to get Mike's sketches. I've bought 7 of his sketches so far, but only received 6 in the mail. Just my (bad) luck, the USPS lost one of the sketches I bought, which realllllllllllllly bums me out. Especially since the lost sketch was of a unique style. Ironically (as far as this post goes), the lost sketch was a Chewbacca sketch. It's been almost a month since the lost Chewbacca was mailed, so I'm losing hope fast. Wherever it is- behind some Post Office bin, or jammed inside a Sorting Machine, I hope it's found and resumes it's travels to Pennsylvania (Delivery Confirmation tracking has it's last known whereabouts at a USPS Sorting Facility in Scarborough, ME on March 7th.. then, it disappeared). As it is, I've also been able to procure these two Chewbaccas- a color Hobby sketch, and a "red" Retail sketch. For those readers who don't know, Star Wars Retail sketches can only be found at Target stores, and have some aspect of "red-ness" to them to coincide with Target's color scheme. Chewbacca doesn't seem to be very happy in either sketch. In fact, Mike captures the essence of Chewbacca's anger. I, for one, would not wanna mess with this Wookie! More sketches to be posted soon.. until then, thanks for reading...

Clone Wars Widevision Revisited...

I really liked the 2009 Topps Star Wars: Clone Wars Widevision sketch cards because the bigger cards made for more surface area for the sketches, and some amazing cards came out of that set. Mike's work from CWW was fantastic, so much so that I had trouble finding any of his cards at a reasonable price. I think a majority of Mike's cards were color, so right out of the gate his cards were selling for $100+. I wasn't able to buy a single one of Mike's CWW until I met him at Disney last Spring and he offered me his last CWW Return- the Ventress that I posted in here last Fall. When this Ahsoka sketch (with, I believe, two 1G-88 Assassin Droids in the background) came up for sale recently on Ebay as a Buy it Now w/Best Offer, I put in an offer and got it. So finally I have a Michael Duron pack-pulled Clone Wars Widevision sketch. More Galaxy 6 sketches to be posted soon.. until then, thanks for reading...

Galaxy 6

After many months of being talked down, Galaxy 6 was released in early March to rave reviews. Topps hit a homerun with this product. Of course I had my eyes open for any of Mike's sketches that I could get at a reasonable price, and was able to pick up these two and 3 others thus far. Unfortunately, the one I was most looking forward to getting is seemingly lost in the mail. It was an R2D2 sketch that I bought on Ebay, and the seller sent it out the next day with Delivery Confirmation, but the tracking ends in Maine. What a complete bummer! Hopefully it'll be found and it will find it's way to me. As for the two sketches I've posted tonight, I love the crosshatching Mike has done on the Anakin, and the Vader is classic Mike. Just two great sketches. I have another of Mike's sketches already in my posession (but not scanned), and at least one more on the way, so I should be posting again soon. Until then, thanks for reading...

Rise of the Bounty Hunters!

Aurra Sing, Cade Bane, and Bossk never looked better. After I got my Clone Wars Widevision "Ventress" Return, Mike asked me if I'd be interested in a Rise of the Bounty Hunters Return. I had already made deals with 5 or 6 other Artists for Returns out of the product, but with Mike being my favorite it was a no-brainer. I thought back to a Return card of his from Clone Wars 2008 that I had bought that had Dooku, Palpatine, and Ventress on it, and asked Mike if he could do one with 3 Bounty Hunters on it- Aurra Sing, Cade Bane, and Bossk. He agreed to do it and wow, did he ever hit this one out of the park- a homerun! I think it's my new favorite. I particularly like some of the small details on the card- like the skull belt buckle on Cade Bane and the border Mike drew around the card. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. Next thing to look forward to- a Galaxy 6 Return card from Mike! Thanks for reading...

Odds and ends..

Just a few sketches that I've picked up in the past 2 months that I haven't posted yet. I particularly like the Indy Heritage sketch from "The Last Crusade"- a great scene in the movie and, of course, a very cool sketch by Mike.
Mike said he was rushed on his "Rise of the Bounty Hunter" sketches, but I still like the two that I've been able to pick up from that set. Anyways, thanks for reading...

Ventress Return

Okay, I know that I'm losing my memory but some days I wonder if it's gone completely. Like take for an example the picture to the right- this awesome Ventress "Clone Wars Widevision" Return card that I bought from Mike... LAST SUMMER. You'd think that would be something I'd remember to put in my blog. But noooooooooo.. my oatmeal filled head didn't even think about it til just now. I was actually going to post a few new Duron cards that I've bought in the past 2 months, and then my brain finally kicked in. Maybe it's because I have a "Rise of the Bounty Hunters" Return card on the way from Mike, or that I just sent him down payment for a "Galaxy 6" Return card.. whatever the reason, here it is. And as usual, the scan doesn't do it justice. One last thing- I was reading on Mike's blog that he got engaged over the holidays, so congrats are in order! Here's hoping it's the start of a great year. Thanks for reading...