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HEPREEEL OUTLANDER  SPECIAL EDITION BUFF MONSTER STAR WARS WIDEVISION  TOPPS PROJECT 2020 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EBAY | SUMMER 2020 Y C A G E L HE ST T O M HE AL OF T VERSI S O 0 R 8 CONT F THE ' O S D R A C GARBAGE pail kids Be the biggest geek in the den Get the Garbage Pail Kids, MTG, and Pokemon cards your collection needs at ebay.com/tradingcards C O N T E N T S X SPECIAL EDITION TRADING CARD MAGAZINE GARBAGE STAR WARS TOPPS S PP PAIL KIDS WIDEVISION PROJECT 2020 O T T: DI E Cover story: How GPK went The groundbreaking Artist Sophia Chang puts her spin R C E from playground contraband to movie trading cards turn on iconic baseball cards. PG. 26 G A M collector’s item. PG. 16 25 this year. PG. 22 II EBAY | DEN OF GEEK 1 EDITORIAL MIKE CECCHINI Editor-in-Chief DEPUTY EDITOR Chris Longo ASSOCIATE EDITORS Alec Bojalad, Kayti Burt, David Crow, Don Kaye, John Saavedra, Tony Sokol UK EDITOR Rosie Fletcher UK TV EDITOR Louisa Mellor NEWS EDITOR Kirsten Howard SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Brian Berman ART DIRECTOR Jessica Koynock AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGISTS Elizabeth Donoghue, Ivan Huang ADVERTISING AND MARKETING JENNIFER BARTNER-INDECK CEO and Group Publisher PUBLISHER Matthew Sullivan-Pond UK ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Adam McDonnell US ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Andres Ball AD OPERATIONS MANAGER George Porter DEN OF GEEK MAGAZINE CHRIS LONGO Print Editor CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lucy Quintanilla ART DIRECTOR Jessica Koynock ASSISTANT PRINT EDITORS Alec Bojalad, Kayti Burt, Mike Cecchini, Rosie Fletcher, Nick Harley COPY EDITOR Sarah Litt PRODUCTION MANAGER Kyle Christine Darnell PUBLISHER Matthew Sullivan-Pond This special edition magazine was produced in paid partnership with eBay. All editorial and opinions expressed are those of Den of Geek. CONTACT US Den of Geek is a trademark owned by Den of Geek World Limited, a company incorporated and registered in the United Kingdom whose registered office is at The Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London EC2A 2RS Den of Geek US Incorporation Details: DoGTech LLC, 601 Heritage Drive, Suite 484, Jupiter, FL 33458, Phone: +1 561-656-2377 2 DEN OF GEEK | EBAY Denofgeek.com Den of Geek EBAY | DEN OF GEEK 3 Don’t Leave Home Without It Trading cards have always been a gateway into fandom. OP-ED BY BRIAN VOLK-WEISS T he beginning of my adven- it sounds like a cliché, but I really do ture with collecting cards remember sitting in bed, huddled was, as with so many things under my blankets with a flashlight, in my life, due to Star Wars. going through a huge stack that my When I was very young I was en- little hand could barely hold (no, thralled by everything about a galaxy that infamous C-3PO card with an far, far away, but we didn’t have a lot of apparently erect penis was not one of money for the toys. them!). I’d flip through the green ones, Even so, at the start of the Star Wars and the blue ones, and as I did the hysteria, there was a real dearth (to movies unspooled in my mind. They use a fancy word) of merchandise. were magical, and they were precious Even if you could afford a Millennium to me. I still have some. Falcon, you might not be able to find The next step on my card collecting one. But you could find the cards, and path began in the schoolyard at PS 144 they were affordable. I’ll never forget when I was in the fourth grade. A those first ones I had, with the blue bunch of my fellow students background and the little white dots. were hovering intently Then there were the green ones, and around something. I while for some inexplicable reason I went over to get a don’t have distinct memories of The look and discov- Empire Strikes Back cards being in my ered that they grubby hands, I was blown away when were focused on a Return of the Jedi cards hit the shelves. bunch of cards. My Their vibrant red borders made them interest immedi- seem like they were all Time magazine ately waned. Never to Garbage Pail covers! There was Jedi Luke looking at a sports fan, as I Kids. And like his hand, Luke talking with Princess got older I associated every other kid Leia, and R2-D2 throwing off a shower cards with baseball and my age at the time of sparks when he got shot trying to football and all the games I got very excited and break into the Endor bunker—those that had never managed to hold immediately informed my cards spoke to five-year-old me in a my attention. In my mind, my beloved mother that we needed to start buying very profound way. Their impact can’t Star Wars cards were the exception to Garbage Pail Kids cards in bulk! be overstated. the dullness of cards as a rule. Such cards were often referred to We were living in a world where But as I got closer I saw that these as “trading cards” but that term really there were no DVD players, and were different. They were brightly didn’t apply to my Star Wars collec- even VCRs were still a little ways off. colored and depicted what, in my esti- tion. My friends and I collected them, Collecting those cards enabled me to mation, appeared to be crazy cartoon but we never actually traded them. relive the movies in my head. I know characters. This was my introduction Garbage Pail Kids were different—we 4 DEN OF GEEK | EBAY Garbage Pail Kids were cards continues. I am in the fortu- rebellious playground contraband for ‘80s kids. nate position of partnering with my frequent collaborators Brian Stillman and Kelley Slagle on a new documentary titled Igniting the Spark: The Story Of Magic: The Gathering. At the start of the process I knew next to nothing about the topic, but Brian Stillman kindly introduced me to its intrica- cies and now I am spellbound (pun intended!). Despite never being good at them, I’ve always been intrigued by mathematics, so I have become enthralled by Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: The Gathering. He first envisioned the game back in 1991 while he was a doctoral candidate in combinatorial mathematics. The documentary will be a deep dive into the history of Magic: The Gathering. As anyone who has seen The Toys That Made Us and The Movies That Made Us knows, I am extremely interested in the human stories behind all of these cultural phenomena. Magic: The Gathering’s story is an amazing one—what literally began with homemade cards became the most profitable game on the market, ultimately becoming so successful that it even wound up purchasing its precursor, Dungeons & Dragons (apolo- gies to all the Owlbear fans out there!). Being a part of this project has been a pleasure, and learning how Richard Garfield’s initial idea has blossomed into a multi-billion dollar industry has been an amazing journey. Being a small part of Igniting the Spark: The Story Of Magic: The Gather- ing makes me feel like I have come full circle. What started off as an obsession for Star Wars cards and transitioned did actually trade them. I vividly re- designated 1A and 1B—each fea- into an infatuation with Garbage Pail member, despite the fact that it’s been tured the same artwork, but carried a Kids—I still have my Nasty Nick and 35 years, giving up something in the different name. They were obviously my disgusting, despite its good name, range of a dozen cards in exchange for trying to have twice as many cards for Brainy Brian (I don’t have, or want, a Nasty Nick card, designated 1A. Now the same amount of artwork. From a the really bonkers Fryin’ Brian)—has S PP to put that in perspective, when this business standpoint, you can’t argue culminated in this documentary about O F T card was offered to me in a trade my with that logic. From a collector’s the most successful card game of all O Y reaction was the same as it would be point of view, as well as a little boy’s, time. They say you shouldn’t make S E T if someone entered my office now and the double designation was really cool predictions, but I’ll go out on a limb R U O offered me a trade for the actual Mona because it meant you had the chance here—just writing this foreword has C TS: Lisa—a Nasty Nick 1A was serious to collect 200 cards instead of 100— renewed my interest in cards so much DI RE business. it made the hunt that much more that my wallet will soon be feeling C E A quick aside: I always found it exciting. some pain. G A M funny that Garbage Pail Kids had cards Today, my involvement with trading I can’t wait. I EBAY | DEN OF GEEK 5 Cards of Autumn Cryptozoic gives Outlander fans a piece of the action with Season 4 trading cards. BY AMANDA-RAE PRESCOTT O utlander fans are passion- third quarter of 2020, but Den of Geek choosing characters, costumes, and ate collectors of themed was offered a sneak peek. The set con- scenes we want to feature in the set, merchandise. Jamie and tains 72 base cards with five chase sets. the most important thing we can do Claire’s Funko Pops from Season Many of the cards feature character is listen to the fans,” Dustin Por- 1 are frequently sold for hundreds pictures and quotes from the series. ras, Cryptozoic’s assistant product of dollars on eBay. Hot Topic and Autographs, wardrobe cards, and dual manager, says. “There are a number Torrid’s Outlander themed collections wardrobe cards are sorted randomly of Outlander fan groups on Facebook sell out every time they are offered. in each pack. and other platforms, where we can Cryptozoic’s trading card sets take this After each season of Outlander airs, engage with fans, ask questions, and to the next level by offering fans of the Cryptozoic negotiates with Sony for get an idea of what they expect in our time-travel drama cast autographs, the right to use the most memorable products.” costume swatches, and the occasional images, wardrobe swatches, and, on Some of the wardrobe cards found card redeemable for set props. occasion, props from the season. The in the set include a swatch from The full Outlander Season 4 trading company also negotiates with agents Roger’s (Richard Rankin) corduroy card set is due to be released in the to obtain actor autographs. “When jacket, Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) shiny 6 DEN OF GEEK | EBAY Jocasta, Claire, and Briana are three of the sought- after characters featured in Cryptozoic’s Outlander Season 4 trading card set. black jacket worn in Wilmington, Based on fan feedback on past sea- playing card deck. Fans will have to and Stephen Bonnet’s (Ed Speleers) son sets, the most popular card from collect four boxes to get a standard rust-colored jacket. Earlier in June, the Season 4 set will likely be any 52-card deck. On each playing card, special wardrobe cards featuring one Jamie cards, followed closely by any there’s a number and suit indicator, of Aunt Jocasta’s (Maria Doyle Kenne- Claire cards. “Sam Heughan... has an and the character image is duplicated dy) floral print dresses, and Brianna’s extraordinary charisma and has done and flipped for ease of visibility. Early (Sophie Skelton) yellow embroidered an amazing job of connecting with testing by Cryptozoic staff revealed dress were released as a special bonus fans across the world,” Porras says. fans were excited to have a hybrid of for committed collectors. The most “Right up there with Jamie is his wife, collector cards and playing cards. sought after wardrobe cards in past Claire Fraser, played by Caitriona Fans who enjoyed Jamie and releases have been the ones featuring Balfe. She is the true star of the show, Claire’s journey to establishing Fras- swatches from Claire’s iconic Ver- and we see the entire series through er’s Ridge in North Carolina should sailles red dress. her eyes.” definitely consider owning a piece of Autograph collectors should look Outlander trading cards are not the action when Cryptozoic’s Outland- C out for the cards featuring Season 4 playable as their own game, but the er Season 4 trading card set is released OI OZ guest stars such as Adawehi (Tantoo Season 4 set is usable as a traditional later this year. T YP Cardinal) and George Washington R C F (Simon Harrison). Many of the actors O Y add doodles or short taglines from OUTLANDER EBAY EXCLUSIVE S E RT their characters to give fans a personal U CO touch to their collection. Obtain- Shop at eBay.com for an exclusive bundle of Outlander Season TS: ing the autograph cards is the most 4 + Exclusive Oversized Wardrobe Cards featuring Jamie, DI RE time-intensive part of the production Claire, and Aunt Jocasta (4 different sets). Available August 17 C E process for staff, as the majority of the G A M Outlander cast lives overseas. I EBAY | DEN OF GEEK 7 Grab Your Umbrellas Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy is getting a line of collectible trading cards, including an exclusive eBay set. BY ALEC BOJALAD O n Oct. 1, 1989, 43 women Available only on eBay will be a around the world gave birth limited 500 set run of exclusive cards. simultaneously, despite Each eBay pack will include nine none of them being pregnant when character cards from Umbrella Acade- the day began. Seven of those chil- my’s first season. Characters featured dren found their way into the care of are “Number 1” Luther Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Har- “Number 2” Diego Hargreeves, “Num- greeves and his Umbrella Academy. ber 3” Allison Hargreeves, “Number Now the Umbrella Academy kids 4” Klaus Hargreeves, “Number 5,” are making another, perhaps even “Number 7” Vanya Hargreeves, Hazel, stranger transition… into the world of Cha-Cha, and Pogo. trading cards. “The idea behind it really is to Sci-Fi Hobby, a division of Ritten- offer something on a retail basis that house Archives and a specialist in gives us and eBay the opportunity to nerd-friendly collectible cards, will be promote the show and our business- releasing the first ever batch of Um- es in general,” Charendoff says. “I brella Academy trading cards on July think there’s some pretty compelling 29, just two days before The Umbrella upside. This is clearly an eBay prod- Academy’s second season premieres uct. We’ll build on that if it proves on Netflix. Previously Sci-Fi Hobby successful and I’m optimistic that it has been the go-to card spot for genre will be successful.” IPs like The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and a little-known (at the time) HBO fantasy series they decided to take a chance on called Game of Thrones. “I have a good feel for the kinds of shows that have really good upsides,” Rittenhouse Archives President Steve Charendoff says. “With Umbrella Acad- emy, nothing would really surprise me. It’s a great franchise.” The Umbrella Academy set of cards will feature scenes from the first season, exclusive autograph cards, relic cards featuring “screen-used” costumes and props, one-of-a-kind sketch cards, and many more unique collectibles. All will be available via traditional packs, boxes, and binders. But in addition to the usual production of cards, SciFi Hobby has cut a deal with eBay for an additional exclusive offering. 8 DEN OF GEEK | EBAY