If you grew up at any time between 1975-1996, you’re probably familiar with the phenomenon of trading cards. For a quarter, you could get a pack of 10 or so cards of your favorite licensed property, along with a stick of gum that can double as a deadly projectile. Arguably, some of the best ones were based on the burgeoning summer movie blockbuster. I remember poring over my collection of cards from Tim Burton’s Batman all through the summer of 1989-90. Sadly, aside from a few holdovers like Batman Begins, they are few and far between nowadays. And even when they do surface, they simply aren’t as pure “fun” as the cards of yore.
An Example of the Batman (1989) cards.
I have to give huge props then to Blaine Hefner. He took this year’s slew of blockbusters and made his own cards, via the power of the internet and graphics programs! Originally done for the Salt Lake Tribune, these cards look so authentic, that if I didn’t know they weren’t real, I’d be hard-pressed to figure it out on my own. Be sure to check Blaine’s blog for a scan of the actual article from the Tribune, but he was kind enough to share some of the individual card images as well. In out gallery below, you can see what cards from Thor, Captain America, Green Lantern, Conan, Cowboys & Aliens and many more would look like is Topps was still as prominent now as they were then.
