2021 Favorite Cards

 It's that time of the year again where I agonize of my favorite cards of the year.  These can be cards I've featured on the blog no matter how I came about owning them.  This is always so much fun but is so hard.  This non-sport entry takes the top spot for 2021.  How can you beat Frankenstein smoking and taking a shot?  You can't!  This masterpiece was one of the Universal Monsters of the Silver Screen cards I showed off on Halloween.

Football was a tough call but I landed on this Retro Series Earl Campbell from a hanger box of 2020 Donruss Football. It's Earl Campbell, that Oiler uni, and the colors on this card all work so well for me. 

It's great when emotions are caught on cards.  In wrestling it may be a little more scripted but I truly believe these guys are loving the moment.  This 2019 Summerlam All-Stars card of Triple H flexing like a son of a gun is a great card.

This slick looking 1986 Throwback came out of a 2021 Topps Ronald Acuna Jr. tin.  You can feel Yadi in this photo.  That look.  A great player with great intensity.  The card itself looks really good with primary colors of the team name and his chest protector.  And the tats!  If you didn't know who Yadi was and saw this photo you'd want him behind the plate for your team.

This 2012 Press Pass Carl Edwards shows a young Carl Edwards.  Something about seeing him enjoy himself in a scene that would play out throughout his great career.  Him celebrating a win standing in the window of his car.

Upper Deck does photography so well.  I may not be a huge hockey fan but I love seeing their cards every year.  This year's top spot in hockey goes to Thatcher Demko on this 2020-2021 Upper Deck offering. 

 Everyone have a safe and Happy New Year!

Black Widow

Black Widow:  Didn't know what to expect from this movie.  Did we need a prequel with Black Widow?  I really like her character from the movies so why not?  I'd heard the movie was good but didn't seem to wow anyone.  I get it but I did enjoy the movie.  The characters really made the movie for me.  I already liked Black Widow and you add in her family and it gets even more fun.  We know Black Widows dies in the Avengers movies so what does this movie do for us?  It provides some fun background to her character's family who should all be used in a future series.  Her sister Yelena and mother Melina are Black Widows and her father Alexei is Russian hero? Red Guardian.  All three would work well in a series focused in Russia.  That said the post credit scenes do give us a glimpse of where they may show up later.  If you like Marvel watch this movie.  It is good.  Maybe it doesn't blow your socks off but I don't think you'll be sorry you did.  And David Harbour was my favorite as Red Guardian while Yelena is setup to be just as good as Natasha.

Natasha Romanoff and her sister Yelena Belova

Red Guardian (Alexei)

Red Notice

 

Red Notice came out on Netflix last month and looked fun.  It was.  It's not going to win any academy awards but it's a movie you can just sit back and enjoy with some popcorn.  It brings together Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and The Rock.  Johnson plays an FBI profiler chasing an art thief played by Reynolds and the fun begins.  There's a bit of over the top fun at times but that is the appeal.  You don't have to get wrapped up in this being serious.  It's great seeing Gal Gadot outside of her Wonder Woman character and she shines.  You'll get a lot of what you expect from Reynolds and Johnson but I'm okay with that in a movie like this.  I say give it a shot if you are at all interested.

2021 Christmas Goodies

 I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  Ours, like many others, is spread out as we can catch up with the kids and grandsons.  Ours was fun as always .  While I love giving presents at the holiday there's fun in receiving them as well.  I really enjoy hearing the thought process the givers put into the gift and the joy they get from it.

Jumping into the Star Wars High Republic book series.  I'd also been eyeballing that Braves book for some time.  Yes, yes that is season two of the classic Fame TV series.  Yes I already own the movie and season one.  The Headbanger's Ball was such a favorite of mine as a teen when it hit so I'm pretty happy to get the shirt.  Gift certificates always work and the Scooby socks go with the Scooby shirt...

...the Scooby shirt was part of the pajamas the family got from Mrs. Claus which is an annual tradition.  Yep I got the same Marvel shirt twice.  Love they they know me so well and it'll be easy to find one to exchange it for at the store. That tube at the top holds some Star Wars art that'll go up at work. 

Slowly filling out my AC/DC music collection.  Hot Tamales good!  As are Target gift cards.  We don't have one close but I always enjoy going to Targets.

Love that Black Panther shirt.  Really cool colors and art.  The Star Wars puzzle will keep me busy for a while.  I hope you all had a blessed Christmas.  I'm thankful for family and getting to spend it together. 

Loki

 Loki is a really good TV series.  While I love his character from the movies I was really leery of a different take on him hence how long it's taken me to see it.  But this worked really well.  Tom Hiddleston did a great job as the series which takes the Loki we know completely out of his element.  From there we see many different sides to him while still getting the wise cracking Loki we all love.  Owen Wilson is just as important to the success of the series.  I was like Owen Wilson but again it all works in a way that makes you like all the characters introduced here.  The writers did a good job.  Can't wait to see what season two brings.

Random Wax: 2021 Donruss Football Blaster with Holiday Relic

 2021 Donruss Football: This is a good box to look at this time of the year.  We'll kick it off with Brett Favre whose former team is in contention for the #1 seed in the NFC.

Not a favorite design of mine but no issues with my pull. 

These three are some of the photo variations which include sideline shots of the players. 

That Kyle Trask is a Optic Rated Rookie Preview Red & Green Parallel.

Ja'Marr Chase is having a good rookie year playing with former LSU teammate Joe Burrow.  Zach Wilson is still getting up to speed but a fun photo none the less.

Retired greats are always a great inclusions in sets.

Some wide receiver greats from around the league.

Blasters come with a Rookie Holiday Sweater Relic.  This is a pretty good rookie to pull this year even if the Steelers have struggled.  

Coaches get some love in this set as well.  Some "pretty good" running backs.

And some defensive goodness.  Fun box.  My pull was really good.  I'll end it with a great looking Christian McCaffrey card.  Enjoy a fun day of football.

BREAKDOWN:
88 – Total Cards
13 – Rated Rookie
8 – Variations
6 – Retired Greats
1 – Coach
1 – Elite Series
1 – Dominators
1 – Rookie Holiday Sweater
1 – Base Rated Rookie Portrait
1 – Optic Rated Rookie Preview Red & Green Parallel

2021 Topps Holiday Mega Box

2021 Topps Holiday Baseball:  Merry Christmas!  Topps threw out subtlety in this year's holiday offering.  But nothing wrong with going all in.  This Rare Yelich is the one variation I pulled.  I also pulled one of his last year.

I'm okay with the over the top design this year.  There is no mistaking these as holiday cards.  I prefer the 2019 or 2020 designs but not going to complain about these.

The set ise made up of Series 1, Series 2, and Update cards but also include players in late season trades who didn't make it into Update.  That includes this Kris Bryant card with him in a Giants uni.

Each box comes with a relic or an auto with me pulling a relic.

Some of your 2021 World Champion Atlanta Braves!

The Metallic Foil parallels are impossible to see.  You have to feel them and even then they can be missed on first pass through the packs.  Some of the card decoration is raised.  Kind of cool but definitely not a visual aesthetic.  

Each Mega box comes with an ornament.

A third of the box were rookies.

If only we had gotten an "Uncle Larry" holiday McCutchen card...

Really glad I found this box which was in a Wal-Mart I don't get to often.  Always fun for the holidays.  Hope you all have a great day and that Santa is good to you.  Merry Christmas!

BREAKDOWN:

100 – Total Cards

33 – RC

5 – Metallic Parallel

2 – All-Star Rookie Cup

1 – Rare (1:20 Packs)

1 – Holiday Relic

Shazam

Shazam: I can't believe this came out in 2019 and that I just got around to seeing it.  I liked it.  I'm probably not as enamored with it as much as some but DC deserves props for putting out a movie that the fans can get behind.  The characters are really good and likable and the story was solid.  I know we have the sequel coming out and look forward to seeing what that brings especially in regards to how the rest of the Marvel family play into it.  To that point I'm also a fan of Black Adam so that movie has me excited.  I know him from the Geoff Johns run on the Justice Society of America run.  I am disappointed Shazam isn't part of that though as Black Adam's natural foil.  I didn't read Shazam comics but did watch the Saturday morning TV series and really enjoyed it.  I'll be curious as to whether or not Shazam is integrated into the DC movie universe.  Joker is an out of universe movie, maybe the new Batman movie due out early next year is, and this one?  Seems like they should all be tied in together.  You can have a big universe with all these heroes in it.  Not saying it's easy but still...

The Shazam logo on his uniform is like a light on his chest which I didn't care for but that's just a personal taste.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season One

Star Wars: The Bad Batch:  Took me too long to watch this one as it does with many of the television series I want to watch but this is a really good show.  As good as the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars?  I don't know but it is close.  These guys were actually introduced as Clone Force 99 in The Clone Wars animated series. They are elite clone troopers with genetic mutations.  They are joined by Omega, a young girl from Kamino, and an unmodified replication of Jango Fett.  Chaos and lots of adventures begin as the series begins just before the end of the Clone Wars.  I won't go in to detail but will say this is a must see series just like Clone Wars.  You won't see all the main characters from the Star Wars universe but you'll really like these characters.  There are characters from the Star Wars universe who do make cameos though some won't resonate unless you are very well versed in the Star Wars universe. Highly recommend.

Wonder Woman 1984

WW84:  I really enjoyed the original Wonder Woman movie but I was hesitant about this one so it took me a while to see it.  It was a letdown.  Really hardly anything in the movie worked for me.  I'm a big fan of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman but the story here wasn't good.  I also like Chris Pine as Steve Trevor but I didn't like the idea of bringing him back.  I'm good with goofing on the 80s and that is fun.  But it seemed to carry over into some of the characters, specifically the main baddy Max Lord.  The premise for his character just didn't work and seemed goofy.  Cheetah could have been so much more but in the end seemed to be brought down by everything going on around her.  It just didn't work for me.  I haven't heard much positivity about the movie either.  I hope they can get back on track with the third installment from this amazon warrior but this is definitely one you can probably hold off on until you're really bored. 

2018 NFL Stickers

2018 NFL Stickers: These have been hanging around for a bit so why not show them off.  I know Christian McCaffrey is injured again and that really hurts.  I'm a big fan but I have a feeling he might not ever be the guy we once knew.  Still I believe in miracles and hope he can prove me wrong.

Stickers are always fun.  Dollar tree is where I usually find them but haven't seen any from any sport in quite a while.  These are the two foil cards.  In 2018 Bucs fans had no clue what greatness awaited them...

Speaking of the Bucs, defensive lineman Vita Vea has had a solid career and started almost every game he has played for Tampa Bay and scored himself a championship ring in the process. 

The base design on these isn't bad.  Simple but works for stickers.  Usually I don't mind if stickers get a little more adventurous but these work overall. Fun pack of stickers and a decent pull. 

BREAKDOWN:
10 – Total Stickers (2 packs)
2 – Foil
1 – Rookie
1 – Pop Warner