Hey, anatomy students! Ever heard the word, cryptozoic? – from the Greek, meaning “hidden life.” It is also the name of an enterprising company, Cryptozoic Entertainment, Inc., a premier developer and publisher of original and licensed board games, card games, comics, and trading cards. I first became aware of Cryptozoic Entertainment, Inc., at SDCC 2017, where it occupied booth #115!
This being my first San Diego Comic-Con, or any comic-con for that matter, I was totally ignorant of Outlander trading cards, so I found this arena utterly unexpected and fascinating. I hope you do too!
Cryptozoic.com has already created S.1 Outlander collectable trading cards and plans to create more for each upcoming Outlander season. Sadly, S.1 cards are apparently completely sold out from distributor’s shelves. But, if you are willing to skip a mortgage installment or rent payment, they can be bought on e-Bay. Or, try trading something special, like your first born. Naw, just joshing! Please keep your kid!
Who is the genius behind the Outlander trading cards? A young man named George Nadeau of Cryptozoic Entertainment, Inc. George kindly consented to an audio interview wherein he explains the development, production, availability, and distribution of Outlander trading cards. I mispronounce his last name in the recording; it actually rhymes with “meadow!” Apologies, George!
Listen in for a few moments as George describes the cards and how you can get Outlander Season 2 cards in your hands sooner rather than later!
The Cryptozoic booth sold Outlander S.2 promo card sets, each consisting of three cards: two were visible at purchase. A third wild card was sandwiched between the other two so a buyer knows not which wild card is inside. There are different wild cards, some are from S1 or S2, or from promo images. I purchased 17 sets for friends and moi ($11/pack of three). One of my promo packs displayed Claire in her garden gown on one side
Jamie in his leaping stag coat on the other side.
The wild card bonus sandwiched between the two visible cards was Jamie in repose. Luck of the draw! <G>
The booth also featured an enclosed display of Season 2 Outlander trading cards, which will come on sale over the next few weeks. The cards are chosen randomly and packaged in packets, usually of 5 trading cards. The packet cards typically include images as well as wardrobe cards, printing plate cards, double wardrobe cards, autographs cards, etc. S.1 had 72 unique base cards; at present we don’t know how many base cards will be available for S.2. Also, each card is numbered, so if you buy more than one pack and get duplicates, you trade for cards you don’t have.
Clearly, if you plan to trade cards, you will need more than one packet to obtain duplicates. There are also other “special” cards that can be purchased and collected including gold cards, silver, or silver Fraser brooch cards. The highly desirable wardrobe cards contain swatches of the fabric used in making a specific costume. Think, red dress! Double wardrobe cards contain swatches from two costumes. Think J and C wedding outfits!
The following are some S.2 cards that will become available soon as shown in the display case at booth #115.
A lovely composite of Roger and Bree!
And, this one makes me laugh! Apparently, every card Lionel signed includes a mustache and beauty mark (or some type of facial markup), courtesy of Mr. Lingelser!
I hope you enjoyed learning a wee bit about this wonderful culture of Outlander trading cards. Who knew? Not me!
Stay tuned for more SDCC 2017!
A deeply grateful,
Outlander Anatomist
Disclaimer: I am neither spokesperson for nor beneficiary from posting about Cryptozoic Entertainment, Inc.