Topps begins a very unique program next month: Artists on Demand. Through this special program, you can commission your favorite Topps artist to illustrate a high-quality custom sketch card on an officially licensed Topps’ Artist on Demand card. Simply select from a menu of options and Topps will deliver your card “in just a few short weeks.”

Topps has not named the participating artists yet but has listed a few of the properties you’ll be able to choose from–select from one of Topps’ staples including Garbage Pail Kids, Wacky Packages, and Mars Attacks. A new artists line-up will be presented each month and will include featured artists and rookie artists

The program kicks off June 3. Topps notes that each artist will be limited to just 100 cards each making them very limited and highly collectible.

The panels are entitled “MARVEL: Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way,” set for Friday at 5 p.m. Saturday’s panel, “MARVEL: From NOW! to Infinity,” will take place from 4-5 p.m. Additionally, Marvel will be accepting portfolios on Friday and Saturday, and talent scout C.B. Cebulski and others will conduct reviews on Saturday and Sunday from 2-3:30 p.m. in Room 110.

“We are excited to bring an industry leader like Marvel to Wizard World shows,” said John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. “Many of our fans have a close connection with the movies, comics and characters Marvel produces, and these two panels and review sessions are excellent additions to an already packed lineup for Philadelphia Comic Con attendees.”

Eisner Award Hall of Famer Stan Lee, co-creator of many of those characters, is among the headliners at Philadelphia Comic Con. Barry Kitson (“Amazing Spider-Man”), Phil Noto (“Uncanny X-Force”), Khoi Pham (“Scarlet Spider”), Julian Totino Tedesco (“Thunderbolts”) and Leinil Yu (“Indestructible Hulk”) lead a top-drawer collection of well-known artists and writers, many with Marvel connections, attending the show.

The first panel, “Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way,” features Kitson, Noto, Tedesco, Yu and Cebulski helping aspiring artists find out the answers on how to get their foot in the door and make their job MARVEL.

Then, “From NOW! to Infinity” highlights the current slate of Marvel NOW! titles and the forthcoming summer mega-event Infinity, with editors Tom Brennan and Jake Thomas, Noto, Pham, Yu, Cebulski and other Marvel guests taking questions on what’s to come in the Marvel Universe.

For more on the 2013 Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-pa.html

Cover art to Avengers #15 by Leinil Yu

Press Pass has released details on the costume cards that will appear in its Parks and Recreation trading card series shipping next month. The series will feature a wide array of show-worn relic cards including single, double, and triple piece cards. The single cards will include three levels: silver unnumbered, gold numbered to 99 or less, and blue holofoil numbered to 25 or less. The double and triple piece cards will be exclusive to the gold and blue holofoil levels.

One unique feature of the relic cards will be that they feature a photo match from the specific episode for each wardrobe item featured. On the back of the card is a picture of the article of clothing taken at Press Pass HQ along with the season number and episode number it appeared in. On the card front is a photo from the specific episode.

For more information on Parks and Recreation Trading Cards, be sure to pick up a copy of the current issue of Non-Sport Update. Included inside is a feature story on Press Pass’s latest entertainment trading card release.

When comparing them to the US version of the set, I noticed a few differences–firstly the cards are printed on a thinner cardstock but are of better quality with a sharper more consistent print; And secondly, and of interest to US collectors, there are six cards which have different photos than the US set. I am not sure why they changed the images but I guess Topps may have had slightly more time to get the UK version out, so cards they were unhappy with such as #55 which was of a abandoned scene and #52 a transporter shot without transport FX, could be replaced.

Below are the cards, including a variation on card #46, which is of an orange explosion rather than the US’s blue colored card.

Stark Trek The Motion Picture card #4 UK Version

Stark Trek The Motion Picture card #11 UK Version

Stark Trek The Motion Picture card #46 UK Version

Stark Trek The Motion Picture card #52 UK Version

Stark Trek The Motion Picture card #55 UK Version

Stark Trek The Motion Picture card #76 UK Version

Stark Trek The Motion Picture card #78 UK Version

Mars Attacks will be the first licensed product for the four-year old company, Mantic Games. The company has previously released three gaming systems—Kings of War, Warpath, and Dreadball as well as supplementary products such as Dwarf King’s Hold and Project Pandora. “Mars Attacks is a cult classic series that fans have been falling in love with generation after generation,” says Ronnie Renton, Mantic CEO. “Its oddball blend of retro sci-fi visuals, dark humor and over-the-top violence will make for a unique tabletop experience…our team can’t wait to bring the Martians to life in ways no one has ever seen before!”

According to Mantic, the game will be set against the backdrop of the new and expanding Mars Attacks universe and will feature all of the fun and thrill of the classic series, plus new characters and factions that will see action in upcoming comic books and toys. It will also tie-in closely with Topps’ just-announced all-new trading card series, Mars Attacks: Invasion, releasing in October.

“Mars Attacks is a world where giant robots, mutated insects and hordes of Martian soldiers face off against Earth’s military and innocent civilians— how could you not want to see a game out of that?” says Topps’ Adam Levine.

Upper Deck 3 Heroic Threads Stark Industries version

Upper Deck 3 Heroic Threads A.I.M. version

Bubby informed us that there are actually two versions of the patch cards, one with the “Stark Industries” logo and another version with “A.I.M. – Advanced Idea Mechanics” logo embedded in the card. The A.I.M. version is a true one-of-one card, while the “Stark Industries” version has at least two cards. The odds of finding any of the patch cards are 1 in 20,000 packs, so I wish everyone good hunting!

Bubby went on to explain some background on the origin of these cards which is as fascinating as the cards themselves. “These cards also nearly did not get produced. Re-shoots for Iron Man 3 went well into 2013. As a result there was quite some delay in obtaining assets from the film (which also caused a delay in the product launch unfortunately). It all worked out in the end, however, as we were able to get our hands on some amazing material from the film. Upon receipt of the material, our keen-eyed staff in North Carolina noticed some great looking pieces that would look amazing in a card. It was then determined that we somehow needed to get these in the product. Our design team quickly developed a card frame and at the last-minute, we were able to sneak these in!”

Iron Man 3 AIM Tank Top Movie Image

Iron Man 3 Stark Industries T-shirt Movie Image

The patch cards, as well as the additional memorabilia cards, “can be seen all over the screen. Pepper Potts full white suit. Rhodey’s green polo. Harley’s corduroy jacket. Tony Stark’s hoodie. Full suits from Happy, Killian and Savin. We even received a pair of Tony Stark’s plaid pajama pants! Amazing Stuff,” says Bubby. It’s clear that Upper Deck made it a priority to feature memorabilia cards that collectors spot while watching the movie which will be an extension to the cards collectors have in their sets. The accompanying photos in this article show the patch card pieces form the actual movie shots. The Stark Industries logo actually is on the back of the black and grey shirts that Tony wears in his lab.

Non-Sport Update inquired if collectors can expect future Marvel movie sets featuring exclusive limited cards. Johanson explained that  cards such as the patch cards are generated based upon the material that they are able to secure from the studios. “In the past, we have not been fortunate enough to get items with logos on them. For example, Thor’s cape and Captain America’s pants aren’t built for logos. If we ever obtain special items such as these, however, you will be sure they will make an appearance into the associated set”.

It’s always fun and exciting for collectors to try to pull one of these rare cards. Who knows, all you may need is that one lucky pack! But as all card collectors know, it’s the thrill of the chase that’s most of the fun and we still all enjoy the cards in each pack, common or otherwise. Thanks to Upper Deck and Bubby Johanson for sharing another fascinating aspect of our hobby! For the record, the first card to surface finished up last night at an astounding $1,526.07. Heroic indeed!

Viceroy Card Company has released the sell sheet above with details on Carnival, the company’s upcoming premium pack, sketch card series.

In the second portion of the panel, the five artists were joined by exhibiting artists Dave Sharpe and Jeff Zapata and the seven artists participated in a Q&A session. Rhiannon Owens talked about delays in getting her Lace trading card series. George Wright told us about his fruit label collection (which was quite comical). You can view the panel below.

And while on the subject of video shot at the 58th Philly Non-Sports Card Show, we thought we’d share a video taken by Cardboard Connection Radio at the show, which includes a great overview of the types of merchandise one might find at the Philly Show as well as interviews with several dealers and our own Roxanne Toser. See that below.

Offerman has provided 29 different inscriptions that are each very Swanson-esque. And they are all one of one’s! As an example, here are ten:

• “Lil Sebastian”
• “Scotch”
• “Red Meat”
• “Funerals & the Grand Canyon”
• “Oak”
• “Christian Becksvoort!”
• “Ron Swanson”
• “Breakfast Food”
• “America”
• “Duke Silver”

See our exclusive gallery below showing seven of the cards. There are 19 others which will be randomly found in packs of Parks & Recreation, now shipping June 5. The cards are all on-card autographs. In addition to inscriptions and silver metallic base autos, look for rare red ink signatures as well as two sequentially numbered autograph levels (gold metallic #’d to 99 and red metallic  #’d to 25).

Full details on Press Pass’s Parks and Recreation trading cards can be found in Non-Sport Update‘s brand new Jun/Jul ’13 issue, making its way to stores and newsstands now.

[Show as slideshow]

The show had a long line as usual on Saturday prior to the opening as collectors were anxiously awaiting to get onto the showroom floor to seek out everything from vintage trading cards to the newest releases. Two dealers had an incredible display of 1950s and 1960s sets, wrappers, unopened packs and display boxes many of which are seldom seen; other vendors were offering modern cards with many hard to find chase cards from newly released sets including Marvel Greatest Battles, Iron Man 3, Bettie Page Series 2, and Superman: The Legend, among many others. There is always something for everyone at the show. Saturday was quite busy as collectors filled the aisles looking for cards to complete sets or to start collecting something new. There were raffles every hour on both days with some outstanding prizes donated by manufacturers and collectors, highlights being a Topps Star Wars Galactic Files printing plate boxed set and a number of binders from Topps including Star Wars Galactic Files and Garbage Pail Kids; Rittenhouse Archives also had a raffle every hour with many hard to find items including reward card bundles for Marvel and Star Trek; Cryptozoic Entertainment was handing out free packs of new releases including Alphas and Superman: The Legend. The modest admission fee gets you all this and more!

Cryptozoic Entertainment’s Miranda and George at the Philly Non-Sports Card Show (photo by Cliff Tooker)

Speaking of more, there are more and more free promos at each show as well! There were approximately 50 different promos being offered at the show through admission packs, manufacturers, dealers and artists that it’s a fun challenge in and of itself to track them all down! Breygent Marketing once again led the way with an astounding 17 promos, all offered in different ways – at the Breygent table, at dealers tables, and “mystery” promos that were distributed at Red Robin (four different) and one at the Card Talk gathering on Sunday morning. Rittenhouse Archives, Cryptozoic Entertainment, Topps, SideKick, Monsterwax, Cult Stuff, Viceroy Card Company, Rocket Ink Studios, Rusty Ink, Scifi Cards, Perna Studios, 5FINITY, Asylum Studios, Benchwarmer, Versicolor, and the Philly Show all provided to the promo cavalcade as well.

The manufacturers all had previews of upcoming releases for collectors to view and collectors have the opportunity to speak with all of them in a relaxed setting. Crytpozoic Entertainment offered previews of DC Comic Women of Legend cards including a binder and sketch card preview; Breygent had previews of Dawn New Horizons, Grimm, and American Horror Story; Rittenhouse Archives had Game of Thrones Season 2, True Blood Legends, and Star Trek The Next Generation Heroes & Villains autograph cards on display; Topps had samples of Ewok fur from the upcoming Star Wars set as well as Mars Attacks samples; and Monsterwax had previews of upcoming all original artwork sets. The Philly Show is often the only place to see these previews for the first time.

Traditions abound at the Philly Show, and a staple of the weekend is having the best artists in the industry set up at the show offering original artwork, prints, and commissions as well as interacting with collectors. The roster for the show included Sean Pence, Rhiannon Owens, Jeff Zapata, Mick and Matt Glebe, Lark Sudol, and Dave Sharpe. Artist Laura Inglis was set-up at Derek Woywood’s table; artist Chrissy Spallone was available at the Monsterwax table; fan favorite Warren Martineck was at the Rittenhouse Archive tables; and Wacky Package artist George Wright was also in attendance and offering original art. I saw many collectors at the show who picked up impressive artwork to add to their collections, and just to have a chance to look at the artist’s offerings and portfolios is not to be missed.

Breygent Marketing at the Philly Non-Sports Card Show (photo by Cliff Tooker)

Sunday morning is the Card Talk gathering and has been the norm it was filled to capacity. Harris Toser, Production Manager of Non-Sport Update gave Card Talk members an update of what to expect in future issues of the hobby magazine, and also announced popular artist Gary Kezele as a confirmed artist for the fall Philly Show. Harris did a fine job of standing in for a number of people who were unable to attend Sunday morning including Non-Sport Update Editor-in-Chief and resident comedian Alan Biegel who had car problems but was able to make it home safely. The artist’s gathered for a panel discussion about upcoming projects and other areas of interest to collectors. George Wright created quite a buzz as he displayed his collection of fruit labels, which he collects because they don’t cost anything so they are perfect for the collector on a budget! I think there may be some new fruit label collectors after this weekend! An impressive assortment of prizes were distributed to collectors including unopened boxes, uncut sheets, sketch cards, collecting supplies (from Bags Unlimited), goodie bags, and the grand prize a complete Spellcasters set. No one left without something and Cult Stuff provided promo cards as well as an exclusive Tilted Kilt card from Breygent Marketing and two artists cards from the Chicago Non-Sport Show.

An important aspect of the show, which was mentioned by many attendees over the weekend, is it is not just the cards that are important, but seeing so many collector friends who we may only get to see once or twice a year. This is another reason why so many collectors travel from all over the globe to be there. Our good UK friends “Hammer” and “Graham” were entertaining as always, collector “Curler” and his dad came from Canada and were welcomed back, as well as collectors from all over the country. We are a close community and there is plenty of after hour activities in which to spend time with others whether it’s at the Sands Casino, the Red Robin, or the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn where you can find collectors gathering in the lounge almost anytime of the day (or night)!

As I said at the beginning, there is so much to see and do that I have only covered a small sampling of what to expect at the show. If you have considered coming please try to come out to the next show as every non-sports card collector needs to experience the Philly Non-Sports Show at least once, so then you will never miss another show. As the Borg would say “resistance is futile”!

Please note: You can see many more pictures from the 58th Philly Non-Sports Card Show in our Facebook album.

The NSU Card Talk Artists Panel with Matt Glebe, Mick Glebe, Rhiannon Owens, George Write, and Laura Inglis (photo by Cliff Tooker)