Tag: topps

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 48 & November prize winners

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#WearStarWarsEveryDay survived the madness of Thanksgiving weekend shopping with a streak of game related Star Wars wear, as we finished up November and the Thanks-for-Giving donation drive with some cool prizes! Our top prize package would have been won by Nancy L., but she graciously declined the four book package to have it used again as a prize. As we had four donors who contributed at the level to be eligible for our Topps Star Wars trading card books, they each get a snazzy book! The other two prize packages (a copy of Ahsoka signed by both E.K. Johnston and Ashley Eckstein, and an advance reader copy of Maul: Lockdown) remained elusive – I guess I need to set lower minimum donations for those prizes in the future. Here’s our winners:

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  • Star Wars: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume One from Abrams ComicArts- Shauna R.
  • Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume Two from Abrams ComicArts – Yacov F.
  • Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume Three from Abrams ComicArts – Jen R.
  • Star Wars Galaxy: The Original Topps Trading Card Series from Abrams ComicArts – Danielle J.

So how did Week 48 go? I wore a variety of shirts, including several related to different games, from foosball to Trivial Pursuit to the Bounty Hunt at Star Wars Celebration. And a big thank you to our donors in the Thanksgiving week: Nancy, Yacov, Jen, Shauna, and Danielle. We also give thanks to Mark and Ian who each donated a shirt in this week, and also wish to thank Dani who lent two of the shirts in this time period.

Every day I wear a new and different Star Wars apparel item, my daily pledge makers will chip in $4.65 to Collateral Repair Project! This review for Week 48 covers November 25 to December 1 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for and the latest happenings at Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation via GoFundMe or a per-day pledge.

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 47 & Cyber Monday bonus!

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Celebrating Thanksgiving is what #WearStarWarsEveryDay is all about for Week 47! But more importantly, we have a special offer in our Thanks-for-giving prize drawing! If you donate to Collateral Repair Project via GoFundMe today, Cyber Monday, or tomorrow, Giving Tuesday, I will double your chances of winning a prize in the prize drawing! We have seven different prize packages to give away, including a set of four Topps Star Wars trading card series books, some of which are signed, a copy of Ahsoka signed by both the author E.K. Johnston and audiobook narrator Ashley Eckstein, and an advance uncorrected proof of Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber. Just chip in $20 or more, and you’ll be entered into the prize drawings with double odds! Not even a Corellian gambler can give up those chances to win! (Especially since so few donations have been made, you’re practically guaranteed to win something!) All persons making donations through the end of November will be eligible for the different prize drawings, but your chances are doubled if you donate on 11/28 or 11/29!

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Back to week 47: I wear a variety of shirts, including an Adidas soccer jersey, and a Disney Cast Member exclusive stormtrooper helmet schematic tee. For this stretch of my fundraising campaign for Collateral Repair Project, we give thanks for a bunch of fine folks who lent me some wear this week, including Dani, Lori, Russell, and Trina. Plus a shirt I bought as a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish through the 501st Legion, so now it’s doing double duty! But sadly no donations in this time frame – makes for a sad turkey!

Every day I wear a new and different Star Wars apparel item, my daily pledge makers will chip in $4.65 to Collateral Repair Project! This review for Week 47 covers November 18 to November 24 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for and the latest happenings at Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation via GoFundMe or a per-day pledge.

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: November Thanks-for-giving prize drawing!

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Just like your local PBS station, it’s time for another donation drive for Collateral Repair Project via #WearStarWarsEveryDay! We can’t do it without the support of viewers like you! With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I’m turning the rest of the month of November into a big Thanks-for-giving promotion with a huge pile of prizes available to good people who donate to help Collateral Repair Project in their goal of providing emergency assistance, education, and community support for urban refugees in Amman, Jordan.

Donate at least $20 to the Wear Star Wars Every Day GoFundMe from November 14 to November 30, and you’ll be entered into prize drawings for some very cool Star Wars book prizes, including some awesome titles from Abrams Books!

  • A set of four Star Wars Topps trading card series books from Abrams ComicArts. These books contain the artwork of the full sets of the original Topps trading cards for Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Star Wars Galaxy trading card sets. Plus each book contains a packet of bonus cards. Plus, the Return of the Jedi book and Star Wars Galaxy book are signed by the author of the introduction and commentary, Gary Gerani, the original editor of the Star Wars Topps series. This four book set will go to a random donor who donates at least $75 on the GoFundMe from 11/14 to 11/30.
  • A signed copy of Star Wars: Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston from Disney Lucasfilm Press. The new Ahsoka young adult novel, signed by both the author, E. K. Johnston, and the voice of Ahsoka Tano and audiobook narrator, Ashley Eckstein. This book will go to a random donor who donates at least $40 on the GoFundMe from 11/14 to 11/30.
  • Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown Advance Uncorrected Proof by Joe Schreiber from Del Rey. This advance copy of Maul Lockdown was published in 2013 for advance reviewers and others prior to the novel’s hardcover release in January 2014. This uncorrected proof will go to a random donor who donates at least $40 on the GoFundMe from 11/14 to 11/30.
  • Star Wars: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume One from Abrams ComicArts. At nearly 550 pages, this volume reprints all the original Topps Star Wars trading cards from 1977 and 1978 – all five sets, including sticker cards. Plus it also covers the Wonder Bread Star Wars trading cards and comes with a pack of four bonus trading cards. This 2015 book will go to a random donor who donates at least $20 on the GoFundMe from 11/14 to 11/30.
  • Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume Two from Abrams ComicArts. This volume reprints all the 1980 Topps trading cards for The Empire Strikes Back, all three sets, sticker cards, and giant photocards. Plus it comes with a pack of four bonus trading cards. This 2016 book will go to a random donor who donates at least $20 on the GoFundMe from 11/14 to 11/30.
  • Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume Three from Abrams ComicArts. This volume reprints all the 1983 Topps trading cards for Return of the Jedi, both sets, sticker cards. Plus it comes with a pack of four bonus trading cards and contains a signed and numbered bookplate by Gary Gerani, the original editor of Topps Star Wars trading cards and author of the book’s introduction and commentary. This 2016 book will go to a random donor who donates at least $20 on the GoFundMe from 11/14 to 11/30.
  • Star Wars Galaxy: The Original Topps Trading Card Series from Abrams ComicArts. This volume reprints all the Topps trading cards in the Star Wars Galaxy trading card series from 1993 to 1995 showcasing original art from a lot of big names in comic, movie and fantasy art. Plus it comes with a pack of four bonus trading cards and contains a signed bookplate by Gary Gerani, the original editor of Topps Star Wars trading cards and author of the book’s introduction and commentary. This 2016 book will go to a random donor who donates at least $20 on the GoFundMe from 11/14 to 11/30.

Drawing will be held in early December, and all prize winners will be notified by email. Star Wars Topps Trading Card books generously donated by Abrams Books. Good luck! Remember that your donations help Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit that provides assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees. Learn more about Wear Star Wars Every Day!

Thanks for giving to Collateral Repair Project via Wear Star Wars Every Day!

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The first image of Padme and Anakin… From 1993?

brian-ashmore-padmeHere’s a little oddity from the past: Brian Ashmore’s painting of Anakin Skywalker, his wife and baby Luke from 1993. Originally painted for Topps’ Star Wars Galaxy 2 card set, it may very well be the earliest depiction of the couple, for all it was pulled from the set by George Lucas himself. Here’s what Ashmore himself had to say about it back in 2008:

There are a couple things that I find interesting about the image. First, my depiction of Padme (I had no idea of her name at the time…this was 6 years before Episode 1) looks a bit like Natalie Portman. Second, Anakin’s shadow on the wall is in the shape of Darth Vader. I’ve always wondered if this image might have influenced Lucas even just a little tiny bit in his casting of Natalie Portman or even the decision to have little Anakin’s shadow be in the shape of Darth Vader in an early Episode 1 promo poster. Probably not, but I can dream. Can’t I?

I don’t know about the casting choice – Iain McCaig seems to be the culprit there – but the shadow? Stranger things have happened… In any case, the painting eventually saw the light as ‘The Skywalker Flame’ in the Star Wars Galaxy 5 set.

On that note, the Skywalker family is our current Tumblr theme – queued through Friday and including a reblog of the original post that reminded me of this.

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The fandom minute: TPM documentry, PT defense, AT-STs in the park, plus cake

gffa-docContinuing adventures in TPM nostalgia. Everyone’s talking about the documentary A Galaxy Far Far Away, which has a 10th anniversary edition out. (Hey, it was news to me!) The reviews are not all so good, though.

And on that note… Somewhere on the internet, someone is always defending the prequels.

Pro art: Colleen Doran shares the original sketch for her Anakin/Padme card from the Galaxy 4 set.

Gathering: A Geekdad spotted a Star Wars event in in London, Ontario a few weeks back.

There must be cake. Perhaps the most amazing AT-AT cake you’ve ever seen.

Fun fact: Darth Vader’s reveal to Luke is the most misquoted phrase in film.

What? I can’t believe GalacticBinder found even one, let alone ten Star Wars surfing crossovers.

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StarWars.com reveals long-lost Galaxy artwork

Kevin Nowlan’s Obi-WanHere’s more reason to get excited about Topps’ fourth Galaxy series: They’re pulling some of the art that never made the first three sets! One of these pieces – John Rheaume’s levitating Yoda – has become rather infamous over the years, but others (like Kevin Nowlan’s Obi-Wan at right) will be new to many of us:

As expected, the original artists were delighted by this belated recognition of their efforts. “How great to have my Star Wars artwork finally see the light of day!” beamed Chris Moeller, one of a handful of illustrators showcased in SWG4’s special chase set entitled “The Lost Galaxy.” His unique rendering dared to show what the stormtroopers look like beneath their helmets – a full decade before George Lucas decided that all of these ubiquitous Imperial soldiers were actually clones of Jango Fett. Indeed, Boba’s enterprising father didn’t even exist as part of the Star Wars mythology back in the ’90s.

Intriging! The six ‘Lost Galaxy’ cards will also include pieces by Joe Ciardiello, John Pound, and Tim Burgard.