OLDS 2, 3 and 5 Sketches Versus the Rest

[quas]

There are great color and B&W sketch cards coming out with every series, but some of them start to get repetitive after awhile.  In OLDS 10, for example, we may see 28 different artists' renditions of Ajerx, and there is certain something to be said for that, showcasing the talents of various artists.  But is one artist's rendition of Ajerx in OLDS 10 necessarily going to be all that different from that same artist's rendition in earlier Wacky series?  There is something to be said for what was done in OLDS 2, OLDS 3, and OLDS 5, limiting the number of different Wacky characters that an artist can sketch in a particular series (to say, 20-25), which can result in some amazing displays of creative thinking among individual artists.  See the attached creativity displays of Joe Simko, Mark Parisi, Smokin' Joe Williams, Neil Camera, and Fred Wheaton when they were "forced" to draw only certain Wacky characters in the issuances of OLDS2 and OLDS5.  There are certainly pros and cons to both limiting and not limiting the number of different Wacky characters that could be drawn, but I wish that at least once in a while Topps would go back to what they did in those earlier OLDS series.

[RawGoo]

It is really interesting to see how the artists handled creating multiples of the same character, and also to compare Camera and Simko on Jerkitol.

One of the reasons I really liked those character limits was that we could generally be assured of some sketches based on the new Wacky titles!  Mr. Faulty was a great new Wacky character, but he doesn't get drawn in new sets; instead, like you said, original favorites like Ajerx get drawn.

[sco(o)t]

It is really interesting to see how the artists handled creating multiples of the same character, and also to compare Camera and Simko on Jerkitol.

One of the reasons I really liked those character limits was that we could generally be assured of some sketches based on the new Wacky titles!  Mr. Faulty was a great new Wacky character, but he doesn't get drawn in new sets; instead, like you said, original favorites like Ajerx get drawn.

I enjoyed that as well. Didn't we have one or two Old School series where all the sketches where of new titles?

[quas]

I enjoyed that as well. Didn't we have one or two Old School series where all the sketches where of new titles?

I know that certain artists have focused on all new titles.  I believe in Old School 4, for example, Brent Engstrom focused on Old School titles and stayed away from Original Series titles.

What is nice too, is when artists focus on what might be considered an individual or secondary character in a Wacky that contains multiple characters.  For example, if they draw a single sketch on any one of the multiple characters in Family Circuit.