Note: FUSM'97 = Fleer Ultra Spider-Man '97, a now-legendary series for introducing Marvel sketch cards. Odds of pull was 1:288 packs; caliber of artists was at a peak that would never be matched.

Soul of Marvel (Updated 3/2/2012)

PREVIEW: THE SINISTER SIX!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: prenz,

Your collection is a thing of beauty! What you've done would've been hard to do when the cards were widely available back in 1997, so to have added so many standout cards in recent years is all the more remarkable.

I remember paying about $30 per box (possibly less) on the 3 boxes of FUSM '97 I got only to find no sketch at which point I gave up, happy with my Red and Blue base sets. I remember not liking that the set had no inserts other than sketches, and that those were one in every 12 boxes. But had I ANY idea of the quality of the artists working on the sketches for that set, I would've certainly picked up a few more boxes!

Sketch cards were pretty novel back then, but I remember calling for them in the early 1990's when the original Impel/Skybox sets were coming out. I mentioned it to some people working on those sets at Comic Con and they said they'd think about it. A mere 5 years or so later, and viola, Fleer Ultra Spidey 1997!

(I also like to think I gave the Topps people the idea to put sketch cards in Star Wars sets, about 15 years ago, but I can accept someone else probably thought of it first!)

Now that I have been sufficiently effusive with my praise for your monumental achievement, I will say it is unfortunate, though, that the Mota card is of the Scarlet Spider, which more than possibly any other character in the company's history represents "soulless" Marvel, which is to say, absolutely anything for a buck. The Clone Saga is an all-time low in comics period, and not just Marvel Comics. So much hackery and multiple covers with that awful character. Also, who is the artist Mota? Did he work on Marvel Comics, or was he one of the Kubert students who unforunately did many of of sketches for the Marvel Creators Collection in 1998? For me, that card, just stands out as lacking compared to the other tremendous examples in your set. There's one other artist I hadn't heard of, but his card is a cool character and very well drawn.

But again, congrats on the collection overall. I tip my hat and sat again, what a haul!

Cool insight about hinting to the card companies for sketch cards And I'm glad you enjoy the pieces!

What's cool about FUSM'97 is that the artist lineup covers far-past talent, recent-past talent, recent/ modern talent, and even, somehow, future talent.

By future talent, I mean that some of the sketchagraph artists in the set became way more famous in the future (2000-onwards), which is awesome because the sketchagraphs themselves become the non-sport analogy of 'rookie cards'.

In particular, Chris Bachalo and Mike Deodato Jr. each had a meager handful of mainstream credits (between the two of them!) when they drew for FUSM'97. Years later, they would be become Marvel's headline acts on Uncanny X-men and Amazing Spider-Man.

You were close, chesspieceface... Carlos Mota was like a Kubert-School artist except he was working for Deodato Studios in Brazil. He did pencil a full Tales of Suspense issue for Marvel and a few lesser titles but he did not explode like Deodato himself in later years. I've attached the original scan of the Scarlet Spider; an interesting fact is it took me 10 years to realize the background structure was a bridge! I have to admit Scarlet Spider might be my favorite Marvel character, so I see the piece differently. He was popular when I was 13 and at the time I just couldn't get enough of the clone saga. Of course at the time it was all I knew, but I'm glad the piece has a home with me all the same

This message has been edited. Last edited by: prenz,

I was older when Scarlet Spider came around, and had kind of outgrown superheroes by then, so that may be part of my reaction to it. I have come back around and read them again from time to time. Old habits did die hard back then, though. I collected X-Men up until about 5 years ago, but I've probably still haven't read the last 10 years of issues I did collect, and I'm not sure I will before I pass them along.

During my youth, Spidey was the wonderful stuff by Stern and Frenz and the rest, the black costume before Venom, the original Hobgoblin, Marvel Team Up's final days, Spectular Spidey with the awesome Hannigan covers and Cloak & Dagger, basically the era around 1982 to about 1987 or so. Great stuff that was, and before the gimmick covers and endless crossovers which sold like gangbusters at the time, but ended up hurting comics in the long run.

Now that you've mentioned Deodato in relation to Carlos Mota, I definitely see Mike's influence on Mota. This card IS well drawn and would certainly a special treat, given the set it is from, for any Ben Reilly fan.

It is indeed a great thing that some of the lesser known sketch card artists from the early days of them have gone on to bigger things. I was a big reader of DC Vertigo in the 1990s and Bachalo did work for them (a pair of Death miniseries), so I would've been impressed with that card even in 1997. While it's true he wasn't as well known with Marvel fans and had only done a small fraction of the great work he's end up doing (and is still doing), DC fans knew him very well by 1997. He may have done Generation X for Marvel by then, I'm not sure.

And certainly, the Rittenhouse sets, with the large roster of emerging European artists they generally use for their sketch cards, means that definitely some stars of tomorrow have already done sketch cards for RA that will someday be considered "early" work from great careers, definitely the case with some artists in FUSM9, I agree.

Good stuff, thanks again for sharing!

Most likely the most complete and best sketchagraph collection of FUSM. Your persistence is well noticed. A great collection that's worthy of being very proud of.

Thank you Tim...

There have been two new additions to the collection since my post:

-A breathtaking Kingpin (w/ large diamond) on Row 2

-A dynamic, attacking Spider-Man on Row 1 by Alex Saviuk.

LINKS

Gallery Room
'Soul of Marvel' FUSM'97 Collection

Hope you enjoy the new cards and arrangement...!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: prenz,

Very nice collection!

I for one hope you can complete this.its amazing.you are one collector who must have a ton of passion to get this far!!I have just couple of these which a saved from a collection a bought in some years ago.I woundnt even dream about going for more!!!keep up the good work!!!

I have 3 different sketches from this set.

Steve Skroce

Tom McWeeney

Sal Buscema

See I'm only a one or two behind you. keep hunting!!

Here is my newly uploaded History Reel - a series of historical snapshots of my collection beginning 10 years ago. It adds some perspective on the developing themes and how much work and trading it really took to build the current set..!

1st image in the series, 'History I':

This message has been edited. Last edited by: prenz,

I used to have a number of these some years ago,I remember when they 1st come out.very new sketch cards back then!!back in the day when people collected amd paid good ££ for base sets and chase so the sketch card where reasonably priced back then.God I wish I had a time machine!!!never see them now.dryed up completely

All gone now!!

quote:

Originally posted by markdennett:
I have 3 different sketches from this set.

Steve Skroce

Tom McWeeney

Sal Buscema

See I'm only a one or two behind you. keep hunting!!

I would be curious to see the McWeeney or Skroce since I know they are not easy to come by.

What was exciting about markdennett's claim is the following. It is confirmed in an elusive checklist that Tom McWeeney drew 5 (five!!) Sketchagraphs only for this series: a Mysterio, Punisher, Rhino, Goblin and Doc Ock. Over 15 years, the online community of Sketchagraph hunters have tracked down 3 of these 5 cards, all confirmed in the checklist:



The center is mine, and the two sideline pieces belong to American collectors in different states. The only two characters the haven't been tracked down by Tom McWeeney are Rhino and Doctor Octopus. This is more or less 'insider knowledge.' Long story short, after friendly conversation over e-mails markdennett told me in response to my asking, that his McWeeney was of the Goblin. This was a lie flat out, as is likely the claim to owning a Skroce or McWeeney piece at all. The Goblin resides in New England, not England. markdennet hasn't responded to e-mails or signed in here since I caught him in his facade, it's a bit sad.

I've actually encountered this before in another forum, maybe people are eager to fit in to a circle I don't know, get a few minutes in the spotlight lol... I wouldn't feel the need to call him out on this odd behavior if I didn't waste the better part of an afternoon in a goose chase of an exchange.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: prenz,

I am new to this forum, I found a Sal Buscema 1997 fleer sketchagraph in my box of baseball cards. I had no idea it was worth anything! I hate to sound ignorant, but could you fill me in? I appreciate it!

What's the chances of posting a scan of it? Or at least tell us which character it is to start off with, details help with determining a value (or range).

This week, two badass Marvel Villains made their way into my collection



The Bullseye is a new favorite... according to an old checklist published in Tuff Stuff's Collect, it is the only single FUSM'97 Sketchagraph of this key Marvel character...

Check out the updated 45-piece gallery here!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: prenz,

Wow, that Sienkiewicz card is another feather in your cap, and what a cool character for him to draw!

And really, a card like that settles the argument once and for all in terms of how much time an artist must spend on a sketch card for it to be successful. I'm sure Bill didn't spend more than 2 minutes on that card, and yet, due to his skill level, he captures essence of the character in a way that would might take a lesser artist a half an hour or longer to do.
The point is, only especially high caliber artists should be hired to do sketch cards and if that means they're one per 12 boxes like these ones were, so be it. That way, even if they don't take especially long to draw each card, the collector is still getting something worthy of being called a one of a kind piece of artwork all sketch cards claim to be.

Congrats again, and good luck with the search, I know there's no way you're done yet!

incredible you even found two more -
Shannon Denton's non-Rhino cards are rare.

'Piece,

I'm glad you liked the Carnage, and I think your analysis is spot on with regards to the current status quo. At the same time, though, maybe it's a fantasy to think such a caliber of artists will come together for such a card project ever again. It's something that makes this series special, so a part of me is glad that it remains a pinnacle with regards to rarity and quality.

Chris,

Good to hear from you again! Thanks for that, it's a tough game nowadays. The Denton is indeed a little gem, cool to see the artist outside of the Rhino-box

FUSM is the best set representing 80's and 90's Marvel, absolutely, and selections from it are extremely rare, no question about it, but giving it serious competition for the best overall Marvel related sketch set is 998's Marvel Silver Age, (the newer artists like Czop, Schaeffer, Ribeiro added to the roster to fill out the sketch artist roster notwithstanding. They did good work, but it should've only been artists who worked on Marvel Silver Age comics.).

Silver Age boasted art from Gene Colan, John Romita Sr., Marie Severin (who put on a drawing clinic with her cards), George Tuska, John & Sal Buscema, Joe Sinnott, Dick Ayers, and even a few sketches by Stan Lee himself. That is a lineup unlikely to ever be matched in one set. Without those creators, it's a good bet Marvel Comics wouldn't have been around in the 1990's to make such an awesome set as FUSM 97 in the first place. MSA also has an amazing Autograph card set which FUSM lacks.

On the other hand, in addition to the amazing roster of then-newer (and several now legendary) artists (I'm stilled saddened by the sudden loss of the great Mike Wieringo), FUSM also had sketches from some of those same established masters (Romita, Sinnott, Colan, Sal Buscema, and even Tom Palmer who was sorely missed on Marvel Silver Age. He signed autograph cards but did no sketches).

It's that artist selection and the mere one sketch found in every 12 FUSM boxes that really puts FUSM selections over the top. Those are some long odds, but for those who beat them, virtually every sketch I've ever seen from this series was totally worth it.

It's my understanding that those cards were drawn by whomever happened to be around the Marvel offices, or else the various editors of the day gave a few to the artists working on the books they were editing, and that's how they ended up with that stellar artist list.

In terms of the quality of the artists involved both FUSM and MSA have another serious rival. The 2001 Inkworks Simpsons Mania sketch set featured very limited sketch cards from a celebrated group of animation directors credited collectively with helming more than half of the series classic first couple of hundred episodes, the show's Golden Age certainly, and the standard for artistic success by which all future sitcoms will be measured, not just the animated ones. And since I personally consider the Simpsons TV show in total to be more crucial to the world of pop culture than even the entire history of Marvel Comics (which I also adore), the Simpsons Mania sketch set is unmatchable in my book, the "Soul of the Simpsons", to borrow a phrase.

But again, hats off to your stunning collection, I am here to praise it, and Hulk green with envy for it. Keep 'em coming!

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