Saddle up all you dirty, no good, two-bit sidewinders – there’s a new collection of trading cards in town, and Western Grim is going to show you how cool the old west can be.
I know what you are thinking, trading cards don’t hit the bull’s eye in terms of being exactly in our wheel house, but helping to further cool and creative endeavors certainly is, and that is exactly what we have found with this brand new property. In today’s world of mass-media and license-heavy product execution, it can be few and far between when it comes to getting new and original concepts that do not rely on the current Hollywood blockbuster of the moment to sell product. Personally, I think that is a complete shame because the world misses out on some really fun and well-developed ideas that are being nurtured by very talented, and highly creative people.
This is where Western Grim comes in, a new property brought to you by the folks at Barbarian Brothers. Western Grim is a bit of a throwback to the popular trading card concept (e.g., the Garbage Pail Kids) that incorporates Old West themes with delightfully fantastic designs. The brain child of partners (or in this case, “pardners”, as it were) Chris Faccone and Shannon Chambers, these trading cards build a world of western fantasy with unique characters and backstories that, one series in, already leaves you with wanting more.
What you get with this first series of cards is a cadre of unique characters that all play off of the American west theme, with fresh new takes. So, tumbleweeds, horseshoes, coyotes and even tequila bottles are all present, but these seemingly obvious subjects are never taken for granted and all of them have a unique spin. There are both good guys and bad guys that work alongside and against each other in the broad story that is playing out, and like a lot of properties, I am more drawn to the baddies. Faccone’s style suits them all well, but Howlin’ Jack Mason is my favorite of the bunch, even if he is not the craziest of concepts. He has the classic American Southwest feel, but Faccone’s style gives him more personality than any standard scroll art. On the other hand, Barb Hollis is a character with an entire head made up of barbed wire, so even in a well-defined world, the included concepts run the full gamut.
Additionally, there are checklist cards so you can keep track of the entire universe. The coolest part though is the “sketch” card that can be used to create your own Western Grim character that could be shared on the WG Facebook page. Neat!
As a Masters of the Universe/Remco/Realm of the Underworld/Barbarian Fantasy fan, I was already very familiar with Chris Faccone’s unique brand of art. If I was made of money, I would have commissioned him to do character pages for every MOTU and Warrior Beast character ever created, but I am very glad I finally get to move beyond being an admirer to actually owning some of his work. It pretty much goes without saying that all of the character art for these cards is stunning and it establishes a style and aesthetic that is true to the themes, but is wholly unique. There is a bit of playful cartoon quality to all of this work, but with some literal hard edges to the design that makes it feel classic and ultra-modern all at the same time.
Shannon Chambers is the co-creator and writer for the brand and her touch of pun with the names, combined with Faccone’s art makes for some very distinct and memorable characters. Unlike Faccone, I was not familiar with Chambers’ work prior to Western Grim, but as you can imagine, the two work quite well together in a time and place that it is difficult to take on anything that is new under the sun. Most of the writing comes in the form of the short character bios on the back of the cards, bit within those, the larger world is being built and you get a feel for some of the dynamics that are taking place between the good guys and the bad guys (both easily identifiable) and some broad plots are coming together. This shows a skilled hand because the story gives you a bit of direction, but still allows for a lot of latitude for your own imagination, and since crucial points are not front loaded in this go around, it helps secure plenty of material for future installments and series.
The cards themselves have been printed on high-quality gloss stock and all of the images are perfectly clear with no bleed or pixilation. The stock seems to be as thick as any playing card you would buy at a store, and even though I have been fighting my three year-old daughter for ownership of these since they arrived, there is no signs of wear and tear. I think quality and durability is very important for a collectable trading card set because these are going to get handled a lot and since they are great for kids too, you want to them to last a long time.
Since these are collectable cards, I have not included full spreads or bios for all of the characters because you really need to have the full deck of series one to experience it all properly. Luckily, the set is available now through the Western Grim website and for a scant 15 bucks, you can get a full introduction into this fun new world. Now, as an action figure site, we would be remiss in not mentioning that these characters would make GREAT little figures, perhaps something along the line of stylized vinyl, or in the same vein as M.U.S.C.L.E. Things or October Toys’ OMFG figurines. Hopefully something is cooking.
I highly recommend you take the plunge into the world of Western Grim. What Faccone and Chambers have created is a rare and delightfully fresh concept that welcomes the imagination with a very collectable footprint. As I said, new concepts are getting harder and harder to come by these days, so this is very welcomed and deserves to be nurtured. These characters and designs open up the Old West to a new and hip take that should find appeal with grizzled old collectors and imaginative kids alike. Do yourself a favor and check out the WG website and give this first series a spin. We will be right here to bring you any news and developments because we like fun, and Western Grim is certainly a lot of fun!
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