Over seven seasons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer saw many characters come, go, come back from the dead and turn into vampire dust. Roughly 50 per cent of those were female. So why not give them their own set?
Okay, cheekiness aside, Inkworks’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the Women of Sunnydale is a tribute to the show’s superb characterization and casting. As the name of the set suggets, the 90-card set revolves around all the pretty (and nasty) ladies that roam in the show.
Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Anya, Tara and Dawn each get their own nine-card subsets that map out the progress and changes each of them went through over the course of the show. The remaining cards are divided into subsets aptly titled “Good Girls”, “Bad Girls”, and “Girlfight.”
The design has a celtic feel to it, which helps bring out the dreamy qualities of the stars. The biggest problem I have with the set comes in the image selection. Many of the photos are grainy and/or blurry as they look to have been taken directly from show stills rather than promotional material. Had there not been such large borders, some of these images would have worked better as the cropping wouldn’t need to be so tight. But the borders are stronger than a lot of the pictures so I’d rather them stay.
The insert cards are highlighted by autographs and Pieceworks cards featuring swatches from screen-worn costumes. The autograph line-up is a big selling point as it includes many key Buffy players, even if the likes of Buffy, Willow, Cordelia and Faith are absent. But when you’ve go such a strong supporting cast to pick from, this isn’t a big problem. The autograph card layout doesn’t change much from most of Inkworks’ other autograph designs because it’s a case of not broken, no need to fix.
Switching the Pieceworks from a horizontal to a vertical design is a big plus, although it does do a nice job of hiding the fact that costume pieces are getting smaller.
The base chase cards are a mixed lot. Personally, I’m not a big fan of Inkworks’ foil nine-card foil puzzles as the individual cards can be hit and miss with little focus. “Fashion Emergency” is no different. For example, the FE-5 I pulled is simply the left side of Buffy’s chest. Okay, for many that’d be just fine (perverts) but on a single card I find it beyond boring. If I build the entire puzzle and stick them in pages it’ll look great, but that doesn’t help the fact that I have one card highlighting a headless Buffy’s chest.
The show’s boys get a chance to appear in “Ladies’ Choice”, a classy glitter foil insert set. These are a simple and effective use of available technology.
“Double Lives” box toppers are pretty tame, but an interesting concept. They focus on the duality of the show’s personalities. I got Buffy and there’s nothing wrong with that since it has more than just her chest.
My box met my expectations, yielding two full base sets. It was disappointing to pull an autograph redemption, but in the long run I’m happier with a better-then-average autograph. The Pieceworks card was my favourite pull in the box. From other breakdowns I’ve read, Tara’s sweater looks like it might even be slightly short printed.
Overall, I like this set. It provides good value and a solid lineup. The theme of the set is maintained throughout and fleshed out in good detail. It’s hard to say much really wrong with these ladies.
2004 Inkworks Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Women of Sunnydale Box Breakdown:
Packs per box: 36
Cards per pack: 7
Total cards: 262
Cards in set: 90
Singles: 90
Doubles: 90
Triples+: 64
Inserts: 8
- Autographs (1:36): 1 (A4. Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers – Redemption)
- Pieceworks (1:36): 1 (PW-4. Tara’s Sweater)
- Fashion Emergency (1:11): 3 (FE-5, FE-6, FE-7)
- Ladies’ Choice (1:17): 2 (LC-4, LC-5)
- Amber Action Figure Redemption (1 per case): 0
- Double Lives Box Loader (1 per box): 1 (BL-2)
