Xena: The Quotable Xena - Rittenhouse, November, 2003
6 cards per pack. 135-card base set. 3 checklist cards that have a ratio of 1:10. Unique parallel sets. And that's just the regular cards? AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! *bangs head on keyboard* Okay, I'm a collector. I've got the collecting virus. I like assembling sets, and chase sets, and opening my first box - despite all the money that gets sucked into it. But this is just nuts. I think that Rittenhouse has now officially gone overboard. Pretty soon we'll have to buy a case just to assemble one basic set. Rittenhouse, you're getting too greedy.
Okay, after seeing Beauty and Brawn come out, I still expected another Xena card series from Rittenhouse. The Xena card thing is just too good of a cash cow for Rittenhouse. And when I heard of the concept of the quotable series, I thought, hey, that actually sounds pretty cool (and damn smart). As daunting as the 135-base-card set is (yikes! - how many boxes am I gonna need for this one?), it's a great way to recap the series and highlight some great moments (and great writing - are the episode writers gonna get a percentage?). My only question now is, what the hell are they going to do for future sets? A series based on all the items Xena has stuffed in her cleavage? Or a listing of all the episodes on which Gabrielle spewed chunks? Or maybe a card series based on all the people Xena has had sex with. How large of a base set would that be? ;)
I just have one complaint, or suggestion really: a Joxer chase set is long overdue. I'm not some huge Joxer nut or anything (not that I ever had anything against the guy either), but he was a major character on the show. I even sent a letter to Rittenhouse saying as much. Callisto should also feature in coming sets. And what about a subtext chase set? A nice series of cards with Xena and Gabrielle kissing and all emotey? After seeing the 'Eternal Friends' subset, it's pretty subtext friendly. But then, them calling it 'Eternal Friends'... And with the two Gab/Jox cards in the 'Words of the Bard' set, looks like Rittenhouse is trying to cover all angles ;) You can send your own suggestions to custrelations@scifihobby.com. Let's tell 'em what we want! Since they are determined to break all our piggy banks :P
Now I get it. I kept hearing different base card amounts for this set. Some eBay auctions mention a 138-base-card set. The promo cards mention all 134 episodes. For those of you just as confused as I was (if that's humanly possible): there's one title card, then the 134 episode cards, making a 135-card set. But then there are three checklist cards numbered C1, C2 & C3. That's why some people are referring to the 138-base-card set. Why did Rittenhouse bother to separate the checklists? It's not like 3 more cards woulda made anyone gasp after hearing that the set was going to be over 100 *shrug*
