Dear Topps,
It has come to my attention that you are bringing back Topps Archives for next year. Archives was a favorite set of mine, and I applaud your courage for bringing back an old favorite. This letter, however, is not one of commendation.
This set, according to Beckett, is to include current players in a choice of four vintage designs (54, 71, 80 and 84). This fact enrages me for two reasons. One: Topps Archives was a full retired product, and now current players are taking it over? It's a bit misleading by calling it Topps Archives. Why don't you just call it Topps Lineage. That's basically what it is. Don't disgrace the name of a fine product by correlating it to something it is not.
Two: This idea of taking current players and photoshopping them into older Topps designs is not a new one. As a matter of fact, I HAVE BEEN USING IT ON THIS BLOG FOR THREE YEARS NOW!
That's right: Topps Archives 2012 is, in itself, a parody of my Custom Cards which I have been making since the blog's inception in 2009. While the idea was not necessarily original (you yourself had those magazine cutouts back in the 80's), it was still a cool idea, one that I went with for three years. When I started them, I got quite the acclaim. I still get the same acclaim, because they look cool. Not only do the cards look old, but my versions are almost like works of art. I use different photoshop filters to make it look nice.
So my question to you is this: If you wanted to put out a product based solely on a creation of mine and mine alone, why didn't you just ask me to do it for you? People occasionally comment on my blog, and say "Hey, these are great, Topps should hire you". One person pitched a 50 card insert set and everything. And now you have this, which is basically a 200 card custom set. Only instead of doing dozens of designs of the 60's, 70's and 80's, you include four. I'm sure my 50 card insert set would be better than that.
I know that none of you have ever seen my blog, let alone even heard of it, so I won't be hiring a lawyer. I'll still be making these custom cards, and I'll feel enraged when novice bloggers compare them to "that awesome Archives set Topps put out." And sure, I'll buy the product. But if it's not good, I won't buy much of it. That's the same treatment I gave Lineage; it tried to hook me in with a decent set idea, but it just was disappointing.
On a final note, if you ever decide to do a second edition of Archives, my email is on the sidebar. If not, or even better, if you decide to keep doing this set and neglect the fact that I reached out to you through a post, then I'll make mine better than ever, and more than ever. And I'll keep making them until you stop.
That's the option: Either admit to being influenced by my customs, or be defeated by them.
Sincerely,
Jordan, of Mint Condition
P.S.- I'll respect you all even more if you stop it with Opening Day and Topps Attax. And maybe if you listen to all of us and bring back Topps Total. That is all.
Awesome post!
ReplyDelete