Parody Trading Card Series Proves What's Old Is New Again

ST. LOUIS - Sept. 28, 2016 - PRLog -- Shows like Netflix's Stranger Things and throwback products like the newest incarnation of Garbage Pail Kids are getting folks nostalgic for days gone by. The new retro trading card series, Blood Drive: Parody Collection, being introduced via Kickstarter on September 28, promises to transport fans back to the glory days of childhood.

Blood Drive'sinnovative concept was conceived by St. Louisan Bobby Akers, Jr.'s company RetroDrive and are being produced in conjunction with Sidekick and Iron Dead Studios. These trading cards explore pop culture through the adventures of a genetically engineered bat named Radar. The series lovingly lampoons some of the most popular television and film franchises over the last fifty years, from Star Wars to Ghostbusters and SpongeBob to The Walking Dead, while celebrating the fandom that has made it all so popular and long-lasting.

The cards are being manufactured by Sidekick, which has produced popular card sets like Mars Attacks Occupation for Topps, The Melty Misfits: Series 2 and a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive set for the hit Cinemax TV series Outcast.The decision to partner with acompany like Sidekick was years in the making. "I had been researching for a production facility that would meet the retro '80s and 90's requirements of the project that was being developed," reveals Akers.  Sidekick delivered with old-school packaging and printing processes.  Each Kickstarter Exclusive old school styled wax pack will include five trading cards, one sticker card and one stick of screen printed inedible gum for that classic, vintage trading card feel.

In development for over a year, the Blood Drive series originally started out as a hardcore horror story that evolved into the current trading card line. "Since my childhood I've been fascinated by bats, Halloween and pop culture," says Akers.  "I was looking to develop a project that was fun and something that would relate to a general audience."  A focus of RetroDrive is to offer unique sets that can't be found anywhere else. Collectors were given an advance look with four previously released promo cards, including a Non-Sport Update exclusive and wax pack Creature Collection featured at both Wizard World Chicago August 2015 and at the October 2015 Philly Non-Sport Card Show.

To fund the production of Blood Drive, RetroDrive set up a Kickstarter campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/71814920/blood-drive...) that runs September 28 through October 28. Donation levels range from $20 up to $1000, and rewards include an 80 card base set, chase cards, foil parallels, sticker cards and one-of-a-kind artist sketch cards, metal cards, and printing plates. In addition, specialty merchandise such as a collectors album, metal cards and foil hot packs, will only be available as add-ons to Kickstarter donors. The money pledged will pay for printing and packaging of the 80's vintage-style trading card series.  Further retail and hobby shop versions of chase card offerings are in the works, and will be determined at the conclusion of the Kickstarter campaign.

Akers will be at the Philly Non-Sports Card Show October 15-16 and will be a featured speaker on their "Card Talk" panel Sunday, October 16.