To trump, or not to trump

In the late 90s a short-lived magazine called Cult TV ran a page of trump style cards each issue. The characters they featured were drawn from cartoons and live action programmes, old and new. This would result in some pretty unusual potential face-offs in a game, such as Penelope Pitstop versus a Cylon. Or Spock versus Captain Caveman. Amusing propositions enhanced by the fact that one of the game's criteria is 'snogability'!

The images shown here are from mockups I did in the early 2000s, my own additions to the cards that appeared in the magazine, which would enable a not-so-Kung-Fu-savvy cartoon hound to do battle against an ex-Borg, or even a member of the A-Team.

My expanded set included characters from the show Lexx, a cult Canadian sci-fi series that ran for 4 seasons from 1997-2001. Although sometimes puerile and gross, the show was also staggeringly inventive and often laugh-out-loud funny. Well worth a revisit if you're in the right mood.

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For more Lexx and other Cult TV trump cards click here

Retrograde 5 trump card game cards (Super Special Ultra Deluxe Edition)

Here's something literally no one asked for... some more 'top trumps' style mockups using characters from my doomed Retrograde 5 project (see Jan '26 post below for the tragic details). These would be for a 'special edition' set featuring a different design to the 'bog standard' set.

The cards and characters are again stylised in a slightly different way to the cereal card images. The design top left would be the pack's title card whilst centre left is the graphic to feature on the back of all the character cards in the set. 

Destined to be seen by just myself and some bots in a town in Iowa that sounds made up but is in fact a real place!

Retrograde 5 trump card game cards (Bog Standard Edition)

These mockups are for a 'top trumps' style of card game, again using characters from my jinxed Retrograde 5 project (see January '26 post below for the tragic details). These visuals are more stylised versions of the character images used on the cereal cards, again with variations on some of the figure's stance, appearance or attire.

Back in the early 2000s when I had ambitions of being a screenwriter I would often mock up cards like this for the characters in my current script or pitch. This would help flesh out characters in my head, their traits and personalities. Often the image would be a shot of an actor who I imagined suitable for the role. This 'fantasy casting' helped with the writing process and how certain characters would interact in a scene.

And yes, the visual for Shallow Cosmos 6 space station is just a spark plug and some cables.

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For more bog standard trump cards click here