New Contest!! Starts 7-31-21. See Page 5 for Details- Prizes are free CGC grading for the winners. All boardies in good standing can enter! 4 4

[electricprune]

Contest will start tonight. Right here In this thread!

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 7/31/2021 at 12:31 PM, electricprune said:

Contest will start tonight. Right here In this thread!

 

[electricprune]

Here we go!

Contest Info: I was fortunate enough to win my second registry set award in the past two years. This one was for my Vigilante set. If you'd like to see it in all of its glory, you can do that here: Vigilante Thread With Scans. Along with the win comes $500 in grading! Just like last year, I'm going to share that with some fellow boardies!

The prizes for this are as follows: Winners can pick to sub 1 Standard book, OR 2 Economy books, OR 3 modern books.

Rules/Requirements:

1. You will need to get me the books by Wednesday, September 1st. In the US, you must ship them USPS Priority or faster. No Media or First Class. I will pay to ship them back to you, insured, wherever you are. If you are outside of the country, you'll need to choose a fast method, with tracking, to get them to me. I may allow a few extra days for those of you outside of the US. Obviously, if the shipment gets bogged down somewhere, I will wait for it.

2. These subs will not be prescreened. I will ship them back to you when I have them all. If you need updates, I will gladly tell you as they move through the process. If you want them to be a surprise, I will tell you nothing except that they have shipped back to you and give you the tracking number. Remember, CGC is really backed up right now, so the grading process will take a while. Be prepared to be without your books for a few months

3. They can be any comics CGC will grade under Modern/Economy/Standard Comic guidelines, including the maximum value of the books. 

4. Entries! Due to Vigilante being an unpopular and unfrequently collected character, I'm going to base the contest on that. Entries must be an argument of why you want to submit a book or books with an unpopular character OR from an unpopular series that you collect. You must post at least one book, scan/pic or typed out) that you will submit if you win. Other books you submit can be anything you want (if you choose the Modern or Economy prizes.) Books must be received by me by Tuesday, August 31st. This will give the winners plenty of time to ship. I will submit them shortly after they are all received. If I get them sooner, I will submit them sooner. Books will ship to Ann Arbor MI 48103.

Unpopular is obviously a matter of opinion. So the judges will offer a lot of leeway. So, characters like Vigilante are good. If you love Doiby Dickles, that's good. Love Black Panther, but really love Wind Eagle, that's good. Crops might even finally show his 3 NM/M runs of Hugga Bunch that he wants to submit. We'll probably have some Wood God entries. If you want to submit a low grade X-Men 94, you better make a great argument for Count Nefaria or heroes falling out of airplane covers. The choice is yours, but you'll need to make a good argument!

No editing of entries! Make it count the first time!

5. My wife and I will judge these on a scale of 1-10. He or she with the highest rating will win! I will read them to my wife without telling her who they are from. She has met several boardies, and knows of a few others. If we have a tie, my daughter will be brought in to arbitrate the score. She's 17 and doesn't care about comics, so she may gravitate towards a lower evaluation.

6. Those on the probation list and Hall of Shame list can not enter.

Notes:

A. Submissions can be sent via PM or in this thread. 

B. Entries must be received by 10 PM EST  Tuesday,  August 10th!! This will give boardies plenty of time to enter. My wife and I will go over them together and post the winner by  Wednesday night, the 11th. 

C. It's possible a person you don't like will win. If you think you might have a problem with that, please don't enter. I intentionally don't get involved in board skirmishes, so I probably don't know who doesn't like who. (Believe that or not.)

Good Luck! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

[ADAMANTIUM]

I'll give it a go!

Punisher War Zone # 7 has a captivating story, an introduction to Frank Castle and an unwritten code, that would be followed in years to come. It is a mere pittance in value, but when you look at the cover, someone has got the drop on Frank Castle! Is it the men in blue? Why it's the lady who had a cause and a purpose to serve and protect while wearing the police shield. By chance she's got the drop on the punisher! She announces her authority, but if Frank has his way, it won't end well for either of them. Frank Castle when confronted with those in authority is a philosophical tug of war, with reality bending conclusions.  Do those with the right to arrest seek to convict the Punisher?

When they know he mostly acts as judge, jury, and executioner, it is a flip of the coin on an individual basis. This particular time, getting the drop on Frank was unplanned! Perhaps though it was fitting, the lady punisher as she is now known, Lynn Michael's  comes to terms with the experiences she's had that involve Frank.

It's maybe a known character, as lady punisher went on to have other books, but her 1st appearance is not on any cgc label. This I believe introduces the conflict of her and Castle's 1st meeting, and the results are quick and defining in the story that it is a collectable for me, though small in the public's thoughts.

 

[electricprune]

On 7/31/2021 at 8:28 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

I'll give it a go!

Punisher War Zone # 7 has a captivating story, an introduction to Frank Castle and an unwritten code, that would be followed in years to come. It is a mere pittance in value, but when you look at the cover, someone has got the drop on Frank Castle! Is it the men in blue? Why it's the lady who had a cause and a purpose to serve and protect while wearing the police shield. By chance she's got the drop on the punisher! She announces her authority, but if Frank has his way, it won't end well for either of them. Frank Castle when confronted with those in authority is a philosophical tug of war, with reality bending conclusions.  Do those with the right to arrest seek to convict the Punisher?

When they know he mostly acts as judge, jury, and executioner, it is a flip of the coin on an individual basis. This particular time, getting the drop on Frank was unplanned! Perhaps though it was fitting, the lady punisher as she is now known, Lynn Michael's  comes to terms with the experiences she's had that involve Frank.

It's maybe a known character, as lady punisher went on to have other books, but her 1st appearance is not on any cgc label. This I believe introduces the conflict of her and Castle's 1st meeting, and the results are quick and defining in the story that it is a collectable for me, though small in the public's thoughts.

 

Nice one Addy! You’re in. At this rate, you may win both prizes.😀

[skypinkblu]

First of all, thanks for doing this and congrats on winning!  I never enter these because I have no clue what to write...but I figured I'd try.

My Entry is Katy Keene.

She can't bend steel with her bare hands. 
She can't fly, shoot beams out of her eyes or swim to the depths of the oceans, control water or talk to fish.
She is not in control of magnetic powers, nor is she able to talk to bugs.
She can't climb walls and toss out sticky substances from her wrists nor can she change the weather..
She's  not faster than the speed of light, can't create soundwaves, or punch through walls. 
She is not a super detective with a special belt. 
She can't turn into flames, make ice bridges with her breath or read minds.
She can't create things with her magic ring, turn into a scary animal, or jump over buildings.
She does  not have x-ray vision.
She can't change into a huge strong monster.
She's not invisible and  can't throw up a forcefield.
She can't wield Mjolnir (and I'm betting she can't spell it;) 
She's not a magician and doesn't  have wings.  
She can't shrink and fit through phone lines and I doubt very much she could invent robots or even robot suits.

.
However, when I was a kid she was the ONLY non Super Hero comic I liked, because she is a brunette like I am;) 

[electricprune]

On 8/1/2021 at 11:12 AM, skypinkblu said:

First of all, thanks for doing this and congrats on winning!  I never enter these because I have no clue what to write...but I figured I'd try.

My Entry is Katy Keene.

She can't bend steel with her bare hands. 
She can't fly, shoot beams out of her eyes or swim to the depths of the oceans, control water or talk to fish.
She is not in control of magnetic powers, nor is she able to talk to bugs.
She can't climb walls and toss out sticky substances from her wrists nor can she change the weather..
She's  not faster than the speed of light, can't create soundwaves, or punch through walls. 
She is not a super detective with a special belt. 
She can't turn into flames, make ice bridges with her breath or read minds.
She can't create things with her magic ring, turn into a scary animal, or jump over buildings.
She does  not have x-ray vision.
She can't change into a huge strong monster.
She's not invisible and  can't throw up a forcefield.
She can't wield Mjolnir (and I'm betting she can't spell it;) 
She's not a magician and doesn't  have wings.  
She can't shrink and fit through phone lines and I doubt very much she could invent robots or even robot suits.

.
However, when I was a kid she was the ONLY non Super Hero comic I liked, because she is a brunette like I am;) 

Great one! You’re in!

[WolverineX]

I love  Peter Petruski aka Paste Pot Pete (PPP)  and think he will be the next big Marvel adversary after KANG rips through the MCU.  Can anyone else be any cooler?

The name, the skills, the purple beret!  

 I mean he has NO superpowers.  Only using his human ingenuity,  he created a hideous costume with fabric equipped with a bucket for paste and lubricant, adhesive-rigged boots and gloves to enable walking up walls. In fact, his primary weapon of choice is  projectile glue to fight against the Fantastic Four.   How cool is that!  He IS the man.

I don't think anyone gives Peter Petruski enough respect so I would like to slab this book I found in a dollar bin because he's on the cover.  Haven't read the comic yet so no idea if the story is any good but just love the PPP cover.

Take care, 

WolverineX

 

 

 

 

[electricprune]

On 8/1/2021 at 11:41 AM, Wolverinex said:

I love  Peter Petruski aka Paste Pot Pete (PPP)  and think he will be the next big Marvel adversary after KANG rips through the MCU.  Can anyone else be any cooler?

The name, the skills, the purple beret!  

 I mean he has NO superpowers.  Only using his human ingenuity,  he created a hideous costume with fabric equipped with a bucket for paste and lubricant, adhesive-rigged boots and gloves to enable walking up walls. In fact, his primary weapon of choice is  projectile glue to fight against the Fantastic Four.   How cool is that!  He IS the man.

I don't think anyone gives Peter Petruski enough respect so I would like to slab this book I found in a dollar bin because he's on the cover.  Haven't read the comic yet so no idea if the story is any good but just love the PPP cover.

Take care, 

WolverineX

 

 

 

 

Even being a key, that’s a great effort. You’re in!

[Comics4All]

On 8/1/2021 at 11:41 AM, Wolverinex said:

I love  Peter Petruski aka Paste Pot Pete (PPP)  and think he will be the next big Marvel adversary after KANG rips through the MCU.  Can anyone else be any cooler?

The name, the skills, the purple beret!  

 I mean he has NO superpowers.  Only using his human ingenuity,  he created a hideous costume with fabric equipped with a bucket for paste and lubricant, adhesive-rigged boots and gloves to enable walking up walls. In fact, his primary weapon of choice is  projectile glue to fight against the Fantastic Four.   How cool is that!  He IS the man.

I don't think anyone gives Peter Petruski enough respect so I would like to slab this book I found in a dollar bin because he's on the cover.  Haven't read the comic yet so no idea if the story is any good but just love the PPP cover.

Take care, 

WolverineX

 

 

 

 

Paste pot Pete eats celestials for lunch! 😂 

[Crops068]

Ok mine was really a no brainer for me. As I have most of this character's primary appearances raw already.  Unlike Thanos, whom a few of us boardies, @djpinkpanther67 as an example, are collecting each one and have catalogued each one meticulously.  I have not spent the time researching this character, maybe I should?

Back in my teenage years I went to a LCS, it is still there and has 3 locations in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia called Jersey’s Cards and Comics.  I spent many a day and night there gaming and reading/talking about comics.  I attribute much of the adult I became thanks to that shop and the owner, Bruce and his brother, Ray.  

I would talk to them about books and what was a good read, this one week, Ray talked up a specific book and I ran with it.  The #1 cover is a skull with a lenticular disk on it in the eye socket, which I thought was really cool, and the guy had a really different power, at least to me. The ability to die over and over but each time he came back from the dead he had a new power and never gets that power again. This could and did lead to some odd adventures for him.  

The issue that really captured my attention was when he was forced to team up with a hitman in vol.1 issue #10.  The hitman found out his power and proceeded to kill him over and over until he had something useful for the mission ahead of them.  This was my 1st outing of collecting a full run.  I am only missing a couple issues, mainly just never looked for them, I am sure I could find the 2 I am missing pretty easily.

So of by now you have not guessed, my uncommon character/series is Resurrection Man.  His initial series ran for 27 reg issues and a spect 1 million issue with him coming back with New 52 running for a mere 13 issues.

Spoiler

Here is my #1 (which I would send in)

 

[Cushing Fan]

First of all,, a big congratulations on your winning in the CGC registry set! Western comics are certainly not as popular as superhero books but I love them just the same. The action and mood of the wild west always enthralled me as a kid watching western films with my Dad. He liked the Duke while I enjoyed the more gritty Italian westerns, especially the Sergio Leone films. I'm still a big fan of Lee Van Cleef AKA Angel Eyes and my favorite films with him are Death Rides a Horse and For a Few Dollars More. My interest in westerns transferred from film to comic books and I love this particular western book in my collection a lot - to me it has everything that makes a great western scene - a Saloon, a card game gone wrong and most of all a gunfight - this one featuring the Card Sharp Killer! It also helps that the great artist L.B. Cole drew the cover and really made all the action come alive.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Cushing Fan

[stippy52]

On 7/31/2021 at 5:48 PM, electricprune said:

Here we go!

 Along with the win comes $500 in grading! 

 

I never knew this.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 8/2/2021 at 9:11 PM, stippy52 said:

I never knew this.

Yes and they all come with a plaque, with your board name and real name etc including the best forumite's of the year, but the best forumites dont get the $500 credit

[stippy52]

On 8/2/2021 at 10:22 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Yes and they all come with a plaque, with your board name and real name etc including the best forumite's of the year, but the best forumites dont get the $500 credit

Not to hijack this thread but could you please forward me a link via pm with this info? I don’t see it on the registry page. Thanks 😊 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 8/2/2021 at 10:01 PM, stippy52 said:

On 8/2/2021 at 9:22 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Yes and they all come with a plaque, with your board name and real name etc including the best forumite's of the year, but the best forumites dont get the $500 credit

Expand  

Not to hijack this thread but could you please forward me a link via pm with this info? I don’t see it on the registry page. Thanks 😊 

Done 

[Jesse-Lee]

Ok, I'm going to attempt to make the case for a less-popular run-filler issue from one of the most popular titles of all time: Batman. I've told this story in some form before, but this contest gave me the opportunity to sit down and draft out a little essay about it, which is something I've been wanting to do for my kids to try and get them into comics as they're getting older, or at least to give them a little sense of what instilled a love of comics in me from their grandpa and great-grandpa.

Sorry it's really long, but thanks for indulging me. And thanks for the fun contest, I love reading people's stories!

Batman Vol. 1 #209 “Jungle Jeopardy” – DC Comics – February 1969

Julius Schwartz, Editor | Frank Robbins, Story | Irv Novick, Pencils and Cover | Joe Giella, Inks

Overview (from the DC Database):

"Jungle Jeopardy" – Hired by the gang lords of Gotham to put Batman and Robin out of action, Mr. Esper (note: Who?? What an unpopular character!), alias "Brainwash,” lures the two heroes to a bank robbery where he can implant a subliminal device beneath the Batmobile. Using the machine, Esper forces the heroes to return to the Batcave, where they are induced to see it as transformed into an African jungle, with wild animals threatening them.

I was around seven years old when I first discovered my love of comics. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I’d read anything I could get my hands on – even encyclopedia volumes – but I was partial to mystery books like the Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden.

Some time around 1985, while at my grandparents’ house, grandma said she had something to show me. She'd been cleaning in the basement, and she brought out a carboard box about the size of an egg crate. Inside the box was a stack of comics – they were books that my grandpa and dad bought, read and then held on to over the years.

I was aware of comics of course, and especially of superheroes. I loved Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Batman and Robin, Superman. But as much as I loved reading, I had never really read comic books – why would I do that when I could watch the Super Friends in action or see Lou Ferrigno bring the Hulk to life?

Most of the comics in the box were war stories or beat up Gold Key issues of Tarzan, not of much interest to me. But as I dug through, I hit gold – superheroes!

Many of the books were missing the top half of the front cover. At that time, retailers – like the general store where my grandpa and dad would have bought most of their books – would receive their monthly comic issues from a distributor with the understanding that any unsold copies could be returned for credit, and those issues were supposed to be destroyed. The sellers weren’t required to return the entire comics for credit though; they just had to send back the top half or third of the front cover as proof that they had destroyed the inventory and they’d receive their credit – a process often called “stripped cover returns.” The retailer was then supposed to destroy the books themselves, but what happened most often is that the store owner would sell the half-covered comics at a discount.

A few of the comics in the box still had their entire covers intact, and as I thumbed through them, one caught my eye and captured my imagination: Batman #209.

The cover is a stark black with a bright red and yellow Batman logo splashed across the top third of the page. In the foreground, on the bottom of the cover, Robin kneels to investigate a series of animal tracks on the ground (as a kid I thought they were on the moon, but it appears they’re just on yellow sand) and exclaims, “Batman! Who’s making these tiger tracks?” Batman stands menacingly over the Boy Wonder, his fingers curled into hooks and his cape flowing behind him, bearing the head of a tiger, with tiger-like feet and claws ripping through his boots.

It’s a beautiful and fantastical piece of art, drawn by the talented Irv Novick (as is the rest of the issue). The clean lines and expressive faces and poses are evident throughout Novick’s body of work, and especially his covers, on titles like Batman, Our Army at War, The Brave and the Bold and Wonder Woman.

I’ve studied that cover a lot – the hard lines of Batman’s fingers giving them a look of iron strength, the perspective of Robin’s hand, reaching out as though it will come off the page, the frightening expression and sharp teeth of the Caped Crusader’s tiger head – it all comes together to draw in the reader and make them want to open the book to learn what fate might befall Richard Grayson.

It’s ultimately a lie; Batman doesn’t turn into a tiger at all in the issue. But I didn’t care – I was hooked. I met the evil Brainwash (revealed to be the villain Mr. Esper, who first appeared in Detective Comics #352), set on destroying the Dynamic Duo through a mind-control scheme that made them believe the Batcave was an African jungle filled with dangerous animals like tigers and elephants. I marveled at the Batmobile and worried along with Alfred and Commissioner Gordon as they tried to alert Batman and Robin to the plot that was unfolding.

I had discovered a new way to see my heroes in action, and I had to have more. Luckily, the box was full of adventures starring the Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Superman and many others.

That original copy survived readings by my dad (this issue was most likely his, but I'm sure my grandpa flipped through it too, although I think he was the one who leaned toward the war comics), and somehow miraculously survived the multiple page-throughs and mishandlings by seven-year-old me as well. Last year, I was lucky to score a much nicer copy on eBay, and I now have both in my collection.

As far as “Holy Grails” go, it’s not a very high standard. I bought my new copy for $15.

It's not the most popular issue (), or any kind of "key." But this is the book that started it all for me. This issue cemented my love of comics, and it holds an even more special place because it’s evidence of three generations’ worth of fascination with stories and superheroes.

###

Here's a pic of my dad's original copy. It makes me really nervous to imagine that specific one out of my possession for any amount of time, but I also included a pic with my upgraded copy as well, which if that one was graded, I would display them side-by-side - the original raw and the new graded copy.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Jesse-Lee
Grammar

[Crops068]

On 8/3/2021 at 3:11 PM, Jesse-Lee said:

Ok, I'm going to attempt to make the case for a less-popular run-filler issue from one of the most popular titles of all time: Batman. I've told this story in some form before, but this contest gave me the opportunity to sit down and draft out a little essay about it, which is something I've been wanting to do for my kids to try and get them into comics as they're getting older, or at least to give them a little sense of what instilled a love of comics in me from their grandpa and great-grandpa.

Sorry it's really long, but thanks for indulging me. And thanks for the fun contest, I love reading people's stories!

Batman Vol. 1 #209 “Jungle Jeopardy” – DC Comics – February 1969

Julius Schwartz, Editor | Frank Robbins, Story | Irv Novick, Pencils and Cover | Joe Giella, Inks

Overview (from the DC Database):

"Jungle Jeopardy" – Hired by the gang lords of Gotham to put Batman and Robin out of action, Mr. Esper (note: Who?? What an unpopular character!), alias "Brainwash,” lures the two heroes to a bank robbery where he can implant a subliminal device beneath the Batmobile. Using the machine, Esper forces the heroes to return to the Batcave, where they are induced to see it as transformed into an African jungle, with wild animals threatening them.

I was around seven years old when I first discovered my love of comics. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I’d read anything I could get my hands on – even encyclopedia volumes – but I was partial to mystery books like the Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden.

Some time around 1985, while at my grandparents’ house, grandma said she had something to show me. She'd been cleaning in the basement, and she brought out a carboard box about the size of an egg crate. Inside the box was a stack of comics – they were books that my grandpa and dad bought, read and then held on to over the years.

I was aware of comics of course, and especially of superheroes. I loved Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Batman and Robin, Superman. But as much as I loved reading, I had never really read comic books – why would I do that when I could watch the Super Friends in action or see Lou Ferrigno bring the Hulk to life?

Most of the comics in the box were war stories or beat up Gold Key issues of Tarzan, not of much interest to me. But as I dug through, I hit gold – superheroes!

Many of the books were missing the top half of the front cover. At that time, retailers – like the general store where my grandpa and dad would have bought most of their books – would receive their monthly comic issues from a distributor with the understanding that any unsold copies could be returned for credit, and those issues were supposed to be destroyed. The sellers weren’t required to return the entire comics for credit though; they just had to send back the top half or third of the front cover as proof that they had destroyed the inventory and they’d receive their credit – a process often called “stripped cover returns.” The retailer was then supposed to destroy the books themselves, but what happened most often is that the store owner would sell the half-covered comics at a discount.

A few of the comics in the box still had their entire covers intact, and as I thumbed through them, one caught my eye and captured my imagination: Batman #209.

The cover is a stark black with a bright red and yellow Batman logo splashed across the top third of the page. In the foreground, on the bottom of the cover, Robin kneels to investigate a series of animal tracks on the ground (as a kid I thought they were on the moon, but it appears they’re just on yellow sand) and exclaims, “Batman! Who’s making these tiger tracks?” Batman stands menacingly over the Boy Wonder, his fingers curled into hooks and his cape flowing behind him, bearing the head of a tiger, with tiger-like feet and claws ripping through his boots.

It’s a beautiful and fantastical piece of art, drawn by the talented Irv Novick (as is the rest of the issue). The clean lines and expressive faces and poses are evident throughout Novick’s body of work, and especially his covers, on titles like Batman, Our Army at War, The Brave and the Bold and Wonder Woman.

I’ve studied that cover a lot – the hard lines of Batman’s fingers giving them a look of iron strength, the perspective of Robin’s hand, reaching out as though it will come off the page, the frightening expression and sharp teeth of the Caped Crusader’s tiger head – it all comes together to draw in the reader and make them want to open the book to learn what fate might befall Richard Grayson.

It’s ultimately a lie; Batman doesn’t turn into a tiger at all in the issue. But I didn’t care – I was hooked. I met the evil Brainwash (revealed to be the villain Mr. Esper, who first appeared in Detective Comics #352), set on destroying the Dynamic Duo through a mind-control scheme that made them believe the Batcave was an African jungle filled with dangerous animals like tigers and elephants. I marveled at the Batmobile and worried along with Alfred and Commissioner Gordon as they tried to alert Batman and Robin to the plot that was unfolding.

I had discovered a new way to see my heroes in action, and I had to have more. Luckily, the box was full of adventures starring the Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Superman and many others.

That original copy survived readings by my dad (this issue was most likely his, but I'm sure my grandpa flipped through it too, although I think he was the one who leaned toward the war comics), and somehow miraculously survived the multiple page-throughs and mishandlings by seven-year-old me as well. Last year, I was lucky to score a much nicer copy on eBay, and I now have both in my collection.

As far as “Holy Grails” go, it’s not a very high standard. I bought my new copy for $15.

It's not the most popular issue (), or any kind of "key." But this is the book that started it all for me. This issue cemented my love of comics, and it holds an even more special place because it’s evidence of three generations’ worth of fascination with stories and superheroes.

###

Here's a pic of my dad's original copy. It makes me really nervous to imagine that specific one out of my possession for any amount of time, but I also included a pic with my upgraded copy as well, which if that one was graded, I would display them side-by-side - the original raw and the new graded copy.

That is a really awesome cover!

[Jesse-Lee]

On 8/3/2021 at 3:41 PM, Crops068 said:

That is a really awesome cover!

I agree - every time I see it, I can't help but just stare at it for awhile!

[Crops068]

On 8/3/2021 at 3:45 PM, Jesse-Lee said:

I agree - every time I see it, I can't help but just stare at it for awhile!

I am agreeing there.  Back in my MTG (Magic the Gathering) days I made decks specifically revolving around a tiger character named Jedit Ojanen for that same reason.