Something I’m realizing as I write these articles is that I’m actually evaluating purchases I’ve made as I go along. I decided to skip discussing the Concept Art set because I didn’t find any of the cards interesting enough to share. The Poster Card set is thankfully better but unlike my usual plan, I feel like I’m showing the most interesting cards for this set this time. Is that because this insert set isn’t as good as A New Hope’s was? Let’s find out!
Just like with A New Hope, various posters promoting Empire Strikes Back are given the black and white treatment here. Many of the images are clearly from before the movie was released to the public like the one below which surprisingly features Darth Vader. It isn’t necessarily strange to only see a movie villain on a poster but I feel like it wasn’t common at the time that Empire Strikes Back was released. It is hard to see on the card but there are some tiny images of Luke, Leia, and Hann as well but it is interesting to see ESB promoted as if Darth Vader is the main draw. Perhaps for some fans he is!
Another early poster card that surprises is the one below with Luke and Leia riding a Tauntaun. Obviously, this never came close to happening in the movie and it is funny to see a somewhat sexualized Leia riding around with her brother in such a provocative manner! Leia’s clothes make little sense in light of being on an ice planet as well so it is clear that the artist didn’t know a ton about the contents of Empire Strikes Back’s plot. With that said, it is neat to see this poster as I doubt many were made and it reminds you that they were making the Star Wars world we love as they went along.
The final card is the most beautiful card in the set even if it isn’t the best fit for a trading card. The level of detail in the card pictured below is amazing. The shading works really well with black and white as well. What impresses me is how well the poster blends characters and places in Empire Strikes Back together in a fantastic visual array.
The poster makes me want to see the movie and as I’ve said before, it really isn’t one of my favorites in the Star Wars series. I would have liked to see more cards with images like this however, I understand that that wasn’t necessarily the focus of the set as well. All in all, I like this set and the cards I’ve highlighted here are all great. There is some repetition of ideas and imagery in the other cards in this set but it is still an above average insert set and will likely please any Empire Strikes Back fan.
Daily Trading Cards 