Behind the Scenes

hen it comes to INKWORKS’ specialty, the entertainment properties of ‘trading cards, it is no wonder that not only do the fans of such shows as Charmed, Roswell, and Andromeda, love to collect and trade them, but that the celebrities involved with the shows are just as excited about the cards.

“Trading cards have a way of bringing fans closer to their favorite shows - partly because of the availability of great photography and episodic highlights,” explains Martha Modlin, Executive Vice President of Inkworks, “partly with what we can do editorially to enhance the best parts of the season. Even the design of the cards is created to reflect the feeling of each show.”

Two series where Inkworks has done a most outstanding job of capturing that feeling are Joss Whedon’s, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and ANGEL. Recently, I caught up with three of the talented actresses who star on both shows when they attended the Starfury, Bad Girls Sci-fi Convention in London. I showed Julie Benz (Darla), Clare Kramer (Glory), and Mercedes McNab (Harmony) the latest set of Buffy Season 5 and ANGEL Season 2 cards and obtained their views on what it is like being captured in the tie-in medium of every kid’s fantasy; seeing themselves on a collectible trading card!

CLARE KRAMER (GLORY)

We first spoke with Clare, presenting her with the Glory cards from the Buffy Season 5 set. This was the first season in which her character appeared, a Goddess set on destroying the world, so the excitement of seeing the cards for the first time was a genuine one. “I have not seen any – how do I get these?” Inkworks was happy to supply all the actresses with their own complete set but in the moment I gave her mine to hold her over. “Oh wow – really? Oh my God, thank you,” she enthuses.

As Clare looks through them I ask her what she thinks of all this, to which she replies laughing, “I just think it’s Rad! I’m pretty psyched honestly, it’s pretty wild you know.” I offered that it’s not something one typically thinks about when they’re a kid, you might have wanted to be an actress but you never think you’ll grow up to be on trading cards of all things. “No!” Clare agrees, “To me this is like the fringe benefit. I don’t know, it’s just the projects you pick really and I just feel lucky to have gotten Buffy because it’s such a cool show.” She pauses to look through the cards again before saying, “And who else is going to have trading cards! It’s so rad, I love it. Alright, I’ve got to put them down or I’ll keep looking at them,” she laughs.

Inkworks does such an outstanding job with the quality of their cards and Clare was even interested as to how the sets were put together. “Now is there one card per episode, is that how it works?” she asks. I explain that, when you read through all the cards from start to finish there are typically 2-3 cards per episode that follow the story arc. “Oh I see. I see how it works.” I then inform her of the special sub-sets that feature only the show’s evildoers for example, this giving Glory quite a bit of card-time as she appears in both the regular set as well as the demon section. “The Beastiary,” she laughs, catching on quickly, “Nice! That is awesome.”

Inkworks has won numerous awards for their quality of merchandise and it’s no surprise that their product continues to improve year after year. With a 90-card base set to please any fan there are also the sub-sets that exclusively cover the heroes to the evil demons and the ever-rare autograph cards. “Autograph cards, or our Pieceworks cards (which are cards embedded with a piece of an actual show-worn item), give the fans an even closer connection with their favorite actors,” offers Modlin. “They were first used in sports trading cards, such as baseball cards, before making the jump into entertainment trading cards. Collectors know that the specially-designed card that we have autographed can only be found randomly inserted in our trading card packs.”

MERCEDES McNAB (HARMONY)

Next, while attending Mercedes’ Q&A panel to ask her how she felt when seeing herself as Harmony, the ditzy vampire who once walked the halls with Sunnydale High’s clique elite, immortalized on the Buffy and Angel trading cards, bearing in mind that it’s part of the territory when starring in what is seen as a science fiction series. “Well, I don't think of it as being anything but when I'm 50 years old, and I can say, ‘Hey, I was part of this pop culture history!’ ” admits Mercedes with pride. She expresses the gratification of being able to one day show the cards to your grandchildren, “Yeah, exactly,” she agrees, then adds with a laugh, “Sell them on Ebay!”

When offered the cards featuring Harmony she was more than excited to have them. “Oh my god, I would love them. I haven't even seen them! So the answer is, ‘Yeah’, thank you very much!” which was followed by her infectious girlish giggle as she continued to look through them while the audience happily waited. Mercedes is one of the few actresses to have her character appear on both series of Buffy and Angel last season, so her fans collecting the cards get a double bonus.

When Inkworks began their company in 1995, they never imagined the type of response they would receive from an industry such as TV and film where the key factor behind any enterprise is driven by the hard-earned dollar. But they seem to have breached that with the excitement of their product as well as maintaining a profitable business. I ask Martha if she ever expected that the celebrity participation would be so enthusiastic and successful for Inkworks. “Yes!” she states. “Specifically for Buffy and Angel, we have a very accessible, friendly cast to work with, making our job a lot easier! We even get personal ‘thank yous’ from some of them when we send them their very own collections!”

JULIE BENZ (DARLA)

Lastly, I sat down with Julie who, unlike Mercedes and Clare, is quite aware of her media tie-in popularity. Darla, the four hundred year-old vampire who sired Angelus, appears in Buffy and Angel novels and comic books as well as the very first Season 1 set of Buffy trading cards. So how does Julie feel knowing that there are kids out there going, ‘I’ll trade ya a Lindsey for a Darla ‘cause she kicks butt!’? “Do they actually trade them like that?” she asks of the irony. I assure her that they’ll always go after the ones they want the most. “Well then, I want to buy all the Darla cards and hold them for ransom!” Julie states with a laugh. “Can I have these? I haven’t seen any of season two.” How could I refuse?After parting with my Darla cards, Julie went on to express the amusement of a medium where both she and her husband, John Kassir, the voice of the Crypt Keeper from Tales From the Crypt, reap the benefits, “It’s really funny because my husband being in sci-fi as well -- we just chuckle all the time because of the fact that we both have trading cards and Darla’s getting an action figure now and he has an action figure. I mean it’s just so rare that two actors work in the same genre and get the same things. You know it’s just bizarre to us.” She says, “We’re just like, easily amused by it.”

I describe the difference for kids today, being that I never had such amazing cards like these when I was growing up. Sure, there were baseball and football cards but today Inkworks opens up a whole new door for the fans of their favorite television shows and movies. While Julie peruses the cards, she agrees, “I think they’re great. I think it’s really wonderful what they do.” She came across the card that depicts a scene from the episode, “Epiphany” with Darla and Angel. “This is kind of a funny picture. What’s going on there?” she asks laughing. “I’m in a towel and he’s bent down on all fours, Okay! A little dirty.” She can’t help but express amusement recalling the scene yet was quick to add, “No, but it’s definitely part of the thrill of being on a show like this and a sci-fi show in the fact that these exist and that the fans actually buy them. And I think it’s always an honor to sign them and to encourage people to collect them because it just makes the show more popular.”

I walk away from talking with these gracious young ladies divested of every last one of my Buffy and Angel trading cards that I had begun the day with, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Their enthusiasm for the cards is contagious and it is completely gratifying to be able to help connect fans to their favorite shows. For Inkworks, it is assuring to know they have a quality product, but when they have the excitement and encouragement of the artists themselves, it’s like icing on the cake. Or in this case, an extra stick of chewing gum in your pack. No, they don’t put gum in trading cards anymore, but don’t ya wish they did?

Written by CoA Staff Writer, Kristy Bratton