Weapons Of Mass Distraction

Rich Johnston has written IDW's new trading card set, Weapons of Mass Distraction. The title of the press release to launch the cards? American Publisher Outsurces its Satire to the UK. I guess Rich wrote the press release too.

Why couldn't IDW get an All American to write the cards? Rich supposes "maybe they were all too busy writing The Daily Show or South Park". Yeah - or maybe Yes, Dear or that Pamela Anderson sitcom set in a bookshop.

I've put some sample cards at the foot of the post. Do they make you angry? Either Rich expects some Americans to be a bit peeved or he's just using casual nationalism to stoke up hype. He said, "Oh I get hatred from Americans if I just write up what I had for supper. They're so good at hating. But since I started writing this card set, most of my American friends seem to share my way of thinking. There may be a larger audience for Weapons than I originally thought."

On the other hand, he also reckons "Blair was my favourite to write. I just stacked up a list of his good points... and then destroyed each one by mentioning Iraq."

Sadly, you don't get any bubblegum or cigarettes with these cards. That would have been inexcusable just fifty short years ago - what a con! Shocking proof of moral decline.

If being devoid of cancer sticks and gum renders the cards a rip off or not, the Weapons of Mass Distraction deck will be available in comic shops any minute now.

(Oh... Enrique Lorenzana was the illustrator but seeing as I haven't had his daughter's birthday present gathering dust on my desk for months, I let my guilt push him into the background. Shameful.)