I even experienced my first case of old man syndrome. Originally artists were given free reign over how to illustrate the different cards. There were given the title and were told to work with it. Eventually Wizards of the Coast got a little wise and declared an imperial law on artists. They were actually given directions on how to illustrate the cards. Imagine that audacity and the sacrilege, treating Collectible Card Game Artists like common comic book illustrators. The nerve. I was set in my mind that the art of Magic: The Gathering was at a low point and despicable and not worth my effort. Besides ESPN 2 was broadcasting Magic tournaments and you know when a sports channel covers your geek love it's time to call it a day. I dropped out of Magic the game and the art.

So I started collecting Jones Soda bottles.

Recently I've been reintroduced to the cards and allow me to emphasize how wrong I was. Dead wrong.
Really wrong. Seriously wrong. Fabrication wrong. Political Science wrong. Distanced from my biases I discovered that the latter art on Magic: The Gathering was indeed remarkable. Stronger colors, better detail, and a sort of thickness that just didn't come out in the original cards. Really a work of loveliness.

I've moved all my Magic cards from my parent's house and am still debating on what to do with them. Sell them and hope to make small change? Teach Magic to my fiancé so I may have a gaming partner again? Or should I post up the Magic cards like wallpaper on the apartment walls to give it a sort of game geek deco art feel. A geek art sort of scene perhaps.