# Who else has read 'Wild Cards'?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 23, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852 "2004-03-23T04:42:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/1 "2004-03-23T04:42:07Z")

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I was curious if anyone else has enjoyed the series. I started reading WC because of my SO and really got into it. I’m on book 12 in the first set and I know there are three in the “new” set. Looking for opinions here…

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**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/2 "2004-03-23T05:06:21Z")

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The only problem I had with the series was it ended way too soon. It was a lot of fun, and an example of how to do a shared universe the right way.

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**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/3 "2004-03-23T05:52:41Z")

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Is this the one by George R. R. Martin and friends, with the mutants? There are over a dozen?

\<time out to search\>

Damn, I have some shopping to do! I ran across the first one on the remainder table, and the second at the library, but never thought to go looking for more. I grew up on superhero comics, and these carry the atmosphere really well.

Thanks for the thread!

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**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/4 "2004-03-23T05:59:52Z")

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What a great series! **Gaudere** lent me quite a few of them so I was lucky in that I was able to read a dozen all in a row. I loved the development of the characters and I’m already a sucker for alternate History so it was right up my alley. There are later trade paperbacks but I haven’t gotten them since my local sci fi bookshop closed.

GRRMartin’s Song of Fire and Ice is a fantastic series as well. I just finished his book Windhaven which I was a bit lukewarm on but even though the subject matter wasn’t my style, the writing was still good.

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**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/5 "2004-03-23T06:08:59Z")

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Hmmm …  
_\<Hasty check\>_  
Yup, got all fifteen …

That’s one series I’d kind of like to see continued.

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**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/6 "2004-03-23T07:01:13Z")

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> [@MacSpon](#):
>
> That’s one series I’d kind of like to see continued.

Hmm, sounds like you guys have missed the latest, _Wild Cards XVI, Deuces Down_. It’s pretty good, but more or less seperate from the previous books. It’s a series of short stories that highlight lesser Aces or Deuces rather than the more powerful super-hero types the previous books centered around.

Yep, I’m a big **Wild Cards** fan. I’ve read the entire series twice and especially love the Jumpers and war on Takis storylines.

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**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/7 "2004-03-23T07:42:02Z")

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Man, I thought that I was the only one out there.

I loved these books. Being a comics junkie as a kid certainly helped, but I even recommend 'em to people who weren’t.

I always like the set-up of the series as a way to explain how so many people have so many powers. It just felt “right.” I’d always like to have seen more about the first Wild Card Day, though. The accounts of what happened to everyone that day always grabbed me; I could read a whole book of 2-3 page accounts of various people, from Black Queens to Aces.

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**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/8 "2004-03-23T11:19:28Z")

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I’m a great fan of Wild Cards and have been for years, but I’m missing volume 12 (Turn of the Cards) and Deuces Down. Can anyone point me in the direction of cheapo copies?

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**Author:** ![sghoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@sghoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sghoul)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/9 "2004-03-23T12:50:31Z")

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Read em, and loved em. It saddens me that more comic lovers haven’t read them.

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**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/10 "2004-03-23T15:01:09Z")

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Read 'em, loved 'em, had 'em lined up on my headboard until a few days ago (had to pack them up, I’m moving). My favorite of the series, I think, was **Jokers Wild** , the one where the whole story takes place over one crazy day.

Puppetman is just about the most evil villain ever.

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**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/11 "2004-03-23T16:15:00Z")

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I gotta agree with **Santos** on those two. Takis is the place to be! The whole Rox part was very cool. That’d be a great power to have, without the big bloated body though.

Any parts that you didn’t like as much? I’m just cracking open #12 and I’ve got the next three in the other series to go, too. These are all my SO’s books so I didn’t have to dish out cash. He’s got so many books lined up for me to “check out”, he’s my personal library!

Glad to see some WC fans out there in the ether!

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**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/12 "2004-03-23T16:30:26Z")

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Y’know, I recently posted [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=159544&highlight=wild+cards) thread, and then completely forgot about going back to read them. Thanks for the reminder **Spider**!

[slight hijack, for bibliophiles]  
BTW, if anyone wants a copy of my personal digital library, I can put it online. It’s great to use if you have a PDA, or just want to read something you haven’t been able to find. Although there isn’t the charm of a nice big comfy book.  
[/sh,fb]

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**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/13 "2004-03-23T17:06:10Z")

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> [@Dante](#):
>
> BTW, if anyone wants a copy of my personal digital library, I can put it online.

If you’ve got Deuces Down or TotC in there… 😉

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/14 "2004-03-23T17:09:08Z")

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I, too, loved reading superhero comics (particularly Marvel comics) as a teen-ager.

But I just could not get into the _Wild Cards_ series.

I got all the way through the first 2 novels (_Wild Cards_ and _Aces High_), and a little bit of the way into the 3rd (_Jokers Wild_), and I just couldn’t continue. It seemed like everybody’s superpowers were just vehicles for their sex lives – and some of the characters (Roulette, Fortunato, the Astronomer, the Succubus) eved had superpowers **based** on dysfunctional sex.

Bleah. I’d get the same thing by reading a Rosemary Rogers novel.

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/15 "2004-03-23T17:14:22Z")

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For hopeless _Wild Cards_ fans, there was also a role-playing manual (based on the GURPS system) that gave a lot of background information on the characters and world.

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**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/16 "2004-03-23T18:23:26Z")

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Guge **Wild Cards** fan here. Picked the first up on a whim when I was in middle school, and whipped through all of them as fast as they came out. Thanks for reminding me about **Deuces Down**. I knew it was in the works, but forgot to watch for it. I just ordered a copy from [half.com](http://half.com). Woohoo! new Wild Cards!

I loved the Jumper storyline, Takis didn’t really grab me, and neither did the voodoo stuff, but maybe now that I’m older I’ll get it. I was more into the alternate history aspects: the McCarthy stuff, and the presidential election stuff in … Ace in the Hole, was it?

Favorite characters were The Great and Powerful Turtle, and poor Kid Dinosaur. Also Chrysalis was too cool for words. And Demise just freaked me out. The time somebody broke his arm and held in place to heal backward gave me the heebie-jeebies.

I’ve got the 4 Comic books they made. Nothing too exciting, unfortunately. The books were much better.

I really need to read these again, there’s so much story, and I’ve forgotten so much. Unfortunately I just lent #1 out to a friend. I’ll have to wait until I get it back.

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**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/17 "2004-03-23T18:50:00Z")

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Man, my memory is really going. Just over a year ago I posted in the thread **Dante** linked to, and not only did I know that the book was out, I even had a link that would send some money back to Mr. Martin if I used it to buy the book. And now I’ve gone and bought a used copy instead. Sigh… see, comic book sdo rot your brain. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/18 "2004-03-23T18:51:33Z")

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> [@Evil Death](#):
>
> If you’ve got Deuces Down or TotC in there… 😉

Sadly, no. I think it only goes up to about Jokertown Shuffle. But the offer still stands. My email is available.

BTW, here is the definitive Wild Cards list, for anyone looking for it:

Wild Cards I: Wild Cards  
Wild Cards II: Aces High  
Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild  
Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad  
Wild Cards V: Down & Dirty  
Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole  
Wild Cards VII: Dead Man’s Hand  
Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks  
Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle  
Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire  
Wild Cards XI: Dealer’s Choice  
Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards  
Wild Cards XIII: Card Sharks  
Wild Cards XIV: Marked Cards  
Wild Cards XV: Black Trump  
Wild Cards XVI: Deuces Down

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**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/19 "2004-03-23T19:05:06Z")

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Ditto what \*\*tracer[/]b said – love comics and sci-fi, but the later _Wild Card_ books were just too weird for me to continue.

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**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-has-read-wild-cards/235852/20 "2004-03-23T19:21:59Z")

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From a quick check on Amazon, it looks like _Deuces Down_ is only out in hardcover so far. (2002 release.) That’ll be why I don’t have it yet.

I like the books, but I don’t like them _that_ much… 🙂

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