Buzz Break: 2022 zerocool Clerks III trading cards

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2022 zerocool Clerks III trading cards
Checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when/if available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 50
Base set completion: 
13 of 43 (30 percent)
Duplicates: 8

Base cards – See all in gallery.

Insert cards: 27 (all cards from box in gallery below)
Behind The Counter (8) – Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Kevin Smith, Austin Zajur
Quick Stop Merch Corner (7) – Chewlie's Gum Sucker, Dave's Fruit Pies, Krel Public Access, Ranger Danger, Eternity Blocker, Moo-Stakeer Boy, Christian Crypto Club
RST Video Rewind (6) – Dante & Veronica, I Don't Watch Movies, Independent Contractors (2), Salsa Shark, Out Of Shape
Yellow parallel (2) – I Need A Producer, Wanna Be In A Movie? (/99)
Yellow & Blue parallel (2) – Wanna Be In A Movie?, Rooftop Hockey (/69
Orange & Red parallel (1) – And ... Action! (/37)
Yellow & Purple parallel (1) – Jay (1/1)

Autographs/Memorabilia: 2
Autographs (1) – Jennifer Schwalbach-Smith as Emma
Dual Blue Autographs (1) – Brian O'Halloran & Marilyn Ghigliotti as Dante & Veronica (/10)

What's Buzz-worthy: I think this is a release with a backstory that could have all kinds of twists and turns. Why? This one quickly arrived several months (if not years) ago at this point with zero announcement (and then it vanished) on Fanatics' site with no mention anywhere of its inclusions -- nothing -- while carrying a premium price (pushing $100) for a whole lot of unknown. Some rippers found autographs in volume ... meanwhile, some found zilch on that front. With that in mind, I never bothered looking for it -- too much cost for the mystery -- and moved on, though there was a time when I would have absolutely dropped everything and bought anything View Askew in bulk. Fast-forward (VHS pun intended) to 2024 and this one just recently arrived via Topps' site with a slightly lower price, zero mention of zerocool and a checklist but no odds for hits or anything laid out to even know what parallels there are or what they might be called. With this surprise, I quickly contemplated and bit on two -- and I landed this A++ box to start ... and then one with no ink at all, let alone a 1/1 parallel of a core character to bring me back to reality. (More on that other box later.) ... This movie was one for the diehards with it echoing the others in this trilogy and perhaps beyond as some of the characters can be found elsewhere. It wasn't a massive release but it did make more than the indy original in terms of box office back when it was a Miramax pick-up -- Kevin Smith made Clerks for $27,575 at night in the convenience store where he worked in real life ... you know, as a clerk. This flick was a nod to much in that self-made empire and a bummer at times, too, as it worked in some drama threads to go with the stoner comedy moments and then the everyday mundane with nods to pop culture and beyond just like the others. This set is small -- just 43 cards -- and the collation was pretty bad in both of my boxes and that, along with the autograph uncertainly, makes me think this one was mispacked or aggressively packed to deliver big but not all the time for some odd reason. There's chatter that there were only 1,500 boxes made but who knows there ... I do know that even with this release finally getting into more collectors' hands (no idea why now) there's still not that much out there but there should be more to come. My 1/1 is an A+ card alone, while my dual-auto card is apparently a parallel as there are ones without color out there, too. (They're the only ones I have seen, though.) There are only five duals on the checklist and this might be among the better ones in terms of a nod to the original, iconic, scene between the two that was revisited in this movie. There are bigger-dollar autos to find but this one, but beyond Jay & Silent Bob or the Rosario Dawson ink, this might be the best depending on where you stand for the character storylines. The single-signer card lineup is small -- 10 names -- and it's got some you may not have landed elsewhere (there have been a few View Askew sets over the years) but landing Schwalbach-Smith here was a plus for me as I didn't have her on anything. All in all, this one was a winner ... but I'll again state that my other box totally wasn't save for some parallels I may slab. I want to do more ... but not sure I can handle another whiff. This one at least balanced out the miss to come that you'll see here at some point. I'll offer up more thoughts when I rip that one. This was a strong start ... now that I think about it I'll probably do another to complete my own trilogy -- my third box is already incoming. You'll see that one here at some point, too.

Product Grade: A- (it's perhaps got collation issues so beware ... see below)
Box Grade: A++
Fun Grade: A+ (great box = fun ... but my second box was 100-percent hitless)

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