So You Wanna Be a Minion

Posted on July 16, 2014

Did you know there’s a way to get free Steve Argyle swag? Did you know that yours truly is an Official Minion and that I got my membership package the other day and it was beyond awesome? Piles of shiny tokens, an Ascended Minion Project sticker, and my personal Minion card complete with a by-request sketch of Liliana plus cocktail—with bonus cheeky and gratuitous fantasy boobage! If you’re not foaming at the mouth already, you will be by the end of this article.

Snuff Out by Steve Argyle

Our story begins with how the hell did I not already know about this fan club!? Slave of Bolas and Mayael's Aria both played large roles in my formative Magic months (built my first ever Commander deck around the Aria). Justin LaFleur, the director of this project and “Ascended Minion Prime” is the number-one Mayael fan out there, and his (plus Steve’s) sweat makes the Ascended Minions a real thing.

Mayael's Aria by Steve Argyle

In order to become a Minion, I had to submit my collection story. If you want to skip the foreplay and go straight to, “How do I sign up!?” you can find out the entire skivvy and get the instructions to join here.

Dear Justin,

My collector story is pretty embarrassing. While I am a huge supporter and fan of Steve's work, I only have one example in my house at the moment (attached) . . .

Lol. I started playing Magic during Conflux, but it was with old cards from my husband's collection. I remember going to an LGS in the spring and see Argyle's Slave of Bolas on that packaging and just thinking, "Wow, that's stunning." I had to have it. That packaging remnant was the FIRST piece of Magic art I hung on my wall, and she's still here watching over all my Vorthos activities. The lighting, the detail, and the fact that the art featured a woman with "Asian" features in a non-tacky, non-exploitative, non-"tokenish" way really elevated my opinion of Magic's integrity in an instant and gave me those all-important initial positive feelings that are so crucial for a new gamer, especially a female in Magic who had never forayed into CCGs before.

My other favorite pieces of Steve's are Somberwald Sage and The Hippodrome, Segovia from Planechase, both of which I would love to get as prints if possible along with Slave of Bolas.

Thank you for creating this opportunity for us,

MJ Scott

Glissa, the Traitor by Steve Argyle

There are so many iconic Argyle pieces that have caught my fancy over the years that I always fail to remember them all when asked. You can see in my letter to Justin that I didn’t mention Aria, and I also neglected poor Glissa, whom I used as the banner on my blog for months. She and Killing Wave helped inspire my fan fic Return to Argentum. The fact is that Argyle turns out a ton of cool. Those of you familiar with Legend of the Five Rings know the sweetness doesn’t stop with Magic either.

Utaku Fusae by Steve Argyle

I mean, look at that! I don’t get to see compelling Asian women like this in American media very often, that’s for sure. There is so much story in that expression. I want to just pop a Chain Veil on her. Damn. The Ascended Minions is for fans of any and all of Argyle’s work, not limited to Magic.

Killing Wave by Steve Argyle

Justin LaFleur gave me some of his time to lend insight to the project and to share his perspective as leader of the “wind beneath Steve’s kilt” (Steve’s words).

1. What's your official title in the context of this project? And second, if you were a Magic card, what would you name yourself? e.g. Minion Shepherd, High Cleric of Argyle, Gatekeeper of the Ascended . . . ?

I go by Justin mostly, but Minion #2, Ascended Minion #1, Ascended Minion Prime, and recently Patron Saint of Mayael are all interchangeable.

If I were a girl, I'd have to be a Planeswalker version of Mayael called Mayael, the Ascended . . . but all of those are good, though something using the words Caretaker or Archivist might be more appropriate.

2. What was the motivation/genesis behind this project?

The short answer was to try to find others in the world who were as relentless in their pursuit of collecting Steve's work as I am. Then there’s the long answer.

3. What are your personal favorite Argyles/what's in your collection?

Staying in his Magic: The Gathering portfolio, my favorite pieces are Mayael's Aria, Deadly Allure, Bloodbraid Elf, Damia, Sage of Stone, and Chandra Ablaze as my top five. My collection is too extensive to list here, taking up a three-drawer dresser and a three-inch-thick binder and has about two hundred forty of his signatures in it, but it includes a signed copy of every card he Illustrated for Magic, in foil if available, as far as Magic 2014. There are four cards released since then that I need to have signed to be current again. I have twenty-five artist proofs and a bunch of play mats, all signed.

The thing that makes my collection different than many others’ is my concentration on packaging and merchandise that bears his art, such as a sealed booster box of Alara block premium boosters and a few advertising posters, for example. (I'm still searching for a slipcover from the Worldwake fat pack, which has a picture of Admonition Angel on the inside panorama.) My collection also includes prints and a bunch of stuff from other games, such as Legend of the Five Rings and Warlord. I have a separate blog where I display most of my collection for other minions to enjoy.

Damia, Sage of Stone by Steve Argyle

4. What's the best thing that fans can do that would brighten up Steve's day?

First, add yourself to the Ascended Minion Project registry (a shameless plug).

Steve is not above graciously accepting gifts/bribes/tributes/sacrifices, and if you have his address (you can totally ask him for it if you are getting alters or signatures through the mail), just feel free to do so. His birthday is July 1 . . . so put it on your calendar for next year.

Also, Steve seems to be lacking in genuine input about his work. He receives plenty of gushing praise like, "THIS PIECE IS SOOOOO AWESOME!" and a few on the low end like, "Your work is sexist and suxxxxx!" but there are rarely any genuinely crafted explanations, and he seems to appreciate it.

Deadly Allure by Steve Argyle

Join the movement. There’s nothing to lose and all the sexy to gain! If you love your Argyle, don’t just be a fan—be a Minion. Below is the pictorial of what happened when I received my membership package.