Like everyone who grew up during the 90's, I believe that the super-heroes of that era still bear the gold standard when it comes to comic books. Despite the commercial success of Marvel's Civil War and Secret Empire, there is simply nothing that beats Infinity Gauntlet and Age of Apocalypse. We get to relive these epic stories and characters not just by opening a comic book, but also in the highly collectible trading cards which immortalized our childhoods. Here then are the top ten Marvel trading card sets of the 90's era, many of which have increased in value since your youth (you may want to think twice before using these to play Teks with your classmates!).
10. 1992 MARVEL MASTERPIECE
For people used to seeing their heroes and villains in vibrant comic book colors, this card set was a game changer. The realistic and life-like artwork approach to the different characters is because of the legendary Joe Jusko. Each of the 100 cards in this base set was painted by this iconic artist, adding a layer of realism that just gives life to the characters.
9. MARVEL UNIVERSE SERIES 4
If you love card portraits (9 cards which combine to form a portrait of a team/famous battle), then this 180 card set is most definitely for you. Roughly 75% of the set is structured in this manner, with card portraits featuring the Avengers,the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and even Spiderman battling his foes. The rest of the set focuses on character origins as well as Famous Battles.
The series 4 set also shines a spotlight on the Marvel 2099 comic era (think Spiderman 2099 and Punishewr 2099) by including them as inserts. There is even a very rare hologram card which features Spiderman fighting with Venom (believe me, the picture doesn't do the hologram card justice).
8. Marvel Universe Series 3
I couldn't decide if I wanted to include Marvel Universe Series 1 and 2 here (since these classic sets were responsible for starting it all), but in the end I went with Series 3 since the set included the Cosmic Entities which played a very big part in the storylines of the time. This whopping 200 card base set includes in-depth character bios and extensive power ratings (its weird but you can actually compare the power levels of Galactus with Luke Cage!). The cosmic-themed set has 5 hologram insert cards, with the odds of getting one at 1 for every 12 packs.
7. 1993 X-Men Series 2
This was a tricky time for the X-Men franchise, as despite their booming success in the industry, one of the best artists of all time left the company (Jim Lee leaving to help start Image Comics is a whole other story for another day). Even tho he was heavily involved in the first X Men card set released (more on that Impel classic later), Marvel decided to release another set using the artists with them at the time (including Andy Kubert, Joe Quesada, and Greg Capullo). This set featured the X-Men and their villains, as well as animation shots of the popular X-Men The Animated Series which I'm sure has a deep spot in every boy's memories growing up.
Aside from the 100 card base set, there are 3 rare insert cards to be collected (as well as a variant version of each base card showing a golden "30 YEARS" logo at the bottom right portion.
6. 1996 Fleer X-Men
While you may hear a lot of criticism for this 100 card Fleer X-Men release, the awesomeness in the set lies with the Chromium variant. A comparison of the normal card and the chromium version highlights the cool shiny aesthetic of the variant card.
The artwork in the set is generally good, but the craziest part for me is the selection of cards with a Halloween theme (Cyclops as a rock star, Rogue as a vampire, Psylocke as a French Maid, etc).
5. 1995 X-Men Fleer Ultra
The Fleer Ultra set is personally one of my favorites because the artwork shows a sense of grittiness and realism (you get to see how ruthless Archangel is and how menacing Sabretooth is!). And do you remember those Marvel Swimsuit Specials when you were a kid (Nope, no use denying it)? This set features cards of your favorite X-Men characters relaxing and having fun at the beach!
4. 1994 Flair Marvel
There's nothing to hate about this set and there's everything to love. Each card in this 150 card base set has a thick stock and features a repainted picture of an iconic moment in the X-Men's comic book history (my personal favorite being the Stryfe and Death of Illyana cards). The set features 18 Powerblast inserts which focuses on a main hero/villain (including Captain America, Deadpool, and Ghost Rider).
3. 1994 Marvel Fleer Ultra X-Men
This is a wonderfully painted set, with each of the 150 card base set showing detailed aspects of each character. The back of each card gives a brief background of the hero/villain in a Cerebro computer-styled theme. A subset of the cards shows Wolverine's greatest battles in his violent history (i.e. against Hulk, Cyber, and even Spiderman!). My favorite aspect of this set are the three cards that are displayed together to feature a prominent X-Team (X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force).
There are also 9 card inserts which can be displayed together to form an X-Men Team Portrait that shows the different members leaping into battle. Each card is also beautifully painted for a more stylish effect.
2. 1994 Marvel Masterpiece
This set truly is a masterpiece. Each of the 140 cards in the base set was done by the famous Tim Hildebrandt. His unique artwork is so good at giving life to to the characters in the Marvel Universe, making each hero look more noble and each villain more dastardly. The 10 inserts not only showcase the awesome character artwork, but also sport a hologram-like chrome finish and border.
1. 1992 Marvel Impel X-Men
Jim Lee. Thats all I really have to say about this review. Jim. Lee. The iconic artist who shaped a lot of our childhoods, from the 90's X-Men comics to the Animated series that was later based on this. His artwork holds a special place in our hearts not just because of the feeling of nostalgia, but also (and most importantly) because he gives special attention to every single detail. I think a lot of people would agree that Jim Lee is one of the main reasons the X-Men are celebrating the iconic status they have today.
Well there you have it. Thats my top ten list of Marvel cards for the 90's. We hope you know that a lot of these card sets are available for sale at our website:
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Thanks for joining us and Happy Toy Hunting!