Box:
Company: Rittenhouse Archives
Release: 2012
Name: Marvel Greatest Heroes
Number of Packs: 24
Number of Cards per Pack: 5
Insert/ Chase Cards:
Holofoil Lettering Parallel Base - 1:3
Villains - 1:6
I am an Avenger - 1:12
Ultimate Heroes - 1:36
Icons Shadowbox - 1:72
Sketch Card - 1:24
For collectors who root for the good guys, have I got a box for you! Rittenhouse issued Marvel Greatest Heroes in 2012, highlighting heroes and anti-heroes in the Marvel comic world. So if, as a kid, you would only play as a cop in "Cops and Robbers" or as a Joe in "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra", then this box will not disappoint. All the popular heroes and heroines are found in this set, including Spider-Man, Captain America, Storm, and Thor. Anti-heroes such as Deadpool and Moon Knight were also added, providing a diverse checklist to this 81 card set.
Card Design (8.5/10)
The base cards were designed extremely well - simple yet very attractive. On the bottom of each borderless card, the word "Marvel" and the character's name are foil-stamped in red. Parallel base cards are found in every three packs and each one has a nice holofoil lettering instead of the red foil.
However, the insert designs left me wanting more. Rittenhouse managed to sneak in a “Villains”
insert set (every hero requires a villain, right?) and although the artists’
rendition was impressive, the schematics could have been “jazzed up” a tiny
bit. Same could be said about the “I am
an Avenger” inserts. Found at a ratio of
2 per box, I thought they could have used an upgrade. The holoflash design was nice but I preferred to see something a bit more innovative. At the same time, I understand there are costs
involved in developing and printing special-effect cards so to keep the price
affordable, concessions have to be met.
Character List (7.5/10)
The gross exclusion of Punisher was a huge disappointment. The reasoning behind the omission could have been Rittenhouse's release of Marvel Bronze Age cards, which also took place in 2012, but it does not justify leaving out one of the most popular anti-heroes in the Marvel Universe.
On a positive note, the checklist was well thought out and a wide array of characters like Blade, Sentry, and Ka-Zar made the list. I appreciated that the set wasn't only made up of only do-gooders like Captain America and Spider-Man but consisted of heroes and heroines that may, at times, cross the line. Heroes with an edge, as I like to call them.
Box Break
In addition to the obligatory full base card set, I found the following inserts:
Holofoil Lettering Parallel - 8
Villains - Green Goblin, Loki, Nightmare, Thanos
I am an Avenger - Spider-Woman, War Machine
Ultimate Heroes - Scarlet Witch
Artist Sketch - Luke Cage by Michael Rooth
Here are samples of the base cards:
The base card parallels with holofoil lettering:
The four "Villains" cards I received:
The "I am an Avenger" inserts:
Ultimate Scarlet Witch:
And lastly, this very clean sketch card of Luke Cage by Michael Rooth:
Entertainment Value (9.5/10)
This was a fun box to break into. Even though I didn't get an Icons Shadowbox, it was still very entertaining and a good way to pass the time.
Price/Value (8.0/10)
Since only 8000 boxes were made, prices are now in the range of $65 to $85 a box. Inserts can be found for just a few dollars a card so it's harder to rationalize buying a box at that price. However, the thrill of pulling an amazing sketch card still exists.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this was a good product from Rittenhouse. If you bought these boxes when they first came out in the $50 range, kudos to you. If you're wanting to buy them now, you may be able to find a better deal by bidding on two boxes at a time.
Overall Score
8.5 out of 10
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