Box Break and Review - 2015 Marvel Fleer Retro

Box:

Company: Upper Deck
Release: 2015
Name: Marvel Fleer Retro
Number of Packs: 10 per mini box
Number of Cards per Pack: 5

Insert/ Chase Cards:

1960 Fleer Set
1982 Fleer Set
1990 Impel Marvel Universe
1992 Impel X-Men
1993 Skybox Marvel Universe
1994 Flair Power Blast
1994 Fleer Suspended Animation
1995 Flair Holoblast
1995 Flair Origins
1995 Marvel Metal Blaster
Precious Metal Gems Red/Blue/Green/Gold
1997-98 Fleer Ultra Star Power Supreme
1999 Skybox EX Century
2000 Fleer Focus Star Studded
Jambalaya
Printing Plate Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black
Autographed Cards - Base/1990 Impel/1992 Impel X-Men/1993 Skybox
Sketch Cards

The days of running home from school as fast as I could to play Legos or to flip through my newest Marvel cards are long gone...very long gone.  Yes, I can still “run home from work” and play with Legos (assuming I have any) or admire my card collection (which is very disorganized) but it’s hard to do that peacefully in a house overrun by a moody threenager and a screaming toddler.  

But on extremely rare occasions when the kids are in bed on time and a semblance of “normalcy” appears, I would take out the cardboard boxes that house my card collection and try to make sense of its organized chaos.  And every time I thumb through those cards and catch glimpses of Spider-Man, Wolverine, or any other superhero, I am undoubtedly brought back to my childhood days and its accompanying sentiments.  

That’s why companies use nostalgia against poor saps like me.  Their goal is to whisk me back to the good 'ole days of ignorance and bliss when a grueling 10-12 hour work day was a foreign concept and the term "familial responsibility" was too hard to pronounce.

One company that has unfortunately cracked my ordinarily tight wallet is Upper Deck with its Fleer Retro brand of cards.  They first launched this innovative product for their basketball hobbyists in the 2011-2012 NBA season.  Due to its popularity, Upper Deck branched off into football, hockey, and eventually Marvel in 2013.  In the beginning of July 2015, Upper Deck released its second installment of Marvel Fleer Retro trading cards, bringing back the Jambalaya inserts and the Precious Metal Gems, and included new inserts such as the ultra-rare Precious Metal Gem Gold 1/1 cards.

Card Design (10/10)

Upper Deck really outdid themselves with these beautiful cards.  Each one is printed on thick cardboard stock overlaid with ultra-high gloss.  The base cards were inspired by the 1991 Impel Marvel Universe designs, with a few noticeable improvements in color and foiling.  On the back, a power meter measures the character's intelligence, strength, speed, durability, energy, and fighting. Customary facts are also included - real name, group affiliation, height, weight, and first appearance, as well as a famous quote, ranging from Spider-Man's iconic, "With great power comes great responsibility" to Rocket Raccoon's lighthearted, "Never doubt a raccoon."

The 1990 Impel Marvel Universe inserts made a return in 2015, as did the Precious Metal Gems and Jambalayas.  However, Upper Deck introduced a slew of "new" insert designs, including the popular 1992 Impel Uncanny X-Men cards.  It certainly took me on an exciting trip down memory lane.

Character List (9.5/10)

I personally prefer a smaller number of characters in the base set as oppose to one with over 150. But to offset the lack of characters in a 60 card base set, Upper Deck included a wide range heroes/heroines/villains/villainesses in the insert cards.  Fing Fang Foom, Attuma, Balder, and Hood were some that could be found in the varied chase sets.

Box Break

Each box contains 2 mini-boxes for a total of 20 packs:

I was hoping for a Precious Metal Gem Green or Jambalaya but as you can tell below, that did not happen.  This was definitely not one of my better box breaks.  Oh well, you win some, you lose some...

1982 Fleer Set - Daredevil

1990 Impel Marvel Universe - Black Widow, Black Panter

1992 Impel X-Men - Cyclops, Mister Sinister

1993 Skybox Marvel Universe - She-Hulk, Sentry, Hood

1994 Flair Power Blast - Blade

1994 Fleer Suspended Animation - Thor, A-Bomb, Sandman, Scorpion

1995 Flair Origins - Gambit, Jean Grey, Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Thor

1995 Marvel Metal Blaster - Black Widow, Elektra, Hulk, Loki, Nova, Red Skull, Ultron

Precious Metal Gems Red - Elektra xxx/100

1999 Skybox EX Century - Nick Fury

Autographed Base - Bullseye (Rachelle Rosenberg), Iron Fist (Kaare Andrews), Sabretooth (Renato Guedes), Thor (Lee Garbett)

Autographed 1993 Skybox - Thor (Michael Zeck)

Sketch Cards - Agent Venom by Matt Santorelli

Samples of the base cards:

Now on to the inserts:

Entertainment Value (10/10)

This truly was an exciting box break, partly due to the sheer volume of chase cards Upper Deck included. I believe the ratio was close to one insert card per pack!

Price/Value (7.5/10)

I did not want my experience of a dud box to skew this rating. But with a price of $179.95 (down from a retail price of $239.95), this was not a cheap buy, especially when individual inserts cards can be bought on EBay with very little dinero. But...high risk...high reward. Maybe the next box would include a Spider-Man or Wolverine Precious Metal Gem Gold 1/1! I can dream...can't I?

Final Thoughts:

When the Marvel Retro brand first came out in 2013, it was a surefire hit.  Sports and non-sports card collectors both ripped tons of this product, hoping to score Jambalayas and Precious Metal Greens. I'm not sure if some of that excitement has waned or if the majority of sports card collectors have exited the market but demand for these 2015 cards have not been as strong.  Bottom line is if you want to build sets or obtain certain character cards, you're better off buying individual cards off the secondary market.  But if you want to score a 1/1, then cross your fingers, find your rabbit's foot/horseshoe/four-leaf clover or whatever lucky stuff you have around and get a box!

Overall Score:

9.25 out of 10

Box Break and Review - 1994 The Amazing Spider-Man, 1st Edition

Box:

Company: Fleer
Release: 1994
Name: The Amazing Spider-Man, 1st Edition - Hobby
Number of Packs: 36
Number of Cards per Pack: 8

Insert/ Chase Cards:

Suspended Animation - 1:4
Gold Web Foils (1-6) - Jumbo packs
Gold Web Foils (1-6) - Walmart packs
Hologram - 1:18

Spider-Man, Spider-Man

Trading cards, I'm a fan!

Made by Fleer, and it rocks;

Lots of chase cards in the box.

BOOYAH!

I pulled a hologram!

Card Design (9.0/10)

Spider-Man trading card sets were produced in numerous iterations starting with Todd McFarlane’s Trading Card Set, distributed in 1989 by Comic Images.  But it wasn’t until 1994 when Fleer’s Amazing Spider-Man – 1st Edition ushered in a “renaissance age” of Spidey cards with beautiful artwork, unique designs, and a diverse range of inserts.  

The artwork was done solely by the popular Mark Bagley, who is well known for his work on The Amazing Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man.  Fleer printed each base card on full glossy stock and the borderless design gave Mark the maximum amount of real estate to create remarkable drawings.  In addition, Fleer borrowed the concept of having 9 card “puzzle” sets from Skybox’s Marvel Universe Series 4 and implemented that design for cards 1-81.  These cards were subsets of a bigger 9 card picture so when placed in a standard 9 card sheet protector, they formed one large, contiguous image.

When including jumbo and Walmart exclusive packs in addition to the regular hobby packs, chase cards were quite abundant in this set.  In hobby packs, one may find Suspended Animation cards, which were printed on clear plastic acetate. While the transparent cards looked unusual given they were a relatively new idea, the cards were pretty popular among collectors.

Another insert set that was included were Gold Web Foil cards.  The first six cards (Spider-Man, Mary Jane, Chameleon, Venom, Carnage, Hob-Goblin) were found in jumbo packs while the last six Gold Web Foil cards (Spider-Man, Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man, Black Cat, Lizard) were found in Walmart packs and also numbered 1-6.  Fleer used the same character image as the Suspended Animation cards but instead of acetate, they printed them on gold foil card stock.

Lastly, the popular holograms made an appearance with four different 3D holograms - two of Spider-Man, one of Venom, and one of Carnage.

Character List (10/10)

I have nothing but good things to say about the checklist.  It was noticeable that Fleer put a lot of thought into it.  Some might think what checklist can be done with a character set for Spider-Man?How many cards of Spider-Man can you include in a set?  Well, apparently 150 different ones when done correctly.

There were 10 different categories: Spidey's Powers, Venom, Spidey's Strange Transformation (my favorite), Spidey's Enemies, Spidey's Allies, Spidey's Greatest Team-ups, Spidey's Greatest Battles, Spidey's Friends, Spidey's Origins, and Events.  Whew!  

Box Break

First of all, the cards were sealed in 4 different pack designs:

Here's a sample of the base cards:

 

Suspended Animation cards (remember that these are clear acetate cards):

I couldn't believe I pulled all different Suspended Animation cards.  I haven't opened too many boxes so maybe it was inserted this way but I was glad there were no doubles.

And lastly the popular 3D holograms (they look much, much better in real life):

Entertainment Value (9.0/10)

Excellent and fun pack-ripping experience!  The excitement of opening a pack that contained the 3D hologram never goes away...trust me...

Price/Value (8.0/10)

Prices on these boxes, for some reason, has risen in the last six to twelve months.  About a year ago, I was able find boxes at about $20-$25 a box on EBay.  But now, sealed boxes go for $50-$60 a box.  

Honestly, if your goal is to add the holograms and suspended animation cards to your Spidey collection, it may be better to purchase the individual cards on EBay.  Individual holograms sell anywhere from $5 to $10 so getting the whole set should run you a maximum of $40.  Even then, a lot of times you would be able to find a set at a lot less.  

Bottom line is if you want to complete your set, buy the cards on the secondary market.  If you want to bust some packs, then by all means, do it!

Final Thoughts

If you were a non-comic book reader growing up, whether it was due to a lack of nearby comic book store or it was because your parents thought they were too inappropriate and it was better to focus on homework anyways, these cards gave collectors a way to get to know the characters.  

In an age before Wikipedia, comic cards were a way we learned about the origin of Spider-Man, how he got turned into Captain Universe, and the heart-wrenching death of Gwen Stacy.  Marvel cards got us caught up with everything that happened in the comics, without needing to read them, either due to inaccessibility or strict parents.  And for that, I am grateful.

Overall Score

9.0 out of 10

Box Break and Review - 2012 Marvel Greatest Heroes

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

Box Break and Review - 1997 Marvel Premium QFX

Box:

Company: Fleer/Skybox International
Release: 1997
Name: Marvel Premium QFX
Number of Packs: 18
Number of Cards per Pack: 5

Insert/ Chase Cards:

PhotoGraphix Heroes Reformed - 1:6
LazerBlast Die-Cut - 1:9
Joe Quesada Autograph Parallel

The 90's was an awesome decade - Friends was on, Michael Jordan rocked, and pagers were cool.  So every once-in-awhile when a wave of nostalgia hits, I'd kick up the old N64 for a game of GoldenEye 007 or bust open some 90's Marvel card packs.

Fleer/Skybox issued their Marvel Premium QFX cards in 1997 which featured the art of Joe Quesada. The creative use of photography and Marvel characters really made this an unique set.

Card Design (9.0/10)

In my opinion, the base card design was extremely well thought out.  It brought to life what the characters would look like in real-life settings.  One of my favorite cards is a superimposed Rhino stampeding on the city streets filled with high-rise buildings and taxis in the background.  Another favorite, which showcased Joe's sense of humor, is of Impossible Man who unwittingly shape-shifted into a fire hydrant amidst a pack of eager canines.

The chase cards had two different designs. PhotoGraphix cards were printed on clear acetate and introduced well-know heroes and villains in an inventive, albeit unusual new look.  LazerBlast cards had die-cut designs complete with bullet holes for Punisher and web netting for Spider-Man.

Character List (8.5)

There was a wide range of characters, from the well-known and popular Captain America, Wolverine, and Iron Man to the lesser known Squirrel Girl, Devil Dinosaur, and Moonboy.  Even though the card set had only 72 cards, it had an extremely good mix of mutants, aliens, and wannabe world conquerors.

Box Break

Each box had 18 packs so with 5 cards per pack, the chance of completing a base card set was a real possibility.  In this box break, I did not get a full set but was only short 4 cards.  I received a total of 5 chase cards - three PhotoGraphix acetates and two LazerBlast die-cuts.

Here are some samples of the base cards:

 

I could totally see Paul Rudd in his Ant-Man costume, bringing the above card to life in live-action.

Here are scans of the inserts:

Entertainment Value (8.0)

Although the card designs were fresh and imaginative, the shortage of insert types made me felt like something was missing.  There were 3 different insert/chase types since Joe Quesada's autographed parallel cards were randomly included but he only signed 35 copies of each card, making them extremely rare.  Regardless, the pack-busting experience was truly enjoyable.

Price/Value (9.0)

Most boxes are selling on EBay for under $35.00.  I was lucky enough to pick one up for $24.50 including shipping so if you're patient, I'm sure another one for around the same price will pop up.  Even individual inserts can be found for just a couple of dollars each.  It's an incredibly affordable box and the chance of scoring a Joe Quesada autographed card makes it even better.

Final Thoughts

Excellent box to open if you're looking for some pack-opening entertainment.  Although I am a huge fan of the innovative blend of photography with Marvel characters, I was not intrigued by the PhotoGraphix acetate inserts.  Thor was given a Mohawk, Hulk had an extremely long tail, and the Thing looked like the cockroach alien from Men in Black.  Regardless, I highly recommend this set so if you haven't, get yourself a box and relive the 90's!

Overall Score

8.5 out of 10

Box Break and Review - 2014 Marvel Premier

Box:

Company: Upper Deck
Release: 2014
Name: Marvel Premier
Number of Packs: 1
Number of Cards per Pack: 5

Insert/ Chase Cards:

Classic Covers Shadow Box
Code Name Letter Patch
Emotion Sketch
Printing Plate
Gold Spectrum Parallel
Red Spectrum Parallel
Base Variant Sketch Card
Multi-Panel Sketch Card

Dave and Adam's Card World recently had a sale on their 2014 Marvel Premier so I jumped at the opportunity to pick up a box.  This ultra-premium product has only ONE pack in its tin box so please keep that in mind if you decide to purchase one or more boxes.

Five cards are included in each box:

2 base cards or parallel cards

1 Shadow Box, Letter Patch, or E-Motion card

1 base variant sketch card

1 multi-paneled sketch card (either a 2, 3, or 4 panel folding sketch card)

Card Design (9.5/10)

The quality of every card is definitely noticeable as each one is printed on heavy cardstock.  The colors are vibrant and the artwork is amazing.  A classy foil border design covers three of the four sides, yet it is subtle enough not to overwhelm the look of the card.  On the back, a brief character bio is included as well as the card's serial number.  Oh yes, all base cards are limited to 199 copies each.  And since the base set has 60 cards, this will be a difficult challenge for a set collector to put together.  Yikes!

Character List (9.5/10)

Most, if not all, of the mainstay Marvel characters are in this set including those made popular by recent Marvel movies.  Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, and the furry Rocket Raccoon make an appearance, as well as Crossbones and Winter Soldier.  No B or C listers included; just the superstars and the up-and-comers.

Box Break

Here are the following cards I received from my pack...er...box break:

Base card - Black Widow and Rocket Raccoon

Letter Patch - Iron Fist (I)

Base card sketch - She-Hulk by Cris Santos

3 Panel sketch - Psylocke and Jean Grey by Ashleigh Popplewell

Scans of the base cards, front and back:

Scans of the Iron Fist letter patch card, front and back:

The She-Hulk base card variant drawn by Cris Santos:

 

And lastly, the 3 panel sketch card by Ashleigh Popplewell, front and back:

 

 

All beautiful cards, especially the 3 panel by Popplewell.

 

Entertainment Value (10/10)

 

The rush of seeing these premium sketch cards as I popped open the tin and unwrapped the pack was pretty intense.  Upper Deck enclosed the 3 panel sketch on top of the pack so it was the first thing I saw when the tin was opened.  I spent a good two minutes admiring the size of the card and appreciating the artwork.  Of course the rush fleetingly disappeared after the one and only card pack was opened but amazement with a feeling of awe continued for the artists who put their creativity, energy, and passion into these sketch cards.

 



Price/Value (8/10)

This is certainly not a cheap box by any means but Upper Deck accomplished what it set out to do; provide a product with no fillers but deliver only the big hits.  In addition, prices for 2014 Marvel Premier has come down quite substantially since boxes can be found for less than $190, from a retail price of $250.  So yes, the price is high but you do get what you pay for in terms of premium sketch cards and serial numbered base/insert cards.

Final Thoughts

This was a home run by Upper Deck.  Although the 2014 release of Marvel Premier did not seem to garner as much interest as the 2012 debut, it was a well-made product none the less.  The letter patches was a fascinating idea, mirroring what the sports card industry has done with letterman patch cards.  It allowed character collectors to more easily focus their chase for missing letter cards, adding to the thrill of the hunt.

Overall Score

9.25 out of 10

Box Break and Review - 2014 Dangerous Divas Series 2

Box:

Company: Rittenhouse Archives
Release: 2014
Name: Dangerous Divas Series 2
Number of Packs: 24
Number of Cards per Pack: 5

Insert/ Chase Cards:

Art by Milo Manara - 1:24
Artifex - 1:24
Emerald Foil Parallel Base - 1:24
Sultry Seductresses - 1:24
Sketch Card - 1:24
Cut Archives - 1:96
Marvel 75th Anniversary - 1:144
Autographed Artifex - 1:288
Diamond Foil Parallel Base - 1:288

Rittenhouse released Dangerous Divas Series 2 in December 2014 as a continuation of their highly popular Series 1, which came out a few years back.  The 90 card base set focuses on Marvel's heroines and villainesses. 

Card Design (7.0/10)

Rittenhouse moved Dangerous Divas from a borderless card design to a larger, patterned border for Series 2.  "Mighty Maidens" are showcased in a pink floral border while their counterpart, "Mistresses of Mayhem", are surrounded with a purple insidious design.  The borders give the cards a picture framed look, which is quite different from what Rittenhouse has done in the past.

On the back side of each card reveals part of a 9-card puzzle set.  Cards 1-9 form one large puzzle, cards 10-18 form another puzzle, and so on.  This replaces the traditional character bio that many card companies utilizes.

As for the inserts, Rittenhouse used different effects to separate them from the base cards.  For example, the Sultry Seductresses cards utilized a holo-flash effect while the parallel base cards have foil borders - either green in color for the Emerald Parallels or white for the rare Diamond Parallels.

Character List (8.0/10)

Although the set only included 90 cards and most of the popular female characters were already covered in Series 1, I really liked the character list in this subsequent set.  Yes, Rittenhouse included popular Marvel characters like Rogue, Mystique, and Black Widow but they also included A LOT of lesser known "divas" such as Motormouth, Ruby Thursday, Skadi, and Colleen Wing.  It's amazing how many Marvel female characters were created through out the years.

Box Break

With each box, Rittenhouse includes an entire base card set.  In addition to the base set, I received these following inserts:

Art by Milo Manara - Gamora

Artifex - Black Cat

Emerald Foil Parallel Base - Jocasta

Sultry Seductresses - She-Hulk

Artist Sketch - Dazzler by Jofel B. Cube

Here are samples of two base cards, one of Lady Deathstrike and the other of Ms. Marvel:

Scans of insert cards from this box break:

And lastly, the Dazzler colored sketch card drawn by Jofel B. Cube:

Entertainment Value (9.0/10)

It was nice to cap off 2014 with this much anticipated release from Rittenhouse.  Even after all the hits were pulled from the box, it was still enjoyable to continue opening packs and sorting through all the base cards.

Price/Value (8.5/10)

At an average price of about $50.00 per box, Dangerous Divas Series 2 is generally affordable to the masses.  Most boxes have sold for under $50.00 on EBay and most retailers are selling them for no more than $60.00. 

Final Thoughts

For a relatively inexpensive product, Dangerous Divas Series 2 is a great buy.  I liked the inserts from this set much more than from the Marvel Bronze Age box I purchased a few years ago.  This time around, I felt like the focus was on the cards and the pack-busting experience, not just solely on the sketch cards.  Having quality insert cards available in each box made the whole experience truly enjoyable.

The only thing I would change is to replace the puzzle set on the back of the cards with a character bios/profile.  The puzzle back was a cool feature but with the majority of these female characters being B and C listers, it would have been nice to learn a little more about their origins, mutant powers, and other lesser know facts.  As I opened the packs, I constantly found myself asking, "Who the heck is this?"  FYI, it'll be a good idea to have Marvel Wikia pulled up to answer some of those questions.

Overall Score

8.0 out of 10