Upper Deck will release The Avengers: Kree-Skrull War, a 190-card trading card set that can be assembled to tell five original comic stories anchored around the Kree-Skrull War storyline from Avengers #89-#97, in July. The stories can be assembled and read in nine-pocket card sheets.
The cards will be sold in 9-card $2.99 trading card packs, 24-pack displays, and 12-box cases.
Most of the cards will have single story panels (on both sides); splashes made up of three, four, and six cards account for about 5% of the cards. In addition to the story cards, the 190-card base set includes a checklist card.
Beyond the base set, there will be covers and two insert sets. Three covers (built from nine cards each) will be included, the main cover by Harvey Tolibao and Leonardo Olea, a b/w variant, and a variant cover by Paul Renaud the variant cover artist. Two insert sets of character cards will also be included: a 27-card insert set of the characters from the story from Avengers, and a 9-card set of the characters in the new original storyline.
Collectors can expect to get the full base set in a single display box, along with about a third of the cards for the side stories. Each 9-card pack will include, on average, four main story cards, two to three character cards, on to two side story cards, and one cover card.
Sketch cards will be included on a very limited basis (one per case is one ratio being considered). Three artists that have agreed to contribute sketch cards are Katie Cook, Charles Hall, Jim Cheung, and Melike Acar.
Upper Deck plans to produce binders featuring Marvel illustrations tied to the storyline, but isn’t sure yet whether they’ll be sold as single items, distributed as a case-topper, or sold some other way.
There will be a total of five original comic stories on the cards in the set, all written by Sean McKeever. The stories are edited by Bill Rosemann, with Alex Alonso listed as EIC, Joe Quesada as CCO, Dan Buckley as Publisher, and Alan Fine as Exec Producer.
Rumor has it that the Kree-Skrull War will be the subject of the Avengers movie being helmed by Joss Whedon (see “Kree-Skrull War in ‘Avengers’ Movie?”).
The stories are:
“Sacrifice”
20-page main story (from 90 two-sided cards), starring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Vision.
Manuel Garcia Penciler
Andrew Currie, Sandu Florea & Alvaro Lopez Inkers
Ian Hannin Colorist
Simon Bowland Letterer
“The Debt”
8-page side story (from 36 two-sided cards) starring Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch
Andy Smith Penciler
Bob McCleod Inker
Rob Schwager Colorist
Simon Bowland Letterer
Chris Samnee Cover Artist
6-page side story (from 27 two-sided cards) starring Nick Fury
Sean McKeever Writer
Allan Patrick Artist
Val Staples Colorist
Simon Bowland Letterer
“Power”
4-page side story (from 18 two-sided cards) starring Super-Skrull
Fabio Janson Penciler
Belardino Bardo Inker
Rachelle Rosenberg Colorist
Simon Bowland Letterer
“Soldiers’ Honor”
4-page side story (from 18 two-sided cards) starring Captain America
Carlos Paul Penciler
Belardino Bardo Inker
Andres Mossa Colorist
Simon Bowland Letterer
The concept of comic stories told on trading cards has been tried at least once before, by Jim Shooter's Defiant Comics with its Plasm #0, ca. 1993, but never before with Marvel stories.
