With the release of two major products in two weeks, Upper Deck is kicking its Marvel program into high gear.  Important for both comic and game stores, the Legendary Marvel Deck Building Game is due out November 13 (see “’Legendary Marvel Deck Building Game’”). This retails for $59.99 and pairs new original Marvel art with a game format that’s growing in popularity as an alternative to CCGs.



The Marvel Premier Trading Cards, released last week, the “most premium comic trading card release of all time” at $200 a pack (see “Upper Deck Declares War on Deflation”). The unique product includes sketch cards, numbered and very limited base cards, a multi-panel hinged sketch card, and one of three special cards in every pack.   Classic Corners (patch cards of the cover corners of famous Marvel issues), Shadowbox cards (layered 3D-effect images of famous Marvel battles), and Emotion booklet cards (booklets with covers by Jason Adams, an emotion named and a Marvel character by NAR! tied to that emotion) will all have varying levels of rarity driving collectability. 

Upper Deck’s previous Marvel releases were more prosaic: Marvel Super Hero Squad TCG, a kids game (see “’Super Hero Squad’ Demo Tour”); and the Marvel Beginnings trading card series (see “’Marvel Beginnings Series II”).