I have to admit that I was on the fence about Magic: The Gathering‘s latest set, Marvel’s Spider-Man. As a big fan of the classic MTG lore, I’m not exactly in love with Universes Beyond, and while I understand that something like Lord of the Rings can fit the vibe of the game, Spider-Man (and Marvel Comics in general) seemed like a step too far. However, I put my reservations aside when I saw the cards in the Marvel’s Universe bonus sheet, which will be included in both Play Boosters and Collector Boosters.
I’ve been reading Marvel’s comic books for most of my life, and I’m very familiar with Spider-Man’s long history. I’ve watched Peter Parker go through trials and tribulations, reach the heights of personal success, and then go back to square one many, many times. (Please, Marvel, let this guy have a win without taking it away!) Throughout all that, I’ve also witnessed some of the greatest and most iconic panels in comic book history, and seeing them reproduced on MTG cards made me equally ecstatic at the thought of owning them and sad at the thought of how much it will cost me.
Some of the cards in the Marvel’s Universe bonus sheet really stand out among the others because of the stories that the art they reproduce first appeared in, and how great and iconic these were. Here are my favorites.
1
Ponder
Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, is one of the greatest comic book artists of all time. A legend who redefined sci-fi imagery, Moebius did not work a lot in the United States, but he still did some things for Marvel, allegedly because Stan Lee was a big fan of his. (Together, they created the beautiful Silver Surfer: Parable limited series.) The illustration on this card, however, is from the cover of 2018’s Amazing Spider-Man #800. This historical issue saw many premier artists come together to celebrate the legacy of Spider-Man, but none stand out as Moebius.
His Spider-Man is as amazing as he is creepy, immersed in the surreal landscape typical of the visionary French artist. As a hardcore Pauper player, I really hope that this card won’t sell for too much, because I want a playset. Now.
2
Counterspell
I know that this will make many MTG players riot, but to me, this is the best Counterspell art ever printed. (Please, don’t insult me too much in the comments; at least I didn’t mention the SpongeBob one!) I know that it’s hard to surpass the original, iconic design by Mark Poole, but to me, nothing encapsulates the frustration of getting a key spell countered like being slapped in the face. Again, a playset is needed here, please.
This specific panel is from Doctor Octopus’s first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #3, from 1963, written by Stan Lee and with art by Steve Ditko. It doesn’t get more historic than that, honestly. And if you think that Spidey has it bad in this panel, wait to hear what Doc Ock did to him many years later in the Superior Spider-Man story.
3
Path to Exile
If Steve Ditko is the creator of Spider-Man and the artist responsible for bringing to life so many of the iconic characters from his stories, then the artist of the character’s maturity is, without a doubt, John Romita Sr. He gave us countless memorable moments and panels, but nothing can beat the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #50 from 1967, where the Spider-Man No More! arc started, now showcased on the Path to Exile MTG card.
In this story, Peter is fed up with not getting any respect or acknowledgment as Spider-Man, no matter how many people he saves, so he abandons his costume in a trash can — another iconic page from this same number. The cover, however, is pure comic book art. When the medium is at its best, it can convey a multitude of emotions and stories without using any words, and that’s what Romita Sr. achieves here.
4
Beast Within / Arachnogenesis
In 1987, the history of Marvel Comics, and superhero comics in general, changed forever when a young artist called Todd McFarlane was hired to work on Amazing Spider-Man. The revolution that McFarlane’s style brought to the industry is hard to understate, but it’s perfectly showcased in these two cards. McFarlane’s hero is more spider than man, a coil of muscles sitting in an impossibly detailed web. That same animalistic tone is accentuated in Spider-Man’s villains, who are bestial by nature, such as the feral Lizard.
5
Infernal Grasp
After McFarlane left Amazing Spider-Man, Erik Larsen took over as artist. I started reading Spider-Man comics in the ’90s, borrowing them from my older brother, and Larsen’s style and his depiction of Venom are burned into my memory. The artist introduced the most iconic features of the character, such as the reptilian tongue, and penciled the Venom Returns arc, which concludes in Amazing Spider-Man #347, whose cover you can now enjoy on the card Infernal Grasp.
I know this may sound ridiculous amid today’s cynical environment, but kid me was really scared by this cover. I thought Spidey would die for real, and honestly, Venom was the perfect candidate to pull that off. The story inside the book is pretty cool, with a showoff on a desert island, and it really conveys just how far obsession can push people (and alien symbiotes). Spoilers ahead: Spider-Man didn’t die; I will buy this card.
6
Reanimate
This was easy to predict. Often described as one of the greatest Spider-Man stories of all time, Kraven’s Last Hunt showed that mainstream comic books can be pretty damn great if they want to. J. M. DeMatteis delivers a harrowing tale with lyrical undertones that shines the spotlight on a secondary Spider-Man villain, Kraven the Hunter.
The inspiration for Kraven’s Last Hunt is also its climax: the scene of a hero rising from their own grave, as Spider-Man does after being shot and apparently killed by Kraven. There was no better MTG card to host that, and Mike Zeck’s photorealistic art, than Reanimate. If you haven’t read this, go ahead and treat yourself to an amazing story. It inspired countless imitations, including the Superior Spider-Man saga that you can see in a few cards from this set.
7
Terminate
A of legendary Spider-Man artists wouldn’t be complete without Mark Bagley. Among his many accomplishments over a truly amazing career, special mention goes to creating the character of Carnage with writer David Michelinie. If Venom was bad, Carnage was a lot worse. As a superpowered schizophrenic serial killer, he personified many trends in superhero comics in the ’90s.
I wasn’t able to track down a specific issue where this panel appears (please let me know in the comments if you do!) but there’s a good chance it’s from Maximum Carnage, a big storyline that spanned through all the ongoing Spider-Man comics in 1993, and saw Carnage do what he does best, spread death and havoc, this time with a makeshift “family” of superpowered maniacs. There are a bunch of legendary creatures of common rarity in this set, which may make Pauper stable Cast Down less relevant, meaning that I’ll have to buy a playset of this Terminate too. Sigh.
8
Rite of Replication
We can all agree that the Clone Saga was bad, but it was still a massive story in my formative comic book reader years (I’m sure you’ll have noticed a trend by now). I won’t waste your time trying to give a summary of this convoluted storyline, which ended in what could have been the biggest twist in Marvel history, if only they had not taken it back soon after.
Nostalgia will make me buy this card, proving that Wizards of the Coast’s business model with Universes Beyond makes sense. Still, no matter how bad its finale was, the Clone Saga was a big event for Marvel in the mid-’90s, way before massive crossovers were a yearly occurrence. Hopefully, the price of this card will remain as low as it is now.
9
Iron Spider, Civil Warrior (Alibou, Ancient Witness)
Speaking of massive Marvel crossovers happening on a regular basis, here is the one that started the trend: Civil War. I’m not putting this card on the list only to prove I’ve read comics past the ’90s. Civil War was a pretty cool event, and it truly revolutionized Marvel’s storytelling model, making it more similar to episodic TV with its seasons. It also promised to bring permanent changes to the status quo of the Marvel Universe, which it did…for a while at least.
Spider-Man stole the show with the most shocking moment in the entire series, unmasking in front of the press and revealing his identity to comply with the Registration Act (and getting a cool Stark tech suit as a bonus). That decision could have changed the character forever, but then One More Day happened. But we don’t talk about that (and luckily, it’s not on any MTG cards either).
