2014 Marvel Now!

[80s Showtime]

Sorry if 2014 Marvel Now! already has a thread in the Non-Sports section.

Since I enjoyed opening Marvel Fleer Retro so much, I was wondering which of the next Marvel releases to looking forward to and found this:

http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/b...arvel-now.html

It appears that the MSRP is lower than Fleer Retro but will it pack out as much fun (and value)? Here's what the link has as the set's highlights:

2014 Upper Deck Marvel NOW!

Configuration: 12 boxes per case. 24 packs per box. 7 cards per pack.

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS

- Collect the 100 Card Base Set featuring characters in their new homes in the Marvel NOW! Universe. All art is from the Marvel NOW! books. Five (5) base cards in each Hobby Pack!
- Collect the Foil Parallel of the entire base set. One (1) Foil Parallel Card per Hobby Pack!
- Collect insert cards that feature a cover image from one of the 1st issues of a Marvel NOW! book. Variant covers are included! One (1) Cutting Edge card per pack!
- Look for multi-signed autograph cards from some of the creative minds and talent from the Marvel NOW! initiative!
- Look for sketch cards that mimic the blank cover variants of the inaugural issues on the Marvel NOW! initiative.
- One (1) multi-signed autograph or Blank Cover Sketch Card per hobby box.
- Look for randomly inserted Hologram cards that feature full 3-D holographic renderings of your favorite characters!
- Look for Authentic 1 of 1 press plate cards!

Appears that one of the box hits is a either a multi-signed auto card OR the Blank Cover Variant sketch card. For value, hopefully that means there's another hit or 2 in the box from these other inserts:

-Sketch Cards
-Holo F/X Cards
-Plate Cards
-Marvel NOW! Foil Auto Parallel
-Marvel NOW! High Series

I don't believe Upper Deck would make the Blank Cover Sketch Card an actual blank sketch card with no art on it as a box hit though. I believe it's most likely a "variant" sketch card. I'm just guessing that Upper Deck will continue with the Base Card sketch card formula since they've used it in Marvel Premier and Fleer Retro and it seems to have been well received by collectors. So I wonder if it would be possible to pull a "base card"-type sketch card AND "Blank Cover" sketch card in the same box?

Hopefully the price point will provide good value and it'll be a product that's just as fun as Fleer Retro was to open.

[finfangfan]

Yeah... I also don't think the sketch card will be a blank. There are other collectors that are pretty sure it is though (see the Scoundrel thread).

[Spider-Fan]

I agree with you, I believe the stock just mimics that of a "blank variant sketch cover" comic book - but that the card will contain a sketch. I think this line further supports that conclusion:

Look for sketch cards that mimic the blank cover variants of the inaugural issues on the Marvel NOW! initiative.

Why call it a sketch card if it doesn't include a sketch?

Anyway, I'm not that excited about this release. Upper Deck seems to be doing three things with the Marvel license

(1) Movie sets
(2) Annual premium set (Premier, Retro)
(3) Annual or Biannual 'base' sets (Marvel Masterpieces, Marvel Beginnings)

It looks like this is the next Marvel Beginnings, and I always felt the MSRP on that product was too high for a 1 hit box. Although many boxes contained two hits (a sketch and comic creator auto, or a holo and comic creator auto) there were plenty of boxes that only contained a double or triple signed comic creator auto and that is a huge loss at the price you are paying.

Marvel Beginnings - 1 comic cover subset card per pack
Marvel Now - 1 comic cover subset card (cutting edge) per pack

Marvel Beginnings - 1 die-cut OR 1 foil subset card per pack
Marvel Now - 1 foil parallel card per pack

I like the idea for the set, but I'm not buying anything until the price is down below $45/box.

[Goldenavenger]

Some of the confusion is the an email by a dealer that states "blank variant cover sketch card, to have sketched for you, or by you." Clearly that makes it seem like a blank card. Nonetheless......

On the same token, why call it a blank cover sketch card if it's not blank? Comics were called blank cover variants because they were blank. If these sketch cards are actually drawn on then they shouldn't be calling them blank cover sketch cards.

While I agree that they most likely will not be blank, the name makes for some confusion. Even the 2001 Marvel Legends sketch cards were called custom covers.....no where is blank mentioned.

[Spider-Fan]

Originally Posted by Goldenavenger

Some of the confusion is the an email by a dealer that states "blank variant cover sketch card, to have sketched for you, or by you." Clearly that makes it seem like a blank card. Nonetheless......

On the same token, why call it a blank cover sketch card if it's not blank? Comics were called blank cover variants because they were blank. If these sketch cards are actually drawn on then they shouldn't be calling them blank cover sketch cards.

While I agree that they most likely will not be blank, the name makes for some confusion. Even the 2001 Marvel Legends sketch cards were called custom covers.....no where is blank mentioned.

Fully agree with you. Personally, I think Ed just misinterpreted the sell sheet. Like I said, I could be wrong. Maybe he contacted UD for clarification and they stated they would be packed out blank. I haven't bothered. It isn't going to impact the fact that I'm not going to pre-order.

Artists have received their blanks for the set. Maybe Jason or Mike or one of the other guys that does work for UD could clarify if the cards they were given look like miniature blank variant comic book covers.

[Fernando]

There seems to be conflicting information on other sites as well. From Cardboard Connection:

Sketch cards come in two formats, basic cards and Blank Cover Variant Sketch Cards. These are based on the comics that come with blank covers. These comics are intended to be customized either by collectors themselves or by getting commissioned pieces from artists. The sketch cards, though, come with original art work done on them.

If blank cards are included (in addition to sketch cards), I am looking forward to it as I would have artists I meet at conventions sketch on them.

[sketchopolix]

Originally Posted by Fernando

If blank cards are included (in addition to sketch cards), I am looking forward to it as I would have artists I meet at conventions sketch on them.

The key to this working from a seller's POV is what you would then pay for a blank card. $50? $25? If a blank is considered a hit frequently, it needs to carry a pretty high price tag. I'm leery.

[Spider-Fan]

Originally Posted by sketchopolix

The key to this working from a seller's POV is what you would then pay for a blank card. $50? $25? If a blank is considered a hit frequently, it needs to carry a pretty high price tag. I'm leery.

Well I'll tell you as a buyer I'm not going to pay $50 for a card when I still have to pay for the sketch.

I spend $5 on blank cover comic books (actually, usually $3 for DC and $4 for Marvel), so I'm sure I'd be willing to drop that per card. I'd more than likely be looking for a lot of 10+ cards.

Anyway, I think the conversation is pointless since I doubt we'll be seeing blanks.

[80s Showtime]

Originally Posted by Fernando

There seems to be conflicting information on other sites as well. From Cardboard Connection:

Sketch cards come in two formats, basic cards and Blank Cover Variant Sketch Cards. These are based on the comics that come with blank covers. These comics are intended to be customized either by collectors themselves or by getting commissioned pieces from artists.The sketch cards, though, come with original art work done on them.

If blank cards are included (in addition to sketch cards), I am looking forward to it as I would have artists I meet at conventions sketch on them.

It seems like it's just trying to describe what the blank covers of the comic books are intended for: getting commissions or customizing.

The last sentence then refers back to the sketch cards: "The sketch cards, though, come with original art work done on them."

[finfangfan]

Originally Posted by sketchopolix

The key to this working from a seller's POV is what you would then pay for a blank card. $50? $25? If a blank is considered a hit frequently, it needs to carry a pretty high price tag. I'm leery.

Yeah.. I don't think people would pay much for a blank*. When Topps did the You Sketch It baseball inserts, those blanks were selling in lots of 10-20 for less than $1 a card. If you charge $20-$50 for a blank then people would be better off to apply that $ toward an AP (many artist charge around $50ish outright). Part of the appeal of the blanks is to give artists the opportunity to make more $ doing sketch cards. If the blanks are rare and sell for a premium only the upper tier sketch card artists (and name artists that don't normally bother with sketch cards) would be commissioned. Kind of defeats the purpose of the experiment IMHO.

*= granted official set blanks that "slip through the cracks" often sell for a premium though... But that is tied to rarity an the fact that they aren't supposed to be sold.

[dd316]

The sketch cards will not be blank, "blank cover" is just an industry term for the comics that can be drawn on, and they're called the same before and after artwork is added.


Was just thinking... why don't collectors get all up in arms over the multitude of Marvel releases every year? God forbid Topps puts out more than 1 Star Wars set, but Marvel gets a pass? Why is this?

[Spider-Fan]

Originally Posted by finfangfan

Yeah.. I don't think people would pay much for a blank*. When Topps did the You Sketch It baseball inserts, those blanks were selling in lots of 10-20 for less than $1 a card. If you charge $20-$50 for a blank then people would be better off to apply that $ toward an AP (many artist charge around $50ish outright). Part of the appeal of the blanks is to give artists the opportunity to make more $ doing sketch cards. If the blanks are rare and sell for a premium only the upper tier sketch card artists (and name artists that don't normally bother with sketch cards) would be commissioned. Kind of defeats the purpose of the experiment IMHO.

*= granted official set blanks that "slip through the cracks" often sell for a premium though... But that is tied to rarity an the fact that they aren't supposed to be sold.

This is the appeal to you. I don't think this benefits Upper Deck or the artists, as I've stated elsewhere and several others have agreed. The only benefit to Upper Deck is that they would save $2-5/card (or whatever it is they pay the artists). It would cost me way more than $5 for a sketch, so the more I think about it the more I DON'T want blanks.

[finfangfan]

Right... And as Ted mentioned they aren't happening in this set.. So it is a dead horse and I will stop talking about it (in this thread at least! Still hoping Alvin pulls it off in the next MA set...lol!)

[finfangfan]

Originally Posted by dd316

The sketch cards will not be blank, "blank cover" is just an industry term for the comics that can be drawn on, and they're called the same before and after artwork is added.


Was just thinking... why don't collectors get all up in arms over the multitude of Marvel releases every year? God forbid Topps puts out more than 1 Star Wars set, but Marvel gets a pass? Why is this?

I think a lot of collectors would like the Marvel license to be held by just one company. I rarely buy the Rittenhouse cards because I only have $X to spend and tend to prefer the UD stuff.

[Goldenavenger]

Originally Posted by dd316

The sketch cards will not be blank, "blank cover" is just an industry term for the comics that can be drawn on, and they're called the same before and after artwork is added.


Was just thinking... why don't collectors get all up in arms over the multitude of Marvel releases every year? God forbid Topps puts out more than 1 Star Wars set, but Marvel gets a pass? Why is this?

I personally don't need to get all up in arms because I just choose not to buy certain releases. As the years go on I buy less and less. If the releases sell out the producers will keep making them, so the only way to change how many they make is to not have them sell out everytime.

[antrodemus]

Originally Posted by dd316

The sketch cards will not be blank, "blank cover" is just an industry term for the comics that can be drawn on, and they're called the same before and after artwork is added.


Was just thinking... why don't collectors get all up in arms over the multitude of Marvel releases every year? God forbid Topps puts out more than 1 Star Wars set, but Marvel gets a pass? Why is this?

LOL! Have you ever dealt with Topps Customer Service? :turkey:

[Spider-Fan]

Originally Posted by dd316

Was just thinking... why don't collectors get all up in arms over the multitude of Marvel releases every year? God forbid Topps puts out more than 1 Star Wars set, but Marvel gets a pass? Why is this?

They don't? For sure we complain about how that market is absolutely flooded with sketch cards.

I'd be pretty happy if they were each limited to one comic set per year.

As for Star Wars.. Coming from a non-collector, I would expect part of the issue to be the lack of new material. Maybe I just don't see it because I'm not a big part of that world. It seems like most of the SW sets are based on the movies, and the movies don't come out that frequently. The comic licenses could be kept fresh, considering how many titles there are and how often they come out. Pretty much every book has at least two arcs per year, plus all the major crossover events. Although I agree they don't do a very good job doing this, I think because there is limited crossover between the card collectors and the people actually keeping up with the comics. Have you seen how expensive comics are now? How can you afford to do both!

[Ronin]

More like Marvel Overload..

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by dd316

The sketch cards will not be blank, "blank cover" is just an industry term for the comics that can be drawn on, and they're called the same before and after artwork is added.


Was just thinking... why don't collectors get all up in arms over the multitude of Marvel releases every year? God forbid Topps puts out more than 1 Star Wars set, but Marvel gets a pass? Why is this?

I hear ya, and I agree. It's absolutely ridiculous.

Both of them bother me. Not just that we get so many releases per year, but that we get a lot of the same.. signers, hits, exceptionally low quality sketches.

[dd316]

Originally Posted by Spider-Fan

They don't? For sure we complain about how that market is absolutely flooded with sketch cards.

I'd be pretty happy if they were each limited to one comic set per year.

As for Star Wars.. Coming from a non-collector, I would expect part of the issue to be the lack of new material. Maybe I just don't see it because I'm not a big part of that world. It seems like most of the SW sets are based on the movies, and the movies don't come out that frequently. The comic licenses could be kept fresh, considering how many titles there are and how often they come out. Pretty much every book has at least two arcs per year, plus all the major crossover events. Although I agree they don't do a very good job doing this, I think because there is limited crossover between the card collectors and the people actually keeping up with the comics. Have you seen how expensive comics are now? How can you afford to do both!

The second Topps breathes a hint of a new Star Wars close to another release, there's instant backlash. Yet we're pummeled with set after set after set of Marvel to which nobody seems to mind. Sure, collectors talk about the sketch market being saturated (in general), but not simply the Marvel brand.

As a Star Wars fan I welcome as much as possible! I don't get how having too much to choose from is a problem? The Marvel collectors don't seem to mind. I guess I just wish Star Wars collectors would be more accepting of new products. Sure it can get repetitive at times, but so can anything done with any amount of frequency.

[monkeymcgee]

Originally Posted by dd316

The second Topps breathes a hint of a new Star Wars close to another release, there's instant backlash. Yet we're pummeled with set after set after set of Marvel to which nobody seems to mind. Sure, collectors talk about the sketch market being saturated (in general), but not simply the Marvel brand.

As a Star Wars fan I welcome as much as possible! I don't get how having too much to choose from is a problem? The Marvel collectors don't seem to mind. I guess I just wish Star Wars collectors would be more accepting of new products. Sure it can get repetitive at times, but so can anything done with any amount of frequency.

My uneducated guess there are more set collectors for the Star Wars products, so each additional product causes them distress.

[aggie4ever]

I think the problem with the Star Wars sets is too many EXPENSIVE sets in a row. When we were talking about 8 box cases of $60 boxes, many collectors have no problem buying a $500 case. However, the past 4 releases have all been 12 box cases of $80-100 boxes. $1000-1200 per case is way too much, especially since there have been 4 of these sets in just over a year.

The other issue is that collectors want value for the money they spend. The last 4 Star Wars sets have all dropped in price shortly after release because the content just wasn't there to support a $1000 case. So it's hard not to complain when another $1000/case set is announced a few months after the last one didn't deliver.

Also, I do think a lot of collectors think there are way too many Marvel sets that come out. However, I also think that a lot of collectors do either just Upper Deck or just Rittenhouse, and not both. Or they do just the high end sets and not the other sets. Or just the movie sets. So many collectors can pick and choose which Marvel sets to bust. But many Star Wars fans feel like they need to open every SW set.

I personally am ok with the number of Star Wars sets that have come out, just not their prices. So I haven't opened any of the last 4 sets. But once the price drops enough, I will be happy to open some cases.

[Spider-Fan]

Ted - For your wallet's sake, I'm glad the Star Wars sets with sketches are coming out fairly regularly. For me, I could do with less Marvel sets a year. I *want* to collect them all, but it is to many and they become boring. For the RA sets particularly, my first thought is "Just pick up some sketch singles and then buy a mini-master set when I see one at a decent price." How boring! And then after a couple of weeks I'm like "Why did I waste my money on this mini-master set. I don't even look at it. I should have put that cash towards a sweet AP. Idiot!"

[DeathStorm]

Originally Posted by dd316

The sketch cards will not be blank, "blank cover" is just an industry term for the comics that can be drawn on, and they're called the same before and after artwork is added.


Was just thinking... why don't collectors get all up in arms over the multitude of Marvel releases every year? God forbid Topps puts out more than 1 Star Wars set, but Marvel gets a pass? Why is this?

They don't, we've been asking for them to cut numbers for a long while now but there's always more Rittenhouse, Upperdeck and Cryptozoic products being put out.

In fairness, Rittenhouse has been dropping the number of boxes per release and I can't see Cryptozoic putting out the same volume of DC sets (they've sold very poorly afaik).

[jadams]

Originally Posted by dd316

Was just thinking... why don't collectors get all up in arms over the multitude of Marvel releases every year? God forbid Topps puts out more than 1 Star Wars set, but Marvel gets a pass? Why is this?

Movies. Movies. Movies.