The Marvel source material cards are the main reason why I am excited about Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Marvel Comics. These are reprints of popular Magic cards featuring borderless art from the comics. As a comic book fan, the prospect of collecting iconic moments from the stories I grew up reading is enough to make me overlook all the issues with Universes Beyond.
Well, maybe not all the issues, but at least Marvel Super Heroes is shaping up to be a much better set than Marvel’s Spider-Man. It also introduces a new slate of source material cards from a wide range of comics and characters, from iconic 1960s creators like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to modern masterpieces. These cards can be a great chance for new fans to discover some of the stories that made Marvel Comics a cultural icon before the movies came around.
Here are my 10 favorite Marvel source material cards from the Marvel Super Heroes set, and the comic books that inspired them.
10
Anthem of Champions — Contest of Champions
Nowadays, Marvel Comics launches a new big event every year that’s all about stacking as many characters together as possible and seeing what happens. Well, it all started here. Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions is Marvel Comics’ first-ever limited series. Published from June to August 1982, it was written by Mark Gruenwald and penciled by John Romita Jr. It introduced the concept of crossovers, events involving characters from different comic books, getting together to face a big crisis that usually has an impact on the entire Marvel continuity.
Mark Gruenwald was an ante-litteram visionary. (Just check out his Squadron Supreme run: it was one of the first politically charged big superhero comics, before that became a cool thing to do.) Contest of Champions planted the seed of what would become a standard practice for the House of Ideas, and while that series is less ambitious than Crisis on Infinite Earths, it predates DC Comics’ famous crossover event by three years.
9
Beast Within (Grimm Fate) — This Man… This Monster!
Ben Grimm, aka the ever-loving, blue-eyed Thing, is one of Marvel Comics’ most beloved characters. He perfectly encapsulates the House of Ideas’ early formula for success: superheroes with superproblems. The Thing paid the steepest price for his powers, turning into a rock-skinned monstrosity. This fueled decades of excellent stories that focus on Ben’s struggle with his body, but perhaps none is remembered as fondly as 1966’s “This Man…This Monster!” written by Stan Lee and illustrated by the King himself, Jack Kirby.
In the story, a scientist jealous of Reed Richards’ accomplishments kidnaps the Thing and steals his powers, resulting in the original turning back into his human form. The scientist infiltrates the Baxter Building and tries to assassinate Reed, only to change his mind at the last minute and sacrifice his life to save the Fantastic Four leader. Meanwhile, after awakening in his original form, Ben runs to his girlfriend Alicia to give her the good news. As the scientist dies, however, Ben’s powers return, and he reverts to his monstrous appearance just as Alicia opens the door. That scene answers the question of whether you can break a heart of stone with a resounding “yes.”
It’s also notable that a nameless scientist was able to cure Ben 60 years ago, and in all that time “the world’s smartest man” Reed Richards has failed to do so. What a sham!
8
Counterspell — Iron Man Extremis
This is more a personal favorite than one of the all-time greats, perhaps, but it’s still a milestone in Iron Man continuity. Written by Warren Ellis with art by Adi Granov, “Extremis” is a six-issue story arc that ran in Iron Man between 2005 and 2006. It introduces the Extremis virus (also featured in the movie Iron Man 3), which upgrades Tony Stark with real superpowers, allowing him to connect to his armor and other machines through a neural interface.
Extremis is perhaps the last interesting Iron Man story published (except for the magnificent miniseries Infamous Iron Man, where Doctor Doom takes the mantle of Iron Man). It transformed Tony Stark from “former alcoholic rich guy in a suit” into his modern image of a futurist, before that term was spoiled by creepy technocrats.
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