Upper Deck Announces Plans For Unique Marvel® Comic Book Card Project Called 'The Avengers: Kree-Skrull War'

July Trading Card Release Will Reveal Five Untold Tales!

Carlsbad, CA (April 18, 2011) – The Upper Deck Company, in conjunction with Marvel Entertainment, Inc., is announcing plans to produce and distribute a very unique trading card project called “The Avengers: Kree-Skrull War.” Resurrecting a previously published story arc around popular Marvel characters including Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and Vision, the 190-card set will boast one original main story and four original side stories that will share with Marvel fans untold tales from the Kree-Skrull War.

In the early ‘70s, the Marvel Universe released a story arc of nine original comics called “The Avengers” (issues 89 through 97) that followed The Avengers in their daily struggles to safeguard the world against any threat beyond the power that conventional peacekeeping forces could handle. Now Upper Deck is reintroducing some of those characters with an all-new story line complete with original artwork that will be delivered via trading cards. The main story, entitled “Sacrifice” and featuring Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and Vision, will consist of 20 pages that will take Marvel fans and collectors on a unique journey authored by renowned comic book writer Sean McKeever. Story pages turn front to back just like a standard comic book and will consist of nine cards per page. In addition to the riveting main story, four side stories will be launched simultaneously within the same set. Eager fans can read an eight-page story titled “The Debt,” following Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch; an intense six-page story called “The Fall,” following Nick Fury; and two four-page stories titled “Power” and “Soldiers’ Honor” featuring Super-Skrull and Captain America, respectively.

“This is truly a unique comic book story from Upper Deck,” said Bubby Johanson, Upper Deck’s product manager for Marvel. “Never before has a trading card company produced a unique Marvel comic book story line that is delivered via trading cards. Collectors can seek out the entire set and literally put together the comic book pages, including the cover, to capture a very cool collectible.”

According to Johanson, as much as 95% of the cards will be self-contained, which means that the text and art shown on the particular cards could stand alone. But the remaining balance of the cards will be pieces to the overall puzzle which collectors will need to put together in order to complete the full story line.

The product will be packaged in boxes of 24 packs apiece, with nine cards falling in every pack. The nine-card packs, on average, will be comprised of four main story cards, two-to-three character cards, one-to-two side story cards and one cover card. Collectors will receive the entire main story inside a single box, on average, “with approximately one-third of the side story cards falling in every box,” according to Johanson.

Not to be outdone by the original stories alone, additional insert cards will be sprinkled into the mix consisting of the cover art: the main cover; a black-and-white variant; and a special art variant version will all be collectible within the set. “The Avengers: Kree-Skrull War” set is slated to hit hobby store shelves in July. Stay tuned for additional information during the coming months.

About Upper Deck

Upper Deck is the leading sports and entertainment trading card and collectibles company. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 5,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation) and publishing (via Marvel Comics). Marvel's strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world, including feature films, consumer products, toys, video games, animated television, direct-to-DVD and online. For more information visit www.marvel.com.