Back in 1992, shortly after my family moved from Kansas to Minnesota between my 4th and 5th grade years, I became acquainted with the world of comic books. At the time, I was 10 years old and had a few comics before that time period, but I was never really introduced to the Marvel or DC Universes. I got my first glimpse of the Marvel Universe Series III trading cards on the playground of Sunny Hollow Elementary School (I always hated that name, and apparently the name has changed). Once I had my paws on these cards, there was no stopping my allowance money from going straight towards another few packs of cards to try and crack a hologram or other rare card from this set. I would beg my parents to take me by one of the now defunct Shinders locations to grab the latest packs or singles I needed (need is a pretty strong word for a childhood collecting hobby). I always had my eyes peeled to catch a glimpse of card packs at gas stations, movie rental shops and grocery stores.
One of my favorite things about this set of cards was the artwork. It was simply amazing to me at the time. I loved how the characters stood out from their galactic background and the simple shapes that accompanied each card really added to the look of the set. The backs of the cards also had great information about the character or team and this helped me get up to speed regarding the ins and outs of the Marvel Universe.
This particular set of cards kicked off what would become my replacement for baseball card collecting. Throughout the years I collected the Marvel Universe Cards series, as well as others such as Marvel Masterpieces, X-Men and Fleer Flair to name a few. Eventually this led me to Magic: The Gathering.
Recently, I acquired a few sealed boxes of Series III and decided to crack one open to see if I could once again summon the joy that came from flipping through these pieces of cardboard geekdom. It worked.
Check out a few shots of the cards, as well as a video of not only my collection of Marvel Universe Series III cards, but of the opening of the box and packs inside.
