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Cards : 2002 Artbox FilmCardz

It's a little confusing, but at the same time that the 2002 Topps Movie card set was released to coincide with the long-awaited film, this "FilmCardz" set was also released. However, this set has nothing to do with the Film. "FilmCardz" bit actually refers to the physical nature of the cards, which are actually more like old-fashioned projector "slides". Confused yet?

You can actually send off and get a special FilmCardz projector to display the cards to maximum effect. I haven't done that, so I'm not sure if the cards woud just be back-lit, or if they actually project onto a wall or piece of paper. Holding the cards up to a lamp seems to work just fine anyhow.

Summary

  • Year of Issue: 2002
  • Distributed By: Artbox
  • Title of Series: Spider-Man FilmCardz
  • Number of Regular Cards: 72
  • Chase Set 1: 9 Chase FilmCardz (slightly sparkly borders)
  • Chase Set 2: 6 Rare FilmCardz (averagely sparkly borders)
  • Chase Set 3: 3 Ultra-Rare FilmCardz (fairly sparkly borders)
  • Chase Set 4: Autographed FilmCardz
  • Promo Set: 5 Promo Cards
  • Extra Stuff: Fold-out pamphlet. Binder. Projector. Uncut mini-sheet.
  • Packet Cover: 5 cards/pack. Blue, one style (Spidey).
  • Boxed Sets: 24 packs/box. Blue box.

Basic Cards

The basic cards are formed from a relatively thick plastic frame, with a celluloid colored-transparancy insert containing the image proper. The front top of the frame shows the title. On the reverse side of the frame is the card number, the sub-set name, and an pointless little caption of the picture. e.g. "Spider-Man catches a web full of thugs."
Part of the artwork selected for the cards is relatively recent comic-book work, e.g. lots of JR JR covers. Lots of older stuff also appears. Some of the art is from regular continuity, and some is from the Ultimate titles. The selection is haphazard, and doesn't follow any clear pattern within the subsets.

Clearly the person who wrote the captions doesn't read Spidey comics. For example, there's the classic shot of Peter on the bed with his costume arrayed on the floor, just before Aunt May discovers his secret. The caption says "Peter takes off his costume after a long night". The Lizard's alter ego is referred to as "Dr. Kurt Cassidy". Lots of dumb errors abound. There are even basic spelling errors! "Dinosaures" for example.

Here are the 72 basic cards. Spelling and capitalization is taken exactly from the cards, so don't blame me.

  1. vs. Kraven The Hunter
  2. Web-Slinging
  3. a Web Full of Thugs
  4. Away From a Battle
  5. Running From Dinosaures
  6. with Black Cat
  7. vs. Spider Slayer
  8. vs. Green Goblin
  9. vs. Dr. Octopus
  1. Unmasked
  2. Tangled in Vines
  3. Through the Rain
  4. through New York City
  5. surrounded by Spiders
  6. Saving Lives
  7. Rushes to the Scene
  8. Landing On a Rooftop
  9. Teaching Biochemistry
  1. as Spider-Man
  2. Surrounded by Photos
  3. on a Rooftop
  4. New Spider-Man
  5. Spider-Man's Mask
  6. & Man Thing vs. Lizard
  7. Hooked up to Machinery
  8. Looking for Action
  9. vs. Kraven's Son and Calypso
  1. Hiding in the Shadows
  2. Rescuing a Fireman
  3. Face to Face
  4. Dr. Octopus
  5. in the Darkness
  6. Crawling Above the City
  7. Crawling Up a Building
  8. Web-Slinging with Baggage
  9. After a Brawl
  1. vs. Carnage and Venom
  2. vs. Dr. Octopus
  3. vs. Electro
  4. vs. Kraven
  5. vs. The Scorpion
  6. vs. Spider Slayer
  7. vs. The Lizard
  8. vs. Venon
  9. vs. Venom
  1. Spider-Man 2099
  2. Armored Spidey
  3. Ben Reilly as Spider-Man
  4. Black Symbiote
  5. Captain Universe
  6. Classic Spider-Man
  7. Elusive Spider-Man
  8. Scarlet Spider
  9. Six-Arm Spidey
  1. Carnage
  2. Dr. Doom
  3. Green Goblin
  4. Hobgoblin
  5. The Lizard
  6. Mysterio
  7. Rhino
  8. Venon
  9. The Vulture
  1. ASM #252
  2. ASM #3
  3. ASM #33
  4. AF #15
  5. ASM #100
  6. Spectacular #257
  7. ASM #2
  8. WEb #1
  9. ASM (Vol. 2) #34

Chase Cards

The chase cards are distributed poorly. I bought an entire box and got a complete set of the basic cards. But I got TWO complete sets of the 9-card "chase set". Since I had previously bought one on eBay, I now have three complete "Ph" sets! However, I only have three of the six "rare" cards, and two of the three "ultra-rares". I did manage to score one auto-graphed card, signed by Mike Wieringo. Hiya Mike.

The chase sets are totally lame. The only difference between an ultra-rare and a regular card is that the border has some holo-sparkle. I guess there's not much you can do to a transparent bit of celluloid. The rare cards are difficult to tell from regular cards, they have only a hint of sparkle. The only interesting thing about them is that they're "rare". It's purely "fake" value, and I hate that.

  1. Ph1 - Unmasked by The Black Tyrant
  2. Ph2 - Sensational #1
  3. Ph3 - The End of Spider-Man?
  4. Ph4 - vs. The Vulture
  5. Ph5 - Through a Starlit Sky
  6. Ph6 - Is it True?
  7. Ph7 - vs. The Sinister Dix
  8. Ph8 - plays "Guess Who?"
  9. Ph9 - Prepared for a Long Night
  1. R1 - It?s a Scorcher out there!
  2. R2 - Night patrol
  3. R3 - The Clone of Spider-Man
  4. R4 - Just another Day at the office
  5. R5 - Night Watchman
  6. R6 - A Defeated Spider-Man
  7. UR1 - Another Day's Work is Done
  8. UR2 - Can it be true?
  9. UR3 - Spider-Man Surveys the Ruins
  1. Autograph: Wieringo

Extra Stuff

Every pack includes this fold-out pamphlet. Inside is information about how you can send away for either:
  • $20 - The 72 regular cards, or...
  • $20 - A binder, 9-panel mini-sheet, 5-card pack, or...
  • $40 - Both of the above, plus 2 promo cards and the viewer.
Now, I bought a wax box. I got all the regular cards, but not the all rares or ultra-rares. Annoyling, it seems that if I want the viewer, I have to buy a second regular set as well! If I want a complete five-card promo set I need to buy three binders, three viewers, three more regular sets. Even then after $120, I still don't get to complete my rare card sets! What a ripoff!

Packaging

Here's the 5-card pack, and the top of the 24-pack box.

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