DC Universe Trading Card Sets

2003 • Inkworks Justice League Premium Trading Cards

• 81 standard
• 18 foil cards
• 9 World's Greatest Heroes
• 7 Lenticular
• 1 Autograph Card
• 7 cards per pack ($1.99), 36 packs per case
• Friends and Foes Foil Cards (1-per-pack)
• I own: Whole set and full set of sketch cards (at least one from each artist)
• Checklist

Five types of Sketch cards (SK-1 thru SK-5, each ) were produced, each drawn by one five different Korean animation artists (and each artist sketched about 500 cards). You could get a Sketch card only if your pack contained a Redemption Card (SR-1, 1:100 packs); you could select the artist whose sketch you wanted.

These are really fun and feature characters from the Justice League animated series. One could also buy a 3-ring Justice League collector album and a limited, numbered uncut mini-press sheet of "World's Greatest Heroes." Only 199 sequentially numbered uncut mini-press sheets made.

2004 • Postopia Justice League (KF Holdings/Post Cereal)

• Set of 7
• Distributed in plastic wrappers, inside Post cereal boxes
• I own: Whole set

Very similar to the Inkworks cards above, but a bit smaller and featuring different signature art for each of the seven members.

2005 • Upper Deck Entertainment DC Vs System: JLA Trading Cards Game

• Set of 220
• 110 Common Cards
• 55 Uncommon
• 55 Rare
• 24 packs per box
• 14 cards per pack
• I own: Whole JLA and Legion sets  
• See the cards

These fantasy game cards are made to work with other sets of the "Vs. System." The JLA set was sold alongside collector’s edition Deck Tins, featuring four different designs by Alex Ross. I couldn't care less about the game, I love the cards. Complete sets are rarely sold since the game is currently being played. From one booster box, I got 42% of the rare cards and nearly 100% of the rest.

2007 • Rittenhouse Archives DC Legacy

• Set of 50-Card base set
• 50 Gold Parallel Cards (1:6 packs)
• 9 First Title Covers (1:12 packs)
• 9 DC Gallery (1:24 packs)
• 6 Legendary Heroes (1:48 packs)
• 1 hand-drawn colored Sketch Card per box
• I own: Master set (minus any sketch cards) 
• Checklist

Legendary DC characters as they have appeared in comic books from the 1930s to the present. Limited product run of 10,000 boxes. ($84.00 each). Sort of fun. Not as rotten as the next set...

2009 • Rittenhouse Justice League Archives

• 72-card base
• 18 Super Friends Cards
• 7 Founding Members
• 6 Other Earths Cards
• Each case includes an autograph card signed by Murphy Anderson
• Incentives:
  • Every 3 cases = one hand-painted card by Felipe Massafera.
  • Every 9 cases = one hand-painted card by Bard
  • Every 18 cases = you get an "Archive Box" containing one sketch card from each of the 39 artists
• 5 cards per pack, 24 packs/box, 12 boxes/case
• Each box features a hand-drawn, hand-colored sketch card from one of 39 different artists.
• Series limited to 6,000 boxes. ($84.00/box)
• I own: Mini-master set (all but sketch cards) 
• Checklist

This set is only for suckers like me... Some production people + licencing fees + Photoshop skills = very pricey, not very special cards. There is no real value-added text on these cards, just reproduced artowrk. An historical retrospective on the JLA, this set covers the team's history from 1960–69.

2012–2021 • Cryptozoic DC Comics Deck-Building Game

This product is not a trading card set, per se, but a "deck-building game" that lets players take the role of their favorite DC character.

5 Cards per pack, 24 packs per box; $3.50 per pack. Custom binder features 9 exclusive promotional cards.

Base set of 221 cards:

• 63 Equipment, Hero, Villain, Super Power, Super-Villains, Persona, Location cards
• 6 Oversized Super-Hero Cards
• 22 Game Card
• 9 lenticular Work In Progress set (1:12 packs)
• 9 foil, die-cut Lanterns set (1:12 packs)
• Sketch cards (1:24 packs)
• Checklist

Crossover Packs

• 1: JSA (2015) •  25 cards
• 2: Arrow (2015)•  27 cards
• 3: Legion of Super-Heroes (2015) •  28 cards
• 4: Watchmen (2015) •  37 cards
• 5: The Rogues (2017) •  37 cards
• 6: Birds of Prey (2017) •  37 cards
• 7: New Gods (2018) •  39 cards
• 8: Batman Ninja (2019) •  33 cards

Expansion Packs

• Crisis Expansion Pack 1 (2014) • 74 cards
• Crisis Expansion Pack 2 (2015) • 75 cards
• Crisis Expansion Pack 3 (2016) • 70 cards
• Crisis Expansion Pack 4 (2018) • 72 cards

Standalone Games

These are sold and play as standalone games, but are also compatible with all others in the Deck-building game.

• Confrontations (2017) • 204 cards
• Dark Nights: Metal (2020) • 213 cards
• Forever Evil (2014) • 213 cards
• Heroes Unite (2014) • 211 cards
• Rebirth (2019) • 256 cards
• Rivals — Batman vs The Joker (2014) • 104 cards
• Rivals 2 Green Lantern Vs. Sinestro (2018) • 104 cards
• Teen Titans (2015) • 219 cards

NECA HUBSNAPS: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

HUBSNAPS are metal discs that come with accompanying cards. The "game" is ... whatever one wants to do with them.

• Set of 48 issued in conjunction with the movie Batman v Superman (2016).
• The artwork is both original and from the film, featuring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.
• HUBSNAPS were sold 2 per foil pack.
• Some were more common than others. See the Checklist at the Kandor Archives

Cryptozoic Justice League Trading Cards (2016)

• 63-card base set
• 6 Retro cards (1:4 packs)
• 9 Madame Xanadu Tarot cards (1:3 packs)
• 9 Model Sheets cards (1:3 packs)
• 4 Totally Fabricated cards (1:192 packs)
• 6 Replica Patch cards (1:96 packs)
• 9 Blank Cover Box Topper cards (1 per box)
• 9 Batman Classic TV Series Cryptomium Reissue cards (1:24 packs)
• Sketch cards (1:24 packs)
• Promo cards:
  • DC7-P1, DC7-P2, DC7-P3, DC7-P4, DC7-P5, DC7-P6 (NSU Magazine)
  • P1 (Philly Non-Sports Card Show

Injustice Arcade Cards (2017)

These cards are an integral part of the Injustice Arcade™ game made by Raw Thrills found at arcades such as Dave and Busters. A free collectible card is dispensed at the end of every game play, or they can be purchased at the site. Scanning the card(s) (there is a barcode at the top) at the machine activates that character(s) in the game.

The first cards were a limited subset Beta Release from late 2017. They were tested at select locations of Dave and Busters. These cards are thinner, which caused some barcode scanning issues at the arcade machines.

The "First Edition" cards are a few millimeters wider and work better with the machines. Series 2 and 3 are not all-new, but rereleases of the original set, with design updates and new cards. The key character art is the same. Each set was also printed with foil and holofoil versions. Series 2 and 3 are printed with labels identifying them as such. (Thanks to HoneyBabyCardShop for the details.)

• Series 1 • Set of 100: Consists of all the characters in the game. "Bronze" cards are one-star fighers; "Silver" are two-star; "Gold" are three-star. Code number s17.
• Series 2 • Set of 110: A re-release of Series 1 with an updated design, plus 10 new Team cards — four-star "Platinum tier." Code number s17.
• Series 3 • Set of 120: A re-release that adds 10 five-star "Boss" tier cards. Code number s19.

2017 • DC Superheroes Coin-Pusher: Arcade Game Cards

Card Details

These plastic cards come from an arcade game made by Andamiro and marketed exclusively by Bandai Namco. Each series of 16 has the same composition: 7 Hero cards and 7 Villain cards plus Hero Bonus and Villain Bonus (team) cards.

The art and backside design was updated for each new series. The numbering and characters remained the same across all. The cards do not bear copyright dates but each series has a ‘code number.’ The hero cards have yellow borders, the villains are red. The Aquaman and Darkseid cards are rarer. Some cards have no barcode on the bottom

Game Play

Players win thes cards by knocking them off of a moving tray. One redeems the cards for tickets at the arcade; tickets are then typically used to "purchase" other items.

At one arcade, for example, each card was redeemable for 500 tickets, the Hero and Villain Bonus cards for 1000 tickets. The hero card set was worth 15,000 tickets and the set 20,000 tickets. Both card sets together had a value of 50,000 tickets. (Values from October 2021).

To win cards, players press a button to control the release of tokens onto the "playfield," where a pushing mechanism slowly pushes tokens and cards toward the slot.

The code on the back indicates the year issued. For example, s17 = 2017.

• Series 1 (2017) featuring vintage 1980s artwork. Once this series ran out from the machines, they were gone. Code number s17.
• Series 2 (2018) with New 52 artwork. All 2-player units will shipped with Series 2 cards. Code number s18.
• Series 3 (2020) with DC Rebirth artwork. Code number s20.
• Series 4 (2023) with cartoon-style artwork. Code number s23.
• Cards are numbered the same in all series include:

2017–2019 • DC Bombshells (Cryptozoic)

In Bombshells, DC's female characters appear in the retro, 1940s pinup-style set. The card sets feature art from the comics and variant covers.

I'm not a fan of these and contemporary sets. They represent Cryptozoic's overreliance on sketch art to bolster the collector's hunger for "chase cards." The art is of varying (too often low) quality.

Cryptozoic DC Bombshells Series 1 (2017)

• Hand-drawn sketch cards from comic and sketch card artists, inserted 1:24 packs
• Each hobby box contains a rare, randomly inserted "Golden Goddess" variant oif a DC Comics Lil Bombshells vinyl figure (either Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, or Supergirl)

These promo cards are mix of professional and sketch illustrations.

1. P1: Supergirl — from NSU Magazine
2. P2: Queen Mera —  from Industry Summit
3. P3: Stargirl — from Philly Non-Sports Card Show
4. P4: Catwoman — from NSU Magazine
5. P5: The Canary — from San Diego Comic-Con
6. P6: Katana — from San Diego Comic-Con
7. P7: — from San Diego Comic-Con
8. P8 Stargirl sketch — from San Diego Comic-Con
9. P9: Harley Quinn sketch— from San Diego Comic-Con
10. P10: Iceberg Lounge — from The National SCC

Cryptozoic DC Bombshells Series 2 (2018)

• Base and Chase Sets feature comic art and original sketches
• Hand-drawn sketch cards inserted 1:24 packs
• Each hobby box contains a rare, randomly inserted "Golden Goddess / God" variant of a DC Comics Lil Bombshells vinyl figure (either Harley Quinn, Raven, Starfire, Superman, or The Joker)

These promo cards are all sketch illustrations.

1. P1: Wonder Woman — from San Diego Comic-Con
2. P2: Supergirl— from San Diego Comic-Con
3. P3: Harley Quinn— from San Diego Comic-Con
4. P4: Poison Ivy — from The National Sports Collectors Convention
5. P5: Mera— from GTS National Hobby Shop Day

Cryptozoic CZX Bombshells Series 3 (2019)

63-card base set

Six chase sets:

1. Showstoppers
2. Gotham's Greatest
3. Vintage Photographs

These promo cards are all sketch illustrations.

1. P1: Batwoman — from San Diego Comic-Con
2. P2: Batgirl — from The National Sports Collectors Convention
3. P3: Poison Ivy — from Non-Sport Update
4. P4: Mera — from Non-Sport Update
5. P5: Katana — from Non-Sport Update
6. P6: Stargirl — from New York Comic Con

McFarlane Toys: DC Multiverse Figure Cards (2020–)

These figures each shipped with a collectible card. The art varies; in rare instances it is original. Usually it is from DC, or of the figure itself.

See the Checklist

2022 • Hro Hybrid NFT Trading Cards

This series combines physical trading cards with digital non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The "digital 1:1 twin" cards could also be purchased online via the Hro app. The NFT version is claimed by scanninig the QR code on the physical card.

Physical cards were printed by Cartamundi Group (known for card games such as Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon). The NFTs are minted on Immutable X, a carbon-neutral Ethereum-based Layer 2 blockchain.

DC Unlock the Multiverse: Chapter 1 • Set of 155 (2022)

The base set is 125 cards have various levels of rarity: Common, Uncommon, Superior, Epic, Legendary and Mythic. An additional 30 cards are The Batman Limited Edition Collection. These were in "Premium packs." Cards were issued in both matte and holographic variations.

The artwork is from existing DC Comics.

» SEE: Checklist at Kandor Archives