It’s hard to comprehend just how successful Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy set is. It earned $200 million in a single day - the same amount The Lord of the Rings set made in its first six months - and it brought thousands of new players into the TCG hobby. The Final Fantasy set is undeniable proof that customers love Universes Beyond - even if they don’t love every aspect of it.
Despite its success, one common complaint levied at the Final Fantasy set is that too many of its cards featured reused art. A lot of the artwork in the set comes directly from the Final Fantasy video games, while some was even pulled from the actual Final Fantasy TCG. While the set’s repurposed images are included to honor Final Fantasy’s rich artistic history, some fans felt shortchanged by the inclusion of so many familiar images.
For Spider-Man, Magic’s next guaranteed mega hit, Wizards of the Coast is once again leaning into the history of source material by including actual comic book covers in the set, specifically for its reprint-filled bonus sheet. But while the set is looking backward at the history of Spider-Man, it’s also looking forward to lots of new original art created by working comic book artists.
One of the best places to find new Spider-Man art is in the upcoming Secret Lair super drop, a collection of five Spider-Man-themed Secret Lair drops featuring some of the coolest art the set has to offer - including a Venom collection featuring original art by comics legend Mark Bagley.
Venom Comes To Universe Beyond Courtesy Of A Comic Book Legend
Mark Bagley is one of the most prolific comic book artists working today. Even if you haven’t heard his name, you’re certainly familiar with his work. Bagley is best known for his run on the original Ultimate Spider-Man alongside writer Brian Michael Bendis, which included the iconic Death of Spider-Man storyline. Bagley and Bendis collaborate on 111 consecutive issues of Ultimate Spider-Man - the longest-running partnership in Marvel Comics history.
Bagley’s history with Venom goes back to 1993 when he designed what is considered by many fans to be the quintessential version of the character. After creating Carnage with David Michelinie, Bagley went on to work on Maximum Carnage and Clone Saga, two of the most beloved Spider-Man stories of all time.
Getting Bagley to design a single card for the Spider-Man Universes Beyond set would have been an impressive feat, but WotC somehow managed to sign him for an entire Secret Lair drop. The Venom Unleashed drop is a set of five Venom-themed cards created by Bagley and colorist Jay David Ramos, another prolific Marvel artist. Check out the set in the gallery below, then try your best to think about anything other than these gorgeous cards for the rest of the day.
While the set features the usual normal and rainbow foil options, there is also a parallel set featuring Bagley’s art in black and white. According to Wizards, when Bagley submitted his pre-color proofs to the studio, the Secret Lair team was so blown away that they decided to release the non-color versions as their own separate drop. It’s been nearly two weeks since I first saw this set, and I’m still debating on which version I’m planning to pick up, which probably means I’ll get both.
Four Other Sets Make For One Spectacular Super Drop
That’s not the only Venom set in this super drop. The Man Symbiote drop, as its name suggests, features five basic land cards rendered in an inky black Venom style that you have to see to believe. Seriously, pictures don’t do these cards justice. During the press preview, this set of cards got passed around so everyone could see the texture and unique black foil treatment. They really look like they’re made of symbiote. Impressive, and creepy.
There are two parallel hero- and villain-themed drops that feature a number of commander staples. Heroic Deeps and Villainous Plots are five card sets that share three: Command Tower, Lightning Greaves, and Sol Ring, with Spider-Family and Sinister Six-themed artwork, respectively. Spider-Verse fans take note, there are some great Miles and Gwen pieces in these sets.
Finally, the previously revealed Daily Bugle Breaking News set rounds out the super drop with five cards designed to look like the front page of the Daily Bugle. Senior art director Sarah Wassell says formatting these cards was one of the most unique and rewarding challenges of designing the set. Once the template was created, all of the other cards in the main set featuring the newspaper were retroactively updated to match this Secret Lair. That’s the kind of attention to detail that sets Magic apart from other TCGs, and it’s great to see Spidey getting the love he deserves.
WotC has found a perfect balance for the art in the Spider-Man set. The cards featuring iconic comic book covers are rounded out by the sheer amount of original artwork, much of which comes from beloved comic book artists. The Secret Lair super drop is a perfect entry point into the set for comic fans and a creator's way to add some great Mark Bagley art to your collection.
