Somewhere in my basement, I have a binder with a bunch of the trading cards I collected when I was younger. Marvel Universe Series 2, 3 and 4. X-Men Series 2.
And the 1994 Marvel Masterpieces set by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt.
There’s something beautiful about a set of cards painted by one or a few artists, reproduced on slick, thicker card stock with foil printing. They’re the marble columns of trading cards. Something you can show off to make your friends jealous. Y’know, if they care at all about trading cards.
Though they’ve been released sporadically over the years, Marvel Masterpieces is still a thing. In fact, the 2022 set is a focus of The Marvel Art of Dan Dos Santos, the latest in Clover Press’ line of books spotlighting individual Marvel artists. A Kickstarter campaign for the book is scheduled to launch Thursday.
Known for his oil paintings and book covers, Dos Santos’ work spans novels, comics, movies and video games, and his client list includes Disney, Universal Studios, Activision, Scholastic Books, Penguin Random House, Upper Deck, Wizards of the Coast and DC.
The Marvel Art of … book will collect all of Dos Santos’ pieces from the 2022 Marvel Masterpieces set as well as pieces from other trading card sets, never-before-seen art and behind-the-scenes material. And, like the other Marvel Art of … books, the campaign for this one will include all kinds of goodies like prints, stickers, a puzzle and original sketches.
Check out the slipcase for the book, featuring Storm in all her beauty, and keep scrolling for the basic deets.
And to support the campaign when it launches, click here.
(December 16 2025) Clover Press and Marvel are collaborating for The Marvel Art Of… books, a series of high-end, boutique artbooks that showcase legendary Marvel Comics artists, featuring iconic images alongside rare and never-before-seen artwork. The ninth book in the stunning series will be THE MARVEL ART OF DAN DOS SANTOS, a high-end coffee table book, portfolio, and prints that celebrate the career of the multi-award-winning artist. Well known for his colorful oil paintings, Dos Santos is the iconic painter behind the 2022 Marvel Masterpieces trading card set, where he hand-painted more than 135 stunning traditional oil pieces featuring Marvel’s greatest heroes. Dos Santos’ illustrations have graced the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list numerous times, and his covers can be seen in bookstores in dozens of countries around the world. Head to Kickstarter to sign up for the pre-launch page ahead of the campaign’s launch later this month.
“I’m incredibly excited about this new collection of my Marvel artwork,” said Dan Dos Santos. “Over 30 years ago, as a young teen, it was my exposure to a similar collection of Marvel art that set me on the path of wanting to be a professional artist in the first place. So it is incredibly apt, and really thrilling, to see it all come full-circle in this new collection of my own. This book represents years of work, and contains hundreds of paintings that I feel are my finest work to date. I labored tirelessly to breath as much life and backstory into each of these modern mythological heroes as I could. It is my hope the next generation of young artists and fans will find these characters as inspiring as I found them so many years ago.”
The Marvel Art of Dan dos Santos collects all of Dos Santos’ pieces from the 2022 Marvel Masterpieces trading card set as well as pieces from other trading cards such as 2023 Marvel Masterpieces. The book will include never-before-seen art and behind-the-scenes material, presented in a lavish 9″ x 12″ hardcover book with over 200 pages. The campaign will also feature 11″ x 17″ prints, 6” by 9” mini-prints, a signed slipcase edition, a dustjacket edition, stickers, a puzzle, original sketches, and more. The Marvel Art Of… series debuted in 2023 with The Marvel Art of David Mack and The Marvel Art of Alex Maleev, followed by stunning art books for Russell Dauterman, Michael Allred, Tyler Kirkham, David Nakayama, Michael Turner, and Mike Del Mundo.
“Dos Santos’ paintings burst with color, blending realism with a vivid sense of emotion,” said Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz. “Through his bold use of light and rich saturated hues, he brings every Marvel character to life! And I’m especially pleased that this collection will also reveal some never before printed art featuring Tigra, Punisher, Carnage, Mystique, and more!”
To visit the campaign for The Marvel Art of Dan Dos Santos, head to Kickstarter or BackerKit.
More books in The Marvel Art Of… series will be announced in the coming months. For updates, follow Marvel on Instagram, X and Facebook and follow Clover Press on Instagram, X, Bluesky and Facebook. You can subscribe to the Clover press newsletter here.
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom. Follow him @danielpgrote.bsky.social.
