Trading cards have reached yet a higher level with the release of the SkyBox DC Villains: The Dark Judgement series. The series will join the team of fiction super heroes as they fight to capture the popularity title from the legendary sports cards.

With contributing warfare by the unbelievably popular Magic: The Gathering cards and the long awaited and soon to be released Star Wars series, it could be a close fight.

“Using artwork that was created just for these cards is very exciting,” said Jennifer Cox, a spokesperson for SkyBox. “All of the cards have spectacular artwork, including the bonus card, which is really cool.”

Mayhem Collectibles, 2532 Lincoln Way, is expecting the new series soon. The series features classic villains, The Joker, The Penguin, Darkside and Doomsday. Mayhem Collectibles also sells the Magic game cards, among a large inventory of collectibles.

“Magic, The Gathering, Rage, Star Trek and Highlander seem to be our most popular game cards,” said Dave Cory, an employee at Mayhem. “Some people are more into playing the games, while others are into it for the money.”

According to Cory, some of the Magic cards that premiered only a few years ago are already worth between $20 and $150. Various price guide catalogs are available for the merchandise. Artists for the Magic cards are currently touring collectible’s shops, autographing their cards.

“Many of our customers are students, and we really try to push the game aspect of the cards on them,” Cory said. “Like comics, we encourage customers to look at them.”

Cox also agrees with Cory.

“It has actually become an important issue,” Cox added. “The tension occurs because people will always think both ways. We encourage customers to open the packs and look at the art, rather than restore them.”

SkyBox cards, including the new DC series, are not card games. According to Cox, SkyBox does not directly compete with distributors of the games. She does, however, believe that some customers may be more inclined to purchase the games, instead of their product.

Cox does not see non-sport trading cards reaching the popularity level of sports cards. SkyBox’s best selling cards are the basketball series.

“We were amazed at how well the Lion King and Pochohontas cards did,” Cox said. “The fiction cards are not as mainstream as sports. Students are not as exposed to comics as they are the NBA.”

According to Cox, the fiction cards business has gone downhill since Marvel Master Piece’s great success with the death of long time super hero, Superman. SkyBox is now working on catering to something new and old.

“We have a new set called the Creator’s Master Series coming out Sept. 27,” Cox said. “The cards contain 95 never seen before characters, created solely for this set. A CD Rom disc containing the characters will be out in November.”

“We are excited for the long awaited Star Wars set which should be out soon,” Cory added.