2024–25 Upper Deck DC Annual Set Review and Checklist

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2024–25 Upper Deck DC Annual

A comprehensive review, checklist breakdown, and collector's guide to Year 2 of Upper Deck's annual DC Comics trading card series — released May 27, 2026.

2024-25 Upper Deck DC Annual Trading Cards: Full Breakdown, Parallels, Inserts, Odds & Review

The 2024-25 Upper Deck DC Annual is the second installment in Upper Deck’s annual DC Comics trading card series (following the successful 2023-24 debut). It delivers a 100-card base set spotlighting heroes, villains, and key moments from recent DC storylines, paired with a robust lineup of parallels and inserts that celebrate major comic debuts, iconic characters, and artistic milestones.

This set strikes an excellent balance between accessibility for new collectors and deep chase potential for veterans, with hobby boxes offering strong average hits and blasters providing solid retail value through exclusive Blue parallels.

Product Configuration & Box Breakdown

Hobby Configuration

5 cards per pack
16 packs per box
16 boxes per case

Blaster Configuration

5 cards per pack
6 packs per box
20 boxes per case

Average Hobby Box Hits (per Upper Deck and major distributors):

6 Variant Cover Parallel cards
4 Silver Sparkle Parallel cards
1 Backscatter card (textured rainbow foil)
2 Absolute Power cards
3 Rare Insert cards

Blaster boxes emphasize volume with Blue Parallels falling at a strong 1:1 rate.

Release Window: Late May 2026 (around May 27).

Base Set (100 Cards) & Parallels

The base set features one card per major character or key figure, numbered #1–100 (Superman (Clark Kent) #1 through The Flash (Wally West) #100). Pack odds for base cards are listed around 3:1 across Hobby, e-Pack, and Blaster.

Parallels (with distribution notes):

Blue Parallel — Blaster exclusive; 1:1 (one per blaster pack on average). Clean, vibrant blue foil treatment.
Variant Cover Parallel — 1:3 packs (Hobby/e-Pack/Blaster). Black-and-white or alternate cover art style.
Silver Sparkle — 1:4 Hobby/e-Pack; 1:5 Blaster. Eye-catching sparkle foil.
Green Parallel — /499 (Hobby/e-Pack exclusive).
Gold Linearity Parallel — /88 (Hobby/e-Pack exclusive). Striking linear gold design.
Hologram Parallel — /25 (Hobby/e-Pack exclusive).
Crystal Clear Parallel — /25 (Hobby/e-Pack exclusive).
Purple Diamond Parallel — 1/1 (Hobby/e-Pack exclusive). The true gem of the set.
Printing Plates — 1/1 each (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black versions per card; Hobby/e-Pack).
Hologram Printing Plates — 1/1 each (Hobby/e-Pack).

Numbered parallels are Hobby/e-Pack exclusive, giving hobby boxes the edge for serious collectors.

Insert Sets – Full Breakdown with Odds & Numbered Details

The insert lineup is where this set shines, with several themed collections tied to current DC events and characters.

#1 Spot (Number 1 Spot) – 25 Cards Highlights significant comic book #1 issues and premieres. Odds: 1:4 Hobby/e-Pack; 1:8 Blaster. Parallels: Sparkle /199 and Retro Wave /25 (Hobby/e-Pack). Examples: Absolute Power #1, Gotham City Sirens #1, Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #1, DC All In Special #1, and many more recent launches. The provided Absolute Power #1 card is a perfect example of this popular insert.

Absolute Power – 10 Cards (Event-themed) Odds (tiered by Level):

Level 1: 1:20 Hobby/e-Pack / 1:60 Blaster
Level 2: 1:27 Hobby/e-Pack / 1:80 Blaster
Level 3: 1:40 Hobby/e-Pack / 1:120 Blaster
Level 4: 1:80 Hobby/e-Pack / 1:240 Blaster Examples: Paradise Lost, Last Son, Velocity, Failsafe, Brainiac Queen, Amanda Waller. Hobby boxes average 2 of these per box.

Backscatters – 25 Cards Textured rainbow foil design. Odds: 1:16 Hobby/e-Pack; 1:24 Blaster (roughly 1 per hobby box). Gold Parallel: Much rarer (around 2 per case). Examples: Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Batman, Poison Ivy, The Flash, Nightwing. The provided Flash card appears to showcase this striking rainbow-foil Backscatter style.

Elseworlds – 20 Cards Alternate-reality “What If?” style cards. Print Run: All /299 (Hobby/e-Pack exclusive). Example: Smallville Sheriff (shown in provided imagery) — a fun, unexpected take on the character.

Suspended Animation – 50 Cards (Hobby/e-Pack exclusive) Characters depicted in dramatic “frozen” or suspended states. Tiered print runs make lower levels more attainable while higher tiers deliver serious scarcity. Print Runs (from checklist data):

Level 1 (cards 1–20): /699 (e.g., Starfire, Poison Ivy, The Flash (Jay Garrick), Shazam!)
Level 2 (cards 21–35): /399 (e.g., Zatanna, Brainiac, Raven, Black Canary)
Level 3 (cards 36–45): /199 (e.g., Nightwing, Harley Quinn, Supergirl, Orion)
Level 4 (cards 46–50): /99 (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Darkseid, The Joker)

The provided Poison Ivy Suspended Animation card (001/699) is a standout example of Level 1 artwork and numbering.

Wonder Woman Subset – 20 Cards Deep dive into Wonder Woman lore and supporting cast. Odds: 1:5 Hobby/e-Pack; 1:10 Blaster. Parallels: Sparkle /199 and Retro Wave /25 (Hobby/e-Pack).

Star Rookies – 10 Cards Spotlighting new and upcoming DC characters. Odds: 1:10 Hobby/e-Pack; 1:20 Blaster. Parallels: Sparkle /199 and Retro Wave /25 (Hobby/e-Pack). Examples: Asema, Die, See-More, Robin of Zur-En-Arrh, Xylon.

Nightwing – 25 Cards and Shazam! – 20 Cards Hero-specific deep dives (odds similar to #1 Spot or Wonder Woman tiers; 1:4–1:5 range in Hobby). Sparkle and Retro Wave parallels available. These often combine with other hero inserts for roughly one per hobby pack on average.

Iconic Artwork – 8 Cards (Rarest regular insert) Classic-style illustrations. Odds: ~1:256 Hobby/e-Pack; much tougher in Blaster.

Other Notes on Numbered/ Rare Hits Many inserts carry Sparkle /199 and Retro Wave /25 parallels. The Purple Diamond 1/1s, Printing Plates (4 colors), and Hologram Printing Plates represent the absolute pinnacle. Low-numbered examples like the provided Batman “Premier es” card (01/99) highlight the excitement of pulling true short-prints.

Autographs & Sketches

Creators Corner Autographs — 11 cards (artists including Dan Mora, Chip Zdarsky, Mark Waid, Jeph Loeb, Jeff Lemire, Tom Taylor, etc.). Odds: 1:256 Hobby/e-Pack; 1:600 Blaster.

Creators Corner Dual Autographs — 5 pairings, each /10 (Hobby/e-Pack exclusive). Extremely tough pulls.

Original Art Sketch Cards — Multiple artists; odds around 1:768 Hobby/e-Pack (significantly tougher in Blaster). Random inserts featuring original artwork.

Review & Analysis

Strengths:

Excellent character coverage and timely tie-ins (Absolute Power event, recent #1 issues, Elseworlds fun).
Strong parallel depth with clear escalation in rarity (/499 → /88 → /25 → 1/1).
Backscatters and Suspended Animation deliver visual pop with textured/foil treatments.
Blaster boxes are genuinely fun and loaded thanks to Blue Parallels every pack.
Hobby boxes deliver consistent hits without feeling overly “chase or bust.”

Areas for Improvement:

Some insert print runs (especially Level 1 Suspended Animation at /699) feel a bit high for true scarcity, though the tiered structure helps.
Blaster odds on some inserts are significantly tougher, which is standard but noticeable.

Overall Verdict: 8.5/10 for DC fans and Annual collectors. This is one of the most well-rounded and enjoyable non-sports releases of the year — accessible enough for casual collectors yet deep enough for completists. It improves on the 2023-24 debut with more varied artwork and stronger event integration.

Similar Previous Upper Deck Annual Sets on Cardboard Connection: Check out our detailed coverage of the Marvel Annual series for comparison on format and parallels:

For the inaugural 2023-24 DC Annual, see the official Upper Deck checklist: 2023-24 DC Annual Checklist.

Whether you’re chasing 1/1 Purple Diamonds, building a Suspended Animation rainbow, or just enjoying the gorgeous base and Backscatter cards, the 2024-25 DC Annual delivers strong value and collecting satisfaction. Highly recommended.

Card Gallery: