My trip down memory lane for Valentine’s Day continues with this second part devoted to everyone’s favorite mutant super hero team! Valentine cards are always a big thing for me to collect this time of year and nothing is better than vintage X-Men Valentine cards. Let’s look!

This pack of cards was from 1993 and features the iconic images of the X-Men from that time period. I recently purchased these brand new from my comic store a couple years ago and it was the perfect item to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This set came out at a time when X-Men popularity was really big. It seems as if X-Men Valentine cards would be a bit silly, but there were times in the past where a person could find all kinds of Valentine cards to their favorite properties. I was in high school in the late 90’s and every year I would have the most difficult time picking out which card set to purchase and pass out to friends.

When turned around the box shows off a sample of the cards found inside while also sharing a fun message about this set, “For kids, teachers and special friend.” Or grown adults. I loved purchasing Valentine cards when I was younger. The messages and combination of images are so much fun.

This cluster of smaller cards shows a smattering of choices for a special Valentine. Wolverine does appear the most out of the other X-Men characters, but there is also a Beast card, and that is everything. The images for these cards were not exactly new; they were straight from the comics with hearts added for effect. The card with Magneto is priceless. He was a real villain in the 90’s, a serious threat, and with those hearts levitating off his hand he just seems like such a sweetheart. (Let’s just make sure Rogue doesn’t check this card out. Ba-da-bum.)

Wolverine shows up again with the other popular face of the X-Men: Cyclops. Something happened in the 90’s with the X-Men comics. Cyclops and Wolverine were really pitted against each other which became a major plot point decades later. The only thing missing from this card was Jean Grey. In fact, one of the biggest problems I have with this set is that Jean Grey was never featured at all. This was also one of the problems I had with the 90’s in general; Jean Grey was left out of a lot of stuff. I recall being so flustered that ToyBiz took forever to release a Jean Grey action figure. However, that is neither here nor there. This is about Valentine’s Day!

Up next is everyone’s favorite Cajun. I remember Gambit being such a big deal in the 90’s and he is certainly one that I would have loved to be a special Valentine with. I had such a crush on Gambit back then. He was written with such “bad” guy swagger and that accent! I think what also helped Gambit’s cause was the animated cartoon. Or maybe it was the trench coat? Either way, I had a soft spot for Gambit in the 90’s. The Wolverine card was nice too, but I feel like this set had just too much Wolverine.

Speaking of trench coats, Jubilee made it on a Valentine card! She was one of those characters that fans either really liked or really loathed in the 90’s, but I was always a fan. The 90’s was when I really began reading X-Men comics. X-Men issue #1 was a big deal as was the cartoon. The X-Men simply ruled the 90’s. This is how I remember it at least and these cards capture a glimpse of the popularity of the band of mutants. I also love the card below Gambit. The image plays off of the fastball special that the pair have been famous for. Granted, it does not exactly look like that is what is happening on the card, but they were very popular for that.

Up next is more Wolverine. (Really? Not even a Psylocke Valentine card?) However Storm gets a Valentine card too, which would have been cruel had she not appeared on this set. In many ways she is the female face of the X-Men. I know Jean was the first female member of the X-Men; nevertheless Storm has always been an important presence in the Marvel Universe. She was the first female figure to be made from the amazing X-Men toy line by ToyBiz in the early 90’s as well. Also, this suit of hers has long been a fabled appearance of everyone’s favorite goddess.

The final cards in this set are of Wolverine, yet again, and Rogue, one of my favorites. Rogue from the 80’s turned into a very different Rogue in the 90’s. I followed her story lines from the comics and cartoon because I just related to her. She was an outsider in a group made up of outsiders. The plot point regarding her inability to touch or get fully close to another human was just a tragic and amazing story. Her brief romance with Joseph/Magneto? Not so much. I just could never understand that whole story.

The 90’s was an important decade for the X-Men. They exploded into comic supremacy at the start of the decade and by the end of the decade they ushered in the start of what we now know as the “good” modern super hero movie. These Valentine cards really bring all this up for me. Not only do they make me love V-Day even more, but they also remind me why I have cherished falling in love with one of the greatest super hero teams to ever exist.

Were you a fan of the X-Men in the 90’s? Whom would you have wanted to be your Valentine back then? Share your thoughts and enjoy these retro Valentine cards. They are simply X-traordinary. See what I did there? Take care everyone and stick around, there is still some more love for Valentine’s Day on Retro-Daze.