Topps Heritage is one of the most popular and iconic baseball card sets released each year by Topps. For 2022, Topps paid homage to the classic comic book style baseball cards of the 1950s with the release of their Topps Heritage Comic Baseball Card set. The retro comic book design proved to be a big hit with collectors.
The 2022 Topps Heritage Comic set contains 132 total cards and includes base cards for all 30 MLB teams as well as retired stars and top prospects. What makes this set stand out is the unique comic book style design used on each card. Vibrant colors and comic book style graphics are featured prominently throughout. Players are depicted in action shots from games with thought bubbles and onomatopoeias like “Crack!” “Zoom!” and “Smash!” to capture the excitement of America’s pastime. Uniforms and team logos are also prominently displayed in classic 1950s comic book style.
In addition to the retro comic book aesthetic, Topps paid close attention to accuracy with the player photos and statistics featured on each card. Photos were carefully selected to match the year depicted on the card. For example, Aaron Judge’s card shows him during the 2021 season when he hit an AL record 62 home runs. Stats listed are also accurate as of the year indicated. This level of authenticity is appreciated by collectors looking for accuracy within the creative design concept.
The base cards in the 2022 Topps Heritage Comic set vary in rarity from common to scarce. The most readily available cards include base rookies and stars of teams from large baseball markets. More difficult to find are base cards of players from smaller market teams or those who had down seasons in 2021. The level of scarcity increases collector interest in completing the 132 card base set.
In addition to the base cards, the 2022 Topps Heritage Comic set also includes several insert sets adding to the excitement. A 12-card “Superstar Celebration” insert set features more action shots of baseball’s biggest names like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. A “Golden Age Greats” 8-card insert honors legends from baseball’s early days of the 1940s and 50s. Top prospects are also spotlighted in an 8-card “Rookie Roundup” insert set.
The true chase cards of the 2022 Topps Heritage Comic set are the autograph and memorabilia inserts. A 12-card autograph set features on-card signatures of today’s stars like Ronald Acuna Jr. and Juan Soto. For collectors looking for even rarer hits, there is also a 1-card “Comic Book Relic” insert containing a piece of a real comic book paired with a player’s photo on the front. These ultra-rare autograph and relic cards can fetch huge prices on the secondary market.
Since its release in late 2021, the 2022 Topps Heritage Comic set has been hugely popular with both new and veteran collectors. Its creative retro comic book design combined with accurate player stats and photos has captured the nostalgia of 1950s baseball cards in a visually appealing modern set. While base cards can still be found at reasonable prices, the insert cards have become quite scarce. On the secondary market, prices have risen steadily for the most sought-after autographs, memorabilia cards, and short printed base rookies.
As with all Topps Heritage releases, the 2022 Comic set pays tribute to baseball card history while providing an affordable collecting option for fans. Whether collecting for the creative design, to build a set, or chase rare autographs, this set has something to offer collectors both casual and hardcore. Its popularity also bodes well for the long term collectability of the cards. In the future, as the players featured continue their careers or retire, these comic style cards will remain a unique way to commemorate baseball’s past.
For these reasons, the 2022 Topps Heritage Comic Baseball Card set has proven one of the most widely appealing releases in recent memory. Its combination of retro design concepts and accurate modern player content captured the nostalgia of 1950s cards in a visually exciting new format. Whether completing sets or chasing rare variants, the 2022 Topps Heritage Comic cards continue to be a favorite among baseball collectors.
