1996 Star Wars Topps Shadows of the Empire Packs

With Star Wars gaining a resurgence in the mid-1990s, George Lucas and company came up with a story that filled in the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Not only did it help build momentum for the theatrical releases of the Special Editions the following year, but it led to all sorts of marketing possibilities. Among these were trading cards. 1996 Topps Star Wars Shadows of the Empire is an art-based release that's a lot faster to work through than the novel.

With no film to go off of, the set spotlights original artwork. The artists? None other than the legendard Greg and Tim Hildebrandt. Based off of Steve Perry's book, the story portion of the set recreates the novels key events. Cards are done with a full-bleed design, which lets the art be the star. They're also printed on slightly thicker card stock to further add to the set's premium feel.

Look for foil cards and etched foil cards.

Sold per pack.