We are delighted to be joined by the CEO of Lazarus Rising Games, Joseph Gagnepain. We chatted with Joseph not only all about the OverPower card game but also about Lazarus Rising Games.
Hi Joseph, it’s wonderful to have you here with us.
Could you please introduce yourself?
Hi everyone! I’m Joseph Gagnepain, CEO of Lazarus Rising Games and Lead Designer of OverPower. It’s a dream role—as I’m both a lifelong fan of the game and the IP’s we’re using and now I’m the one helping to bring one of my childhood loves back to life.
Could you tell us about Lazarus Rising Games?
Lazarus Rising Games was born out of pure passion. A group of us who had been playing OverPower for years came together to revive this game we loved. The name “Lazarus Rising” reflects our mission: to resurrect great games that disappeared before their time and return them to the players who still care about them.
When did you discover the OverPower card game?
Oh wow—since day one! I still remember seeing the first OverPower ads in Marvel comics. I immediately picked up the phone and called my best friend Luke Fletcher and said, “We have to get this game.” That moment kicked off a lifelong friendship built around OverPower. Today, Luke’s still deeply involved—he’s used his graphic design chops to create our new logo, card borders, and visuals for everything from convention booths to playmats and accessories.
Can you tell us a bit about the history of the OverPower card game?
OverPower launched in 1995 and quickly became one of the top three trading card games alongside Magic: The Gathering and Star Wars. It was still selling well when it was shelved in favor of a new game tied to the early X-Men movies. Sadly, Marvel never circled back to OverPower. Decades later, we secured the rights and made it our mission to bring it back the right way.
The OverPower card game has heroes and villains; can you tell us about some of them?
In OverPower, you build your dream team of four characters—heroes or villains, your call. The original game featured icons from Marvel, DC, and Image, and I’m proud to say our new version is 100% compatible with those classic cards.
We have now introduced new characters that reflect our own fandom. Everyone at Lazarus Rising is a massive Invincible and Walking Dead fan, so partnering with Skybound was one of our #1 goals from day one. Along with that our other goals were to team up with amazing properties like Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. and Top Cow Comics, bringing even more iconic characters into the OverPower universe.
What types of cards are available in the OverPower card game?
OverPower stands out because it’s not a resource-management game like Magic or Pokémon. There’s no energy or mana to manage. Instead, your four Character Cards to start on the table, and those cards “play” Special cards—representing their powers—straight from your deck.
You also have Power cards (like Brute Force or Intelligence), Allies who join the fray, and Objects like lamp posts or longbows that can shift the battle. There are Bases your characters can fight out of, and Mission cards that let you recreate major comic book events or iconic showdowns. It’s fast, thematic, and every hand feels like a comic book battle come to life.
How is the OverPower card game played?
The game is played through a series of hands called “battles.” Unlike many TCGs, you don’t spend the early game building resources—you jump straight into the action. It’s also got asymmetrical win conditions: you can either KO all four of your opponent’s characters or successfully complete your mission. That variety in strategy is part of what makes the game so addictive and loved.
What is the difference between Golden Age OverPower and Modern Age OverPower?
We support multiple formats. Golden Age and Legacy formats mix cards from the original 1990s game with the modern sets. Modern Age, on the other hand, starts with our new Edgar Rice Burroughs set and includes everything released from that point forward.
We’ve also created a new card collation model specifically designed for draft formats, including ourf “Rochester Draft” style.
What makes the OverPower card game unique?
Our biggest innovation is how accessible the game is. All playable cards are available at common and uncommon rarities. That means you can build a pro-level deck for a fraction of what most games cost.
On the flip side, if you’re a collector, we’ve worked with legends like Jae Lee, Jim Cheung, Phillip Tan, and Wilton Santos to create gorgeous alternate-art versions of the Character cards. These rare and foil variants don’t impact gameplay, but they’ve already become highly sought after in the singles market.
Lazarus Rising Games just announced a licensing agreement with Skybound Entertainment; could you tell us what this means for the OverPower card game?
We’re beyond excited to be partnered with Skybound. It means The Walking Dead, Invincible, Birthright, and Excellence are all now part of the OverPower universe. Our goal is to release multiple Skybound-themed sets, especially for Invincible, where we can show the evolution of characters alongside the show.
We also just announced that Savage Dragon is coming back to OverPower—and we’ve got a few other massive IPs in the works that we’ll be announcing soon.
Any hints about any future announcements for the OverPower card game?
Let’s just say there are some huge universes we’re in discussions with. They call me the Tom Holland of OverPower because I almost spill secrets… but I’m staying quiet for now. Just know, if you’re a fan of comics, there’s a lot to be excited about for OverPower.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
OverPower has always been about character. Unlike games that paste licenses onto generic rules, we do the reverse—we design cards around the unique flavor of each character first, and then make sure it all works within the gameplay. Our motto at LRG is: “Every character is someone’s favorite.”
I really hope your readers check it out. Pick up a starter deck and dive in—you’ll find a fast, fun, and deeply thematic game that brings superhero battles to life like nothing else. It’s the perfect game to get together with friends with and try a bunch of team variations.
We would like to say a big thank you to Joseph for chatting with us and wish him the best of luck for the future of OverPower.
