How to Play COMIC-AL

COMIC-AL is a two-player trading card game that satirizes superhero comics, movies and shows. Each player defends a Location card while trying to destroy their opponent's. Here's everything you need to play your first game with the starter kit.

PRE-ORDER THE STARTER KIT

Quick-Start Rules

Objective

Each player defends a Location card. Reduce your opponent's Location Fortification to zero to win.

Setup

  • Each player picks a Location card. It shows its Fortification (how much damage it can take), your starting credits and any special effects.

  • Shuffle your deck and draw 7 cards.

  • Mulligan: don't like your hand? Shuffle it back and draw 7 new cards. Your opponent draws 1 extra card for each mulligan, up to 3 per game.

  • The Prologue: before the game starts, each player takes one setup turn. Skip the beginning of the turn, and characters can't attack yet.

Credits and Revenue

Credits (the yellow "C") are your currency for playing cards and activating effects, and they're stored in your Bank. Revenue starts at 10 credits on your first turn and rises by 10 each turn, up to 100 per turn. Unspent credits carry over.

Morale

Morale tracks how the public feels, and many cards care about it. It starts at Neutral and moves between Rock Bottom, Low, Neutral, High and Sky-High. At the end of each round, compare the Heroes and Villains in play: more Heroes raises Morale one stage, more Villains lowers it, and a tie changes nothing.

The Battlefield

  • You have 3 Main Character positions and 6 Side Character positions, two behind each Main position.

  • Main Characters (yellow "M") go in Main positions. Side Characters ("S", 10 HP) can go in either.

  • Once per turn, you can Step-Up a Side Character into an empty Main position.

  • Card colors: Hero (blue), Villain (red), Antihero (purple), Civilian (white).

Attacking and Fights

  • Each character in a Main position can attack once per turn, targeting the opposing position directly across from it.

  • If that position is empty, the damage hits your opponent's Location instead.

  • Damage equals the attacker's Attack (A) minus the defender's Defense (D). Side Characters are defeated if the damage exceeds their Defense; Main Characters lose HP and are defeated at 0.

Card Types

  • Characters: Heroes, Villains, Antiheroes and Civilians that fight for you.

  • Powers (P): attach to a character that meets the requirements to replace or boost its Attack or Defense.

  • Assets (A): gadgets, vehicles and Side Locations. Attached Assets stay in play even if their user is defeated.

  • Events (E): one-time effects. Recurring Events stay in play for several turns.

Turn Structure

  1. Beginning: draw a card, gain your Revenue and resolve start-of-turn effects.

  2. Middle: spend credits to play cards and declare attacks.

  3. End: resolve end-of-turn effects. After the second player's turn, adjust Morale. Then pass the turn.

Building Your Own Deck

  • Decks are 50 cards, including your Location card.

  • Only one copy of each uniquely named character.

  • Up to four copies of any non-character card.

  • Up to 10 Ace cards, one copy of each.

Ready to battle? The COMIC-AL Starter Kit includes two ready-to-play 50-card decks (Heroes and Villains) and a 20" × 20" game mat. Pre-order it for $29.99, shipping December 2026.