Q: Just what the heck IS Mars Attacks??
A: Mars Attacks was a bubble-gum card set produced by "Bubbles, Inc." (an alternative company name for Topps) in 1962. It was the creation of Len Brown and Woody Gelman. Bob Powell and Wally Wood did the pencil drawings, and pulp-comic artist Norm Saunders did the painting. The text was written by Len Brown, who is still at Topps as Creative Director.
Q: What's the story all about?
A: The premise is that Mars is about to explode from internal pressure at the planet's core. Knowing this, the warlike Martians decide to take over the planet Earth for their own. With fantastic weapons and superior technology they descend upon Earth in their gleaming flying saucers. With hideous heat rays, freeze rays, etc., along with the ability to enlarge ordinary insects into huge, voracious beasts, they attack Earth with a ferocity the world has never seen. Then, just before they are defeated, the Earthmen launch a counter-attack on Mars and defeat the Martians just as the planet self-destructs.
Q: I heard the cards were recalled or banned in '62. What's the story on that?
A: The realism with which the gory cards were drawn, along with some cards that depicted voluptous young women being attacked by Martians and giant bugs caused production of the set to be quickly halted. Although the set wasn't actually "recalled", the set had a very short production run due to parental objection and bad press. The cards also had a limited distibution to begin with. These two factors caused the cards to become very scarce. A third factor lamented by many collectors today is that their mothers simply threw them out because they were too shocking!
Q: Can you tell me more about the cards?
A: In pre-production, the cards were going to be called "Attack from Space", and a pack of cards was supposed to cost 1 cent. By the time they were marketed, Topps had shortened the name to "Mars Attacks", and set the price at 5 cents (the usual price for a pack of cards back then). The wrapper showed an intimidating picture of a Martian holding a nasty-looking raygun, with flying saucers looming in the background. The back of the wrapper enticed you to "SEE flying saucers destroy Earth's largest cities" and "SEE giant insects crush everything in their path"! Any self-respecting 8 or 10 year old kid couldn't resist buying them!
Due to the scarcity of the cards, along with their timeless appeal, a complete mint set now commands up to $2000 or more. A wrapper in excellent shape may fetch $1000 or more apiece!
Q: So what happened after the cards went out of production?
A: Not much on the surface. The cards disappeared into obscurity, except for the dedicated non-sports collectors. Because of the beautiful (if not bloody) artwork, and fantastic storyline, the set became a legend in card-collecting circles over the years. Starting around 1980, several companies began marketing items such as the portfolio of rough drawings, reprints of the original set, a short-lived mini-comic book series, and so forth. Nostalgia for the cards had set in, and the memories were coming alive again.
Q: So what's happening now?
A: The real resurgence came in 1994 when Topps came out with a full-fledged comic book series. The books re-told the story of the Martian invasion, this time with two species of Martians: the warlike Gnards and the more peaceful Paeecs. Also, Topps produced the "Archives" set, which included a state-of-the-art reprint of the original 55 cards, along with 45 brand new cards, the artwork for which was performed by a number of different artists, one of whom was Zina Saunders, talented daughter of the original Mars Attacks artist, Norm Saunders.
Companies such as Comic Images began coming out with T-shirts, cardboard stand-ups, pins, etc. Screamin' came out with a whole line of Martian plastic model kits.
In 1996, Del Rey published two full-length Mars Attacks novels. The first, "Martian Deathtrap", was written by Nathan Archer. The second, "War Dogs of the Golden Horde", was written by Ray W. Murrill.
In 1995, screenwriter Jonathan Gems brought the reprinted cards to movie director Tim Burton's attention. Burton, who had vaguely remembered the cards from 1962 as a kid, decided to make a film based on the Mars Attacks story.
Q: Can you tell me more about the movie?
A: Tim Burton's big budget (about $70 million) movie was the smash of the Christmas '96 season. The Warner Brothers film was released on "FRYDAY", December 13th in the U.S. It is a campy dark comedy, similar to the comic book series. The Martians are completely computer-animated by CGI. Jack Nicholson plays a dual role as President of the U.S., as well as a shady Las Vegas real estate hustler. Many other big names (Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito and MORE) star in the movie, so it commanded a great deal of media attention! The PG-13 rated movie is now available on home video as VHS tapes, DVD discs, and laserdiscs. The film contains some scenes based on the original cards, so watch for them!
Q: What else can I find out there?
A: The "re-invasion" continues on! Trendmasters toy company released an entire line of toys, some based on the "classic" card set, and others based on the "movie" version. A Widevision (tm) set of cards based on the movie was released in December, 1996. Toys, T-shirts, buttons, magnets, books and other cool stuff generally can't be found in stores any more, but are in the secondary market, which means they are available from comic and card dealers, flea markets, and online auction sites. A whole new generation has now been exposed to the Mars Attacks experience, along with many (somewhat) older people who may have been around in 1962, but never heard of the cards due to their short-lived production run.
Q: COOL! Where can I get some of this stuff?
A: The best place to look for:
CARDS: The best place to get original cards as well as reprints is from
non-sports card dealers, and the best collection of card dealer's names is
in a publication called The Wrapper.
It has articles along with tons of dealers' ads. You can get a sample copy
by sending $2.00 plus 3 stamps to: Les Davis, Editor, The Wrapper,
1811 Moore Court, St. Charles, Illinois, 60174.
An online source of cards is the Rainbow Card Company. Their address is: Rainbow Card Co., 717 E. Jericho Tpke., Suite 315, Huntington Station, NY, 11746
COMICS: First, try your local comic book store. They may carry some back issues. If they don't have them try contacting Tom Morey at Space Travelers, P.O.Box 1446, Harrisonburg, VA, 23455-2523.
BOOKS: The two Mars Attacks novels may still be available in bookstores such as Waldenbooks, B.Dalton's, etc. Look in the science fiction sections. They were both available in hardcover, but "Martian Deathtrap" was also released in paperback form for $5.99. List price is $18.00 for the hardcovers, but I have seen them for under $10. Each book also comes with 2 different collectible trading cards also.
The "Mars Attacks!" screenplay was also available in bookstores when it was released. It was written by the movie screenwriter Jonathan Gems, and sold for $5.99.
TOYS: Trendmasters cool movie toys are now gone from all shelves, but may be found in the secondary market and in places like eBay.com.
MODELS: The Screamin'models may still be available at some comic book stores and hobby shops. They are very professional models, intended for the serious model builder/painter and are somewhat expensive ($50 to $100).
MISC. ITEMS: Things like T-shirts, pins, etc. are now impossible to find in stores. Check out your local comic book store or eBay.com. Consider attending any sci-fi or comics conventions that might be near where you live. There are often dealers that will have just what you're looking for at their table.
RESOURCES: Although the Topps Company has a website, they no longer have any Mars Attacks information. They do, however, have a searching feature which may help you find a card store in your zip code/area.
Q: Where can I check out the coolest Mars Attacks pages on Earth?!
Back to Zelda's Mars Attacks Homepage