Mars Attacks!

The Mars Attacks trading card series was created by Topps in 1962. Product developer
Len Brown, inspired by Wally Wood's cover for EC Comics Weird Science #16,
pitched the idea to Woody Gelman.

Gelman and Brown created the story, with Brown writing the copy and rough sketches.
They enlisted Wood himself to flesh out the sketches and Bob Powell to finish them.
Norman Saunders painted the 55-card set. (see bottom of page for artwork examples)

The cards, which sold for five cents per pack of five, were test marketed by Topps through
the dummy corporation Bubbles, Inc. under the name Attack From Space. Sales were
sufficient to expand the marketing and the name was changed to Mars Attacks.

The cards sparked parental and community outrage over their graphic violence and
implied sexuality. Topps responded initially by repainting 13 of the cards to reduce
the gore and sexuality, then, following inquiries from a Connecticut district attorney,
agreed to halt production.

... let's look at the kits surrounding this invasion...

Logo Plaque
Screamin
Attacking
Martian
Screamin
Air Assault
Martian
Screamin
Contemplating
Conquest
Screamin
No Place
To Hide
Screamin
Slaughter In
The Streets
Screamin
Terror In
The Sky
Screamin

    
Screamin
Ad
Screamin
Trading Card
Set
Target
Earth
Screamin
Martian Heads
Screamin
  Action
Hobbies

Mooncrest
Models
Clay Guy Joe
Laudati
Jimmy
Flintstone
Jimmy
Flintstone
Jimmy
Flintstone
Unknown Quarantine
Studio
Moebius

Killer KitsAlternative
Images
Mad LabMIMSkyhook
Models
Monster
Fun
Jimmy
Flintstone

Joy and Tom
Studios
Action
Hobbies
  Unknown Conversion by
Yasutoshi
Flascinder
Miniatures
Joao
Almeida

UnknownHerb Stever
(scratchbuilt)
Action
Hobbies
Brian
McGuire
Ralph Sutter
(WIP)
Cthulhu
Gizzard

copy of the
Production
Maquette
Paul
Francis
Unknown
Bullet
1:72
(OO
Head
scale
AK)
Chad
Hindahl
(ooak)
Gioteya
Designs
Pete
Rigsby

Mad Labs MIM Dan
Christlier
John White Jessie
Melero
Chaosrealm
Creations
Killer
Kits

Unknown John
Dennett
Grant Cross
(WIP)
Skyhook
Models
Hex 3D Cthulhu Gizzard

Liang
Haozhen
Ranger Simon Lee B.C.I Models PREY Collection
Studio
Luca
Van Dorto
Andrew
Martin
Darren
Harvey

Benjamin Isitt
1:1
Kelly
Mark
1:1
Inna Diklich Masaki
Naito
MIM


WALLACE WOOD CO-CREATED MARS ATTACKS.
As soon as Topps owner Woody Gelman approved Len Brown's pitch for an
Invasion from Mars card set, Brown called in his inspiration for the concept,
WALLACE WOOD, to help him create and develop MARS ATTACKS.


 


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