Mars Attacks (Topps)

In the 1960's I was a puny primary-school kid, and like all my friends I spent my pocket money buying Mars Attacks cards, eating the gum, then trading unwanted duplicates (of which there were many). I still *vividly* remember my delight on the day that I handed over an astonishing *16* cards just to get one in return. But it was worth it, because that's how I got the hitherto elusive card 27 - and completed my collection! All of this was done below my Dad's radar - he'd already made me burn my entire collection of Horror comics because he thought they'd be bad for my impressionable young mind (to be fair, he paid me quite a lot of cash to do this!). But the Mars Attacks cards were MUCH more gory, and some of them were verging on the erotic. Dad would NOT have approved, but I wanted to keep my cards, so he didn't find out about them. And I didn't turn out to be TOO much of a psycho (I have a doctor's note to prove it). Bring back any memories? If so, then like me you're probably of the age when you develop a strange obsession with this nostalgic stuff, and this is the book for you. For me, this really is the ultimate Mars Attack book. You get the entire collection of cards (front and reverse) in handy book format, printed on quality paper, and you also get a massive host of extras: Concept art, background information etc. You also get the second series which was produced a few years before the Tim Burton movie, illustrations from the spin-off comic books, and even four bonus cards! There's nothing here not to like. Whether you're an antique like me, or a young whippersnapper who discovered a later incarnation of the cards, if you're a Mars Attacks fan, this is for you. PS Please forgive my one-handed video (non)skills! But I wanted to give you a sort of 'virtual browse.'

I was a big fan of the Mars attacks cards when they came out in 62 I would buy a pack or two on my way to school most of my friends did the same and we would swop any duplicate ones we had this book is excellent and takes me back to those times great background info on the artists and concepts plus follow up art from other collections buy it you won't be disappointed.

Bought this on a whim when browsing and so glad I did. It is smaller than expected but once you open it up, that is all forgotten. takes me back to you childhood and the secret pleasure we all got collecting these "gruesome" cards that our parents wanted banned. I was surprised that I remembered each one so vividly. As a bonus all you get images of the later additions (quibble that these are smaller images) and a wealth of background sketches,stories etc. Now if they would only do the same for the other Topps card series , Civil War News

This was really good, gives you the complete set of Topps cards and extras. The story reads like a comic book with some gruesome images

A small but consise book. Excellent artwork. Quality production. Especiallly liked the bubblegum wrapper dust cover. Big nostalgia kick bringing back lots of memories.

This is a fantastic book with loads of info about everything you need to know about the Mars Attack cards with full colour pictures as well. It came the next day, was well worth the price and communication was brilliant. Top marks from me.

Stuff of childhood dreams and nightmares. Yes I had the set after months of chewing gum. An affectionate nod to the original cards depicted in their entirety. Nicely produced, but gawd, I realise this is where my formative years were led astray. Damn Topps for corrupting my little brain. (hehehe, and thanks!).

A great little book with everything you ever wanted to know about this classic card set. Some great insights and fun stories and a bonus 4 reprint cards in the back cover make this a must have for any collector. Great value too and terrific reproductions of the original set plus cards deleted due to their horrific subject matter.

Perfect in any detail, this book is a gift for every collector or any illustratiion book lover. I highly recommend it

RAS ! Parfait. J'ai lu dans les commentaires que le format était trop petit : il est justement super je trouve, à l'origine, les cartes étant petites. Très complet, papier chewing-gum de couverture extra chouette et petits bonus cartes au top. J'adore !

Ein unglaublicher Schatz, dieses Büchlein - wo soll ich anfangen? Vieleicht beim Äußerlichen. Der stilechte Schutzumschlag ist aus dem Wachspapier gemacht, in dem eingewickelt vor gut 5 Jahrzehnten (ab 1962, um genau zu sein) die ersten 55 Trading Cards und die Kaugummis in die Läden kamen. Weil Topps seinerzeit fürchtete, dass trotz einiger Selbstbeschränkungen die Serie zu explizit sein könne, wurde sie vorsichtshalber unter der Vertriebsbezeichung Bubbles Inc. vertrieben. Inhaltlich bietet die 50th Anniversary Collection fast alles, was der kindlich-begeisterte Aficionado sich wünschen kann (OK, die original Kaugummis fehlen, aber die sind wohl verzichtbar). Nach einer interessanten kurzen Einleitung von Len Brown wird zunächst das komplette erste Kartenset (The Classic 55) abgedruckt, pro Karte eine Doppelseite: rechts der Text der Kartenrückseite, links das jeweilige Bild von Bob Powell (Layout) und Norm Saunders (Artist) mit Anmerkungen darunter. Daran schließt sich die 1994er Serie an, die neben dem Reprint der ersten Serie 11 neue Karten von Herb Trimpe und Earl Norem im klassischen Stil bietet. Vorder- und Rückseite dieser Karten teilen sich je eine Buchseite. Hinzu kommen 35 "modernere" Motive von unterschiedlichen Künstlern. Ein "Behind the Scenes" und ein Nachwort runden diese Sammlung ab. Soweit zum Inhalt. Zur Qualität: Die Hardcoverausgabe ist ordentlich gebunden und knackig-scharf gedruckt. Die knalligen Farben und die sensationellen Motive springen sofort ins Auge, so, wie es sein soll. Aber macht das Betrachten & Lesen der Karten heute noch Spaß? Auf jeden Fall! Die Karten erzählen in Wort und Bild die Story von der Invasion der Erde durch die scheinbar unbezwingbaren Marsianer, eine Pop-Version von "War of the Worlds". Dabei wird kein Klischee der Pulps und der SF-Romane und Filme der 50er Jahre ausgelassen. Zugleich regt auch jede einzelne Karte für sich allein genommen die Fantasie an und ist rückblickend eine Reise mit der Zeitmaschine in die erste Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts. Grausam-grell und fantastisch kommen diese Snapshots vom Epos der Eroberung der Erde durch Außerirdische daher: Damsels in Distress und heldenhafte Soldaten, Hitze- und Eisstrahler, Schrumpfkanonen, feindliche Rieseninsekte, UFOs und natürlich allen voran die grausamen Marsianer - - - sooo gut! Ein unbezahlbares Vergnügen für alle, die noch einmal aufgerissnen Munds zum Kind (der 60er) werden wollen.

好きな人は必ず買うでしょう！知らない人は絶対買わないでしょう。

This is a small size book but it is built with care, I love how they used the same paper used on the card packaging to make the sleeve. The paper and print quality is great and it comes with a few bonus cards. My only complaint would be that the art on the cards is all done in landscape orientation but they rotated them so they fitted in the page which is in portrait orientation and have the back of the card on the opposing page leaving a lot of blank areas on all pages, they could have placed these two sides on one page along with the short text (since they all fit in one page) and have the full art on the other page fitting in the proper orientation. Overall it is a great book nonetheless, but it feels like there is too much empty space on each page due to the odd orientation of the cards.