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Mars Attacks is a science fiction-themed trading card series released in 1962 by Topps.
The cards feature artwork by science fiction artists Wally Wood and Norman Saunders.
The cards depict futuristic battle scenes and bizarre methods of Martian attack, torture and slaughter of humans, as well as various Earth nations being attacked.
Scholar Nathan Brownstone noted that "The Mars Attacks cards achieved their popularity at the very time when the Cuban Missile Crisis captured the headlines, the moment when Cold War came closest to become radioactively hot. That was when that a brutal zero sum game scenario - for Humanity to survive the Martians must die - established a solid niche in Americana popular culture".
The cards proved popular with children, but depictions of explicit gore and implied sexual content caused an outcry, leading the company to halt production. The cards have since become collectors' items, with certain cards commanding over $3,500 at auction.
Unless we find these at a yard sale, being sold by someone who doesn't know what they have, we will have make do with this virtual set
of the Mars Attacks Archives, a re-released by Topps in 1994 with the original 55 cards and 45 "New Visions" cards.
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