Mars Is Attacking Book Stores Now

As TR contributor Kevin Guhl reminded us in his Daily List yesterday,Topps’ Mars Attacks trading cards are as wonderfully violent today as they were when the first hit stores 50 years ago. In honor of this pop culture milestone, Abrams Comicarts have just released a beautiful hardcover book that features the art of all 55 cards in the set, a look at the 1994 follow-up series, rare production illustrations, an introduction from co-creator Len Brown (who provides commentary for each card as well as a historical overview of the line, an analysis of the controversy it spawned and a look at the role comics legend Wally Wood played in its creation), and insights from Zina Saunders — the daughter of original Mars Attacks artist Norman Saunders. Like Abrams Comicarts’ similar volumes on Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids, this book comes complete with a wrap-around dust cover that reproduces the waxy feel of the notoriously hard-to-find original card packs and four exclusive trading cards. So yeah, it’s a great thing. The above trailer gives you a glimpse at some of the grotesque beauty featured in the release.
In other Mars Attacks news, IDW has announced a company-wide crossover that will have the big-headed aliens invading all of their comics. So if you ever wanted to see Popeye or Optimus Prime take on a martian, now’s your chance. Full details on this bizarre yet wonderful development can be found at Comic Book Resources. Ack! Ack!