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''Mars Attacks'' is a science fiction trading card series released in 1962. The cards feature artwork by science-fiction artists Wallace Wood and Norman Saunders and tell the story of the invasion of Earth by cruel, hideous Martians, under the command of a corrupt Martian government who wishes to conceal the information from their race that Mars is doomed to explode and proposes a colonization of Earth. The cards depicted futuristic battle scenes and bizarre methods of Martian attack, torture and slaughter, as well as various Earth nations being attacked. The story ends with an expeditionary force of Earth men volunteering to counterattack Mars, in which the Earth force attacks the Martians in their manner (bayoneting and bullets) and forcing the Martian invasion force to be recalled to defend their homeworld. The Earth attack force arms nuclear devices on Mars and departs just before Mars is destroyed in the predicted cataclysm, ensuring the peace and safety of Earth as the Martian race has been doomed to extinction. 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. In the 1980s Topps began developing merchandise based on the ''Mars Attacks'' storyline, including mini-comic books and card reprints. An expanded set of 100 cards was issued in 1994. Director Tim Burton filmed ''Mars Attacks!'' in 1996 based on the series, spawning another round of merchandising. ==Trading cards== 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 created rough sketches. They enlisted Wood to flesh out the sketches and Bob Powell to finish them. Norman Saunders painted the 55-card set.〔Stewart, et al., p. 150〕 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. However, inquiries from a Connecticut district attorney caused Topps to halt production of the series altogether before the replacements could be printed. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mars Attacks」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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