Topps has released details on an ALL NEW Mars Attacks series today! Mars Attacks: Invasion is coming in October. Click on the link below for details.

Mars Attacks: Invasion – The Sequel 51 Years In The Making!

Ack Ack.

Yaaaaaayyyyy!!!

I like what I'm reading.

Looks very interesting.

I'm all in!!!

I hope more care is put into the sketch cards but it should be a great base set.

After the **** they passed off to us last year, I think I'll pass on this one.

Considering how many years they provided so many of the best cards, I'm inclined to forgive them a few lackluster years. How many other companies can claim to have contributed cards of the calibre of Mars Attacks, Civil War News, Battle, Wacky Packages, and Menudo? (Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get my point.) Besides, this one has art by Earl Norem, not to mention other greats like-- well, I just said I wasn't going to mention them. Anyhoo, I for one am looking forward to 'em.

I'm curious, what are the bad Topps sets from the last 10 years, in the opinion of anyone who'd like to chime in?

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
I'm curious, what are the bad Topps sets from the last 10 years, in the opinion of anyone who'd like to chime in?

Oh boy, that's open ended!! LOL Topps has had a few collation issues and of course there were the Lord of the Rings sketch cards that many were unhappy with. But they have made many terrific sets as well and I don't know if we want to dwell on the negatives. At least, I don't like to.

quote:

Originally posted by Arvin Sloane:
After the **** they passed off to us last year, I think I'll pass on this one.

I thought it was OK for a box, just to get another Mars reprint set, but I don't disagree with you. The sketches were generally disappointing and the inserts and parallel cards were just plain boring.

The only saving grace, and I guess you must consider this, is that the box price was comparatively cheap by today's standards. That's not really a good reason to buy, but it makes it somewhat easier to digest when it doesn't work out well.

I'm not really sure why anyone is all that excited about Invasion, but I would hope that the bar has been set low enough for it to have to be a better effort this time.

And to Harris' last comment, I liked the Topps Lord of the Ring Masterpieces. Yes there were some terrible sketches in it, but there were also some really well done sketches. Many of the B/W pencil drawings were terrific works of art, even if they didn't garner the big bucks. So worst/best sets all depends on what the individual collector thinks.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

quote:

Originally posted by Arvin Sloane:
After the **** they passed off to us last year, I think I'll pass on this one.

I thought it was OK for a box, just to get another Mars reprint set, but I don't disagree with you. The sketches were generally disappointing and the inserts and parallel cards were just plain boring.

The only saving grace, and I guess you must consider this, is that the box price was comparatively cheap by today's standards. That's not really a good reason to buy, but it makes it somewhat easier to digest when it doesn't work out well.

I'm not really sure why anyone is all that excited about Invasion, but I would hope that the bar has been set low enough for it to have to be a better effort this time.

And to Harris' last comment, I liked the Topps Lord of the Ring Masterpieces. Yes there were some terrible sketches in it, but there were also some really well done sketches. Many of the B/W pencil drawings were terrific works of art, even if they didn't garner the big bucks. So worst/best sets all depends on what the individual collector thinks.

That's kind of what I meant. I honestly don't think anyone got it worse on LOTR Masterpieces II than I did, with a no less than 13 Ryan Waterhouse smoking Gandalfs out of the 17 sketches in my case, and yet, the base set and inserts cards in that set were absolutely fantastic. Topps sent me a "courtesy" box after I reported the problem, which they strangely didn't really consider to be a problem, and that had a couple of nice sketches in it at least. I then got a box out of a Razor Vault and it also had a couple more decent sketches, so even that set I wouldn't characterize as a "bad" set, even given my experience.

So it's the "hits" that often determine a sets positioning on the good/bad scale, but really, on the base and regular chase cards themselves, I've rarely been disappointed by the quality of Topps cards, particularly over this last 10 years or so.

(Granted, that's not much comfort for those reading this who have spent $50-$100 on a box to essentially end up with a base set and a handful of regular inserts, due to finding a lousy "hit" in the box, when it's the hit that added on a lot of the cost to the box in the first place!)

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
That's kind of what I meant. I honestly don't think anyone got it worse on LOTR Masterpieces II than I did, with a no less than 13 Ryan Waterhouse smoking Gandalfs out of the 17 sketches in my case . . .

I feel for you. I got several of those myself, along with a few monkeys from Indiana Jones. Got to be the worst "sketches" ever called a premium hit. But at least the LOTR boxes had 2 hits and I don't think I ever pulled 2 of the Waterhouses in the same box. Who was the other art master, Woodside if I remember correctly. Just horrible stuff that nearly ruined those products.

Here's hoping we won't ever see anything like that again.

Heh, yeah it actually became comical when after opening 4 (out of 5) with the same two sketches in them, the sixth box that had an extra sketch cards, so three in one box. Ordinarily, that's a "wow", but you guessed it, it was another Waterhouse Gandalf!
Indiana Jones Crystal Skull had some real clunkers all right, too, but those two sets really are the exception, and most of the others have provided at least fair and sometimes great value for the money.

Back on topic, I'm really happy for this new Mars Attacks set and will definitely be picking some up. I hope there's a Promo Card Puzzle Scavenger hunt at Comic Con like Topps had last year, that was a lot of fun.

I guess my displeasure with the last Invasion set was that they didn't bother to give us a set worthy of this landmark title. Reprints with parallels of reprints, the unreleased cards were fine, but the black bordered new cards were ho-hum, the 3D's were very nice, but not enough of them and the numerous fishbowl head sketches just didn't do what should have been a no cost spared, all the bells and whistles set.

I guess it would've been too expensive, but I felt there should've been all 55 cards in 3D version, and they should've been box toppers. Now that would've been some real value added to the boxes. I liked Heritage overall though, they should tweaked the regular insert rate because there were just too many of those in each box.

My current favorite Topps cards are Wacky Packages Old School, each set has been a triumph, and there's never been a Star Wars set I didn't like. American Pie was excellent, too.

quote:

Originally posted by Arvin Sloane:
I guess my displeasure with the last Invasion set was that they didn't bother to give us a set worthy of this landmark title. Reprints with parallels of reprints, the unreleased cards were fine, but the black bordered new cards were ho-hum, the 3D's were very nice, but not enough of them and the numerous fishbowl head sketches just didn't do what should have been a no cost spared, all the bells and whistles set.

The Heritage set was a 50th Anniversary re-issue to revive the brand with long-time fans-- and introduce it to new ones by keeping it at a consumer friendly price ($2 a pack).

As for the insertion rate for the new cards, we felt it was important that every pack contain something new for existing fans, since MA had been reprinted before and is readily available for viewing online and elsewhere.

This year's set (Mars Attacks: Invasion) will have all the bells and whistles: fully painted, all-new art, chase cards, inserts, exciting parallels, etc.

We will be revealing more information over the next couple of months as the industry enters convention season.

Don't be surprised if there is something at the Philly NSU Show, in fact...

-MC

Outstanding news, Martian Commander!

Those excellent Mars Attacks New Visions and Lost Paintings from the 1995 Mars Attacks Archives set that were not reprinted in the Heritage set would be most welcome this time around, as well as an all-new series of "New Visions". Those have been standouts in the Star Wars Galaxy sets, and should likewise be a part of all Mars Attacks sets going forward. There are a lot or great artists who have been inspired by Mars Attacks, and while it's not realistic to think many of them would do sketch cards, I'm sure most of them would love to do a one-off painting.

I just like it that they're back. The 1995 series and the accompanying promo cards in the Topps brand comics of that era were a lot of fun to collect, as I'm sure the original cards were in 1962. The Heritage set had to have done well considering another set is coming so quickly down the pike.

Looks like history is repeating itself with this Martian Re-Re-Invasion!