Ack! Ack! Ack!

I kind of splurged a bit around my birthday last year and completed the autograph checklist from the 2013 Topps Mars Attacks! release. I was missing just the Frank Welker autograph, he did the voice for all of the Martians in the movie, really he just said “Ack Ack”.

The Welker signature has been united with the other movie autographs of Willie Garson, Brian Haley, O-Lan Jones and Pam Grier in a 9-card pocket page plus my two woodcut cards from the Mars Attacks! Occupation release.

Martian Signatures

In my eyes Tim Burton can do no wrong, sure there are some of his movies that I prefer over others but that doesn’t change my view of him. Like many of the greatest artists he has a different view of the world and wants to get his ideas out.

One of my favorites of his has always been the 1996 movie Mars Attacks! which is based on the 1962 Topps Mars Attacks set and in an interesting turn Topps later released cards based on the movie, from which was actually based on the original cards. Makes you think huh?

There were cards released in conjunction with the movie in 1996 but in 2013 Topps included autographs from that movie in their 2013 Topps Mars Attacks! Invasion release. There were 5 Movie Autographs and I currently have four of them only missing the voice of the Martians, Frank Welker. The Welker cards weren’t any more difficult to pull, the cards were 1:167 packs pull, but his autographs are the most expensive.

Three of the cards are quite common and not very expensive; Willie Garson, Brian Haley and O-Lan Jones. None of them play a major role in the movie, I believe Garson is only in one scene before dying (Hell, he doesn't even have a real name just a description), O-Lan Jones also gets killed not long after the invasion begins and Brian Haley gets killed trying to protect the President played by Jack Nicholson.

The Pam Grier card is a bit difficult to come by and sells for pretty much what the previous three sell for combined not to mention she is one of the few people to live through the invasion.

When you look at the cast you would think that Topps could have put together a much better checklist. I mean really, when you have Jack Nicholson (playing two different roles), Glenn Close, Annette Benning, Peirce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J Fox, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown and Tom Jones all playing pretty major roles you would think Topps could afford to write the paychecks to get any of them to sign. Jack Black and Christina Applegate had minor roles but still would have been a nice addition too.