One of the single coolest mayhem filled adventures of all time is contained in the 1962 Mars Attacks trading cards from Topps.  Taking H.G. Wells WAR OF THE WORLDS concept to an insane extreme, Mars Attacks.  They were only available for a short time in stores when they first appeared, as their overly graphic depictions of violent Martian destruction didn't impress early 60s mothers very well.  Enjoying a cult popularity through the next 3 decades from rabid collectors and reissued collector sets, Tim Burton immortalized the cards with an incredibly faithful film version in 1996.  Many critics wrote the film off as "too cartoony and crazy" but a look at the cards show that Burton was right on the money.

Acquiring an original set of these could set you back thousands of dollars, as a single wrapper from these hard to find gems can go for as much as $1,000.

I'm happy to show off this remarkable series of cards below.  Just click each to view the larger version.  The first 55 are from the original series, while the last portion of the set below were modern addition cards created in the late 90s.