they cold? Or hot? How does the glass form a seal? On their backs, the same red scuba tanks the Martians wore, but no regulators, and no air hoses. In the distance, a domed city out of the Jetsons, with air taxis and floating platforms. A monorail toots out toward them. Are the Martian commuters puzzled as to whatâs going on?
The leader of the troop gave his orders and the soldiers continued toward the dome, with revenge in their hearts.
#50: Smashing the Enemy
A soldier whose helmet reads US on the front drives the butt of his rifle into a charging Martianâs brain. A buddy at his side sporting a Norwegian flag drives his bayonet into another Martianâs eye. All of this takes place on an immense flight of stairs. One Martian attacks with what appears to be a vegetable peeler. Where are the heat rays? Where are the forces in reserve? Where is the Martian National Guard?
#51: Crushing the Martians
A Martian in the foreground losing all his dentition. Another dead in the middle ground and leaking a winding stream of blood. A small boyâs notion of the ultimate tank, bristling with cannons pointed in all directions, breaks through the aquarium wall of the dome and fires. At my brotherâs confirmation I sat in the car after the ceremony and traded for this card, with a cousin I rarely saw. My brother was wildly unhappy. The scrutiny was excruciating to him. Waiting in line for the bishopâs blessing, he pawed at his suit, his haircut, his eyes. He spent the ceremony crying and enraged at himself for doing so. My parents were frozen with mortification.
Afterward they dispensed with the photos in front of the church. They couldnât get my brother to come back to the car. My mother found me in the backseat and told me she didnât know what they were going to do. My cousin was embarrassed for us. My mother wanted me to help however I could, and I knew it. I could see my brother yank his arm away from my father across the parking lot. I had no idea what I could or couldnât accomplish. I was too frightened to find out. Meanwhile, here was my cousin: he lived nowhere near me, so I knew heâd have different cards.
#52: Giant Robot
Silly. Buttons for eyes, transformers for antennae, wrench-grip pliers for hands. No oneâs even wearing helmets or oxygen tanks anymore. An Army bazooka hit its mark, and the robot crumbled dis
abled to the ground.
#53: Martian City in Ruins
Martian victims were sprawled across the desert sands, many badly
wounded and others beyond repair. The advanced civilization had
been beaten into the dust under the force of Earthâs violent counterattack. The dangerous atomic pressures were rapidly building to
the climactic point and it was now only hours before the explosion
which would destroy Mars. See Card #54: Mars Explodes.
#54: Mars Explodes
The end of the series. Collecting took a year. What was the first card?
Death in the Shelter.
I pored over it at night under the covers, cupped it in my hands at Mass, laid it on my thigh, school days, in the boysâ bathroom. What did it connect to? What was the rest of the story? I had no synopsis and had seen no other cards. Everything lay ahead of me. I was hooked when I saw the first one. A giant bug, eating a guy: that was for me. My parents did what they could. They were attentive; they were flexible. Who knows if they trace their disappointment with me back that far?
What was the last card?
Watching from Mars.
Months of searching, and it was my brother who finally found it. A few weeks after the doctors let him come home, he left it on my desk, with a note:
For your collection.
In the meantime, Iâd lost
The Monster Reaches
In.
When he calls now, and tells me what the setâs going for, I tell him I donât have the set; I lost one. And he says, Yeah, you have the set. Remember? I found the last one.
Watching from Mars.
And it kills me that he remembers the title. It kills me that I canât
The leader of the troop gave his orders and the soldiers continued toward the dome, with revenge in their hearts.
#50: Smashing the Enemy
A soldier whose helmet reads US on the front drives the butt of his rifle into a charging Martianâs brain. A buddy at his side sporting a Norwegian flag drives his bayonet into another Martianâs eye. All of this takes place on an immense flight of stairs. One Martian attacks with what appears to be a vegetable peeler. Where are the heat rays? Where are the forces in reserve? Where is the Martian National Guard?
#51: Crushing the Martians
A Martian in the foreground losing all his dentition. Another dead in the middle ground and leaking a winding stream of blood. A small boyâs notion of the ultimate tank, bristling with cannons pointed in all directions, breaks through the aquarium wall of the dome and fires. At my brotherâs confirmation I sat in the car after the ceremony and traded for this card, with a cousin I rarely saw. My brother was wildly unhappy. The scrutiny was excruciating to him. Waiting in line for the bishopâs blessing, he pawed at his suit, his haircut, his eyes. He spent the ceremony crying and enraged at himself for doing so. My parents were frozen with mortification.
Afterward they dispensed with the photos in front of the church. They couldnât get my brother to come back to the car. My mother found me in the backseat and told me she didnât know what they were going to do. My cousin was embarrassed for us. My mother wanted me to help however I could, and I knew it. I could see my brother yank his arm away from my father across the parking lot. I had no idea what I could or couldnât accomplish. I was too frightened to find out. Meanwhile, here was my cousin: he lived nowhere near me, so I knew heâd have different cards.
#52: Giant Robot
Silly. Buttons for eyes, transformers for antennae, wrench-grip pliers for hands. No oneâs even wearing helmets or oxygen tanks anymore. An Army bazooka hit its mark, and the robot crumbled dis
abled to the ground.
#53: Martian City in Ruins
Martian victims were sprawled across the desert sands, many badly
wounded and others beyond repair. The advanced civilization had
been beaten into the dust under the force of Earthâs violent counterattack. The dangerous atomic pressures were rapidly building to
the climactic point and it was now only hours before the explosion
which would destroy Mars. See Card #54: Mars Explodes.
#54: Mars Explodes
The end of the series. Collecting took a year. What was the first card?
Death in the Shelter.
I pored over it at night under the covers, cupped it in my hands at Mass, laid it on my thigh, school days, in the boysâ bathroom. What did it connect to? What was the rest of the story? I had no synopsis and had seen no other cards. Everything lay ahead of me. I was hooked when I saw the first one. A giant bug, eating a guy: that was for me. My parents did what they could. They were attentive; they were flexible. Who knows if they trace their disappointment with me back that far?
What was the last card?
Watching from Mars.
Months of searching, and it was my brother who finally found it. A few weeks after the doctors let him come home, he left it on my desk, with a note:
For your collection.
In the meantime, Iâd lost
The Monster Reaches
In.
When he calls now, and tells me what the setâs going for, I tell him I donât have the set; I lost one. And he says, Yeah, you have the set. Remember? I found the last one.
Watching from Mars.
And it kills me that he remembers the title. It kills me that I canât
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