Dinosaurs Attack: Day Thirty-Three

And, here we are at the last entry on "My Monster Memories" of our thirty-three day retrospective on the little-known 1998 card set "Dinosaurs Attack" by Topps. I hope you've enjoyed seeing them in large-size scans, something not done anywhere else on the web (so far) that I'm aware of. We wrap up the look at the Eclipse graphic novel with this two-page article about the card series...

(Click on images to view larger scans.)

And below is the two-page title and credits. A number of artists contributed, as you can see from the names listed. This under-appreciated card set and comic can be had pretty cheaply online, if you want to own them for yourself. And as mentioned, I have some duplicates in case you need to complete a set; email me and let me know what numbers you need and we'll talk about it!

As with all posts on this topic, all of the copyrights are owned by Topps Cards and/or Eclipse Comics.

Dinosaurs Attack: Day Thirty-Two

(Click on images to view Supersaurus-sized!)

"I just knew this would happen to me someday!"

And, here we are with the last two bonus cards from the graphic novel, as card C, painted by fan-fave Earl Norem, depicts a scenario that many air travelers fear; midflight ejection by an attacking Pteranodon the size and disposition of Rodan.

Below, card D, a humorous (till it happens to you) scene that shows a light-on-his-feet dinosaur absconding with an infant, much to the horror of his babysitter and pals. I think they can safely rule out the mother asking them to watch the baby again.

Below, as we look at the last of the Earl Norem paintings done for the graphic novel adaptation, we see the final panel of the attack on the bridge, and begin another short but violent vignette.

In an homage to the famous scene from "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms," the next page shows a heroic policemen wolfed down by a dinosaur irritated by his ineffective gunfire.

And below we get a Pterodactyl's-eye view of the nation's capitol as the flying terrors gather for a feast, on the last page of this issue. Too bad that the other books in the series were never published. I would love to see the artwork that might have been done for them but never released.

One of the preview panels from the back of the book gives us a glimpse at the promised fun which never materialized. Wouldn't you like to see an animated film, even direct-to-DVD, released that adapted the story in the Earl Norem-style artwork? Dream on, Fred....

Next: the final entry from the graphic novel, an article that reveals some facts about the art.

Dinosaurs Attack: Day Thirty-One

(Click on images to view in Magno-Vision!)

"Hey," I can hear you exclaim as you sit in front of your screen today. "What's this? I thought you already ran all of the cards. What gives?" Well, my friend, you are right, I did finish posting the entire "Dinosaurs Attack!" set, but these are bonus cards printed on the back cover of the graphic novel that I've been spotlighting for the last few days. There are four total, and you may notice that the first one is a "preview" card for a sequel story! I put the word "preview" in quotations because there was never meant to be another series of cards as far as I know, but they thought it would be fun to tease the readers with what might have been.

The rest of the bonus cards fit within the existing story, and it's kind of a shame they didn't make it into the set, as they are quite memorable. But then, a bonus is something good that's extra, and these fit the bill!

The rest of today's post consists of three more pages from the comic, painted by Earl Norem. Every panel is a joy to view in close-up detail.

More chaos and carnage to come on the morrow!

Dinosaurs Attack: Day Thirty

(Click on images to view in Dino-Scope!)

Three more dino-riffic pages from the graphic novel adaptation of "Dinosaurs Attack" by Earl Norem, one of my favorite artists as a kid and young adult. He still is, of course; but it was during that time he made such a big impact with the many covers of the various magazines I bought back then... Planet of the Apes, Monsters of the Movies, The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, and so on. Between him and Bob Larkin, my magazine shelf is full of memorable genre images.

As the dinosaur materializes completely, it begins to wreak havoc with the lives of everyone in the area. LIttle do they know that the sceanario is being replayed all over the world as the Time-Scan goes wrong, actually bringing the prehistoric creatures into our time, rather than only allowing us to view them. Talk about a miscalculation!

I love the touch in the page above, as we see the flying disembodied hands of the trucker, still clutching the steering wheel in a death grip.

Dinosaurs Attack: Day Twenty-Nine

(Click on images to view Bronto_sized.)

The synopsis /checklist card #55 completes the entire run of "Dinosaurs Attack!" and I hope you have enjoyed the up-close look at the artwork for this under-rated and mostly unknown set. (For collectors I do have some duplicates if you need some to complete your set; just email me and we'll talk about it.)

I know; pretty boring stuff so far, huh? You came here for your dinosaur gore fix and all you got was a checklist. But wait, that's not all! As you might have noticed, I've been adding bonus images all along from the 1991 graphic novel that adapted the storyline and expanded upon it. Sadly, due to low sales I suppose, further issues were not forthcoming. For some reason which few can explain, the cards just never caught on as hoped. The graphic novel used several artists, with select pages by one of the major card artists on the set, the venerable Earl Norem. Norem's art stands out as the best, and are painted like his card art. Below are three awesome pages for you to enjoy, with more coming in following days. In the scene, a carefree teen, drinking and driving, pays for his recklessness and wasteful dissipation by getting instantly aged to death as he passes through an arriving time-shifting dinosaur.

Next: Like A Bridge Over Troubled Waters...

Dinosaurs Attack: Day Twenty-Eight

(Click on images to view in Super-Duper-Spectra-Scopic-Zoomoramascope!)
You could accurately say that the whole affair ended with a bang.

Here we are, with the last two cards in the set (excluding #55, which is only a card title checklist and synopsis that I'm saving for the next post.) And what a wild and exciting trip it's been! Not to mention occasionally hair-raising, often stomach-turning, but always fun. For some reason, as we see on card #53, the reversal of the Time Scanner caused a catastrophic overload, resulting in the fiery end of the space station. Fortunately, Helen manages to escape in the nick of time. Too bad about the rest of the crew, but sacrifices must be made.

The first thing evacuated was the bowels of the technicians who were 35 seconds away from reaching the escaping shuttle.

In the last card, below, we see the devastation and destruction left in the wake of the reptilian rampages. Poor Helen seems in shock, which is pretty understandable, with all she's been through. But part of the dazed look on her face is accounted for by the realization of something else. Yes, it's just setting in how much money she can make selling her book on the only official account of the events that caused and then ended the attack.

Helen hugged herself as she thought about the huge advance for the book rights... and movie!

Below we read the final paragraph of Helen's book, written and published in only a month. She's now dating the president of the Miami Yacht Club and living in an exclusive beachfront condo which came through the destruction remarkably unscathed. All's well that ends well!

Or.... IS IT?????? Yeah, probably.

Below, the introduction page of the graphic novel, leading up to the next week's look at some of the artwork found inside, as Helen inexplicably becomes a blond. See you there!

If they think what they're looking at is scary, wait til they turn around!

Dinosaurs Attack: Day Twenty-Seven

(Click on images to view in Giganta-Scope!)

"So take me away, I don't mind...but you better promise me, I'll be back in time... Gotta get back in time... Gotta get back in time....Get me back in tiiiiiiime."

For Those Who Came In Late: A Time-Scanner accident brought the dinosaurs into our era, they ate a lot of people and in general were quite disruptive, and now the Scanner has been reversed, returning them to their own epoch in a giant toilet flush and shredding them to boot. The temporal twister acts like a colossal cuisinart food processor, delivering them back to their own time as chunky Saurian Salad. Hooray, mankind is saved! Now, what else is on TV?

Yes, humanity is spared...but not without heart-breaking sacrifices. Card #52 below reveals the final fate of the man most responsible for the disaster. Although accidental, fate can't let Elias Thorne escape without paying the price, which he does in the fiery grip of the Devil Dinosaur... a spiritual being with a hellish agenda. And a bad case of the uglies.

"But I saved fifteen percent on my car insurance with Geico!"

Elias Thorne's image was based upon that of the writer of the card story, Gary Gerani. On the card's back below we see an actual picture of the writer as he portrays the character's final farewell.

The final sticker in the set, pictured below, wraps up the series with a T-Rex gnoshing on a rad skateboarder, that to the hungry beast was like a Meals On Wheels.

Next: It's all over but the crying as we look at the last two cards in the set.

Dinosaurs Attack: Day Twenty-Six

(Click on images to view stomach-turning scans.)
"And now, a nice tasty snaAAAAAAAAAKKK!!"

It appears that Helen finally managed to reach that button, and the end arrives... for the dinosaurs, not humanity. Not content with simply returning them to the past, the reversal rips their bones from their flesh, killing them all and sending them back as mangled corpses. Now we know what really caused the massive dinosaur extinction... Man. Yes, who was really the monster here?

Below, card #50 indeed lives up to its title, as one would be hard pressed to come up with a more gruesome fate than essentially going through a blender and becoming a meat milkshake.

"Auntie Em, it's a twister, it's a twister!"

Sticker #10 shows a complete lack of respect for the law enforcement officers, as a rebellious young triceratops protests racial profiling.

Bonus: a preview scene from a future (unpublished) issue of the Dinosaurs Attack graphic novel. Select pages of artwork from the first issue will be forthcoming after the card set is finished.

Dinosaurs Attack: Day Twenty-Five

(Click to view Supreme Monstrosity-Size!)

"Nooo! Not green slobbers on my new imported Berluti loafers!!!"

At last, now we know what evil intelligence was behind the attack on mankind... the Dinosaur Devil is revealed as it attempts to stop the plan to send the dinosaurs back in time. Resembling the biblical Beast, this hellish creature certainly was trying to bring an Apocalypse of his own. Meanwhile, Elias continues his running commentary as it happens, on the back of the card... quite a verbal feat as he is being killed!

Below, the climactic drama increases as his fellow scientist/model (who accessorizes beautifully) struggles to just... press.. the... red... button... as it hovers a tantalizing few inches away; while still looking all hot 'n sexy doing it.

"For God's sake, Helen, just press the damn button already!"

I can just imagine the feverish, breathless excitement as the kids read the dramatic end to the story, one card at a time. What's going to happen?? Can they stand it???

Meanwhile, on sticker card #9, the poor inoffensive Trachodon, unable to participate in the bloody carnage, makes do with shaking a streetlight to death.

This card was really scary if you were a lazy city electrical worker.