Departures of note

Leonard Albert Brown, known professionally as Len Brown, was born in Brooklyn and began working in the Product Development Department of Topps Chewing Gum shortly after graduating from high school. As a creative editor working alongside department head Woody Gelman, he developed ideas for both sports and non-sports trading cards, a role that put him in contact with leading comic book artists who illustrated Topps humor cards. Over his 41-year career at Topps, he contributed to such series as Civil War News, Garbage Pail Kids, and Wacky Packages.

In 1962, inspired by Wally Wood's cover for EC Comics' Weird Science, Brown pitched the idea for Mars Attacks to Gelman. Together they devised the storyline of a Martian invasion, recruiting Wood to visualize the scenes and Norman Saunders to paint the 55-card set. The series became a cultural touchstone and was later adapted into the 1996 Tim Burton feature film. Brown also co-created the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comic series for Tower Comics in 1965, drawing on his love of classic serials, and contributed scripts to Creepy and other comic books.

Brown's juvenile creative sensibility and unerring ability to predict what would appeal to adolescents made him a defining figure in the trading card and collectibles industry, leaving a lasting imprint on American pop culture.