Comics
Review: ‘Mars Attacks’ #9
With incredibly smart writing and eye-catching illustrations, reader will definitely get a kick out of Mars Attacks #9. With a bit of quirky humor, this is a solid take on the alien invasion of Earth. Readers will become hooked with the “Mars Attacks” series after reading this awesome issue.
WRITTEN BY: John Layman
ART BY: John McCrea
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: April 10, 2013
The Martians came to Earth with the single objective to destroy its inhabitants. With an unstoppable force of spaceships and monsters, the Martians easily outnumbered and defeated the humans. Even after taking so many lives, the Martians were unprepared for a massive resistance attack. Because of his young age and lack of social skills, Tommy Bailey became the unlikeliest of Earth’s heroes. Smarter and cunning than everyone else, Tommy is able to outwit the Martians and survive on his own. But, Tommy is about to learn that there is something far deadlier and more dangerous than the Martians; the rest of the human race.
What I found interesting about John Layman’s writing is how he tells the story through Tommy’s naïve point-of-view. In most sci-fi/horror tales, the running theme is that it’s the children who know more than the adults. Because he was able to make a toaster walk on two mechanical legs, Tommy is an absolute genius. Layman adds a nice twist and portrays Tommy without any social skills. If he wasn’t such a loner, Tommy would have figured out someone was going to steal his Martian translator device. Tommy is too young and inexperienced to understand what human nature is truly capable of.
Avery Hendershoot (I swear that’s his name) is the type of character you need in an alien invasion. With his long trench coat and cowboy hat, Avery looks like he stepped out of a Western movie. Lucky to be alive, Tommy first meets Avery with his guns blazing. Layman then adds to their odd couple dynamic with such witty banter.
The illustrations by artist John McCrea are just amazing to look at. In the opening pages, McCrea depicts flying alien spaceships and man-eating plant monsters taking down cities. Then, McCrea illustrates the war-torn city as a frozen wasteland. The Martians are patrolling the empty streets with a giant spider following them. During Avery’s flashbacks, a giant robot is tearing down buildings with its long mechanical arms.
Avery, the gunfighter, looks like he could have been in a John Wayne movie. In his character design, Avery has long hair, unshaven cheeks, and always hides his eyes behind sunglasses. McCrea even plants Avery in the middle of a western shootout with the Martians. Avery doesn’t hold back from pulling the trigger as he holds a gun in each hand.
The “Mars Attacks” series has a lot of quirky humor and action that readers will enjoy.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Header art courtesy of Chris Mason.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
You must be logged in to post a comment.