IDW kicked off 2013 with a month long series of crossover one-shots, MARS ATTACKS IDW. The covers of these five issues have been beautifully done by Ray Dillon and really ties all the issues together, even though the stories do not. The notable standouts for me were Mars Attacks Zombies vs Robots and Mars Attacks The Real Ghostbusters. Mars Attacks Zombies vs Robots was drawn by friend of the site Andy Kuhn and Mars Attacks The Real Ghostbusters was written by lead Ghostbusters writer and friend of the site Erik Burnham.
All of the issues are one-and-done stories and can be read without being caught up with the Mars Attacks ongoing series or the IDW property being invaded. They are all done in very different styles, catering to fans of each property. A perfect example of this is Mars Attacks Popeye. This issue is done in the style of a Popeye comic, even down to the faded colors and humour. If you grew up with Popeye comic strips or are a fan of that style, then this issue is for you.
The issue that I enjoyed reading the most was Mars Attacks The Real Ghostbusters. Right out of the gate, we are thrown back in time to the 1938 broadcast of H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Having this broadcast be the backdrop for the martian invasion was what helped keep my attention. There was also a nice TMNT reference (something which I appreciated) from Erik Burnham. And even though I do not currently follow The Real Ghostbusters, this issue was enough for me to pick up a few issues and see what they are like.
Mars Attacks Zombies vs Robots’ art was really nicely done by Andy Kuhn. It was a fun story told mainly from the perspective of the martians. You can imagine how zombies would react to seeing the large brains of the Mars Attacks martians?! Andy Kuhn’s artwork on the TMNT ongoing series was met with mixed reviews. This issue really showed his talents and anyone who disliked his Turtles should pick it up just to see how well he draws the martians.
All in all, each issues gives you a good idea of what the universe they are invading is like and if you like any of these books, I would encourage you to either start following any of these properties, or the Mars Attacks ongoing series itself. Other titles that were invaded include KISS and Transformers. This Mars Attacks crossover has been extremely successful and while I would have liked it if the TMNT would have been included in such a large company promotion like this, the TMNT do not need it and it probably would have hindered the current story arc. If you absolutely need a TMNT / Mars Attacks crossover, pick up Mars Attacks Image #1 (don’t, it’s bad) and I am sure you will agree that it was better to leave them out.
As I mentioned earlier, each issue has a spectacular cover done by Ray Dillon. His artwork was then stylized to look like the original Mars Attacks trading cards. If you like his art, Ray Dillon also does draws Dawn of the Ninja.
You might still be able to pick up some of these issues at your local comic book shop or pick up the trade, which will be released in April.
