Reminis
cent of the boundary-pushing ’90s DC/Vertigo comics, this ongoing series poses some fun and interesting questions: What if Martian culture (not to mention their technology) began tens of thousand years before Homo sapiens walked the Earth? What if Martians became so advanced they’ve been covertly using Earth for everything from a playground to a war theatre? For millennia, humans have looked to the sky and wondered about Mars. Martian Comics is the history-spanning story of “What if someone was looking back?”
Issue #1 “Sex, Drugs, and Alien Possession”: This is not your typical alien-invasion story. This is more “What if aliens invaded our souls?” Izzy Montoya thinks she’s possessed by a Martian, but her sister understandably just thinks she’s crazy. She’s not. (The backup story features Martian-possessed Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, with a cameo by Lazarus. Seriously.) And check out this gorgeous Darick Robertson cover:
Issue #2 “Meet the Devil”: The reader now knows that human Izzy is a prisoner in her own mind, with a bored Martian taking over and vacationing in her body. Things begin to heat up when a Martian-possessed Texas CEO has his sights set on making Izzy’s possessor pay for operating on his turf. (The backup story details Larazrus’s struggles after being resurrected by Jesus.)
Issue #3 “Adventures in Alterity”: A crazy 52-page whopper featuring seven stories! Watch Mars enter its space age, while humans are still in caves. Witness a Martian coming-of-age ritual that involves hunting humans. See Ezekiel meet a UFO. Lazarus, now in Athens, hears St. Paul preaching about Jesus. Mars observes Earth’s Moon landing. And in the present, the Martian-possessed Texas CEO demonstrates his power and charisma through murder.
Issue #4 “The Secret History of the 20th Century”: In this nearly-completed issue, the Martian-possessed Texas CEO details his conniving, decades-spanning experiences on Earth, stirring McCarthyism as part of the military industrial complex. (A silent back-up story shows how Martians inspired the double crown of ancient Egypt.)
Issue #5 “The Canals of Earth”: (As mentioned earlier, the Martian Comics team is currently raising money for this issue on Kickstarter, with an April 27th deadline.) In this issue, we see how Martian artists and writers, over the centuries, depicted Earth as everything from an ancient goddess to a hostile invader in Martian science fiction! The Martians eventually evolve enough to explore Earth with probes and then in a manned mission.
The digital version of issue #5 will be available in July ’16, and the physical version will be available in September ’16. The Martian Comics team is currently raising money for issue #5 on Kickstarter, with an April 27th deadline.