Mars Attacks! (2019) 

Writer – Kyle Starks 

Artist – Chris Schweizer 

I recently re-watched the movie Mars Attacks! and I checked Hoopla for any related comics. There were slim pickings on the app but I found this volume and decided to check it out. 

Spencer Carbutt visits his dad, who resides at a nursing home. He has a very tenuous relationship with the Major. Their conversation is interrupted by staff members fleeing the care center after they warn the men Earth is under attack by aliens. The men barely escape with their lives. Major Carbutt has a plan – if they can get to Fort Collins, they can find safety and shelter there. All they have to do it stay alive and keep one step ahead of these invading Martian forces. It won’t be easy, that’s for sure. 

This was a legitimate fun read from beginning to end. If you need something light to read after a long day or a busy, stressful week – this will bring you laughter and joy. There are a few moments that will tug at the heartstrings so its best that you prepare yourself now before diving in. These moments will sneak up on you and you’ll be laughing one minute, then drying a tear or two the next. 

I think what really makes this book special is the art by Chris Schweizer and the coloring by Liz Trice Schweizer. I thought the animated, cartoony style fit the story well. The neon coloring and aesthetic pops and brings an eerie, sinister quality to the action of the story. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but the one used for the collection is a preview of what you’ll encounter inside. Those Martian eyes will burn a hole in your soul. Look away before it’s too late! 

Kyle Starks deserves praise for taking a sci-fi tale full or wacky and whacked out moments and hiding deeper meaning underneath the layers of death and destruction. It’s a story about family first and foremost. Spencer and the Major only see each other at the surface level. Their mission to stay alive reveals what makes them tick and that they needed to make an effort to better understand each other and where they come from. It’s also a story of humanity – how we see ourselves and how we see other people. The lesson I learned from reading this story is how we must protect those connected by blood and others we encounter in our lives. Lastly, if there is a rift or divide between two people, this story is a reminder to try to forgive and move on before it’s too late.  

The final issue concludes on a hopeful, positive note. I loved it and I think it is open ended enough that a sequel story/series could be made. I’d love to see what happens next in the lives of the Carbutts. 

Mars Attacks! is both satirical and serious and a good balance of one with the other. 

If you haven’t seen the feature film, do yourself a favor and watch it! If you have seen it, give it a rewatch and then follow it up with this collection from Dynamite Comics.