Review: Mars Attacks Zombies Vs. Robots
By Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell on Jan 30, 2013 with Comments 0
The only thing worse than Earth having an inter-dimensional stargate that led to the Zombies vs Robots catastrophe are Martians using one of their own to lead a sneak attack on Earth. But what will happen when zombies get a scent of those big, exposed Martian brains…? Zombie-Robot-Martian chaos from the co-creator of ZvR, Chris Ryall, and TMNT artist Andy Kuhn!
Mars launches their final attack this week as IDW’s 5 issue miniseries comes to a close. The Martian invaders set their sights on Zombies vs Robots this time around. The issue is written by ZvR’s co-creator Chris Ryall with art from Andy Kuhn. John Rauch provides colors and Shawn Lee handles lettering. Ray Dillon provides another fantastic cover inspired by the Mars Attacks cards, arguably the best of the series. Is the final attack a worthy effort, or should this one be exterminated?
The story opens on the big red planet inhabited by little green men. The leader of the Science Division is holding a war room meeting to plan an attack on humans. The Martians have discovered the space-bridge technology of the Zombies vs Robots earth and plan to destroy it…and all the humans while they’re at it. The scientists figure they can sync their stargate with the humans and waltz right in and begin destroying. Because organic material can’t pass safely through the gate, the Martians have to send in their Elite Strikers team. The team arrives to find a widely disserted Earth. When they finally make first contact, it’s with things less than human. Martians fighting zombies AND robots, what’s not to like?
Ryall pens a strong story. I wasn’t very familiar with ZvR, but this one makes me want to change that. A lot of the previous week’s attacks have been from a humorous, but bumbling group of invaders. This time around we see a fairly competent force with a well thought out plan. The majority of our time is on Mars, so we see lots of Martians with well developed storylines. It’s nice to see huge groups of funny Martians attacking, but having an intelligence force behind this issue makes it a little more menacing. Kuhn’s art is fantastic. He gets to explore several different Martian types as well as the zombie hordes. Rauch’s colors help the issue with its darker purple and blue tones.
Bottom Line: IDW created a pretty spectacular event with Mars Attacks. Each issue is loosely connected, but each offers up a fun and entertaining read. Every book in the event has been good, but this is a satisfying conclusion. Ryall picks up the baton and pushes Attacks across the finish line. Check all 5 issues out, but especially this one 4/5
Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell
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