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Last Updated: Jan 1, 2009 - 6:19:39 PM

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Red Mass for Mars #1 By David Fain Jul 15, 2008 - 9:55:14 PM Image Comics Writer(s): Johnathan Hickman Penciller(s): Ryan Bondenheim Inker(s): Ryan Bondenheim Colourist(s): Jonathan Hickman, Marty Shelley

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With news breaking that Johnathan Hickman will be writing for Marvel Comics in 2009, I figured it would be best to review his most recent book, Red Mass for Mars #1. Hickman's previous books, published by Image Comics, were very dark and intelligent and used stylized, ink heavy art along with some serious digital designs. RMFM (or RM4M is you really want to be really cool) is a space aged survival book that, with some toned down violence, belongs on Marvel Comics' lineup.

Set in the year 2115, the book opens with all the disasters that have happened between now and the future. The after effects of global warming, super-viruses, the machine uprising and some other plagues, Earth has suffered more than two billion casualties worldwide. These loses don't hold a candle to what the next disaster brings.

The book is led by the narration of Marcus Farber Astroga, a man gifted to see the future. Previously, his powers were used mostly for financial gain, like when he rebuilt New York City and turned it into a money generating machine. Using his powers, he positions himself in the same room with Dr. Thaddeus White, the world's most brilliant man, where a dying superhero and alien crash through the roof.  The alien, which is a gnarly looking humanoid with long claws and teeth, is part of a barbaric breed known as the Hun-Du. On their last trip to Earth, a pack of 15 nearly wiped out every superhero on the planet and with a full invasion pending, it's time to find some new heroes.

Hickman casts an entirely original set of heroes to save the world. Though no formal introductions have been made, the characters take their names from Nordic and Roman roots with the exception of a borderline xenophobic wizard that speaks in third person. Lightbender, the aforementioned wizard, is the only character that gets any face time in the first issue and I am begging that if anyone in this book dies, he dies last. There is something, and I hate to say it, magical about a man surrounded by snaking demons as he mouths off about the English language's superiority. Hopefully, that will lead to some conflict between the rest of international team.

I'm glad to see that Bodenheim's work plays well with the future feel of the book. The brush-stroke skylines and flecks of white are similar to Hickman's ink heavy work on Nightly News and Pax Romana. The layout of the panels with bold white spaces makes the panels which are set mostly in oranges and reds really pop. And as more of an anecdote than an insult, one of the heroes looks like she is up against an army of angry Panthros from Thundercats. That alone might be worth it to see what I'm talking about.

There is one thing that irked me on third or forth read, there are four nearly blank pages, two of which count for the splash pages. The pages feature little more than a blurb of text and what looks like some Photoshop skylines. They are cool, they make the narration seem really heavy but they don't help move the plot and that always kills me.

Compared the other works of Hickman, this is a much more traditional comic that is going to easier to grasp but still remains smart but doesn't talk down to the reader. Everyone is looking for a book with a new team with a world that can be fully explored. Hickman's universe already shows a harsh history with stories to tell, and I can't wait to read more into it.

Rating: 8/10

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