Emma Withington reviews Mars Attacks: Occupation #2
‘When we last left off, the humans had succeeded in a last-ditch effort to prevent total martian victory. But, that only delayed the inevitable, and the martian empire eventually conquered earth, subjugating its people.’
Ding ding! Ready…FIGHT!
After beating down Willis Thompson, a willing human servant in the martian occupation, Ruby Johnson was not instantly disintegrated on the spot – as is the standard punishment for anything rebellious, or parking your car in a designated saucer space. Instead, by showing ‘the precise mix of spirit, defiance and will to survive’, Ruby’s fate lies in a martian gladiator arena. A glorious, honourable, and certain death for any human participant – providing exceptional martian entertainment.
Peppered with black humour, the second installment in this five-part miniseries really picks up the pace. After first taking you through Supreme Sector Overseer Zar’s ‘no mercy’ policy, Mars Attacks: Occupation #2 throws you straight into the ring with our protagonist Ruby – a worthy opponent against the mutated martian abominations and our cabbage brained classics. Interspersed with the build up to entering the arena for her first – and possibly last – time. Ruby continues to be a solid female protagonist; it is not constantly pushed to the forefront of your mind that she is, in fact, a woman and she avoids becoming a Mary Sue due to her background – her skills come from being the daughter of a boxer and so her transition into any sort of ring seems natural and organic to the character in this universe.
Mars Attacks: Occupation #1 set up a lot of the groundwork and so allows the second to run rampant and wild. Andy Kuhn (Samurai Jack/Conan the Barbarian) is clearly having a blast throughout the fight sequences, blending hints of a Saturday morning cartoon (plus bonus disembowelments), strong, vibrant and occasionally impressionistic – particularly when it comes to backgrounds, with a gritty yet glossy sheen you could find in a Marvel issue of Deadpool.
The only aspect that hearkens back to Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! is that dark humour, which has become a lasting feature of the Mars Attacks franchise; the film being the main frame of reference for most, has become a cult property. Here the comic sits as a balance between the movie and the original trading cards, removing the outlandish B-Movie style and containing less controversial violence and gore. Mars Attacks: Occupation #2 holds its own identity in this respect and manages to maintain a more serious tone, alongside these qualities associated with the wider franchise, within the central story arc.
This issue really packs a punch in true Mars Attacks fashion, with splattering gore and black humour – A good old martian smackdown that takes you along for the ride with a relentless energy.
SEE ALSO: Mars Attacks: Occupation #2 preview
Rating 8/10
Emma Withington
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Originally published April 27, 2016. Updated November 10, 2019.
