Comics Review: H.G. WELLS: THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

Indeed, the martians are coming!

There is an exciting new graphic novel adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds, presented by Insight Comics. This version provides a vivid and immersive “present day” of 1898 that keeps the reader quite engaged. It will sneak up on you with its strange yet familiar qualities. We have seen so many different versions of this material that we cry out for ways to peel back as closely to the original to reveal something about our contemporary selves. That is what I see happening here.

A wonderful sense of pacing.

One thing is for sure, these martian creatures are relentless forces of nature–and that sort of villain never goes out of style. Writer Dobbs and artist Cifuentes do well to follow their hearts and take such an inhibited approach. I think there’s always that risk of losing one’s way in a work set in a different era. In this case, it all feels very natural. The reader accepts this natural setting and gets hooked into the suspense within context.

Part of what makes everything fit correctly in this version is the fine sense of timing. As much as things move quickly in this story, the intrinsic pace to life is relatively methodical. You want to send a message, heck, you might opt for a carrier pigeon. You want to pick up the pace, you best find a good horse. With that in mind, I cherish how that special pacing finds itself on these pages. For example, just consider the above page, our hero is slogging his way down a rough road while, steadily moving forward, the bloodthirsty martians are coming!

H.G. WELLS: THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

Look closely, and this captivating work in comics will set your mind to flashes of past great moments between human and creature. The first look at the giant cylinder immediately made me think of Arrival. And the first look at the actual martians made me think of Alien. That said, it was more a recollection of a great sense of energy and not a lifting of one style onto another. Without a doubt, this book has its own unique sense of energy and it has earned its place among related work.

H.G. Wells: The War of the Worlds is a 116-page full color hardcover and available now. For more details, visit Insight Comics right here.