By Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Ryan Bodenheim (Artist), and Marty Shelley (Color Assists)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: I look forward to diving back into Jonathan Hickman’s take on Superman as a concept. It’s been far too long since an issue of A Red Mass for Mars has hit stores…
The Story: Most of the third chapter of A Red Mass for Mars is spent explaining why Mars is the way that he is…and why human society just doesn’t work for him. There’s also violence…lots of violence…
What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: A Red Mass for Mars #3 capitalizes on nearly everything that makes the series stand out from the somewhat crowded Superman analogue genre. While the core of A.R.M.F.M. is classic science fiction, it’s the brutal super(anti-)hero (just wait till you see him fight) that’s mixed into it that keeps Jonathan Hickman’s story feeling fresh. The exploration of Mars’ past gives a weight and feeling of epic history to the Mars character that makes him a bit more compelling than someone like the Plutonian from Mark Waid’s Irredeemable.
As you’ve probably guessed, the third issue of A Red Mass For Mars is quite impressive on a technical level. The visuals by Ryan Bodenheim and Marty Shelley do a lot of the storytelling, as a result, they prove to be surprisingly memorable. Bodenheim’s clean, detailed style is complimented by a unique use of color that gives Hickman’s series a very distinct look that’s well suited to the tone of the story being told. While I wish there was a bit more variety to the color choices (to divide scene breaks maybe?), I’m quite happy with how everything looks.
Now just because the story is mostly driven by the visuals, that doesn’t mean that Jonathan Hickman takes a break on the sidelines. Though I do wish there was a bit more text, Hickman tosses a number of great lines into A Red Mass for Mars #3. His writing style, which is defined by big ideas, cynical commentary, and effective character work, is perfect for Mars and the universe that he is a part of.
My only real complaint is that the penultimate chapter of Red Mass for Mars makes me think that the series just doesn’t feel quite as special as some of the stuff that Hickman has done in the past. It’s very good, but it’s missing that “something” that makes a story linger in the mind forever. I think it’s like that because there are more “standard” ideas in Red Mass than Hickman normally works with. Just think about, for example, The Nightly News or Transhuman…The Nightly News instantly felt like something groundbreaking and truly was. As for Transhuman, it successfully brought the “mockumentary” style to the comic page in a way that felt so natural that you couldn’t help but wonder why no one had tried it before.
Conclusion: A Red Mass for Mars #3 is a good comic all around. The artwork looks great, the action scenes kick ass, and Hickman’s Superman Mars is a character well-worth reading about.
Grade: B
-Kyle Posluszny
Filed under: Image Comics, Reviews Tagged: | A Red Mass For Mars #3 Review, comic reviews, Image Comics, Jonathan Hickman, Kyle Posluszny, Marty Shelley, Ryan Bodenheim, WCBR, Weekly Comic Book Review, weeklycomicbookreview.com
