A HAUNTING ON MARS #1, by Scout Comics on 10/25/23, takes a trip to the Angry Red Planet when a Technomancer is drafted for a covert mission by the Deschutes Corporation.
The Details
- Written by: Zach Chapman
- Art by: Ruairi Coleman
- Colors by: Ruairi Coleman
- Cover art by: Hugo Petrus (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: October 25, 2023
Is A HAUNTING ON MARS #1 Good?
Zach Chapman’s futuristic sci-fi tale is an engaging mix of monsters, evil corporations, and humans with advanced powers, wrapped in a conspiracy mystery. Whatever “haunting” is implied by the title doesn’t show up in A HAUNTING ON MARS #1, but the meat of the story is worth your time for readers who like sci-fi mixed with horror.
Chapman’s twisted story centers on Cass, a technomancer caught hacking into the Deschutes Corporation’s network. Cass is given a choice – accept a secret mission to Mars with a small team of powered individuals and soldiers or exit the corporate HQ in a body bag. Cass accepts the mission, but the team runs into more trouble than they can handle before the flight even has a chance to land.
If the title and premise sound slightly familiar, there are a few aspects of this first issue that tonally resemble the film Ghosts Of Mars (2001) by John Carpenter. However, the tonal similarities are as far as it goes. Once the plot of the comic kicks in, the two properties are dramatically different.
What’s great about A HAUNTING ON MARS #1? The highlight of Chapman’s story is the well-constructed conspiracy mystery surrounding Chass’s trip to Mars. She knows shockingly little about the team’s mission other than she needed to disable automated defenses, but the rest is a complete blank. However, Chapman sets up a scenario where the team’s objective unfolds to Chass as the group proceeds, so Chapman’s script is an example of a mystery done right.
What’s not so great about A HAUNTING ON MARS #1? The team’s entry into Mars’s atmosphere immediately hits a snag, but there’s no context or explanation, so that transition into the team’s predicament is incredibly jarring. We appreciate how Chapman wants to hit the ground running, but a little more setup would have been helpful.
How’s the art? Ruairi Coleman’s art is very good. The team’s space suits, ship, and Mars outpost backgrounds look great. The brief bits of monster appearances are horrific enough to be alien but grounded enough to be believable.
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What’s A HAUNTING ON MARS #1 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a space shuttle crashing on Mars. The pilot and the team aboard are comprised of soldiers and individuals with assorted psychic abilities. Paz, the telekinetic, barely holds the ship together to make the crash survivable.
In a flashback, we see Cass, the technomancer, interrogated by an executive of the Deschutes Corporation after Cass was caught hacking into their systems. Cass is offered the choice of aiding the forthcoming team headed for Mars or death. She accepts the mission but isn’t given any information about the team’s objective.
After the team abandons the crashed ship, the pilot and lead soldier devise a plan to commandeer a ship from one of the previously arrived teams at the outpost. When the team gets closer to the outpost, they’re attacked by mutant dogs, automated turret cannons, and more. We conclude the issue with close calls, mortal wounds, and a surprising welcoming committee.
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Final Thoughts
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A HAUNTING ON MARS #1 begins a creepy sci-fi/horror mashup about a team sent to Mars for a secret mission. Chapman’s character work, setup, and mystery construction are solid, and Ruairi Coleman’s art is excellent, but the transition from setup to Mars arrival is very jarring.
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