It has been more than fifty years since the publication of the first line of Topps’ Mars Attacks trading cards and the nationwide moral outrage over the cards’ graphic violence and implied sexuality that ensued. Kids thrilled to the gory images and monstrous Martian invaders, but parents and authority figures had a hairy fit. Topps attempted damage control by reissuing the cards with repainted art to take out the offending material, but the company ultimately suspended the line following inquiries from a Connecticut district attorney. The original cards became collector’s items.

In the years that followed, Topps turned Mars Attacks into a franchise of comic books and action figures and last year celebrated the 50th anniversary of the original line by reissuing the cards in an expanded set called Mars Attacks Heritage. Now, the company is bringing the controversial sci-fi card set back in grand style with the release of Mars Attacks: Invasion, the first story-based line since the original hit stores in 1962.

You can check out a few images from the Invasion set here below.

Warriors of Mars #1
Written by Robert Place Napton
Art by Jack Jadson
Colors by Alex Starling
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Cover by Joe Jusko
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Price $3.99

One of my favorite independent comic publishers in recent years has been Dynamite Entertainment. They have not disappointed me with any of their titles, so I decided to check out Warriors of Mars #1 to see what it was about.

The story is about a man from Earth named Gullivar Jones who is an officer in the Navy from New York City. Jones, wishing that he didn’t have to live in the corrupt world he lives in, is transported to Mars. When he first arrives he meets local townsman from the city of Seth who then tell him to meet the king. While meeting the king, the city comes under attack in which the king’s daughter falls into a canal of water and Jones rescues her winning favor with the king.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #8
Written by Arvid Nelson
Art by Carlos Rafael
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Marshall Dillion
Covers by Joe Jusko, Ale Garza, Paul Renaud
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 23rd, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

My hat goes off to creative team of Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #8. This team consistently turns out one of the most fun comics on the stands today. And it’s a shame that more people aren’t reading it. TONS of action, fighting, heroics, and more crammed into each issue!

Writer Arivd Nelson sure knows how to write women. These aren’t the standard “women with a grudge against all men” either. They’re solid characters, full of life and personality who just happen to be members of the fairer sex.

Warlord of Mars Dejah Thoris #7
Written by Arvid Nelson
Art by Carlos Rafael
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Marshall Dillion
Covers by Joe Jusko, Ale Garza, Paul Renaud
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: October 5th, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

This is why we’re all lucky that comics are still being published. This story would NOT work in film, television, books, or any other kind of medium. But, it totally works in comic book form.

Arvid Nelson knows how to write a fun, exciting, suspenseful story specifically for the comic book art form. It’s action from first page to last, always moving, and cliffhangers abound in this issue. Hey, what’s not to love about scantily clad woman bouncing (and I do mean bouncing) around fighting, in chains and causing all sorts of mayhem? This is a genuinely fun, well-crafted action story with a GREAT last page shocker.

Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom #3
Written by Robert Place Napton
Art by Roberto Castro
Colors by Alex Guimsaraes
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Joe Jusko, Francesco Francavilla
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: October 12, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

I’m usually not a big fan of spin-off books, but I was pleasantly surprised by this comic. Set 100,000 years before John Carter arrives on Mars, Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom #3 is actually an interesting story about the history of the planet Mars and its inhabitants.

A lot of spin-off or tie-ins tell the stories set 1 day or 5 minutes before the beginning of the movie, or you’re stuck with between the scenes stuff, where you already know the outcome of the story and immediately think “Wait, why am I reading this again?” But writer Robert Place Napton does a nice job of telling a tale that is very independent from the story of John Carter that we’ve all read before. This is legitimately a fun, exciting story on its own, just set in the John Carter “universe.”