M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War [Paperback]

Wally Wood (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2004

Dark Horse is proud to present a collection of rare material from one of the greatest artists to ever illustrate science fiction comics, the legendary Wally Wood's M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War. Reprinting the first three issues of the Gold Key science fiction epic, this collection represents Wood's total contribution to the series and is a must for any fan of Wally Wood or collector of comic book or science fiction classics.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Talented comic book artist Wood was fortunate enough to work with Harvey Kurtzman, one of the greatest comics writers ever, on Frontline Combat and MAD (both published by E.C.). But Wood was also a professional who could produce lesser work to keep the freelance checks coming. This work, published by Gold Key in 1965, falls into the latter category. Its premise is that America has been invaded by a mysterious military force (wearing purple uniforms and bearing a crab insignia). The merciless invaders kill civilians without hesitation and take their own lives to avoid capture. Key to fighting the invaders is the Marine Attack Rescue Service, who are a bit like S.E.A.L.s or the Green Berets. The M.A.R.S. soldiers are a multiracial force who shuttle back and forth across America on desperate missions to stop invader advances. This is strictly 10-year-old boy territory-indeed, the first woman character doesn't show up until the end, and she initially treats the M.A.R.S. soldiers like they have cooties. Wood's art here is stiff and uninspired, a far cry from his classic E.C. work. The story is silly, and the entire project feels cranked out. Dark Horse has packaged the book nicely, but considering all the classic comics that haven't yet been reprinted, this feels like a wasted opportunity likely to appeal only to hard-core Wood completists.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–This volume contains the first three issues of the "Gold Key" science fiction comic book series from 1965. The plot is simple; invaders of unknown origin appear and attack nearly every country. While readers learn that several places on Earth are attacked, most of the action takes place on the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. The invaders are swift and brutal, murdering everyone in the way of their total conquest. It's up to the M.A.R.S. (Marine Attack Rescue Service) Patrol, an elite team of specialists, to stem the tide of invaders and win the day. Pilot Cy Adams is the leader, Russ Stacey is one of the best weapon designers in the country, Joe Stryker is a demolitions expert, and Ken Hiro is a frogman and skilled martial artist. The pictures are well drawn (Wood was known as one of the greatest artists ever to illustrate science fiction comics), and the action is intense and nonstop. Gold Key's coloring process wasn't too spectacular, but, even so, the stories remain a top-notch testament to Wood's genius.–Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse Comics (October 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593072627
• ISBN-13: 978-1593072629
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A trip to my Youth, August 1, 2006

By 

Bennet Pomerantz "Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD" (College Park, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War (Paperback)

When I was six or seven, I saw my first issue of the M.A.R.S (Marine Attack Rescue Service) Patrol:Total War from Gold Key comics.

Now when I was that age, I collected Gold Keys since they also had comics of Star Trek, Bugs Bunny, Magnus Robot Fighter, Tarzan (done by Russ Manning), Dr Solar, Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Uncle Scooge), Dark Shadows and many others. Gold Key comics had great artists and storytellers doing children's comics and at this time Whitman youth novels. This series had involved the great comic artist Wally Wood on both art and storytelling. However at six, i didnt make that connection

This reprint collection of the MARS series is a nice way to read the over priced collector comics. The stock is brighter than normal comic stock, which is great for reprinting. However Some of the panels seem miscolored and misalined. But fans of the original comics will enjoy this trip down memory land.

Wood artistic touches are amazing as i re-read these comic stories. The art wasnt dumb down for kids, it was as good as it gets , since it wasnt superheroes stuff. I see why adults still read them.

The series are not just for kids...i see why my dad would steal a few when I was sleep and read them too

So why arent you buying this now?
Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars M.A.R.S. = Marine Attack Rescue Service, July 4, 2005

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War (Paperback)

"Armories...airfields...communications centers! They're hitting us everywhere! And they take no prisoners... It's Total War!"

The M.A.R.S. Patrol series of comic books done by Wally Wood for Gold Key Comics are a guilty pleasure of mine. To understand their appeal you have to understand the time that they were conceived and written in- the mid-60's. Back then, before Vietnam, the U.S. Armed forces could do no wrong. We were the defenders of the underdog- the good guys that never lost a war. Even the favorite toys of little children were war toys- G.I. Joes, Marx Battleground play sets, Hasbro Tommy Guns...

What made this series different was its hard edge. Right from the start (0200 Hours on July 5th 1965) the Invaders came out of the sea at Atlantic City, New Jersey, killing everything in their path- men, women, children. This was Total War. For the first time since 1812 the United States of America was fighting for its life on its own soil. We didn't know it then, but the same scenario was playing out all around the world (Moscow, Calcutta, Hong Kong etc.) No one knew who the Invaders were or their place of origin, but it was up to America to take the lead in driving them back to where ever they came from.

That is where the new M.A.R.S. units came in. These Marine Combat Teams were intended to be a cross between "commandos, paratroops, and guerrillas." Each man was a specialist- combat pilot, armor specialist, demolition, underwater operations, etc. These teams were both our first defense and the tip of the spearhead- trained to meet any challenge, anytime, anywhere- with or without support and reinforcement.

The technical detail in these books was especially good. You had such realistic hardware as the OV-10 Bronco and the F-104 Interceptor (this latter plane was never part of the Marine inventory.) On the other hand, you had experimental vehicles like the Piasecki Flying Jeep (never got beyond the prototype stage) and one-man gyrocopters. And then you had inspired inventions such as laser tanks, unpiloted recon drones, and VERTOL jets. The one thing that was kind of irritating was that the infantry weapons seemed to be from WW2: Thompson sub-machine guns, BARS, water-jacketed Browning machine guns, and the old M-6 Bazooka. They did fix this later in the series by introducing the "new" M-14 and M-79 grenade launcher.

One thing that never did sit right was the "color coded" combat uniforms. I suppose the team members with the forest green and navy blue uniforms were all right, but God save the guys that got the bright yellow and orange uniforms and helmets. Of course, considering that the enemy wore bright purple uniforms, maybe they weren't at that great of comparative disadvantage....

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whiz-Bang Action Series from Legend Wally Wood, January 30, 2005

By 

Ian Fowler (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War (Paperback)

Dark Horse initiated their archive program with "M.A.R.S. Patrol: Total War", a Gold Key series from 1965. It was work that genius Wally Wood did in between redesigning Daredevil at Marvel and creating "T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents" for Tower. As such, it can be seen as a precursor to that more famous work.

The basic plot is very simple. Invaders of unknown origin appear and attack nearly every country. While we learn that several places on Earth are attacked (including Moscow), most of the action takes place on the eastern sea-board of the U.S. The invaders are swift and brutal, murdering everyone in their path, with the only goal appearing to be conquest. It's up to the M.A.R.S. (Marine Attack Rescue Service) Patrol, an elite team of specialists, to stem the tide of invaders and win the day. Each member has their own specialty that come to bear as the plot requires. Cy Adams is the leader, and quite the pilot. Russ Stacey is one of the best weapon designers in the country. Joe Stryker, along with having the coolest name, is a demolitions expert. Ken Hiro is a frogman, as well has a skilled martial artist. Interestingly, the team is ethnically diverse. Stryker is African-American. Hiro is Japanese-American. While Hiro often cracks wise by playing on people's expectations of Asian stereotypes, not a whole lot is made of the teams diversity.

This volume collects the first three issues of the series. The fact that there were only ten issues altogether probably explains why this series was archived in trade paperback rather than in hardcover like "Magnus, Robot Fighter". But the three issues are pretty lengthy, and each feature all manner of whiz-bang action as M.A.R.S. Patrol fends off the invaders' attacks on New York City, Niagra Falls, and other attempts to take America.

One thing that surprised me was just how violent this series is. While both DC and Marvel had a certain amount of mayhem in their respective super-hero lines, most people tend not to think of Silver Age comics as violent. But in this series, right from the get-go, we know that the invaders are playing for keeps as they mow down soldier and civilian alike, giving no quarter, and asking for none. In this regard, "M.A.R.S. Patrol: Total War" would easily fit into today's market, in an era where we are constantly aware of the threat of stateless ideologues who want to kill us.

While its not clear if Wood created this series, there are certain elements which suggest Wood might have been playing around with a "T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents" prototype. The acronym team-name, the team full of experts, and the mysterious invaders, all found their way into the later, better known series. It's a shame that this series doesn't get as much recognition as Wood's other work.

Again, like "Magnus", I was left to wonder if maybe Dark Horse could have spent some money on reproduction. Again, Gold Key's coloring process wasn't too spectacular, and Dark Horse must have made the best of it. Still, the quality does nothing to distract from the content of great Wood art and entertaining stories. I eagerly await the remainder of series.