Customer Reviews

M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

"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....

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.

This is a pretty decent example of Wallace Wood's work in the 1960s, but not as interesting as his THUNDER AGENTS. Reproduction is OK but the garish comic-book colors are messily applied - undoubtedly as in the original!

Mysterious purple-clad troops invade New Jersey and elsewhere, ruthlessly killing all in their path - except the multi-colored and multi-ethnic Marine Attack Rescue Service. M.A.R.S. counters the invaders' conventional warfare by unconventional means and the action is pretty much non-stop with sporadic wisecracks from Sgt Ken Hiro, a frequent target of discrimination. The invaders, who in later issues prove to be extraterrestrials, take no prisoners and die before surrendering, and collateral damage is the rule rather than the exception! There's no gore but the bodies mount up as the invaders mow down civilians before being shot down, burned up, and blown back by the M.A.R.S. team.

"Wally" Wood was one of the greatest comic-book artists of the 20th century, standing directly alongside greats Jack Kirby and Will Eisner. Famed for his amazingly detailed sci-fi work for 1950s comic books, Wood floundered after leaving EC. He created some marvelous work for Marvel, Warren, and other lines in the 1960s, but DC had a stranglehold on distribution that made it hard for other publishers to thrive.

Wood spearheaded "M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War" by drawing the first 3 issues and providing covers for several (only those 3 are included here.) The title appeared erratically for 10 issues before its 1965 discontinuation.

When Total War #1 came out I was 12 years old. I went into a delirium of joy. The first issue in particular was totally amazing, in fact it was better than anything else Wally did including Daredevil. I treasured that comic above all others, including Xmen 1-30, Spiderman 1-30 and many others. It's a magnificent story right from the opening frame when a NY flatfoot sees a huge amphibious force rolling up on Coney Island beach out of the fog in the middle of the night and then get's machine gunned as he calls his precinct station from a phone booth. Nobody drew better bullet holes in glass than Wally Wood. That phone booth was riddled with bullet holes. This is the stuff of which greatness is made of. And it got better from there. A world wide invasion with fighting in the streets of all the major cities. People massacred everywhere. How can you not love that? I'm so glad to see this work of art back in print. The only comic series that I value higher was the original Dr. Strange by Steve Ditko.

I was heartbroken when Wally stopped drawing Total War...the whole thing turned to crap after he left.

M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War This book is a collection of comics I read as a kid and that was along time ago. I was very happy with this book. it starts at the beginning of the war with a new Army from another World and the group of the military's best the kicks there behind. This book beings back all of my good childhood feelings. If you are a child of the 60s this book is for you. i give it 5 stars

I loved this book. I was a real trip down Memory Lane. The impact of the comics are of course different. When I was a kid, these were really serious and amazing stories; very realistic in my young mind. Even though they come across as over the top propaganda-ish material, they are still terribly fun. The art is always a joy to view. Wood had a real flair for this sort of thing and it really comes across in this collection.

M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War is fairly simple, straightfoward pulp fun. The story is clever in parts but, since the book only reprints 3 issues, the threat of the invaders never really ends. Nor is it explained. That said, it is a lot of fun because of the excellence in execution by Wally Wood. He is the primary reason why these comics were ever reprinted. His art is instantly enjoyable, his layout exciting, and his stories...well...its not WAR AND PEACE but Wally does evoke a charming "salt-of-the-earth" aesthetic to his characters. They should appeal to readers who enjoy military history, pulp action or Larry Hama's G.I. Joe stories.

This book loses a star from me because my edition has two pages printed out of order. I wonder if its an error isolated to my copy or if it is shared in other editions. Strangely, the story moves so briskly that I didn't notice that one page was out of order until I came to a page that provided missing background. Then it became obvious that the page should have been placed earlier. Ditto for one other page.

I'd like to make one footnote. This ISN'T the first mysterious purple invasion in fantasy/sci-fi history. The pulp series OPERATOR 5 had a long, infamous serial dubbed the Purple Invasion that shared the same conceit as this book - America is invaded by mysterious villains.

I remember seeing the first issue of M.A.R.S. Patrol in my favorite drugstore, where I used to get all my comics. I was only about 10, then, and on a budget so it was a toss up between this comic and a Green Lantern.... G.L. won out, and I always wondered all those years what I missed. Well, now I found out, and I'm glad I picked the Green Lantern. Except for the Wally Wood art, the stories are so-so. Another problem is the reprinting - not so great. Colors looked washed out in some panels, and imaging isn't as sharp as it could be. Still, for the Wally Wood completist, this book is a must. Just wish it would have been better.