''Mars'' is a 1984

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

series published by First Comics that ran for 12 issues. Inspired by the pulp science fiction stories of the 1930s and 1940s, creators Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel collaborated on the story featuring a group of explorers and engineers sent to Mars with the goal of terraforming the red planet. When all communication with earth is lost, the team of terraformers must make a decision that will not only forever change their lives but perhaps the future of the human race. The complete series was collected and released by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

in 2005 as both a 288-page trade paperback and limited edition hardcover; this release featured a new cover by Wheatley and Hempel, digitally recolored interior art, and 32 pages of supplemental material detailing the history of the project.

External links and sources

Wheatley & Hempel interview re: 2005 collected editionIDW HomepageInsight Studio's Mars page
IDW Publishing titles First Comics titles Fiction set on Mars {{IDW-Publishing-comic-book-stub