Comics have long gone on missions to Mars
NASA shut down the mission of the Opportunity rover earlier this month. The Mars rover originally set for a three-month mission continued on course for 15 years before a dust storm caused it to stop working, according to an Associated Press report.
Opportunity helped gather evidence that Mars may have once been hospitable to life. But comic books have long posited that possibility; heroes with Martian ties or origins go back to at least 1939.
The following list includes just a few of the Mars-related comics from the past 80 years. Rex Dexter, of Mars Rex Dexter likely is one of the first heroes of Martian origin; the character's first story is in August 1939's “Mystery Men” No. 1. The character later had a selftitled one-shot. Rex's father built a rocket to Mars and voyaged there with his wife. The ship was damaged on entry, and it could not be repaired for a return trip until 60 years later. Rex, born on Mars, is sent back to Earth to protect the planet from threats both extraterrestrial and Earthborn. Magician from Mar Appearing in five issues of “Amazing Man” from Centaur publications in 1939 and 1940, the Magician from Mars was Jane Q-X 3 Gem. This early comics heroine was born of a Martian father and Terran mother. Exposed to unusual radiation as a baby, she gained the power to change reality with the powers of her mind. Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter first appeared in a backup story in 1955's “Detective Comics” No. 225 and has since become the most prominent Martian superhero. An experiment teleports the green-skinned alien to Earth, where he uses his shape-shifting powers to take on the role of police detective John Jones. A version of the character has appeared on TV's “Supergirl.” His current solo series is by writer Steve Orlando and artist Riley Rossmo; issue No. 3 is set for release Feb. 27. Mars Marc Hempel and Marc Gregory created this science-fiction story in the 1980s for First Comics; it was reprinted in 2005 by IDW. A six-member team of explorers and engineers go to Mars, but lose communication with Earth. Martian Comics This series, from publisher Martian Lit, updates pulp traditions with modern ruminations on isolation and detachment. The 13th issue of the mature-readers digital comics series was released in November; more info on the series can be found at http://martianlit.com/.
Matthew Price is an awardwinning journalist who has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the coowner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman.