I had planned this for yesterday, but things came up
H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds
Campfire (2011)
ADAPTATION: Ryan Foley ARTIST: Bhupedra Ahluwalia COLORISTS: Akhil P. Lal & Pradeer Sherawat LETTERER: Bhavnath Chaudhary EDITORS: Suparna Deb & Aditi Ray EDITOR (INFORMATIVE CONTENT) Rashmi Menon PRODUCTION CONTROLLER: Vishal Sharma COVER ART/DESIGN: Jayakrishna K. P. (If you haven’t guessed, the comic was produced in India.)
The War of the Worlds is one of H.G. Wells most famous stories, arguably the most famous due to the history of the adaptations. From Orson Wells’ (no relation) famous audio drama to two modern-set movie adaptations (my favorite is the 60’s version, which I still claim is the superior design for the Martian ships), everyone has at least heard about the story. There’s even a version with Superman. Recent adaptations seem to be leaning more towards the original book and this is no exception. Sadly, I haven’t had the chance to sit down and read it. (I think I have a digital copy somewhere if it wasn’t lost between computers.) So while I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the adaptation, I do have to say this version was well written.
Adapter Ryan Foley spins a good story, following an unnamed narrator who is just trying to return to his wife amidst a Martian invasion. The Martians are always upgrading their weapons. The narrator meets people and sees how different people deal with the invasion, and even makes a moral choice out of anger and fear that he later regrets. Between Wells and Foley it’s a well told story.
The artwork is beautiful. The art team does a good job, although the “uncanny valley” does pop up now and then, mostly with the wife. The designs of the aliens and their machines are also well done and are quite believable.
If I had any complaints it would be the informational stuff at the end. They seem to make the case FOR aliens visiting Earth, while this is still a debate. They also bring up the myth that Orson Wells’ broadcast caused panic in the streets, which has been spread often throughout the years but evidence exists that points to it being an exaggeration on the media’s part. (A few people were fooled, but not a good portion of the country.) I feel there are problems here that should have been better addressed.
Overall though, my compliments to Campfire and to the creators of this comic. It’s a good read and well recommended.
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