First Born, a four-issue series written by Ryall from a
story co-plotted by Ryall and Kieth, and featuring art and covers by Kieth,
tells a deceptively quiet story of the aftereffects of the Martian invasion: in
a devastated neighborhood, a few survivors try to rebuild their lives. One of
those survivors is an infant Martian, left behind in the attacks. But was she
left behind on accident, or as part of a more nefarious plan? Does nature
versus nurture apply to horrible invaders from Mars? These are some of the
themes being explored in this series. Also: giant bugs.
“This series is a multi-tiered love letter,” said series
writer and IDW Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall. “Every page
shows not only the love Sam and I have for Mars Attacks, but also wild
science-fiction tales from the past, the sorts of things Wally Wood drew in the
pages of Weird Science-Fantasy and other EC comics. Our adoration of Wally’s
work is front and center in this series, but it’s also a great next move for
Sam and I after the working relationship we developed on The Hollows. And it
surely gives Mars Attacks fans something special, in addition to also giving
them some of the wanton carnage and gallows humor they’ve come to expect.”
The influence of classic science-fiction stories of years
past extends to the variant covers for each issue, too. Artist Loston Wallace
pays homage to classic Wally Wood EC covers in each image he’s creating for the
series.
“Sam has been a friend to Topps for more than 20 years,
and we’re happy to see him finally put his stamp on Mars Attacks,” says Adam
Levine, Topps’ Head of Outbound Licensing. “His wild style and one-of-a-kind
sense of storytelling will no doubt bring a fresh take to our classic
Martians.”
Mars Attacks: First Born #1 (of 4) launches in May.