Mars is a wasteland: A dead colony, founded by a dead billionaire, holding darkness and secrets within. Secrets which Echo Team are sent to uncover. A hacker. A psionic. An empath. A soldier. And their corpo loyalist leader. They’ve crashed far from the LZ and their sanity’s already unraveling… A Haunting on Mars #1 delivers an opening that feels a bit like a sci-fi spin on Resident Evil.

Written by Zach Chapman, A Haunting on Mars #1 is an interesting first issue. A rag tag, mysterious group, is brought together on a mission for an equally mysterious and ominous corporation. Their mission? To retrieve something from Mars. But, each member has only a sliver of what’s going on and of course the mission doesn’t go right from the start.

Throw in some techno/industrial music, and A Haunting on Mars #1 feels a bit like the first Resident Evil film… but on Mars. Each has a team who you’re not sure who you can trust. There’s a setting that’s abandoned for unknown reasons. There’s even a clearly evil corporation involved. Finally, throw in some mutated dogs and you can see the roots of the comic. And that’s not a bad thing. That film ruled!

Chapman throws a lot into the issue with teases of a war, team members with psionic, empath, and tech abilities, and then there’s that ending. It all comes together in a rock and roll sort of way and comes off as pop/sci-fi/horror fun. Sit back and enjoy the ride hoping for surprising twists and shocks.

The art by Ruairi Coleman is good. With color by Steve Canon and Maja Opacic and lettering by Chapman the comic plays off of its desolation well. Mars feels empty and ominous, a getting vibe to get while reading the comic. There’s also a smart decision to make the comic futuristic without going over the top. Space suits are rather simple which prevents them from being a distraction and making the reader guess a bit about how it all works. This is a case where less is more. The comic focuses on the character and the trust and lack of it between them.

A Haunting on Mars #1 is fun pulp sci-fi. The characters each have their role and it hits familiar notes, but overall, it’s a fun read that you can just sit back and enjoy. Now, to find that Resident Evil soundtrack to listen to while reading the rest.

Story: Zach Chapman Art: Ruairi Coleman
Color: Steve Canon and Maja Opacic Letterer: Zach Chapman
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Graphic Policy was provided with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics