Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Mars Attacks Popeye #1Mars Attacks Popeye #1
IDW Comics
Powell & Beatty

In what might be the strangest comic book idea in years the IDW crossover where Mars Attacks various titles, it attacks Popeye in this issue. Having no expectations upon purchasing this book I found the issue to be very faithful to Popeye (specifically the cartoon) but very light on the Mars Attacks aspect of the crossover. Overall I think this is a good Popeye story but a poor Mars Attacks one.

Basically, the Popeye characters go about their normal existence, but the Hag partners up with Martians to take on Popeye. As far as Mars Attacks goes this comic book uses the characters as pawns or soldiers which is very disappointing. Nothing is explored that came from the current Mars Attacks series which I think could have added a lot of entertainment to this book.

On the other hand, a reader of Popeye might get a kick of Popeye battling Martians. My limited exposure to Popeye gives me the sense that this book is very faithful to the characters, their interactions and their dialogue. The book definitely read like a Popeye story (comic or TV show) and is extremely entertaining in that regard.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe book has that golden age feel to it from a super hero perspective or it looks like a modern comic strip with darker shading to give it an old paper look to it. Either way it is very consistent with cartoons and that is the realm of Popeye. It was very interesting to see the Martians and their death rays in this style of comic book. The art has a lot of appeal to it visually.

Popeye battles Martians. It's fun, action packed and a very dense read, which I was not expecting. However, the Mars Attacks aspect feels too glossed over and it seemed like they could be any generic monster which I wasn't a fan of. This is a fun idea that was simply too light on the Mars Attacks influence for my tastes. A decent read, but perhaps a great one if you a fan of Popeye.

3 out of 5 Geek Goggles