Commies From Mars

There are moments in life where you're sifting through a box of comics at a shop or convention and you come across the kind of gem that has no monetary value, but the fact that it exists at all keeps you from passing it up. Especially when said comic is on closeout for 10 cents because it's clearly been knocking around the shop for a very long time.

And so I present to you, the best and worst of my personal collection: Passion and Romance and Commies From Mars the Red Planet-Issue 4. Adults Only.

The issue is circa 1982, but most of the images and stories within are from '81. It is a conglomerate work of several different artists, including Tim Boxell, Shawn Kerri, Tom Cheney, Chad Draper, Revilo, Peter Kuper, Melinda Ebbie, Adam Cornford, Kenneth Huey, Rippee, and Hunt Emerson.

Each of the stories is explicit in some manner or another, hence the adults only marker. Each artist presents a different writing and drawing style, as well as take on how the earth would be had the Martians come to earth and coexisted with our human society. Most of the stories talk about Human/Martian relationships, or simply the clashing of human and martian ideals.


Each of the artists involved is in some way related to the underground comic scene. Tim Boxell advanced to movie production in the 1990s, while most of the other artists have continued to work in comics and political cartooning.