Review: Mars Attacks Kiss (One-Shot)

Kiss is goofy fun that can be combined with weird things to a sometimes entertaining outcome.  Archie Meets Kiss turned out to be a blast.  Kiss vs. Lou Gherig’s Disease, not so fun.

So what about Kiss meeting those hyper encephalitic green invaders from Mars?

Okay.  Maybe.

Last year IDW had Lovecraft monsters invading all their comics.  This year, they have Mars Attacking all their titles.  While neither sound like much fun, I am willing to give the Kiss/Mars Attacks crossover a chance.  The two books consistently provide tongue-in-cheek fun.  Hell, Mars Attacks is a downright hoot. 

There’s a chance that this may work. 

And it does.

She, the envoy of the Elder (source of all goodness) has a nasty run in with a saucer full of Martians out in space.  Down on Earth, Dizz the aged hippy wrestles a band of aliens.  Four youths pass by and offer help; in return, Dizz offers them the emblems of the Four Who Are One.

But the Martians intercept the emblems and become the Kiss avatars.  The green bastards lay waste to all by evoking powers to turn ordinary poodles into snarling beasts in Kringer to Battle Cat like transformations.

The Kiss foursome, on the astral plane, fights their green skin possessors.  The result is an ending you won’t see coming. 

The silliness of the issue never devolves into stupidity.  There’s a whole lot of fun, but be sure never to take yourself too seriously when reading this issue.  No, this comic doesn’t look to be something groundbreaking or serious, but it does want to make you smile and amuse you for a while.

And damnit, it does.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Chris Ryall

Artist: Alan Robinson

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Price: $3.99

Release Date: 1/9/13