Review by Karl Verhoven
There have been numerous graphic novel adaptations of The War of the Worlds, but Matthew Hardy and Rob Jones concentrate on just one section of the early SF novel. Among the individual encounters with the Martians written about by H. G. Wells was that of HMS Thunder Child, a British battleship, considered a particularly fine sequence of the original novel. Hardy and Jones, though, don’t just focus on that, but with those on board and their concerns in the period leading up to the events of the novel.
Perhaps there’s precedent for a woman commanding a battleship in the British navy in the early 20th century, yet if the idea of Martians in tripods is to be accepted, why not that? It’s the only element that doesn’t seem true to Wells, though. The remainder of the cast are very much Victorian archetypes, but for balance the writers include a Sikh commander able to vocalise thoughts about the pernicious aspects of the British Empire. “I have watched your country destroy my lands, pillage our treasures and starve our people” is a good start in highlighting what needs to be said, but “yet still I served in your navy because I saw some good in you” is weak justification.
Compensating for that, despite the dire situation of London under attack, military arrogance is rife, a belief in invincibility even stronger then than it is today. It all reads very convincingly.
Kevin Castaneiro’s art sells the entire deal. He keeps the Martians as unknown within their mechanical protection, and designs it as fearsome as well as practical. His creation resembles a giant hooded eye, with Simon Gough’s colouring choice of making it orange deliberately unsettling. The cast are all slight caricatures, yet we know what they’re feeling despite the simplicity of their faces, and it’s only right at the end that we see Castaneiro’s version of the Martians themselves. They’re well concealed for maximum effect.
Thunder Child manages to wrap readers in what’s going to the extent that those familiar with the novel will forget the ship’s fate. The final few pages are shocking, and round off a thrilling period drama.
