Thunder Child is a request from Mad Robot Comics for their Kickstarter. This three issue series serves as a spin-off to the classic H.G. Wells story The War of the Worlds. By focusing on the titular ship and her crew, readers get a chance to experience a nuanced plot element.
What’s Thunder Child About?
The HMS Thunder Child is the vessel that strikes a sacrificial blow to invading alien tripods. Its sacrifice allows evacuees to live. But other than that, it’s usually just a plot element. Luckily a few comics like this and Heavy Metal Magazine’s “The Captain” go into the ship and its crew.
The Perfect Tribute
What makes this story so notable is how the crew of the title ship ties together everything people love about War of The Worlds. We have the Young scientist couple: curious, optimistic, and self-conscious of humanity. They, like the reader have no way of knowing what aliens could actually be like. The ironically named Major Makepeace on the other hand represents a drive for alertness. But his standoffish attitude also reminds readers of H.G. Wells’ critical views on the British Empire.
Finally we’ve got Captain Teresa MacDonald and her crew aboard the HMS who serve as moderators. They keep everything under control to make sure no one goes overboard on their ideals or passions. What drives this crew is respect and making the most out of situations. They’re a well oiled machine approaching a tragic end, but with a glorious story in the making.
That’s really saying something when looking at the dire carnage caused by the Martian tripods. These things feel alien in every sense of the word. Nobody knows how or why they make their decisions and that’s what causes so much terror. Well that and the designs by artist Kevin Castaniero make it nearly impossible to look away. Add the colors by Simon Gough and phenomenal lettering by Rob Jones, the cinematic power is unrivaled.
Thunder Child Going Forward
With only the first issue and a big first impression, it looks like Thunder Child is on its way to something grand. The writing duo of Matthew Hardy and Rob Jones really capture the essence of the source material. As for the artists, they capture the tension of an alien invasion. For now this series gets 8.5/10.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always, remember to look between the panels.