Review of "The War of the Worlds," by H. G. Wells Graphic novel

Review of

The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells Graphic novel ISBN 0883011379


Five out of five stars

 While there are many classics of science fiction, H. G. Wells’ masterpiece “War of the Worlds” ranks as one of the best. It was the source material for what was a social panic when Orson Welles made his famous radio broadcast and it was the basis of two major motion pictures. It was also one of the first writings to feature poison gas, something that was a primary weapon in World War I, which began 17 years later.

 This rendition of the classic story of interplanetary warfare is presented in graphic novel form. While it does not precisely follow the original story, it is close enough to be considered a reasonable facsimile. The terror of the invasion and humanity’s seeming inability to effectively fight the menace are conveyed using the terminology and infrastructure of late nineteenth century Britain. In the end, human’s often mortal enemies are the weapon that defeats the Martian invaders.

 I am a fan of “any means necessary” in achieving the goal of getting people interested in the classics of literature. In this case, the graphic novel form works quite well.