Graphic Novel Review: Mawrth Valliis

Let me start this review by stating something… this story is written completely in Martian. 

Now you might be thinking “Martian?” and your confusion is well warranted. But is it really so crazy? The graphic novel, as a visual media format, is recognized for being able to tell the story as much through the artwork as it does with the words. In MAWRTH VALLIIS, this distinction is made even more apparent by the fact that you can’t read what’s being said.

Picking up clues about the story from action based animation, we see a Martian pilot involved in a fight against an opposing group. When the “enemy” goes to escape, the pilot disobeys orders and chases them down. Trapped in a forbidden valley, these enemies will eventually have to work together to escape the horrors they uncover. Why is this war going? Who started it? AND… who’s controlling it?

German comic creator EPHK originally only offered this through support on Kickstarter. Image Comics picked it up, seeing its potential to captivate a larger audience. The art and pacing make it feel reminiscent of 1970’s pulp sci-fi novels, though the lore feels a little light with the lack of coherent language. The author has created a world and brought it to us, to a degree that we feel the emotion and drama of the characters in the story, without fully understanding everything going on.

But… I never felt like I needed to. It stands well on its own, but with darker and grittier undertones. Ages 14 and up.

ADAM FISHER, Reference Associate