Second Wave

Publishers Weekly

All six issues of Nelson's reworking of War of the Worldsare collected in this colorful volume that includes all of the staples of a classic alien invasion story: big monsters, ordinary people thrown together, looting, rioting and tyrannical redneck sheriffs. Protagonist Miles is haunted that on the day of the invasion, he hid his wife in the basement while he went to get the car-and moments later, aliens crushed the house. He's also haunted by the marital discord of his past, which is skillfully woven into the present story through flashbacks. But he doesn't have too much time to think about it, as a second wave of aliens lands, and he and his friend Duke end up on the run, ad hoc leaders of a small group of survivors that includes an angry mother, a protective father of a diabetic girl and an autistic boy of unknown origin. Chee makes great use of full spreads to convey just how incredibly big the aliens are-sometimes letting a single leg dominate an entire page. Despite the dark nature of the story, the book's oh-so-bright colors recall the vibe of old Saturday-afternoon movie serials. Visually stylish, fast-paced and very exciting. (Mar.)