‘Bug Wars – Book One: Lost In The Yard’ – Aaron, Asrar, Wilson, Carey (Image)

 

Page Count: 160 Pages, collects #1 - #6 of 'Bug Wars'

I saw this in Forbidden Planet and after one look at the cover… I didn’t need an awful lot of encouragement to pick it up. Seriously, is there anything cooler than a warrior sat on a giant stag beetle (ichor dripping everywhere)? No, I didn’t think so either ;o)

As always, with my TBR Pile, it has taken me a little while to get to ‘Bug Wars’. I got there in the end though :o) A chunk of last night was spent trying to find somewhere to print out my youngest daughter’s homework (I found it but ‘Lewisham by Night’ isn’t pleasant…) and when I got home, I sat myself down for a read in the comfy chair.

The Old Slaymaker House. Neighbors whisper about it, children dare each other to step foot in its overgrown lawn. Exterminators refuse to visit and shudder at the thought of what multi-limbed monsters may burrow in its earth. For Slade Slaymaker and his brother Sydney, it’s the last remnant of their father, a dedicated entomologist devoured by the very creatures he dedicated his life to understanding. Slade, too young to remember his death, continues his legacy with his own love of all things insect. Sydney, old enough to remember the gruesome scene, despises and seeks to annihilate any bug he sees.)

When these two brothers’ opposing obsessions clash, Slade finds himself shrunk to the size of his diminutive subjects and thrust into the middle of a brutal Bug War, an earth-shattering struggle that will decide the fate of his family and, perhaps, uncover the secrets behind his father’s gruesome demise.

Jason Aaron already has good form for writing fantasy comics (very much enjoyed his ‘Conan’ run for Marvel) so I was keen to see what kind of a story he would tell in a world of his own creation. The good news is while ‘Bug Wars’ isn’t quite up there with his work on ‘Conan’, Aaron proves to be more than capable of telling his own tales in his own world. I’d definitely be up for a Book 2. 

I loved the multi-layered approach to the world-building with Jason experiencing this new world at first hand while his father’s notes expand on the history and how the Mytes co-exist with their insect counterparts. It’s approach that keeps the story moving but also gives you a bit of a breather so you can take it in. And it’s clear that while there is still a great more story to be told, Aaron has given us one of those worlds that are great to visit but there’s no way you’d want to live there. Life in the Yard is vicious and short for the most part. This makes for some amazing scenes on the page, all superbly handled by Mahmud Asrar’s artwork (really captures the world but particularly how violent it is).

As far as the plot itself goes, I’ve got a lot of time for Aaron introducing Slade as the new element that will shake up this entire world (and ours), just to see what happen next. I’ve never been too keen on an ‘overpowered lead character’ and while Aaron does a good balancing act here, there were moments where I wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep it up. On the whole though it works, Slade is overpowered but he is determined to use that power responsibly and that counts for an awful lot here.

‘Lost in the Yard’ strikes a good balance between tying up enough loose ends, that you feel you’ve read something complete, but leaving enough hanging so that you know there is more story to come. I’m definitely up for reading on, for another volume at least, ‘Bug Wars’ was a great way to unwind and I’m looking forward to seeing what those nasty looking squirrels have planned...