Comic Review: Terra Formars Vol. 1

Terra Formars takes an interesting idea and runs with it: What would happen if the world’s most resilient insect evolved? What dangers would they pose to humanity? Could we even compete with creatures like that?

In Terra Formars, written by Yu Sasuga with art by Ken-Ichi Tachibana, the human population of earth has reached its capacity. Foreseeing this issue, a group of international scientists worked towards preparing Mars for life. Part of the biggest issue in making Mars habitable for humans is adjusting the temperature of the planet. The easiest way was to increase the absorption of light on the planet was to darken it with moss and cockroaches.

You read that right. Cockroaches in mass amounts were used to help facilitate the terraforming of Mars. Scientists theorized that the cockroaches would feed off the moss, multiply, die, feed the moss, and continue this process for hundred of years.

It could be that desperate times called for desperate measures. It could be that these scientists just didn’t care. It could be that these scientists honestly had no clue. But any environmentalist can tell you that introducing an alien species into an ecosystem can have devastating effects, even on Mars.

Before humans can move to Mars, an extermination must occur. Cockroaches are not pleasant insects, and a planet infested with them will have little draw for volunteers for a relocation. The U-NASA therefore decides to send a group of individuals to slowly clear out areas of the planet.

Shokichi is a Japanese citizen recruited into the Bugs 2 program. He and a select group of young men and women from around the world are charged with cleaning up the surface. These people have one thing in common: they are poor and desperate to get out of their current problems. Some of them are trying to avoid consequences that were a product of poverty; others are in the program to send cash back home. Regardless, they are all seen as disposable soldiers.

They quickly see why. Upon landing on Mars, Shokichi and the others realize that the cockroaches evolved exponentially in the span of 500 years. With a lifespan of a few weeks to a few months, the cockroaches have developed into the dominant species on the planet. Taking a humanoid form, they possess the characteristics of cockroaches, making them near-impossible to kill. On top of that, these cockroaches are aggressive and kill without hesitation.

Shokichi and his colleagues do have a secret weapon: they have all been injected with a serum to mimic certain properties of insects. These characteristics, multiplied to suit a human’s size, may be the only tool humans have against this new, superior species.

The first volume of Terra Formars presents a horror in which we have no idea how to react. This new species is so foreign and threatening that there appears to be no hope for survival. Yes, it comes across as a weird concept. Humanoid bugs are a hard sell. Terra Formars does a great job making these cockroaches as frightening as possible as they rip, twist, and tear their enemies apart. While the foundation for the current terraforming problem seems far-fetched, Tachibana brings it all together with incredible artwork that leaves nothing to the imagination.

Volume 1 is available from VIZ Signature on July 15th with an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN. It contains explicit content and is recommended for mature readers. Future volumes will be published on a bi-monthly basis.

From VIZ:

“Kenichi Tachibana’s crisp and kinetic artwork is the perfect vehicle for Yu Sasuga’s sci-fi action drama that will grab TERRA FORMARS readers from the very first chapter,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “Step off-world into a stark vision of humanity’s future gone shockingly awry in this intense new horror story that presents the dark side to man’s quest to create new worlds among the stars.”

About the Creators:

Yu Sasuga made his debut as a manga writer in Miracle Jump with TERRA FORMARS, a project in collaboration with artist Kenichi Tachibana. TERRA FORMARS was nominated in 2013 for a Manga Taisho award. Tachibana’s previous works include Potchari Maniacs and his 2007 series, Lucky Seven Stars.