Jason Aaron doesn’t know how to do small. His writing is characterized by big, bold swings with — usually — end of the world stakes that nevertheless focus squarely on his main character or characters. So of course he does go small — literally — in the new Image Comics series Bug Wars, along with artist Mahmud Asrar.
In the upcoming six-issue mini, we meet a pimply kid named Slade Slaymaker who — and mild spoilers here, though it’s on the cover — ends up in a fantasy world in his own backyard. Think Honey, I Shrunk The Kids meets Lord of the Rings, and you have the general idea. But as usual what Aaron smartly does here is take this wild premise and hook it on the relationship of two brothers, the death of their father, and the very real feeling of what it’s like to move to a new home. It’s an emotionally charged beginning that will break your heart and wow you in equal measure.
It’s a little early to call what theme Aaron is going for here, but what he does do is transform a simple backyard into something awe-inspiring and magical, thanks to a neat setup that breaks the different types of insects and arachnids you would find around a house into warring factions straight out of a fantasy novel.
None of this would be possible without Asrar’s art, though. The issue starts with those epic battles straight out of LotR, before transitioning to something more in line with domestic drama. Then there are spooky basements, weird spells, and even at least one horrific tableau. In every mode, Asrar absolutely nails it throughout the book. That’s not easy to do, given some artists are more adept at one genre than another. But Asrar acquits himself with aplomb on every single page.
What I was most struck by from the art perspective was the willingness to let things be less than perfect. A creaky house with dirty halls, an overgrown yard… This isn’t some shiny CGI wonderland, it’s a world of weeds that have been left without going mowed a little too long. And there is beauty in that, perhaps even more so than the symmetrical fantasy worlds we’re used to seeing in books and on screen.
While I’ll leave most of the plot points for you to discover, including the killer ending, just know this is an epic debut for an exciting new dark fantasy book that seems set up not just for this story, but for years to come. Wouldn’t you know it, big things come from small beginnings.
Bug Wars #1 hits stores on February 12, 2025.
Bug Wars #1 Rating:
Bug Wars #1 Official Synopsis:
Slade Slaymaker is a kid from Alabama suddenly lost in a vicious world beyond his imagining, a world of marauding ant armies, spellcasting spider witches, and beetle-riding barbarians. A kingdom of tiny but deadly warriors hidden in his own backyard. The same world that saw his father eaten alive by insects now plunges young Slade into the middle of a brutal Bug War to decide the fate of his family.
From the superstar team of writer JASON AARON (SOUTHERN BASTARDS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Absolute Superman) and artist MAHMUD ASRAR (Conan the Barbarian, X-Men, Batman & Robin) comes the over-sized debut of BUG WARS: BOOK ONE, the first adventure in a sprawling new dark fantasy epic.
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