A HAUNTING ON MARS/ Script by ZACH CHAPMAN/ Art by RUAIRI COLEMAN/ Cover by HUGO PETRUS / Published by SCOUT STUDIOS

Mars is once again a dead world. The technocrat Emmeric Deschutes sought to conquer the Red Planet, but his efforts at colonization led to disaster. No one knows what caused the colony to fail. All they know is that the key to Deschutes’s wealth is hidden somewhere amid the automated defenses and rotting corpses that are all that remain of the first Martian colony.

To that end, the Earth-bound branch of The Deschutes Corporation assembles a team to retrieve Emmeric Deschutes’ final invention.

Fozil – a drug-addicted Empath with severe PTSD. Paz – a powerful but unstable Psionic, whose powers are slowly killing her. Ryker – a career soldier, who is all about the paycheck. Cass – an anti-corporate Hacktivist, press-ganged into the mission rather than face jail time. Morgan – the corporate loyalist who is the only one who knows exactly what they are looking for. Together, they must confront the dark reality of what happened on Mars, and struggle to survive and stay sane.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was offered a chance to read all of A Haunting on Mars. The title suggested horror melded with science fiction. It is that, but it is so much more than that simplified synopsis.

The reality Zach Chapman crafted will seem familiar. Not because of the various cyberpunk tropes he employs, but because of the characters Chapman has created. Despite their fantastic abilities, they seem like real people. This makes their reactions to the nightmares they encounter as they fight their own inner demons all the more real. The effect is like a crossover between the novels of William Gibson, and the social commentary of Mark Russell.

The artwork is similarly streamlined, yet surprisingly complex. Ruairi Coleman is a versatile artist, equally capable of capturing advanced technology and visceral gore. There are pages that look like something Jack Kirby might have drawn after an acid trip and a Clive Barker film festival.

A disturbing vision of a future yet to be, A Haunting on Mars seamlessly blends horror, science fiction and social commentary. It is highly recommended for all fans of cyberpunk, dystopia and quality comics.

A Haunting On Mars #1 releases on October 25, 2023.