Slash Maraud

FROM THE ARCHIVES (Comics That Time Forgot)

SLASH MARAUD

# 1-6, Limited Series, DC (1987-1988)

SCRIPT: Doug Moench (# 1-6)

ART: Paul Gulacy (# 1-6)

COLORIST: Adrienne Roy (# 1-5); Unknown (# 6)

LETTERER: John Costanza (# 1-6)

EDITOR: Doug Moench (# 1- 6); Andy Helfer (# 1-6)

Tales of brave humans banding together to throw off the yoke of alien rulers have been a staple of speculative fiction for decades now, and comics are no exception. Many of the classic “weird science” stories of the 1950s used this basic plot, as did countless mainstream super hero stories. Modern storytellers have not abandoned the device either, as witnessed by movies and shows like Independence Day, Mars Attacks, Alien Nation, and more. It may be that such stories appeal to a need to cast aliens as the “other” and ascribe the worst of humanity’s faults to them, leaving mankind with a clear reason to set aside its internal differences against a common foe.

DC’s 1987 miniseries Slash Maraud is an interesting example of the alien subjugation genre. The eponymous comic chronicles the protagonist’s reluctant decision to lead a revolution against an alien race called the Shapers. The Shapers, fur-covered aliens with the ability to change their shapes, have completely subjugated the Earth and dismantled all armed resistance. In an attempt to make the world their own, they have undertaken to convert the Earth’s atmosphere into one more to their liking--unfortunately, the result will be the death of all of humanity. Of course, a desperate plan is put into motion by the resistance to keep this from happening.

Doug Moench creates an interesting, if not completely original, antihero in the form of Slash Maraud. When the story begins, Maraud is so disgusted with humanity in general that he sees no value in preserving the species--instead, he spends his time alone as a “rover” in uninhabited areas. He’s reluctantly drawn into the resistance movement by his off-again, on-again girlfriend, Wild Blue, a woman who has let herself be used by the Shapers in order to ferret out their plans. Together, the pair learn of a brilliant Shaper scientist who has defected to the resistance, and is willing to help stop the extermination process. They rescue this Shaper, known only as Mr. X, from a gang of human cannibals, meeting an ultra-feminist group called the Damazons along the way. Subsequent issues tell of how Maraud and Wild Blue gather a small army to help put Mr. X’s plan in motion.

Slash Maraud has several interesting features. First, the Shapers aren’t presented as the standard tyrannical aliens--after defeating Earth’s militaries, they mostly leave the humans alone to do what they want. Indeed, a major theme of the series is how would-be colonizers often end up becoming assimilated into the occupied culture--one of the prominent Shaper leaders, for example, is addicted to Fritos, Twinkies, Elvis, and sex with strippers. Second, the series avoids the standard happy ending that plagues most alien domination stories--the resistance in Slash Maraud stops the extermination, but the alien domination will continue; even the romance between Maraud and Wild Blue doesn’t end up unscathed. Finally, as an early example of a DC “mature readers” title, we see some of the earliest lesbian and gay male characters, albeit in minor roles. The dialogue is well done (e.g., humans who collaborate with the aliens are disparaged as “fuzz lickers”) and the graphic violence definitely fits the mood of the series. Overall, Slash Maraud is an overlooked series that still holds up well today, and is worth seeking out.