What better way to satisfy fans of both classic science fiction and comics than by retelling a handful of the early masters' stories in graphic form? This volume in the Graphic Classics series starts with H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, which for many might seem a bit tame compared to today's standards, but the dark and moody drawings add a new level of creepiness. Indeed, the art in this book helps lift the old stories om Jules Verne and Arthur Conan Doyle, among others d rockets them to new levels. A great addition for all science-fiction and graphic-novel collections.

Editor (and adaptor of two pieces) Pomplun searched back to the roots of science fiction for the Martian invaders, aliens and disintegration machines that populate this 17th volume in Eureka's excellent series. Most young readers will recognize the title and the tripods in Wells's "War of the Worlds," but they'll find the original story and time period surprisingly fresh. Realistic watercolor panels are a great match for this fast-moving adaptation. Stanley Weinbaum's seminal, but likely totally unknown, "Martian Odyssey" is a whiz-bang, standout tale of a stranded astronaut's encounters with aliens rendered in heavy-line, Don-Bluthstyle art. E.M. Forster's utopian/dystopian society in "The Machine Stops" might remind some of Wall-E save for the lack of a cute robot (and upbeat ending). Not surprisingly, given the age of the source material, some of the futures can seem quaint, such as Hans Christian Andersen's "In a Thousand Years," and the themes weighty, as in Lord Dunsany's "Bureau d'Echange de Maux." However, the varied art and strong story choices are sure to please graphics fans with a taste for tales without tights and masks. (Graphic short stories. 12 & up)