Previously on Biker Mice from Mars: a grown man grapples with a beloved series that’s no longer his own. And, not to toot my own horn, I think I took the “change” pretty well, and this latest iteration of Biker Mice from Mars smacks with just enough familiarity that I didn’t have a full-on, boomer-level meltdown. It helps, of course, that the creators (Melissa Flores and Francis Portela) managed to start building out the “Biker-verse” with organic humanity and a genuine joy.
But can Biker Mice from Mars #2 keep up the pacing and still give something to old-heads and newbies alike that proves both entertaining and resonant? Or have the Vinnie, Modo, and Throttle already run out of gas? As it turns out, this “new” Biker Mice from Mars still has plenty of miles ahead.
In my review of issue #1, I noted how Flores’ approach to the Biker Mice from Mars is interesting. She and Portela (alongside colorist Leonardo Paciarotti) have to balance the OG series (which was peak ’90s, hyper-inflated action goodness) with the sensibilities and leanings of an audience that’s often just coming to them in 2024. And while the dialogue can feel a touch hokey, and things feel a little overly obvious and/or simplified at times, there’s still some real texture here despite that vital functionality.
Issue #2 builds on the development of #1 — the Biker Mice join the Mars army in battling the Plutarkians, against their better judgement — by continually focusing on the human (er, mice) -based aspects of this story. Namely, we get some more stuff with the trio’s family, which is cheap heat, yeah, but effective nonetheless, and and even a burgeoning relationship between Throttle and Carbine (which, again, ain’t exactly novel but it sure is more nuance and depth than we got before with OG Biker Mice from Mars).
Main cover by Dustin Weaver. Courtesy of Oni Press.
But more than that, there’s a little tension and maybe even some dissension hinted at amongst Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo. And that’s a big decision: yeah, we know they’ll always be a team, but Flores and company try to treat the Mice as real and organic entities, and even if they’re motorcycle-loving action movie pastiches, they’re still capable of compelling ideas and emotions (even if they’re also not totally groundbreaking).
That very idea speaks volumes about why the Biker Mice from Mars series is working so far. Despite that mostly unenviable task of trying to update the Mice without ruining their deep veins of nostalgia, the creative team have found a way. Maybe it won’t take your breath away with its emotional heft and texture, but there’s basic ideas of love, romance, friendship, and family at play that are compelling enough. They’re honest and constructed well enough that it’s instantly easy and satisfying to latch on.
Variant cover by Francis Portela and Leonardo Paciarotti. Courtesy of Oni Press.
If you ever had a phase where you watched, like, Passions or Days of Our Lives in the ’90s, you’ll know what I mean: that kind of exaggerated but undeniably yummy human (mouse) drama that hits you in the gut even as you have a bit of comedic distance from it all. You think “mice on motorcycles!” but get something real about what we’d all do for our families, and the struggle to maintain our independence in the face of social obligations. That undercurrent of really important ideas and questions is done in total respect of what this series is and what it really can be with just a few tweaks and changes.
But where a lot of the newness of Biker Mice from Mars comes from the story/narrative, it’s the art team that’s keeping our nerdy nostalgia burning brighter than ever. Issue #1 had some really great moments of over-the-top action, and these instances managed to give us the razzle dazzle and dope racing that we needed without ever ruining the emotionality that lies underneath it all. In issue #2, those very same decisions remain, and they’re even more exciting as the stakes are raised. If you’re a fan of epic, single-page pin-ups of the Mice on bikes, then you’re in for the motherload in this chapter. Not to mention sick laser fights, a few dope crashes, and generally just that sleek, sci-fi aesthetic that excites the most ravenous parts of the brain. But, of course, there’s even more here, too.
Variant cover by Edu Souza and Ben Hunzeker. Courtesy of Oni Press.
I addressed briefly some of the challenges of extending or updating Biker Mice from Mars: fans are weird, and they know what they want (and also they don’t really know what they want). Luckily, the art team have developed this kind of multifaceted approach as compared to the narrative itself. There’s little design tweaks here that show the dirty, down-home corners of this version of Mars, and that creates a kind of cohesion and familiarity that 1) connects our world to Mars in a really important way and 2) gives a history and personality to the planet without ever having to say a word.
We also get a cool new character in Stoker, and while I don’t want to reveal too much about him, his whole design and presence already fits nicely with the Mice trio. Does that mean a possible fourth member (even temporarily)? And/or does that mean there’s other dope teams on this planet a la the Mice themselves? We don’t have any answers so far, but the fact that I’m even thinking about these ideas speaks to the art teams’ power in building out this world with joy and magic. Even if nothing comes from Stoker, we need the world to be alive in a way that brings us in deeper, and that’s just what’s happened here.
If you didn’t have a love affair with Biker Mice from Mars coming into this series, you may not really care. I also think that any folks coming in fresh might enjoy this for their desire to explore the weirdest parts of the ’90s cartoon landscape (and that’s saying a lot). But this issue proved that there’s really something bubblin’ here, and even if the drama is louder than some hearty Gruyère, it’s nonetheless tasty and easy to binge. Just come into the book with your expectations tempered, and you too can truly enjoy this ride.
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