Bug Wars: The Coming of the Wardoom #1: Back To The Yard

It’s been six months since Slade Slaymaker made his life-changing journey through The Yard. Though the war has ended for now, dangers still persist in the world in Slade’s grass, and the young man once again finds himself an unwilling victim in battles far beyond his comprehension. Forces are conspiring, and the Son of the Jim will soon have to grab his axe for a battle even bigger than before.

Bug Wars was something of a surprise hit from last year. The premise of a boy finding out there was an ages long war being waged between the various bugs in his lawn is on its face wholly ridiculous, Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar crafted a very entertaining story with a surprising amount of lore and thought behind it. That trend looks to continue here, as the next part of the story follows up from the teaser at the end of “The Spyder Wytch Special” from earlier this year.

Jason Aaron does a good job of re-introducing readers to this bug-infested world and setting things up for the coming conflict. Despite ending the war and stopping the Annirazer (AKA SLade’s older brother Syd) things aren’t any better as Slade is now constantly being guarded by Roach Knights that keep his classmates at more than arm’s length away, his brother is traumatized due to the events from six months ago, and there are mysterious men monitoring his yard with a drone. However, even with these new troubles, Aaron still injects some humor to keep things somewhat light. THere’s also the mystery of what really happened to Slade’s dad that starts to reveal itself.

Mammud Asrar’s art continues to match very well with Aaron’s script. There is nothing too spectacular but the action scenes are fast-paced and Matt Wilson’s colors make everything feel a bit more lived in.