There’s a very specific kind of childhood memory this comic is tapping into, the backyard as an entire universe, every blade of grass a battlefield if you squinted hard enough as a kid. A mix of wild fantasy and brutal action, we read Bug Wars #1 and we were thrown right into the madness from page one!
Bug Wars #1
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Jason Aaron
Cover & Interior Artist: Mahmud Asrar
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Letterer: Becca Carey
Release Date: February 12, 2025
A Reunion Worth the Hype
Bug Wars comes from an incredible creative team. That’s why there was hype even before the first issue was released. Writer Jason Aaron, whose work on Once Upon a Time at the End of the World was absolutely fantastic, brings his signature storytelling to this bizarre and gripping new world. More recently, he has also been writing Absolute Superman, that has been extremely good, and it’s worth noting this is actually his first Image series since Sea of Stars wrapped back in 2021. Artist Mahmud Asrar, who has worked on a lot of series, including the main covers for the ongoing Psylocke series, delivers some stunning pages here, making this weird insect world feel larger than life. This is actually a reunion for the two of them, they previously worked together on Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian, and by all accounts they specifically wanted a world of their own to unleash their most vicious instincts in after that run. Aaron has talked about how his own childhood backyard felt like a wondrous, story-filled place growing up, and how Bug Wars is basically that same imaginative spark, just a lot darker now.
That hype clearly wasn’t misplaced either. The series was first teased at New York Comic Con 2024 with a limited ashcan that landed it on IGN’s Most Anticipated Comics of 2025 list before a single full issue existed, and issue #1 reportedly sold out completely at the distributor level on release. It’s already picked up praise from names like Geoff Johns and Frank Quitely, and Charles Soule described it as a mix of high fantasy and suburban horror that gets under your skin in a good way, which is honestly a pretty perfect summary of what this first issue delivers.
What Is Bug Wars About?
The comic throws us straight into the chaos of the bug world, where armies of ants and beetles are locked in a brutal war. It opens with the Rootguard Massacre (ants clashing in a battlefield of pure destruction) until everything is suddenly disrupted by what seems like a natural disaster but is actually a lawnmower tearing through their world. At first, we don’t know exactly what’s going on, but the scale and intensity make it instantly gripping.
Then, we shift to something completely different. Slade, his mother, and his brother have just arrived at the house where his father grew up, a house that has been empty for 12 years. Slade has always loved insects, just like his father, who was an entomologist. But this isn’t just a childhood fascination. His father also died in this very house, gruesomely eaten by insects, which makes the family’s return all the more unsettling. Only now do we start to see how these two worlds might be connected. The contrast between the epic bug war and the grounded reality of moving into an old home makes for a fantastic and unexpected mix.
Two Worlds Colliding, and Somehow It Works
I had a blast reading this. The way the comic shifts between the bug war, completely over-the-top, fantasy-driven chaos, and the normal life of a kid dealing with his father’s past is just so well done. It’s a genuinely tricky needle to thread, keeping a reader invested in both a sprawling insect civil war and a quiet, grieving family drama within the same issue, but the transitions never feel jarring. The art and colors are absolutely gorgeous, especially the one-page spread of Slade’s father’s gruesome death. I also love how the pacing keeps things fresh, making each scene feel distinct but still connected. This first issue does an amazing job setting up a world that feels both wild and personal, and I am all in for whatever comes next.
Final Thoughts
With issue #2 out on March 19, now is the perfect time to jump into Bug Wars and get ready for even more insect-fueled insanity. I can’t wait to see where this goes next!
More Image Comics Worth Reading
If Bug Wars has you craving more from Image, we’ve covered a few other titles worth checking out. Blood Train traps a group of friends on the Siberian Express with a bioweapon outbreak and a countdown to global disaster. The Seasons #1 mixes whimsical fantasy and eerie horror through the story of four sisters raising themselves after their detective parents vanish. And Sisterhood: A Hyde Street Story turns modern friendship grief into something far more violent and supernatural.
FAQ
Is Bug Wars #1 worth reading? Yes. It’s already sold out at the distributor level and picked up praise from names like Geoff Johns and Frank Quitely, and the first issue lives up to that buzz.
Do you need to read anything before Bug Wars? No. This is the launch issue of a brand new series, so it’s the perfect jumping-on point.
Who is writing and drawing Bug Wars? Jason Aaron writes the series, with art by Mahmud Asrar, colors by Matt Wilson, and letters by Becca Carey.
Is Bug Wars a one-shot, miniseries, or ongoing series? It’s a six-issue dark fantasy miniseries, with more stories planned in the same world down the line.
When is issue #2 out? Issue #2 released March 19, 2025.
