M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War was a short-lived science fiction/war comic book series published by Gold Key Comics for 10 issues from July 1965 to August 1969. The first two issues were titled Total War. The artist on the first 3 issues was Wally Wood, who probably had a hand in creating the series. In 1966 the comic won an Alley Award for Best Normal Group Adventure Title. Plot and characters The comic told of an invasion of all nations of the Earth by unknown invaders who used teleportation to appear at different destinations. The invaders were dressed in purple uniforms with a black crab insignia on a yellow circle, and used weapons similar to what was then currently in use with each one having a night vision device on their helmet. The invaders make no demands, but kill anyone (military or civilian) in their path and prefer to kill themselves rather than surrender. Though the invaders were humanoid in appearance they were noticeably hairless with no eyebrows with one issue having a medical examiner saying their internal organs were slightly different. While never clearly stated, the impression is they may be invaders from space. New elements of the invaders background were placed in some stories. Opposing them is the M.A.R.S. (Marine Attack Rescue Service) Patrol of the United States Marine Corps. The MARS Patrol combat teams are a combination of commandos, paratroops, and guerrillas. The main focus is on one team composed of Lt. Cy Adams, leader and combat pilot; Corporal Russ Stacey, weapons expert and commando; Sgt. Joe Stryker, demolitions expert and paratrooper; and Sgt Ken Hiro, frogman and skilled martial artist. The team is also ethnically diverse, with two European-Americans, Adams and Stacy, Stryker an African-American, and Hiro an Asian-American. The M.A.R.S. team wore green dress uniforms featuring berets and Vandegrift jackets that were tarted up with gold Marine Corps insignia, fourragères, and US Army type coloured scarves. During their combat missions each of the members wore a different colour combat uniform, flight suit or wet suit as required; Adams in yellow, Stryker in orange, Hiro in light green, and Stacey in blue. A typical issue would involve land, sea, and air combat battles in the same story. One issue of the comic featured a temporarily captured invader who spoke English and related a small bit to his captors about the invader's world that was running out of