A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith review – one-way ticket to Muskow anyone?

Elon Musk has pledged to settle the red planet. Is it really worth the bother?

Unless it is stopped," tweeted Elon Musk, the woke mind virus will destroy civilisation and humanity will never reached Mars." A compelling point, even if it does show that genius boy needs grammar lessons. Would the 18th-century pioneers have managed to ethnically cleanse the indigenous population, exterminate all those buffalo and pave the way for that stupid dome in Las Vegas if they were a bunch of pearl-clutching wuss bags? Think about it.

The basic argument is that the human race is doomed if it doesn't revive that frontier spirit, and will remain confined to this increasingly useless planet. If we don't boldly go, then we must surely stagnate. As Carl Sagan wrote: Even after 400 generations in villages and cities, we haven't forgotten. The open road still softly calls, like a nearly forgotten song of childhood." We need to chisel our jaws and put on space boots.