Space Dave!

In 1998, a new restaurant opened in New York City called Mars 2112. It was a theme restaurant of the type that were popular in the late 1990s, with this particular theme being, to no surprise, an immersive Mars visit. Supposedly, the owners had studied prior theme restaurants to see where they failed and tried to incoporate as many learnings as possible.

Patrons would enter via the "Cyberstreet" waiting area which featured space themed arcade games. When enough tables were ready, groups of two or three dozen would be "boarded" on a shuttle that took them on a simulated four-minute ride from Earth to Mars and, upon disembarking, they'd be seated in the "Crystal Crater" which was set to look like a hollowed out crater on Mars specifically for the purposes of dining. The waiters and bartenders were all clad in shiny uniforms that looked like they drew inspiration from The Jetsons and Lost in Space, while a few actors would roam the dining room floor in alien costumes to meet and greet the customers. The menu consisted of space-themed meals and drinks which, supposedly, were much better than your average for a theme restaurant.

A second location was opened outside Chicago two years later, and the owners were trying to raise funding for additional spots in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Minneapolis when 9/11 effectively slammed the brakes on all US tourism, which the restaurant depended on. The Chicago location was quickly closed and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2002. The New York location remained opened but made a number of cutbacks. They continued to struggle, filing for bankruptcy again in 2007, and eventually shuttered entirely in 2012.

Now you may be asking, "What does any of this have to do with comics, Sean? Did they produce some kind of comic to promote the restaurant?"

No, they did not. However, Dumbing of Age creator David Willis worked at the second location as a shuttle pilot that ferried patrons from Earth to Mars. Willis recently noted that he was one of the few people who liked doing that job "because 90% of it was sitting on a chair alone in the dark." Given the limited time that location was open, it completely overlaps with the production of Willis' It's Walky! comic and he said he did a lot of thumbnail sketches for that strip while the simulator was running. Although he didn't say expressly, it seems likely the Mars 2112 gig influenced the space theme of It's Walky!

And as it happens, there is in fact footage online of Willis in his role as a shuttle operator! This isn't professional-grade camerawork by any stretch, but Willis is plainly visible as people enter and exit the shuttle, and he very clearly introduces himself with his real name. Enjoy!

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