Tag Archives: barsoom

Review: John Carter Warlord of Mars #2

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JCWoM02-Cov-A-BenesAfter the first issue of John Carter Warlord of Mars, this second issue feels far more routine.  After the revelation in the previous issue of the true identity of the mastermind behind the invasion of Barsoom, little time is spent here dwelling on it.  Instead this issue shows John Carter in the barrens of Mars, trying to formulate a plan to save Helium while also trying to stay alive.  Meanwhile, Dejah Thoris is downgraded slightly from the previous issue’s stubborn monarch, to this issue’s damsel-in-distress.  While John Carter’s time is spent fighting for his life, she seems almost indifferent to the events as she argues with Captain Clark.

While the first issue set up the following issue with a fair amount of intrigue, this second issue keeps the story moving along, except only by substituting plot development for action.  A lot of this issue is spent in the throes of life and death battle, and to be fair this side of the story is handled well by Abishek Malsuni.  The action sequences practically jump off the page for their intensity and choreography.  However, what is a feat for the eyes here also has to be an apology to the brain, as John Carter’s honorable nature alone manages to convinces two separate enemies to aid him in his attempt to regain Helium.

It is not that this story is particularly bad, it is only that it is a bit of a letdown after an impressive first issue.  All of the pieces are still here, and the forces introduced in the plot are still working here, it only seems as though the entire story has been put on hold for some gratuitous action scenes.  While this does little to progress the story forward, it was still an enjoyable enough experience to get to the end of the issue, and hopefully the third issue channels more of issue #1 than #2.

Story: Ron Marz Art: Abishek Malsuni
Story: 7.7 Art: 8.0  Overall: 7.7 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.  

Review: John Carter Warlord of Mars #1

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Carter 01The stories of John Carter and Dejah Thoris on Barsoom as written by Edgar Rice Burroughs are some of the most elusive targets when it comes to comics.  Although they were born in the pulp science fiction medium which helped give birth to comics, they equally have never been able to find a home among any of the comic publishers.  In the 1970s first DC Comics focused its series Weird Worlds on the martian hero, and when that failed Marvel had its own attempt with a more successful 28 issue run.  Though occasionally used after that, the public domain character could never seem to gain enough of interest to be a valuable commodity outside at the big two publishers.  In the 2000s Dynamite Comics focused on mostly public domain characters and found somewhat of a hit in John Carter, enough so that his stories were spun off into those for Dejah Thoris, set three hundred years before his arrival on Mars.

These series had decent runs, but were eventually ended for the same reasons as those before.  What is interesting about this development though is that for the first time Dynamite has decided to refocus a bran-new series on the characters right away instead of letting the characters languish in obscurity.  The product of this focus is the new series is John Carter Warlord of Mars.  The presentation of the first issue is as good as can be expected considering the challenges for this character.  Some readers, especially those of the previous Dynamite series, would be very familiar with the stories, but the new readers that the publisher is after would also need some grounding in the stories.  This is handled in a novel way as Dejah is imprisoned and exposed to a truth serum, exposing many of the basic facts of the series.  In so doing it covers both a background for new readers while giving it a different presentation.  As the issue progresses to action on the battlefield, the story transitions smoothly away and then back to Dejah for the surprise ending.

This approach is perhaps where this series might succeed.  It offers both long-term and new fans of the series a great place for jumping into the action.  The story is of course a bit bizarre as it is based on the works of Burroughs, who only operated off of an early 20th century understanding of the red planet, but those that decide to look beyond the obvious scientific impossibilities of the setting will find here an excellent tribute to the fantasy and science fiction masterpieces that were the originals.

Story: Ron Marz Art: Abhishek Malsuni

Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review

Review: Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #26

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Deja26-cov-RenaudA former student betrays his master, roping a younger student into his treachery. A woman clad in less than a cubic meter of cloth and golden pasties helps the tubby old master defeat his students and activate a 500,000 year old time portal. Add to that the Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoomian milieu and you just might have the fixings for a 26th issue to this series.

My experience with Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris is tenuous at best. I’m a huge fan of the original novels, the first of which was published in 1917, and the series is a great mash-up of the swords-and-sandals action that would develop in the following decades and a great exemplar of mainstream early American science fiction. I say that my feelings toward this book are tenuous, because I struggle with the continued portrayal of Dejah Thoris in nothing but a bikini, despite the fact that Robert Napton is actually a skilled writer, and he captures the swashbuckling adventurist flare of Barsoom expertly in Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #26.

Napton presents a stand-alone issue that details Dejah’s visit to her old archaeology professor’s dig site, a hallowed ancient city called Dorvas. Swashbuckling and decapitation ensues, and Dejah and professor Syl Mak save the day (but Mak’s old and current students get a failing grade—academic pun, anyone?). The narrative fits nicely into the 24 pages, never feeling rushed or tiresome, and paces along so that I felt eager to finish up the issue.

Carlos Rafael and Carlos Lopez are a great team, with Rafael providing the solid lines and detailed expressive faces that help push the story along, and Lopez working his colors like any good colorist. It’s nothing ground breaking, but the pages are great fun and, again, Rafael makes facial expressions pop! Also, it’s clear that Rafael is skilled with drawing the female figure; you would have to be literally blind not to pick up on that…

It is frustrating, however, that Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris doesn’t seem to fall into continuity with the other Barsoom book by Dynamite, Warlord of Mars, since Dejah’s father and grandfather are mentioned early on in issue #26, but readers of the other series will know that that can’t be possible. Still, a fun read if you have the time or are a fan of Barsoom; I guess there could be other motivations for picking up a book featuring Dejah Thoris, though.

Story: Robert Napton  Art: Carlos Rafael and Carlos Lopez
Story: 7  Art: 7.5  Overall: 8  Recommendation: Read

Dynamite provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy to review