Warlord of Mars #14 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Edgar Salazar (artist), Marcelo Pinto (colorist), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: The Gods of Mars Part Two: The Black Pirates: John Carter and Tars Tarkas meet Thuvia, formerly a prisoner of the predatory Therns. They use her special talent to try to break out of the valley of death, and no sooner make a good run for it, than run into the people who prey on the Therns, the Black Pirates of Mars.

The Review: Wow! Salazar’s artwork was astonishingly fresh and vital. Just the composition of the splash page alone, complemented by fine detail, and beautiful colors, totally blew me away. Check out the way Tars tarkas is standing. This is the most realistic balancing I have seen for a Thark outside of a Michael Whelan cover. And the fine lines and detailed draftsmanship were just beautiful to pause over, throughout the book. The detail in the accoutrements of the characters were awesome, like the leather strapping of Tarkas’ wrists, the clothing and jewelry on the princess of the Therns, the expressions throughout, but especially on the Dator Xodar’s face near the end. I can and should go on about Salazar’s art, especially the banths, the Thern architecture and the external sets. The action sequences were dynamic and clear and Tars Tarkas, winded after holding off the banths was worth a thousand words. And this is all said without even mentioning the excellent color work of Marcelo Pinto, who made the red Martians closer to what I’d always pictured and who brought the banths and the Valley Dor to life, while bringing a lurid, bloody tinge to the Barsoomian twilight.

Warlord of Mars #13 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Edgar Salazar (artist), Maxflan Araujo (colorist), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: The Gods of Mars, Part 1: John Carter has been gone from Mars for 10 years. When he is finally able to return, he is in a lush, jungle environment, unlike the deserts he knew. And finds strange plant creatures attacking friends he once knew.

The Review: Right off, the visuals were awesome. This is Edgar Salazar’s first turn on Dynamite’s Barsoom, and he is very well assisted by Maxflan Araujo on colors. Salazar’s world is beautifully detailed. The opening page and following double splash page are arresting. The combination of distant mountain top forts, wide lawns edged by blue trees and an ocean make a scene that is strangely haunting. The skill of the colorist really makes itself obvious on the double splash where he has constructed a play of primary colors that fit beautifully together and draw the eye to the blues, which are the strangest to us, and point to Carter’s danger. Carter and Tars Tarkas are heroically drawn and I love Salazar’s pencil-gray shading instead of the usual black. It’s a bit of seeing the puppet strings, and the construction of the art, which layers in more texture.

Storywise, Nelson is working with a hit with Burroughs’ second Barsoom novel “The Gods of Mars”. Burroughs never wasted any time in throwing his heroes into the fire and Nelson doesn’t either. Readers unfamiliar with the Barsoom canon will have to hang on, but this is a good roller coaster to get aboard. The action, danger, spills and mysteries will keep any adventure reader satisfied.

Conclusion: OK. So, no secret. I love this series and I loved this issue. The visuals are beautiful. The adventure is breakneck. Pick it up.

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

 

Dejah Thoris #8 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Carlos Rafael (illustrator), Carlos Lopez (colorist), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: When we last left Dejah Thoris and her unlikely ally, the Pirate Queen of Mars, they were trapped in the clutches of dangerous cannibals.

**Warning: Very minor spoiler, that anyone ought to have guessed**

The Review: On art, Rafael and Lopez continue to deliver beautiful visuals, whether it be the great flying battleships of Barsoom, the radium pistols, the Tharks or the stars of this arc. Since Dejah Thoris #1, Rafael has demonstrated a deft hand for the expressions necessary for Nelson’s story. Faces are mobile and flexible, registering surprise, fear, determination and confusion so Nelson doesn’t have to. It’s pointless to choose one or two exemplary visuals for the review, since cover to cover, the beauty and clarity of the art is quite high.

Storywise, as a sophisticated, modern reader, I was at first nonplussed by the way Dejah Thoris and her de facto allies escaped from the kitchens of the pirate warship. It was mildly convenient storytelling and did not hinge on the decisions or actions of Dejah Thoris, but on that looney assassin who’d been tracking Dejah since Helium. But then, I thought about it, and realized that this is exactly how Burroughs would have engineered this escape. In the classic pulp tradition, small, fast heroes with quick wits and great initiative always beat out the bad guys. In this case, the hidden knife from Dejah Thoris #7 was used to surprise their captors. The escape also included a tense moment with the big villain, where again, an extrinsic factor (in this case, true Deus ex machina) saved the day and put off the final showdown with the pirate leader. Both of these plot devices harken from a less sophisticated age of storytelling and fit totally within the conventions of pulp fiction. So, while it is not cutting-edge literature, the Dejah Thoris series is a breathing homage to the pulp tradition that Dynamite is reviving. And the last half of the story was the icing on the cake of a good pulp story in the midst of Act Two: the set up for a race for a lost treasure, perhaps cursed, shrouded in legend.

Conclusion: More and more, Dynamite is drawing on classic pulp tropes to build a new pulp tradition. Tune into Dejah Thoris for classic sword and planet adventure, riding on pirate themes, rascally allies and grostesque villains.

Grade: B

–DS Arsenault

 

Warlord of Mars #12 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Stephen Sadowski (illustrator), Shane Rooks (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: Heretics of Mars, Part 3: Using his father’s talent for telepathy, Carthoris has discovered a second amulet of the kind worn by the caretaker of the great atmospheric factory that keeps Mars habitable. When he and tars Tarkas realize where it must have come from, they realize that someone is in great danger and Carthoris must save them.

The Review: I am now totally wrapped up in the intrigue and character of this 3-issue spacer between A Princess of Mars and Gods of Mars. It took me until the second issue to realize that this arc is a story about Carthoris and I love Dynamite’s vision of him. He is not yet the assured young warrior prince man who will later heroically rescue the love of his life, Thuvia of Ptarth. He is in the first blush of independence from his mother, quick with a sword, but controlling his anger and impatience with difficulty. It’s a thin line for a writer to walk to write a teenager well, but Carthoris is heroic and uncertain and unwise, while showing the seeds of the greatness he will eventually grow into. Kudos to Nelson for making such a sympathetic character that we’re still happy to see get slapped around by Tars Tarkas when he needs it. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Sola playing the role of the fool in this story, but I think if the audience Dynamite is aiming for is not necessarily people who have read Barsoom before, it should work. By the same token, after having seen Dejah Thoris in the driver’s seat in Napton’s series, her more standard role as damsel in distress feels a bit underused.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #7 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Carlos Rafael (illustrations), Carlos Lopez (colors), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator), Joseph Rybandt (editor)

The Story: The Pirate Queen of Mars, Part 2: Dejah Thoris, on a mission of mercy to the south pole, has been captured by the Phondari, a dark-skinned pirate captain, supposedly from one of Mars’ moons. It turns out that Phondari’s impressive ship is much, much smaller than the one chasing her, and now Dejah Thoris is caught in the middle.

The Review: Nelson’s exploration of Barsoom’s different races, their politics, culture and mores, is a ton of fun. And while the setting and characters are fresh to modern eyes, he’s following one of the classic pulp structures of being captured by unkown pirates. It doesn’t matter that here, the seas happen to be the skies above dusty Mars. Nelson is channeling the sense of adventure and excitement the pulps did so well. I enjoyed the careless, ne’er do well character of Phondari and the rising tension as the pirate ship is attacked. I also enjoyed the no-nonsense, take-charge attitude of Dejah Thoris. In Warlord of Mars #10, I had noticed that she was a bit passive, which is closer to the role Burroughs had envisioned for her (damsel in distress, face that launched a thousand ships), but I have to say, after seven issues of watching her in her own title, I now prefer this handy-with-a-sword, young go-getter. I liked Xen Brega, the big pirate captain, and will only note that, with so many writers in so many books striving to rapidly characterize their villains as the most heinous monsters in history, cannibalism is eventually going to lose its impact and become part of the splatterporn background of every villain. And although Dynamite (pulp adventure) and Image (psychological horror) are going for different effects, it’s worth comparing the execution of cannibalism in Dejah Thoris #7 to the cannibalism in Severed #3.

Artwise, Rafael and Lopez continue to lay down beautiful visuals. Dejah Thoris, Phondari, Xen Brega, and the secondary cast were all attractive, with clean lines and subtle coloring. For a while, I was a bit disoriented with the colors used on Phondari, because first I thought she was of a new Martian race (from one of the moons), but the dialogue had suggested she was of the black race of Barsoom, so then I had to revisit and compare colors and see where the range of the palette might be for that race on Mars that Burroughs introduced in his second Martian book, The Gods of Mars. None of this is bad. I don’t mind when the reader has to do more work. The most impressive visuals for me though, were the two pirate ships. I loved the designs and their similarities, and especially of the shot of Phondari’s ship being brought into Xen Brega’s. Impressive demonstration of scale.

Conclusion: Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris is exploring Barsoom in Burroughs’ classic style. Well, well worth checking out.

Grade: B

-DS Arsenault

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Warlord of Mars #10 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Stephen Sadowski (artist), Shane Rooks (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: In the time since John Carter has gone back to Earth, Barsoom mourns his loss and a son has been born to him. The Zodangans and the Therns seem to be hanging about with Dejah Thoris on their minds, when an assassin tries to kill her.

What’s Good: However much I loved Dynamite’s Princess of Mars adaptation (the first nine issues of this series), I’m pleased that it is done so that I can be transported to places and situations on Barsoom that I have not seen before (as Nelson and Napton are taking us). The new Zodangans (ever the rascally enemies of Helium) and the religion of the Therns are such situations. The plotting and counter-plotting has my interest and this issue did what a starting book in an arc should do, which is launch a story with enough momentum to get the reader to want to follow the arc. Artwise, Sadowski brought some different visions to the series. His pyramids and the lair of the Therns were intriguing, as was the hurtling flight of Carthoris and Tars Tarkas across the Martian wastes.

What’s Not So Good: I miss Lui Antonio. We really got spoiled by his beautiful art. Sadowski is certainly a competent artist, but the style change for the series feels drastic. The style is darker and scratchier and more realistic (as opposed to heroic and grand). Dejah Thoris is not the woman whose beauty has started wars, but is simply a woman. Tardos Mors does not seem to be the commanding figure that has ruled the twin cities for five centuries, but simply a man. Even the Zodangans, so beautifully portrayed in previous issues with heroic figures and short brush cuts are now lanky, long-haired figures whose postures seem sniveling compared to those admirable warriors who committed suicide to signal surrender to Heliumite forces. Additionally, whereas I felt that Antonio cleaved pretty closely to Burroughs’ original vision of a largely nudist society, Sadowski through more clothing onto the figures, which seems to me stylistically closer the later stories in Burroughs’ Mars series. I don’t mind which style Dynamite picks (the pulp covers always went with clothed figures), but the sum of the stylistic differences in the art was jarring.

Conclusion: As a hard-core Barsoom fan, I’m going to continue with the series, but the art switch really got me down. Hopefully, Sadowski grows on me. Or they bring back Antonio. Recommended for people like me.

Grade: C

-DS Arsenault

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Warlord of Mars #9 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Lui Antonio (illustrator), Adriano Lucas (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: John Carter has become the Warlord of Mars, by uniting the Tharks of Barsoom under Tars Tarkas, the new Jeddak, and he’s leading them against the forces of Zodanga, to stop the wedding of Dejah Thoris, the woman he loves, to the Prince of Zodanga.

The Review: This is the fast-paced conclusion to Dynamite’s adaptation of Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars. The events come tumbling, with some cool, satisfying moments. The first I loved was the mass of dour-faced Thark warriors revealed on page three. Furthermore, I think that Antonio has really captured the awesome engine-of-destruction power of the Tharks, more accurately than other renditions (I’m thinking principally of Marvel’s 28-issue, 3-annual run in the late 1970s and the Whelan covers for the 1980s series of Ballantine books). Burroughs was always clear that a charging Thark warrior was a near-unstoppable force. Antonio had his Tars Tarkas dismembering six Zodangan warriors at a time, and didn’t stint on showing them at their full fourteen-foot heights, with the appropriate muscles. And Antonio’s work on Dejah Thoris remains near-flawless and pin-up worthy, which is not gratuitous, as it fits perfectly with Burroughs’ descriptions of Barsoom’s equivalent of Helen of Troy. He also drew some interesting character into Kantos Kan where Nelson had given him a nice little command role. And of course, Antonio’s airship battle was awesome, as were the last few, sad pages. This is not to say that every panel was perfect, but Antonio is gradually climbing up my scale of favorite artists and certainly justifies being among my top choices to pencil Barsoom.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #6 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Carlos Rafael (artist), Carlos Lopez (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: The Pirate Queen of Mars, Part 1 of 5: Water has ceased to flow from the south polar pumping stations to the newly united twin cities of Greater and Lesser Helium. This is a big deal, but the Jeddak and his son must deal with the destruction left by the Colossus of Mars. So Dejah Thoris, the Princess, leads a mission to the south pole to get the water flowing again.

What’s Good: The best pieces of this book were the introduction of the pirate queen, and her mysterious moon people. One of the exciting things in Burroughs’ Mars series was the strange alien races to be found there: green, red, yellow, white, black, plus others that were less humanoid. This new race to play in Barsoomian affairs felt totally like a tip of the iceberg, because I don’t remember it being part of the official canon (although, I only read the 10th and 11th books once, so maybe my memory fails me). I loved the strangeness and the strange steam-punky dress of the saboteur and the whole mysterious concept of pirates from Phobos or Deimos. I already know that Phobos and Deimos are tiny moons with, at best, microgravity, but I’m totally open for a steampunk revisioning of their role. Burrough did it with Jupiter, Mars and Venus, right? In terms of plotting and story, Nelson gave this first issue of the Pirate Queen of Mars arc a good launch, with plenty of mystery, intrigue and adventure. And, it turns out that Dejah Thoris got to keep some of the cool kit she got in the last five issues (those wings and that twin-bladed sword). This is good, because the extra kit will give some flexibility to where the stories can go and what Dejah can do (as if there wasn’t enough scope for adventure with flying warships).

Artwise, our trusty pair of Carloses delivered the goods. There was a lot of Barsoomian design to be done in this issue. For example, on the splash page, Rafael is doing a closer view on the Heliumite architecture than we’ve recently seen, and at the same time, he’s designing the sabateur’s clothing (an odd thing for Barsoom) and it comes off very successfully with a steampunk/pulp flavor. And on the old school feel, I loved how they switched on the power at the pumping station – in retrospect, it makes total sense, but I was expecting Martian super-science, so I was pleasantly surprised. And except for a some stiff moments, the characters were dynamic and the action and momentum of the panels drove forward on subtle postural choices (check out the saboteur leaping for the trailing anchor rope).

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #5 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Carlos Rafael (illustrations), Carlos Lopez (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: The Colossus of Mars, Part 5: The Jeddak of Yorn, safely embedded in the Colossus, is making thoat meat out of the navies of Greater and Lesser Helium. Dejah Thoris and Valian have a plan, but they don’t know if it will work.

What’s Good: The conclusion of the Colossus of Mars arc is cover-to-cover action as this story races to its climax. Other than the idea that Dejah, her father and her grandfather cannot die, we know nothing about what’s going to happen, but we’ve got a lot of plot threads, revelations and questions to see to. Will Valian’s vacuum-tube-filled steampunk device work against the Colossus? How will the navies of Helium survive, especially with the clever, welcome and logical twist that Nelson adds, courtesy of Zodanga, tying this storyline into the Warlord of Mars series? The character work in the climax is very good, as, by now, Nelson has fleshed out each of the major characters. Their actions, and ends, fit perfectly. The Jeddak of Yorn’s advisor has a fate, as does Dejah and as does Valian. Each is rewarded according to who they are and even Valian achieves a kind of bumbling honor.

Artwise, team Carlos was once again awesome. The Colossus standing thigh-deep in urban wreckage was full of pulpy goodness, with the thinning colossus reminding me of some 1950s matinee monsters, while the destroyed Martian cityline was strongly flavored by 1920s visions of what future advanced societies might look like. The heroics were good, with figures like Dejah Thoris and her family propelling the story with dynamic postures, while Valian and the Yorn advisor had more closed and stationary body language. The advanced tech fighting the Colossus looked beautiful and my take-away image for the whole issue was the Colossus blowing fire at the swarming navies.

Warlord of Mars #8 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writers), Lui Antonio (art), Adriano Lucas (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: The incomparable Dejah Thoris is the prisoner of the Jed of Zodanga, and a marriage is in the works. All that stands between John Carter and saving the love of his life is the entire Zodangan army and navy, with nary a friend in sight.

What’s Good: Warlord of Mars #8 is sword and planet adventure is modernized pulp tradition. Our highly intelligent, honor-bound hero is in big problems, navigating the strange world of Barsoom and trying to win his love, Dejah Thoris. I’ve read Princess of Mars many times, but Antonio and Lucas have worked wonders to bring what, until now, has only been possible to be seen in our imaginations. And it’s not that Marvel didn’t do a great job in its 1977-1980 series at bringing Barsoom to life, but the Marvel artists like Gil Kane, Sal Buscema and Pablo Marcos emphasized the dusty age of Mars, rather than the science that was so advanced as to appear magical. Antonio and Lucas make Barsoom hyper-advanced and deadly savage in a way that no other visualizations (even the Whelan covers on the novels in the 1980s) have done.

On the writing, Nelson makes the action tense and the emotions powerful. When Carter swears to kill the Zodangan Jed so that Dejah does not need to wed him, he’s truly hurt, and so are we, by her response. And in the tradition of the best and most sympathetic of characters, he doesn’t spend a whole lot of time anguishing over what to do. Carter is the best of the old pulp heroes, in whom thought and action are one. *Carter is going to solve this and win Dejah Thoris.* And we love him for it, because it’s the kind of response we wish we were capable of.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #4 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Carlos Rafael (artist), Carlos Lopez (colorist), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: The Colossus of Mars, Part 4: The Jeddaks of Lesser and Greater Helium have fled to Ptarth, where they have summoned other red Jeddaks to convince them that Yorn is a threat to them all. The other Jeddaks are not convinced. Then Yorn drives the hand of the Colossus of Mars through the palace walls and tries to kill everyone….

What’s Good: Arvid Nelson continues to deliver pure pulpy adventure with all the elements that made pulp sci-fi popular. First of all, we have a central hero of great ability and nobility who seems to be the driving personality in all action situations and discussions. Second, we have leaping plot twists (like finding Valian) and emerging mysteries (like a spy planted among them). Third, we have the tireless scientific inventions (the wings and the brain wave interrupter). Fourth, we have a very physical, martial ethos in character, where the amount of social status and respect the reader ought to accord each character is strongly signaled by how fit they are. (So far in the Dynamite rebirth of Barsoom, the chubby characters are either the moral reprobates or the hapless ones who don’t get the girl, a very strong message in the source material Burroughs originally produced.) Fifth, Nelson has filled this book with moment-to-moment action and conflict. With a set up like this, it’s easy to see why pulps dominated popular literature for so long in North America. I also appreciate Nelson’s the nods to longtime Burroughs readers, like Thuvia with her banth.

Rafael and Lopez did another great job of creating the visuals that make Barsoom work. The thoats, the airships, the radium bullet fire, the Howling Mesas and the austere scapes of Mars itself were ensnaring. Two of the most impactful visuals, though, were the Colossus of Mars itself, pale green, emotionless and wrinkled, and the expressions at the summit of Jeddaks. The arguments were written on their faces, along with doubt, disgust, impatience, and frustration. There’s a particular expression of Dejah Thoris’ at the end of their argument that was really evocative. And stylistically, I continue to love the steampunk feel to some of the tech that is plot-relevant to the story (the Colossus and the interrupter). It occurs to me that perhaps this isn’t even derivative stylistically from the steampunk art movement so much as being an updating of materials that were core to the pulp era of the late 1800s and early 1900s (vacuum tubes, brass, magnifying glasses) and so prominent in early sci-fi film (1930s). Either way, it’s cool.

Warlord of Mars #7 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Lui Antonio (artist), Adriano Lucas (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: Having led the tharks away from Dejah Thoris, John Carter became lost and is dying in the Martian desert. But, he finds a strange building and after some creepiness, gets past it and back to civilization, where he gets news of Dejah Thoris. Then, it’s back to sneaking *into* the enemy camp for our favorite Warlord of Mars.

What’s Good: We’re in the high point of Act II of A Princess of Mars, so the pace of action is fast and the exposition is minor. Nelson hurtles us from the atmospheric factories of Mars, the weird tech of the homesteaders of Mars, to the city of Zodanga, where writer and art team show us a different Martian culture and how their military works. I have to say that I like Nelson’s sleight of hand for getting John Carter into the Zodangan navy better than Burroughs’ version. Nelson didn’t abandon Burroughs’ premise, but he connected together the attrition from the Zodangan-Helium war, especially among the air service, with Carter’s easy entry. This made the plot much easier to buy. I also loved the training sequence and Carter’s laconic monologue as well as his boastful competitiveness.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Carlos Rafael (artist), Carlos Lopez (colors), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: The Colossus of Mars, Part 3: On the Barsoom of 500 years ago, the Tharks are hammering at the gates of Helium. The rulers of both Lesser and Greater Helium are either in chains or trying to escape. And the Jeddak of Yorn has brought to life the great Colossus of Mars.

What’s Good: Nelson has gotten us halfway through a five-issue arc. The high part of the second act is where Nelson successfully has the efforts of the heroes come apart in their hands, and where the danger to everyone gets a whole lot worse. This is pure Barsoomian adventure with reversals and unexpected turns, in the classic Burroughs style. Stories set on Barsoom are always *big*. Cities at war. Planets in peril. Invasions to be fought off. Yet the stories are also always *personal*. Characters we care about are about to get their tails handed to them. Nelson captures this perfectly, with the old-school heroics of the red Barsoomians, the absolute dastardliness of the villains, and the savage nobility even of the worst of the Tharks. And Rafael and Lopez deliver the great visuals this issue needs to power it through. I was spellbound by the Colossus of Mars. Organic? Metallic? Something else? I don’t know, but it was spooky and old-school pulpy and wickedly cool. I had the same reaction as most of Yorn’s troops. Wow. Same thing for the weapons, and the green men of Mars, with Rafael now becoming my favorite artist for all things Thark. And off course, the story’s lead, Dejah Thoris, remains, as Burroughs intended, incomparable.

Warlord of Mars Dejah Thoris #2 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Carlos Rafael (artist), Carlos Lopez (colorist), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: The Colossus of Mars, Chapter Two of Five: Dejah Thoris, Princess of Lesser Helium, along with her father and grandfather (the Jeddak of Lesser Helium) are in the clutches of the Jeddak of Yorn. Help comes from an unexpected quarter, while more dire danger comes from another.

The Review: I’m following both this series and Warlord of Mars. While WoM is a close adaptation of Burroughs’ original novel, Nelson in Dejah Thoris is able to strike in new and unexpected directions. I love the whole vassalage of Helium to Yorn, and the Colossus built by the long dead Barsoomian scientist. Tone-wise, it feels like Burroughs and fits the canon. Nelson has given us palace intrigue, a mysterious artifact, a colorful cast of characters in deep danger and a heroine we can root for.

Rafael and Lopez on art are a great combination. Their green Martians were menacing, their flying ships cool, and their action scenes dynamic. I continue to appreciate their excellent depictions of the Prince of Yorn and the Jeddak’s chief advisor. Their huffing, jiggling faces were both ironic comic relief and dashes of realistic characterization. The Colossus itself, with its rough finish and hollow eyes, was way cool. And of course, our heroine was her usual stunning self.

Warlord of Mars #5 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Lui Antonio (artist), Adriano Lucas (colors), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: John Carter has his first quiet moments with the incomparable Dejah Thoris. Classic adventure romance, with Burroughs’ trademark curve balls thrown in for good measure… But, more that one Thark has a hate for Carter, and it’s no small danger that results.

What’s Good: Antonio’s artwork with Lucas continues to impress. Dejah Thoris is as beautiful as Burroughs imagined her and the giant and savage green Tharks of Mars are bigger and more dangerous that I imagined. Their expressions and the action sequences are evocative and dynamic. The thoats and zittidars were well-imagined, faithful to Burroughs’ vision, but different than have been done before by such fine artists as Michael Whelan or Gil Kane. Antonio has added additional features and a bit of a lizardy feel here and there. And, as always, the Martian settings are superb. I especially liked the night-to-day shift showing the old, ruined city against both backdrops.

On the writing, I felt the beginning a little rough, lacking context, but after page three, the story took off and soared. The thoat training and the mockery that ensued revealed Carter’s simple, honest character, as did his problems with Dejah Thoris. Carter is a gentleman who marries together some American values that were classic pulp values in the early 20th century: courageous resolve, honesty, gentlemanly honor, and a quick sense of swift justice. Part of this is distrust and a lack of appreciation for the sophistication and social complexity needed when the world isn’t black and white. This is pretty much politics, lawyers and romance for Burroughs, and Nelson captured all of these values at once in the first scene where a few romantic and social things are playing themselves out. The reason this is a classic Burroughs scene that worked as well in 1912 as in 2011 is that for many people (women as well as men), it’s impossible to catch all the romantic and social signals, and everyone feels like they’re missing something. We admire Carter for going back to rescue Powell, and later on for risking himself for both Woola and Dejah Thoris, but Burroughs and Nelson make us identify with Carter emotionally through scenes like this. Yes, he’s a superb, nearly superhuman warrior, but he’s got the same problems as us.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #1 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Carlos Rafael (illustrator), Carlos Lopez (colors), Marshall Dillow (letters), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: Colossus of Mars, Part 1 of 5: Five hundred years before John Carter arrives on Mars, Helium is not the legendary twin cities, but two cities at war, the lesser of which is commanded by Dejah Thoris’ grandfather (only a Jed at this point). Dejah Thoris’ family is about to win when their liege lord tells the two cities to stop fighting, in part because he wants Dejah Thoris to marry his son. The other part of his reason is a lot more surprising.

What’s Good: Rafael and Lopez knocked the artwork out of the park. The first splash page was just beautiful with the rearing thoat foregrounded against weird aircraft firing on Greater Helium, while radium pistols and cannons wreak havoc where swords were too far from their enemies. Subsequent pages are filled with not only the pitched battle, but evocative, human faces. Mors Kajak especially is young and dynamic. The envoy from the Jeddak of Yorn and the son of the Jeddak were pricelessly done, with subtly applied ironic realism. And Dejah Thoris, of course, is beautiful. I don’t know how much Nelson is in cahoots with the two artists for Dynamite’s Mars books, but there are some beautiful Barsoomian touches that cross the two series. I’m just going to congratulate the whole creative team for the banners, flags, pikes, Barsoomesque helmets, and other cultural details. They were delightfully unexpected to a lifelong Barsoom fan like myself (I discovered Barsoom early through the novels and the Marvel comics). Lopez’ colors are also worth applause. He had a heavy task of finding the right tones to make sandy red Mars filled with red-skinned people come to life without appearing alien or gaudy. He used the perfect palette touches to make our Martian brothers and sisters come alive.

Warlord of Mars #4 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Lui Antonio (artist), Adriano Lucas (colors), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator), Joseph Rybandt (editor)

The Story: John Carter, prisoner of the Tharks of Mars, observes the Thark ambush of a strange flying fleet.

What’s Good: Nelson, Antonio and Lucas have crafted something great. Nelson continues to adapt Burroughs’ classic Princess of Mars to comics. He’s caught the formal, southern gentleman mood of the original in the narrative text boxes without having the dialogue sound stilted or Victorian. And he’s also found a way to keep the pace quick and adventurous without losing the reader in a medium that doesn’t have the space for a whole lot of explanation. Any adaptation is tough, and Nelson is walking the narrow path of doing justice to both the original story and the new medium.

Artwise, Lui Antonio delivered some awesome action, emotion and ancient Martian setting. This is no change from the last three issues. One thing I loved in the visuals this issue though was the reimagining of the flying ships of Helium. For almost a hundred years, the flying ships of Barsoom have been depicted as flying yachts, from the early book editions, through the excellent Ballantine editions (art by Michael Whelan) through to Marvel’s 1977-1979 series. Antonio brings a Star Wars feel (think Jabba the Hutt’s hovercraft) with insectoid accents. Very cool. And while we’re on the Star Wars feel, I have to say that Antonio’s finishes feel a lot like Cam Kennedy’s work on Dark Horse’ Star Wars series.
The other visual that just blew me away was Dejah Thoris by Antonio and Lucas. Oh. My. God. Stunning. Jaw-dropping. I’ve trashed a few comics here and there (as have my colleagues at WCBR) for gratuitous T&A, but the beauty here is that Dejah Thoris is close as you can get to Burroughs’ original conception of her. Gratuitous is when sensuality or violence isn’t necessary to the story. Barsoom is a world of natural beauty and ever-present danger. Antonio and Lucas delivered Burroughs’ vision in a way that felt honest. This begs the question of where beautiful Martian women aren’t honest. Let me put it this way, I had the choice between Campbell’s cover (which struck me as over the top) and Parrillo’s stunning scene of Carter fighting a white ape and chose Parrillo’s.

Warlord of Mars #3 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Lui Antonio (artist), Adriano Lucas (colorist), Troy Peteri (letterer)

The Story: Continuing one of the classic sci-fi stories of all time, John Carter wakes up on Lowell’s dying Mars of canals, deserts and the warring races struggling to survive. John Carter meets the awesome Tharks.

What’s Good: Where the frak has Lui Antonio been hiding? OMG you *have* to check out his Martian cities (starting at the double splash-page about a third of the way through). I’ve looked at Michael Whelan’s Barsoomian art, seen Gil Kane’s take on Barsoom, but Antonio blew me away. The architecture is *weird* (in a great way), almost like Jack Kirby mixed with John Byrne’s Attilan. The level of detail in the cities (always high on my rating system) was fantastic, with ornate geometric decorations and a soaring stadium for Lorquas Ptomel’s council chamber. The brilliance of the scenery goes on. Antonio drew an entire tiled mural (Greek Byzantium style) just to give the right feel of awe to a single panel. And the lurid red of the night sky outside of Carter’s window was captivating. I was ready for the draftsmanship on the bodies and faces to be a little less than stellar. That was absolutely without reason. Antonio draws a *very* muscular, proportioned (for comics) John Carter, with a very assertive jawline, and evocative expressions to carry the story along. The fight scene (where Carter clocks his first Martian) was surprisingly brutal, with the consequences drawn out (no pun intended).

Warlord of Mars #2 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Stephen Sadowski (illustrator), Adriano Lucas (colorist), Joe Rybandt (editor), based on the stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Story: A Tale of Two Planets, Part Two: John Carter’s friend Powell is captured by Apache warriors in Arizona. Tars, a nameless, unproven Thark on Mars, is challenged by Tarkas, an ambitious green warrior eager to make a kill and gain honor.

What’s Good: Sadowksi and Lucas again make this visual experience come alive. From the opening splash page staring into an Arizona canyon, to the splash page at the end with one green warrior standing over another, the dynamism of the movements and the emotions on the faces are there. Nelson is really lucky to have an artist like Sadowski who can transmit nuanced emotion so Nelson’s words don’t have to. Fear, rage, pride, cunning, disdain and confusion are all there, without any need for words or dialogue. Carter’s supplication to Mars, that red point of light in the sky, is close to religious, and is narrated in silent body language. Carter’s expressions throughout the book would have fit on the poster of any old western. And, while I don’t usually give a thumbs up to gratuitous sensuality, Campbell’s jaw-dropping cover reminds me of why boys and men love Dejah Thoris. No wonder I wanted to be John Carter.

On the plotting side, Nelson’s obviously got a roadmap to follow, and I have read the Princess of Mars so many times that even the slightest deviation is noticeable. That being said, where Nelson does deviate, I like what he’s doing. All of Tars’ story is new and intriguing. Carter’s exploration of the cave and the pictures on the wall tie later events more closely together, without the coincidence that Burroughs so often resorted to. Nelson did the same thing last issue by giving the Apache warriors a motive to hunt the white men.

Warlord of Mars #1 – Review

By: Arvid Nelson (writer), Stephen Sadowski (illustrator), Adriano Lucas (colorist), Troy Peteri (letterer), Joseph Rybandt (editor), created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Story: John Carter, former confederate cavalry officer, is in Arizona, trying to prospect for gold, but he gets caught up in a tangle with some US cavalry types who have an axe to grind with ex-rebels. On Mars, a green warrior, Tars, the future friend of John Carter, is introduced in pitched battle with the white apes of Mars.

What’s Good: This book really hit all the right buttons for me. From the opening lines (pulled pretty much from A Princess of Mars) to the narrative, and dialogue, Arvid Nelson caught the mood and flavor of Edgar Rice Burroughs. So despite the new scenes, Nelson’s vision was faithful to the original. Did Nelson find some cool moments? Hell, yeah! I’d love to talk about what was cool for me, but we have a no spoilers policy at WCBR, so I’m kind of stuck. Just buy the book…oh, wait. I just spoiled my review!

Artwise, I’m really, really surprised by the quality on the page. Dynamite has been putting some great art to paper for some time now, but I guess I had in my head my fond memories of the old 31-issue John Carter of Mars series as my default. The art there was quite good, but other than Rudy Nebres, had a pretty super-hero feel to it. You could tell it was out of Marvel. Not so with Sadowski and his art team. The realism of 1866 Arizona, the evocativeness of the clothing (the suspenders!), the texture on the riding gloves, the subtle touches like the antlers on the wooden walls, all made frontier Arizona come alive. Sadowski made me feel the same way on the opening scene on Mars. The crumbling rock palace, abandoned under a lurid red sky, was haunting. The savagery of the white apes and the muscled menace of the green men were awesome. But you know what most hit me visually about the book? John Carter’s face. From his first cross-ways look at the cavalry types, full of disdain and irritation, to his straining expression in the fight, to his smile as he leaves, I felt that John Carter had finally been drawn in the way Burroughs had imagined. I’ve seen the Michael Whelan covers. I’ve seen Gil Kane, Rudy Nebres and Carline Infantino draw Carter as well. But they never captured the warmth and wry humor of the eternal fighter who always seems to be thirty years old. I then realized that I’m really going to enjoy Sadowski’s John Carter.

Kull #1 (of 6) – Review

By Arvid Nelson (writer), Will Conrad (art), Jose Villarrubia (colors)

The Story: Robert E. Howard’s other barbarian makes his home at Dark Horse in this limited series that adapts Howard’s story “The Shadow Kingdom.”  In this first issue, Kull of Atlantis seizes the throne of the ancient kingdom of Valusia and attempts to consolidate his power by defeating Count Areyas, a noble from the old regime who refuses to go down without a fight.  When his defenses are betrayed from within, Areyas unleashes the monster Etrigor in a desperate bid to destroy the barbarian king.

The Good: Fans of Robert Howard will find this to be a solid, faithful adaptation of Kull.  Nelson’s dialogue is every bit as hard edged and spartan as Howard would have written it, while Conrad’s art has a power and detail to it that you don’t see enough of in comics right now; specifically, I’m thinking of a double page spread of Kull in the middle of the comic that I would gladly pay to buy a poster of.

The Not So Good: This was a terrific stand alone issue, but it fails to set up the plot for the rest of the story, or convince me why I even need to buy the next issue.  There was one time where a character mentioned a “shadow kingdom” hidden below Valusia, but the reference was never brought up again, and not given enough weight to make me think that this was important.

Conclusion: A solid, if unevenly paced fantasy adventure that is a great addition to the Robert Howard franchise at Dark Horse.  If you’re looking for something different, you can pick up and enjoy this issue without feeling obligated to buy the entire series.  However, if you want to follow the whole story, you may be better off waiting for the graphic novel instead.

Grade: B-

-Tony Rakittke

A Second Opinion

This is a solid debut and I had a good time reading it. My problem is that there isn’t anything here that sets this apart from other similarly told stories. Perhaps as the book continues we’ll learn more about why Kull’s such a great character, but from what I gathered the only thing that makes him somewhat interesting is his approach to war. The mishandling of the battle near the end provides a possible setup for consequences down the road, but somehow I don’t see politics playing a big role in the storyline. I don’t think I’d want to see it either.

Grade: B-

– J. Montes

The Joker’s Asylum: The Joker – Review

By Arvid Nelson (writer), Alex Sanchez (artist), Jose Villarrubia (colors), Rob Leigh (letters), Andy Kubert (cover)

My initial reaction to this book was “missed opportunity”. After my second read and some debate with a friend, I love it. My expectations were hurting my initial perception of the book. Instead of the psycho we’re accustomed to I got the The Joker proving a point without murder, and it has more of an impact in retrospect. The concept of the series is brilliant: we’re getting inside info on Arkham’s most notorious inmates, but from the perspective of the most notorious of all, The Joker.

The positive to Arvid Nelson’s writing is the plot itself. It does feel softer than the more modern interpretations of the character, but there’s definitely an edge which was missing at times from the cartoon or 1989 Tim Burton movie. I love the concept of The Joker going to such lengths to prove a point. To tell you “the point” is certainly a spoiler, but it’s definitely classic Joker, and makes you think about society with the recent onslaught of “reality TV”.

The biggest criticism I have is how long it takes to get to the point. Until those final panels it feels like a rejected concept for Batman: The Animated Series. The show is amazing, but it definitely pulled a few punches, most notably with The Joker.  That being said, once you accept the story as a whole you can appreciate the methods in place. It’s like watching Fight Club the second time and catching all those hints littered throughout.

Inconsistent is the word to describe the art. The Joker looks as terrifying as we’re used to on the cover, but not the interior. Even more frustrating is the fact that Joker’s look changes almost panel to panel. Sometimes he looks like Ledger’s version from the upcoming film, others he looks like a normal guy, and even Leatherface for a few panels. I just wish Alex Sanchez would’ve picked one and stuck with it.

Sadly, I feel consistency may be tough to find in this series since a new creative takes over for the next issue. From the perspective of making deadlines, I get it, but it’s almost a sure thing that the overall story will suffer since each team will probably have a new take on The Joker. There’s a lot of good work in this issue, for what it’s worth, and I’m excited to read more about Arkham’s best, seen in the eyes of Arkham’s worst. (Grade: B)

– Ben Berger