John Carter: The Gods of Mars #5 – Review

By: Sam Humphries (story), Ramón Pérez (art), Jordie Bellaire (colors)

The Story: Poor John Carter just can’t manage to keep his wife for long, can he?

The Review: You know one thing the old-timey storytellers knew how to do really well that modern ones either avoid or screw up?  They knew how to bring their heroes to the brink of a happy ending, then wrench it away in the most heartrending way possible.  It’s a very melodramatic fictional tactic, one that can easily go too far awry, but done right, it packs an emotional wallop.  Don’t tell me you saw the ending of Casino Royale without feeling for Bond.

Considering the corny—but tasteful—quality of this mini, you would’ve thought an ending where Carter and Dejah reunite and Issus goes down for good, leaving Barsoom in the light of a new era of pace, was inevitable.  But when—spoiler alert—the issue ends and none of those things happen, it leaves you in disbelief and sympathy for our hero.  This series has been calling out your inner child and it’s with a child’s disappointment that you go through the conclusion.  It’s as if you’re re-experiencing a bittersweet ending for the first time.

John Carter: The Gods of Mars #4 – Review

By: Sam Humphries (story), Ramón Pérez (art), Jordie Bellaire (colors)

The Story: This–is–Barsooooom!

The Review: As I explained to Jim in the comments to my review of The Avengers, I like to review and grade everything on this site according to what legal minds call a “partially individualized” test.  It means while I do make a big effort to be as objective as possible, I also give some weight to what the creators’ intent.  It doesn’t really make sense to evaluate, for example, a cartoon on Nickelodian in the same way I do for a literary masterwork.

So when it comes to a pulpy piece of sci-fi, I definitely offer a lot more leeway for cliché and silliness than I would with almost every other genre.  Obviously, the intention with these things isn’t to create some radical new form of storytelling; all these stories really want to do is provide an entertaining diversion that’s almost comforting in the way it relies on classical conventions.

John Carter: The Gods of Mars #3 – Review

By: Sam Humphries (story), Ramón Pérez (art), Jordie Bellaire (colors)

The Story: People throw swords at you to show moral support.  This really is a different world.

The Review: I personally view the purely written mediums of poetry and prose as superior to every other form of art because of how much substance they can convey in even the most restricted circumstances.  Because your own experiences and imagination are supplying all the visuals and drawing out all the subtext (and there’s much more subtext to be had because, well, there’s more text), you invariably get more out of the written word than any other medium.

For that reason, films, television, and comics all suffer because of the limitations of time and space.  When you indulge in a movie, a TV episode, or a monthly issue of some title or other, you reasonably expect something major to happen each time, an expectation you don’t strictly hold against chapters of a novel.  Exposition consistently causes suffering in other forms of storytelling because they must come out in the dialogue, and that takes time away from moving the plot forward.

John Carter: The Gods of Mars #2 – Review

By: Sam Humphries (story), Ramón Pérez (art), Jordie Bellaire (colors)

The Story: Whoever wrote the gospels on Barsoom clearly didn’t do his research.

The Review: Among the many plot elements John Carter sort of threw out there, yet never felt the need to elaborate upon, was the exposure of the Therns as false gods.  So much of Barsoom’s culture revolves around these mysterious figures that such a revelation should have made much more of an impact, but it came off as little more than a vaguely interesting plot twist.  If the producers expected a couple sequels to develop the storyline, they may be very disappointed.

So it’s left to this miniseries to reveal how Barsoom will deal with their whole spiritual dogma getting turned on its head and inside-out.  And by “Barsoom” I mean the planet as a whole, since this issue reveals that pretty much every single race has the wool pulled over their eyes.  Just as the Therns hold themselves out as “a holy race” and prey upon the common Martians and Tharks, the Black Pirates of Omean consider themselves “the first born” and prey on the Therns in the name of Issus—who just so happens to be the same divinity the Therns claim to act for.

John Carter: The Gods of Mars #1 – Review

By: Sam Humphries (writer), Ramón Pérez (artist), Jordie Bellaire (colorist)

The Story: Spend some time on Mars and Earth religions start looking pretty good, eh?

The Review: Even though I found John Carter visually exciting, bordering on spectacular, ultimately the whole movie fell flat from uneven pacing, clumsy structure, and blandness in the plot and character.  What’s particularly frustrating about the underwhelming quality of the movie is it belies the rich potential of the story itself.  There’s a minor epic to be had here, if we can find the right people to bring it out.

From the initial look of this issue, Humphries may be one of those people.  He dives right into the action, refusing to tarry with fancy narrative techniques or swaths of exposition.  Right away, he understands that a story like this works best at a breakneck pace, so he never allows you to linger for very long in quiet before the pulp kicks up again.  Almost as soon as Carter awakens to find himself back on Barsoom, he’s surrounded by danger and must fight for his life.  And would you have it any other way?

Within eight pages, Carter’s already on the verge of death, prompting the timely arrival of a valuable ally.  Tars Tarkas serves a valuable role in the plot by not only ciphering necessary information for Carter’s (and our) benefit, but also generating a lot of warmth through his obvious affection for his Earthman friend.  Much of the feel-good factor of this issue comes from the pairing of these unlikely buddies: “John Carter, my heart is glad you have returned.”  “Tars, you steely-eyed buzzard—the feeling is entirely mutual!”

John Carter – Movie Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review, or better yet, IMDB it.

The Story: Some of these aliens are green, but they aren’t all little, nor definitely all men.

The Review: It’s only fair to warn you that prior to watching this movie, I had zero knowledge of the Barsoom series or mythos other than a vague recollection that Dejah Thoris is a comics series that DS reviews on this site.  In fact, that very fact was the tipping point which actually got me to the theater to watch the film.  I figured it’d be a decent way to spend two hours of free time and get a little work out of it, too.

In the end, that’s all John Carter really is: a decent way to spend two hours of free time.  Disney obviously spared no expense in making the movie, as the cinematography and special effects make it already one of the most lavish and spectacular visual feasts of the year.  The location scouts should be well compensated, as their choice of locales truly evokes the dusty, Martian landscape of our dreams.  Beyond that, the very design of the Barsoom races and their cultures meets a Star Wars standard of detail, implying much that the script does not point out explicitly.

On that note, it should be little surprise that if there’s one area Disney shortchanged, it was in the writing.  This is particularly distressing, as Michael Chabon (if this is indeed the same who wrote the wonderful Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) is one of the credited writers.  But the script lacks not so much in quality or credibility as it does in cohesiveness.

The opening is the first and most obvious example: disjointed, jarring, uncertain of how to proceed, it feels as if the three writers each had different ideas of the beginning and instead of choosing one, they went for all three.  You start with Dejah’s “epic” voiceover setting up the exposition to the main plot; Carter’s epistolary voiceover to his nephew narrating the film’s main events after the fact; and then the actual start of the action itself.  Each of these would have worked well on their own, but combined, they make for an overly long prologue, dragging down the pace from the very start.

Warlord of Mars Annual #1 – Review

By: Mark Rahner (writer), Stephen Sadowski (illustrator), Adriano Lucas (colorist), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: “Shell Shock”: After some sparring, John Carter and Tars Tarkas, two old warriors who have become best friends, go over a tale from Tars Tarkas’s past, one that took place just before Carter arrived on Barsoom.

The Review: It is very hard to capture the mood of Barsoom with an economy of words. The pulp tradition, born in the baroque written style of the late Victorian, is part of the charm. This was the first thing that struck me in this book. It is a story told by Tars Tarkas, so it marches in his reflective, expository style. At first, being so different from the post-Hemingway, post-Frank Miller styles of writing, it took a bit to switch gears and accustom myself to the different rhythm of story-telling. Once I was there, I was delighted, feeling like I’d immersed myself in an unearthed Burroughs tale. The story intrigued in that we open a window into the notoriously closed Thark Jeddak and see what he and Carter interpret first as a mid-life crisis, but slowly revealed itself as a philosophical angst that laid the emotional groundwork for the friendship the now exists between Carter and Tarkas. The narrative drive is powered by a crime and a mystery, with social tensions, but the heart of the story is emotional and satisfying. The icing on the cake for me was the end of the story, with the moment of laughter between the two good and great friends, one that I got to share in too.

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 #11 – Review

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

The Story: Carthoris and Tars Tarkas are in it deep as they are shot down by the Warhoon. And Dejah Thoris is trying to puzzle through the mystery of who framed John Carter while navigating the intrigue between the Jeddak of Zodanga and the Hekkador of the Therns.

What’s Good: OK, by the second part of this three-part arc, I’m really digging the story. I like the mystery of the planted amulet, the steward’s death, the murder of the atmosphere plant worker, the madness of the other, and the slow, suggestive reveal of the Therns and Zodangans. I get that this is a set-up arc, to bridge the last few months of that ten years while Carter is back on Earth, and I’m good with that. I love seeing both Dejah and Carthoris in action, especially the son. He’s a character with obvious growth to do, and a lot to prove and that’s fun. I also loved the telepathy he’s got. Quite cool.

Artwise, I’m enjoying Sadowski’s work on the Tharks, the thoats, the atmosphere factory, the mad keeper, and Tars Tarkas. Sadowski’s Tharks are much larger than Lui Antonio’s and match more closely Roberto Castro’s (which themselves are closer to the green men Burroughs described as engines of destruction). I also enjoyed the newer designs of the Heliumite fliers, complete with stirrups, but my favorite visuals were Carthoris. Sadowski’s young, driven, conflicted hero works for me.

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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John Carter: A Princess of Mars #1 of 5 – Review

By: Roger Langridge (writer), Filipe Andrade (artist), Sunny Cho (colors), Sana Amanat (editor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator)

The Story: John Carter is the captive of the green men of Mars and must learn their language.

Some Comments Before the Review: I am a long-time Barsoom fan. I discovered John Carter through Marvel’s excellent 1977 series, which led me to Burroughs’ novels and to novel-reading in general. For this reason, I am also reading and reviewing Dynamite’s excellent “Warlord of Mars”, “Dejah Thoris” and “Fall of Barsoom.” Literature is often described as a dialogue, where one creative vision responds, positively or negatively, to another. I’m approaching Marvel’s all-ages “Princess of Mars” as a part of that ongoing conversation.

The Review: The most striking creative choice in this issue is, hands down, the art style. Andrade’s style is so different, in its approach to perspective, exaggeration, anatomy, and polished roughness, that at no point can the other parts of the book be disentangled from it. Andrade’s art is, without reference to positive or negative, fascinating. I found myself questioning both the artist’s motives for creative choices, as well as the editor’s for having chosen such a style. John Carter is an exaggerated, cartoony figure that reminded me equally of the angularity of some of the stringy physiognomies of Heavy Metal’s European works, mixed with Disney’s Hercules. Dejah Thoris is not the incomparable daughter of Helium in her awesome beauty, but something closer to an art nouveau 1920s flapper in faux-futuristic wear. Tars Tarkas appeared (and sounded) priestly and sage rather than fearsome, and the Tharks overall borrowed an insectoid flavor for their hands and posture. I was unsure if this was a strikingly creative character-design choice or whether this was a further exploration of the exaggeration of posture and anatomy for style’s sake. And I think this nailed down for me the central artistic tension I felt. I’ve read unreliable narrators. I now feel I’ve seen an unreliable artist, who makes me question or distrust what I’ve seen. This is not the same charm as a beautifully drawn figure or action sequence, but it is an element of fascination nonetheless and a volley in the stylistic conversation of how Carter has been depicted before.

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: Fall of Barsoom #2 – Review

By: Robert Place Napton (writer), Roberto Castro (artist), Alex Guimaraes (colors), Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator), Joseph Rybandt (editor)

The Story: On the Barsoom of 100,000 years ago, the scientist Tak Nan Lee from Korad races against time to find a way to replenish Mars’ atmosphere before there is nothing left. And he learns something of the strength of the red woman he has rescued. In the meantime, the Horzian general leads troops against the savage and powerful green hordes.

The Review: You know how sometimes in sales, you have a product that sells itself? I feel a bit that way about Dynamite’s new tale about ancient Barsoom. Dynamite is cracking open a mythos whose every nook I thought I’d explored long ago. Napton is injecting a healthy does of alien steampunk into a high-stakes tale of global extinction with epic battles that feel nearly Tolkeinian is scope, filled with a broad set of characters who are all definitely self-interested, with smatterings of altruism and humanity. The dialogue was pretty good, although I found a bit of flab in the beginning pages. One thing I usually trash a writer for is heavy exposition in the dialogue, but Napton was cautious with this and made the dialogue sound close to natural while giving the reader necessary information about the vast canvas he was painting on.

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 #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 #6 – Review

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

The Story: Sola’s story and John Carter’s escape attempt from Thark with Dejah Thoris.

What’s Good: Well, all of it. Antonio and Lucas have slapped some beautiful artwork onto the page. Dejah Thoris is obviously the classic beauty that would launch a thousand ships of Helium in her honor. But more meaningfully, Carter is heroic, the Tharks (especially Sarkoja) are emotive and the settings alien and haunting (the dead cities of Mars, the thoats, the yellow-orange skies). I loved the Antonio’s dynamism as Carter launched into his trademark action and escape plans. I thought Tal Hajus was more grotesque and un-Thark-like than he needed to be (Jabba the Hutt meets an Umber Hulk), but the point of Hajus was always to be an anti-Tarkas, so where on that grotesque scale he fits opposite the noble Tarkas is really just a taste issue. But, the art certainly repelled me where it was supposed to… I do also have to bring a bit of attention to Lucas’ colors. Over the past five issues, I’ve really enjoyed the palettes he’s picked to make Mars work, but this issue, I felt he got to another level. The softness of his colors and the broad range of subtle tones in the Martian sands, the Martian skies and in the earth-toned cities of thousands of years ago really worked for me, to say nothing of his work on bringing the thoats to life.

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.