DYNAMITE'S JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS POINTS TO THE FUTURE ... WITH ART TOO MUCH LIKE WHAT'S COME BEFORE
Personally, I’ve never minded a little skin with my pulp. As a matter of facts, people who think that George Lucas’s metal bikini-clad Princess Leia was the start of all things delicious so far as the cosplay universe is concerned might want to do a bit of research into pulp history; no doubt you’ll find that alien princesses have been wearing the same (or even much less!) since they’ve been envisioned or imagined, and if that’s what it takes to bring some romance to the pages of vintage Science Fiction and Fantasy then so be it. Who am I to argue with progress?
Since their inception, the various titles of the JOHN CARTER emerging from the creative minds on Dynamite Entertainment’s payroll have been serving up one delicious incarnation of the ultimate space princess – Dejah Thoris – after another; and it looks like they’ll be continuing in that vein with this all-new account of JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS!
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From Dynamite’s website: “John Carter: Warlord of Mars returns in a new monthly series, officially authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.! Superstar writer Ron Marz finally gets to pen the series he has always wanted to write, with amazing new art talent Abhishek Malsuni joining him. Return to the exotic landscape of Barsoom, as John Carter has to save his adopted world, not to mention his beloved Dejah Thoris, from an enemy like no other he has ever faced. John Carter must truly become Warlord of Mars against an adversary who is every bit his equal on the savage red planet. An amazing new era for John Carter of Mars starts here!”
Since their inception, the various titles of the JOHN CARTER emerging from the creative minds on Dynamite Entertainment’s payroll have been serving up one delicious incarnation of the ultimate space princess – Dejah Thoris – after another; and it looks like they’ll be continuing in that vein with this all-new account of JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS!
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From Dynamite’s website: “John Carter: Warlord of Mars returns in a new monthly series, officially authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.! Superstar writer Ron Marz finally gets to pen the series he has always wanted to write, with amazing new art talent Abhishek Malsuni joining him. Return to the exotic landscape of Barsoom, as John Carter has to save his adopted world, not to mention his beloved Dejah Thoris, from an enemy like no other he has ever faced. John Carter must truly become Warlord of Mars against an adversary who is every bit his equal on the savage red planet. An amazing new era for John Carter of Mars starts here!”
In the recent past, I’d honestly kinda/sorta picked on Dynamite for their constant depictions of our lady Dejah. Granted, this Martian princess never had much on to begin with, but it seemed that as her monthly adventures wore on she somehow managed to wear less and less! Now, I can’t say that that’s any big distraction to a fellow such as myself, but at some point it started to seem like enough was enough and I wanted a bit more story as a trade-off to the constant parade of wonderfully ripened flesh. As others had remarked, Dejah’s title seemed to quickly become little more than a glorified skin flick, complete with near-rape fantasies being carried out on the poor lass by the other species of Barsoom.
Thankfully, JOHN CARTER kinda/sorta rights the boat just a bit as this first issue splits the action between the comely princess and her studly Earth man: separately, they’re both involved in their respective battles for the freedom of the planet, Dejah’s being far more a verbal spat between her and her captor while John and others are out fighting an alien incursion. In short, it’s an effective set-up, especially for new readers who are interesting in hopping aboard the Carter bandwagon. Dejah’s sequences serve to better define the world and its various races, and it’s pretty clear that her ‘warlord’ is well on the way to being reunited with his love in the pages ahead.
Also, there’s a terrific reveal in the final pages that serves to up-the-ante when looking toward the future: it becomes clear that perhaps Carter’s newest foe may not necessarily be of galactic heritage so much as he might be someone much closer to home … namely Earth!
That said, WARLORD OF MARS is briskly told between these two perspectives, weaving just enough background with just enough action to set the pace, catch every reader (new and old) up with the state of affairs on Mars, and point out a new direction in the landscape. Scribe Ron Marz clearly has an affinity toward these people and their universe, and artist Abhishek Malsuni basically follows in the footsteps of what’s been done before by Dynamite with this world (an easy choice, but we’ll have to see where it takes audiences) though maybe not the most fascinating alternative.
Thankfully, JOHN CARTER kinda/sorta rights the boat just a bit as this first issue splits the action between the comely princess and her studly Earth man: separately, they’re both involved in their respective battles for the freedom of the planet, Dejah’s being far more a verbal spat between her and her captor while John and others are out fighting an alien incursion. In short, it’s an effective set-up, especially for new readers who are interesting in hopping aboard the Carter bandwagon. Dejah’s sequences serve to better define the world and its various races, and it’s pretty clear that her ‘warlord’ is well on the way to being reunited with his love in the pages ahead.
Also, there’s a terrific reveal in the final pages that serves to up-the-ante when looking toward the future: it becomes clear that perhaps Carter’s newest foe may not necessarily be of galactic heritage so much as he might be someone much closer to home … namely Earth!
That said, WARLORD OF MARS is briskly told between these two perspectives, weaving just enough background with just enough action to set the pace, catch every reader (new and old) up with the state of affairs on Mars, and point out a new direction in the landscape. Scribe Ron Marz clearly has an affinity toward these people and their universe, and artist Abhishek Malsuni basically follows in the footsteps of what’s been done before by Dynamite with this world (an easy choice, but we’ll have to see where it takes audiences) though maybe not the most fascinating alternative.
JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS is published by Dynamite Comics. The story is written by Ron Marz, the artwork is provided by Abhishek Malsuni. It all comes with the cover price of the low, low $3.99, and I suppose if this book is to your liking them there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Just for the record, Dynamite Comics’ run on the whole JOHN CARTER franchise isn’t perfect, nor is it going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I think it’s best to approach reading JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS as if you’re viewing a modestly camp-infused pulp adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs work. (FYI: this is an official authorized property as it stands.) Like the previous titles Dynamite has put out, this one includes about as close to nudity as you can get (not a bad thing when you’re looking at the stunning Dejah Thoris), though you might have a tough time explaining all that skin to kids. Mature-themed, that’s for sure!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Just for the record, Dynamite Comics’ run on the whole JOHN CARTER franchise isn’t perfect, nor is it going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I think it’s best to approach reading JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS as if you’re viewing a modestly camp-infused pulp adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs work. (FYI: this is an official authorized property as it stands.) Like the previous titles Dynamite has put out, this one includes about as close to nudity as you can get (not a bad thing when you’re looking at the stunning Dejah Thoris), though you might have a tough time explaining all that skin to kids. Mature-themed, that’s for sure!