Warlord of Mars #1-5 and Dejah Thoris #1 (Update)
6 CBZ's (HQ) | Dynamite | Release Dates Oct 13 2010 - Mar 16 2011 | With Multiple Variant Covers | 136.43 MB Total
When it comes to space opera action, Edgar Rice Buroughs’ series led the way for all pulp fiction to follow. Many companies have attempted to bring the series to screen, and John Carter has appeared in comics a time or two as well. Dynamite Entertainment is the latest to tackle the character, and they’re taking the story and tweaking it just a bit. Note, however, that this is not an adaptation of , the third book in the Barsoom series, but rather a prequel to , the story that kicked off the 11-book series, and introduced readers to the Southern Civil War veteran John Carter. Writer Arvid Nelson does a fine job in this introduction and in the development of the storyline. Stephen Sadowski's kinetic artwork likewise fits Nelson's approach, although I find his dark, heavy outlines a trifle disconcerting. And I suppose there's not much one can do in drawing identifiable faces with regard to green-skinned Martians. One of the more interesting passages in the source material is that John Carter finds himself and men of the Martians "nekkid" as the day they were born, and while Dynamite Entertainment won’t be able to get away with a lot of nudity in the series, Sadowski thus far manages to pull off the clothing optional aspect. Nelson also scripts the companion series Dejah Thoris with the same confident feel and here I'll do say that artist Carlos Rafael's would give or the gals more than a run for money. Surprisingly good.