Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Author: Ron Marz
Artists: Abhishek Malsuni, Roberto Castro (issue 6)
Publication Date: 28th October 2015

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Hands up who has watched the John Carter Movie (No, there hasn’t been a movie about the E.R. Doctor)? Alright, how many of you have read any of the original stories? Well, if you answered yes to either of these questions, and better yet, if you enjoyed the movie or the stories then you are in luck.

The first collection from the John Carter Warlord of Mars series from Dynamite Entertainment is a great fun addition to the mythos. A couple of things to keep in mind. This isn’t high art. This isn’t ground breaking, thought provoking philosophical fare. It’s not Sandman, it’s not Maus, and it doesn’t pretend to be. What it is, is a bloody good romp. It’s pulp, it’s bombastic and it’s fun.

Ron Marz (Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Witchblade) is a decent storyteller and has a refreshing affinity for the source material and he doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. He tells the story of an invasion of Barsoom with enthusiasm, bringing to life a great number of the characters from the original stories. Marz is ably abetted in his storytelling by Abhishek Malsuni (Robyn Hood, Grimm Fairy Tales) for the majority of this collection. You can tell that Malsuni has an affinity for the work of Frank Frazetta in the way he frames a number of his panels, which is no bad thing when you consider that Frazetta painted so many beautiful pictures of Barsoom and its inhabitants.

As for the tale itself. It doesn’t rehash the origin, but don’t let that put you off. Set some time after John Carter and Dejah Thoris have married and John is the Jeddak of Jeddaks, we are spared confusion by a very neat recap with the aid of an insect inspired truth serum, so it is a good jumping – in point. We are also treated to a villain from John Carter’s past on Earth and a friendly white ape.

I’m not going to outline any more of the story, it’s not complicated and doesn’t need telling here, but if you want to be reintroduced to Barsoom with a bang, have a go at this.

Rating: 4/5.

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The writer of this piece was: John Wallace
John Tweets from @jmwdaredevil.

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