Warlord of Mars #7

That's a great cover by Joe Jusko, but it almost feels like a mistake - I think every issue of Warlord of Mars I've seen so far has featured a nearly-naked image of Dejah Thoris.

But I digress. This issue continues the leisurely adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough's A Princess of Mars, though I'm not sure of the legalities involved, since Marvel just announced it would be adapting that novel in the near future. Is the story in Public Domain?

Sorry, still digressing. This issue depicts John Carter's discovery of an Atmosphere Factory and its strange operator. He journeys to a nearby town, joins the air force, fights giant green Martians, and so on.

As written by Arvid Nelson, this isn't a bad series at all - it's just doling out the story very slowly.

The art by Lui Antonio is quite good, with strong action sequences and great facial expressions - though (as much as I hate to complain about such things), the females are all of the impossibly-proportioned-comic-book-female mold. A little variety would be nice.

As a long-time fan of Burroughs, I'm happy to see this work back in print - although I'll have to see if I can find out the answer to which one (if either one) is approved by ERB's estate. I prefer to throw my business to the company that plays fair.

Grade: B

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Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #1

Any comic being published should know what its strengths are, and there's no doubt what the folks at Dynamite Entertainment are depending on for this Warlord of Mars spinoff: sex.

The Princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris, has long been a fan favorite for her role in the series of Edgar Rice Burroughs stories starring John Carter.

And let's face it, one reason for that is the skimpy outfits she wears, as immortalized by numerous artists - most famously Frank Frazetta.

But this series takes the notion of "skimpy outfits" to the extreme - if Dejah's costume were any skimpier in this comic, she'd be naked. Her costume consists of a tiny thong bottom and two pasties.

I find it difficult to complain too loudly about a beautiful woman being scantily clad - my heart's not in it to be upset - but it just seems like a blatant effort to gin up sales. It's sad to think that John Carter needs that kind of help. (I should also note that the men wear equally-small costumes.)

But Carter doesn't appear in this story - it's set long before he appeared on Mars, and the story by Arvid Nelson focuses on the political (and warlike) struggles between the twin cities of Helium. A solution to end the civil war may be at hand - but it calls for a sacrifice on the part of Dejah.

The art by Carlos Rafael is quite good, with Carlos Lopez supplying some excellent color work. They don't get much chance to show off - the story involves a lot of shots of people standing around talking - but the characters are expressive and the story easy to follow.

But the story doesn't hold up its end of the deal - it's mostly dull political discussions, and every plot twist was obvious from the start.

This story is based on the Burroughs character, but it has no basis in ERB's original Mars stories - and it shows.

If you want to see some nice drawings of a virtually-naked woman, this is your comic. If you're hoping for a good story to go along with it, keep looking.

Grade: C+

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Warlord of Mars #4

This comic is proof (if any were needed) that I must be a geezer.

Let me explain. Sometime in the early-to-mid-1960s, at the age of about 10 (and maybe a little younger) I saw an issue of Playboy. I was at a friend's house, and he and his brother had discovered a issue of the magazine their dad had hidden in his bedroom.

With great delight we stared at the centerfold, which featured a beautiful (and naked) woman laying on a bear skin rug.

And she was more covered up than Dejah Thoris is on the cover of this issue of Warlord of Mars.

And if that's not enough, the gal on the cover is also more modest than the drawings inside this issue, wherein Dejah wears just the tiniest pasties and a skimpy thong.

Don't think I'm complaining - but with a feature film in the near future, you'd think the creators of this comic would give her at least a little more cover, if just in the interest of appealing to a wider audience.

This issue continues the adaptation of A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and it brings us to the point - finally - where John Carter of Earth meets Dejah Thoris.

But the path of true love is never smooth (or something like that), and there are a few hundred angry Martians John will have to deal with first.

Writer Arvid Nelson and illustrator Lui Antonio turn in strong work here, with some impressive creative touches such as the unique design for the Martian air ships.

The story is unfolding slowly, but so far, it's been true to the original story (which has long been one of my favorites), even if the costuming is a bit more daring.

Grade: B+

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Warlord of Mars #1

Since I'm not a completist when it comes to buying comics, I tend to be immune to the "alternate cover" scheme, whereby comics companies release a title with several different covers, in hopes that collectors will buy 'em all.

I generally just pick the cover I like best (or whichever one's cheapest, if there's some kind of "rarity mark-up" involved), but I trust you can understand, gentle reader, why I chose this eye-popping cover by J. Scott Campbell, even if he has made the (common) error of giving Dejah Thoris a bellybutton (she's not a mammal - she was hatched from an egg, like most Martians).

It seems fitting that this comic would have an eye-catching cover, since it was the Frank Frazetta art on the cover of A Princess of Mars, the Edgar Rice Burroughs story released in the '70s by the Science Fiction Book Club, that got me interested in the original stories.

Now the Warlord of Mars is back in the spotlight (thanks in no small part to an upcoming film adaptation, I presume). Here we have something of an introduction to the characters in sort of a prequel to that first adventure.

We meet John Carter in 1866 as he tries to make his fortune out west - only to discover that the War Between the States still affects his life. Half the comic is about his struggles and the other half is about his future ally, the giant Martian named Tars Tarkas.

It's a pretty thin intro as written by Arvid Nelson, but then it only costs a dollar, so it's difficult to complain. It's all about setting up the story to come, and it does that well (and I enjoyed the reference to a certain character played by John Wayne).

The art is by Stephen Sadowski, and it's quite good, with a vivid, painted look to it. However, the action does get a bit gruesome, so I wouldn't recommend this for young kids.

It's too early to tell how faithful this adaptation is going to be, or if the creative team plans to follow its own path - but for an intro, this is pretty good. And the price is right (especially if you can find this cover).

Grade: B+

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