Title: Warlord of Mars Attacks #1
Publisher: Dynamite
Words: Jeff Parker
Art: Dean Kotz
Colors: Omi Remalante
Published: June 19, 2019
Publisher’s Summary: “JEFF PARKER (Aquaman, Future Quest) and DEAN KOTZ (Dungeons & Dragons) invite you to behold the battle between the dashingly heroic John Carter Of Mars and the neverendingly power-hungry little green men of Mars Attacks! HOW has John encountered never encountered these Martians before!? WHY do these cackling monsters want to conquer Mars? And WHAT happens when the war spills over to Earth!? Find out in the stunning first chapter, ATTACK FROM SPACE!”
Review
John Carter, the hero of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom series does battle for the sake of his family and adopted planet against a ruthless and relentless collection of little green creatures with flying saucers and ray guns. Will his bravery and resiliency be enough to turn back this horrible enemy? Only time will tell.
The pulpy tone of the original Warlord of Mars is captured with admirable accuracy by Jeff Parker. We know who the hero is, who the bad guys are, and hopefully, all will be well, but of course, things are not all what they seem. These are relentless adversaries with advanced weaponry and insatiable desire for conquest. It appears that the perils they bring will worsen before any hope of relief.
Dean Kotz lovingly emulates both the serialized Sunday funnies version of John Carter as well as the trading card weirdness of the Martians in a way that is both comforting and slightly disturbing. Cartoon horror and some guy with a sword running around in his skivvies has never been so much fun.
The Bottom Line
This John Carter versus the Mars Attacks aliens works on a surprising level. The action of one meets the gallows humor of the other in an effective mash-up that ends up as more than the sum of its parts.
