Is the latest series based around the lives of John Carter and his merry band worthy to be on your radar?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

NOW AN 8 ISSUE SERIES!!! It doesn’t exactly count as escape from rogue Tharks who wanted to sell you for meat, if you’re lost in a system of caves and they’re chasing you. But it might count for something if a beaten and traumatized Dejah Thoris can start fighting back in the darkness and killing some of them!

What can be said about this newest addition to the Mars line is that it’s engaging, but somewhat mishandled.  To the creative team’s credit there are some potent sequences here and there but several crucial instances come off rushed which ultimately creates a hindrance that the next issue will have to attempt to recover from.

Mark Rahner pens the script and to the scribe’s benefit he quickly absorbs the world that these characters inhabit in a way that implies his own goals revolving around this mini-series.  There are times where his ability to keep the pace flowing briskly creates a fever pitch of emotions that echo the end of a play’s act.  But several bits of plot therein feel forced, as one happy sequence leads to a discussion regarding trauma induced by combat, and then finally an explosion to cap things off in an utterly off balance fashion.

The art by Lui Antonio fits into this universe while finding a way to make his mark on this franchise.  The visual festivities are complimentary to the jaunt from start to finish but there were quite a few instances where bodily movements came off as far too sensual and completely unnecessary.  The talent has the skill to create lavish designs if he can just cage certain aspects before they transition from eye-candy to eye-sores.

Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars #4 has some hurdles to overcome before it’s worthy of your time but I’m confident that the team behind this can do it but for now this release does not earn a recommendation.

2.5/5