Warlord of Mars #32 Review

A new warlord steps in as our hero bows down to an unexpected arrival, but should we really care what this new tyrant is up to? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

John Carter has spilled blood in the service of Helium. But for thousands of years before his arrival, his adopted homeland suffered at the hands of Mars’ other races. Now, his victories have awakened a legendary hero… one with a genocidal agenda of payback! When Carter protests, he finds himself on the run alongside his family. With no friends to turn to, alliances must be made with old enemies!

After a peaceful transition, where no bloodshed was offered up for this particular throne, Tardos Mors has begun his rule once again. One would think that this would be a good thing, as our hero could learn from a wise ruler from Barsoom’s past but sadly what happens next lays the foundation for open war.

Arvid Nelson does a good job delivering a competent script. He knows the characters and the players well enough to evoke emotion as he makes what happens next stick. The author continues to play with the idea of racial animus while this potential pretender enacts some questionable decisions. There’s a good deal of substance, but every so often the pace of the story trips over some unnecessary dialogue. To be fair this did not ruin the experience, but it did feel like a detriment to a piece that already had my attention.

The art by Wagner Reis hits the nail on the head, as the talent captures the essence of Mars without missing details along the way. I did have some trouble with a couple of his final renditions, but for the most part I was captivated with his superbly realized characters and backgrounds. Sure problems persist with the blatant exploitation of bodily form but in the end this did little to sully my overall experience.

Warlord of Mars #32 is not going to set any records but it has my attention as this new arc picks up the pace. Recommended.

4/5