Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #26 Review


Our heroine has faced dark times in recent years but even now we have to wonder: should we care?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Drawn to danger, Dejah Thoris has survived murder plots and bloody global conflicts. After these recent events, the royal family insists that she take a quiet, safe holiday. But her sojourn of relaxation turns into a nightmare, as the young princess bears witness to a dangerous discovery in an unknown region of Barsoom!

To be quite frank when I sit down to read a comic book like this it’s very apparent what the main selling point is.  The sexual appeal of our lead protagonist makes sense but it’s always my hope that something worthwhile comes from that initial draw in.  I can think of many examples in recent years that have done just that… but sadly not this release.

The script by Robert Place Napton is not good by any stretch of the imagination, it’s just bland.  We have a by the numbers tale of intrigue that’s littered with a mammoth amount of cornball dialogue, so much so that I found myself cringing during several key sequences.  There’s also not much depth to be found, but there were plenty of moments where the author’s grasp on the source material and on the core mechanics of Dejah Thoris left me kind of invested.  She’s a character that has a lot to offer and if handled right this scribe could really deliver something compelling.

Carlos Rafael handles the art and it’s absolutely engaging.  There are some exploitative positions where we find our princess highlighting her unique attributes but beyond that the bodily structures, the backgrounds and the world in general is absolutely pulsating with life.  Even in this yarn fans could not ask for a more competent talent to handily craft such an engrossing rendition of the planet: Barsoom.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Throis #26 has its share of problems but if the efforts of the men behind it improve there’s enough room to hope for better releases in the months ahead.  Not recommended.

2.5/5

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