Dynamite Entertainment 2019
Written by Dan Abnett
Illustrated by Vasco Georgiev
Coloured by Dearbhla Kelly
Lettered by Simon Bowland
The once-powerful Dejah Thoris is an outcast, her dynasty has been practically wiped out. Yet her family survives and are determined to uncover the mysterious reasons for Barsoom’s worldwide dangers. But the powerful Jeddak would rather Dejah’s entire family be…removed…
I have to say that I am really loving this, not that there was any doubt. This is one of those examples of Dan being one of the most versatile of writers showcasing that there isn't a character or genre that he cannot write, and write well. One of the benefits can be that if you follow a writer like Dan then you are going to find yourself reading books that you might not have otherwise. The reverse is true as well, you love the character and find a new writer to follow.
John Carter is long since out of the picture but with Dejah their children and grandchildren taking centre focus as we see their lineage hasn't produced a boy is an interesting take. Also the fact that someone was able to successfully stage a coup and take power fascinates me. So there are actually quite a few moving parts here and they have the same ending point, where they are supposed to meet. Now the real question becomes will these moving parts survive long enough to get to each other or will not only Dejah and her lineage fall but Barsoom along with it?
The way that the story & plot development is being done as see through the sequence of events unfolding and how the reader learns information is extremely well done. We saw last issue that Kurz Kurtos had thought of a more devious way of dealing with the exiled dynasty and this issue we see that someone didn't waste any time in getting that underway. There are few beings more terrifying than a white ape and so let the games and mystery begin! The character development that we see here is phenomenal and I love that each of these women has such a different personality and they all share the same blood. The pacing is great and as it takes us through the pages and we see the twists and turns emerge it helps to create a really strong ebb & flow to the book.
I am really rather enjoying the interiors here. That first splash page we come across really sets the tone for what we're going to be seeing this issue and it's rather striking. I think the linework we see is laid down nicely and how the varying techniques and varying weights that are utilised to show the attention to detail is well rendered. Now this is a gorgeous futuristic city on another planet so I would really think this would be a great opportunity to stretch oneself with how backgrounds are utilised. Or in this case not very much at all. I don't understand why backgrounds aren't considered important when they bring depth perception, scale and a sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a good eye for storytelling. The colouring here is marvellous to see. I like how the various hues and tones within the colours are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work that we see. Honestly they make the interiors look better than I believe they are, and the work on that last page, holy mackerel!
One of the things that I really am enjoying is that Kurz isn't resting on his laurels. While those who are exiled sit around and act like it's business as usual, because who would dare be foolish enough to go against lifetimes of the way things are done? I cannot wait to see what Dan and co. have in store for us next or how Dejah is once again going to have rise up and remind the people of Barsoom of the power that she wields!