Comic Review: Dejah Thoris #13

In this case its an unlucky 13 both for the people of Helium and this issue.

Waking up as from the worst hangover ever-including dreaming of making out with Zodangan leader Than Kosis!-Dejah finds herself becoming weaker and easier for the Boora Witch to take over. Meanwhile the Witch has other plans, namely possessing Tardors Mors' body and using him in an attempted assassination of Than. With him under arrest, Dejah assumes power and its up to Kantos Kan to discover the true secret back in the Toonolian Marshes.

I've admitted I'm not a big fan of combining Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom with the sword and sorcery plot of this storyline and this one really revels why. I've liked writer Robert Place Napton's work on some of the other Warlord of Mars comics-especially Fall of Barsoom-but here it just isn't firing. Part of it is just some down right bizarre concepts-including an uncomfortable scene where it appears Dejah is seducing her own grandfather!-to the revelation at the end. I also don't care for the subplot involving Than Kosis (even though I must be confused since I thought it was Sab Than in the last issue. I'll have to recheck). There is also some bloopers in this issue. The "s" is left off Tardors' last name (I don't know if it is a typo but still) and at one point Dejah proclaims herself "Jedessa" of Helium. That's Jeddara from the books. Again I know that's being nitpicky but so far most of the Dynamite books have been pretty good about getting the references right.

As usual Carlos Rafael's artwork will either appeal to you or it won't. Can't really think of much else to say about it beyond I like it but I know some don't.

In short, this issue isn't a winner as much as I hoped it would be. The blurb for the next issue indicates it will be the last of this story arc so I'm grateful for that. I just hope the next one is a vast improvement over this.