Comic Review: Dejah of Mars #1

With the relaunch of John Carter, Warlord of Mars coming soon, Dejah Thoris takes center stage in the last miniseries before we start over. And she delivers the goods.

Picking up where the last story ended in Warlord of Mars #100, Dejah is on a desperate quest to find her missing husband after he has disappeared, The only clues is a missing sacred artifact that results in a potential death sentence for Carter and the trail led by the faithful Woola. With her husband facing death and Carthoris ready to tear apart Barsoom to find his father, Dejah goes undercover to get the information she needs. But will she be able to rescue John Carter from "the Red Reaper" and restore peace?

With Mark Rahner again taking on writing duties, I didn't know what to expect considering his past tales were horror tinged White Apes of Mars and Green Men of Mars. Thankfully for the moment were spared cannibal Tharks for a fast-paced detective story as Dejah attempts to unravel the mystery in her own style. With nice build-up and some clever cutting back and forth Rahner manages to weave an intriguing opening that catches the reader's attention. There are some bizarre inconsistencies-for example Tardors Mors is alive here, contradicting much of the other Dynamite series-but fans will find much here to enjoy.

Helping out is the artwork by Jethro Morales, who brings a nice design to the characters and the world depicted, There isn't much action here outside of the brief opening but Morales helps keep the eye moving from panel to panel with ease, aided by the nice color schemes and layout.

In short fans of Barsoom this issue is a winner. Nothing more needs to be said until next time.