Retro Comics: John Carter, Warlord of Mars #10

We reach the end my friends. Of The Air-Pirates of Mars anyway as John Carter has his "Confrontation" with the Great One!

While Tars Tarkas contemplates returning to his own people, John Carter is abducted in the middle of the night and taken to confront the Council of Five's leader, a creature spawned from the Tree of Life (which also gave birth to the rest of Barsoom's inhabitants). Revealing his back story and his plan to return Barsoom back to its former glory by mass genocide, Carter engages in the most brutal struggle of his life (at least at that point) to save the world he now calls home.

Closing more with a whisper than a bang-even the climactic fight-this final issue of the Air-Pirates storyline raises some interesting questions about what is right and the choices that are made to protect life while at the same time the Great One's story of a dying planet brings up interesting ideas that might resonate in today's environmental movement so I give Marv Wolfman credit for approaching those issues even if the final conclusion closes this epic out with a disappointing climax.

As usual the artwork by Gil Kane and "the Tribe" (as credited) is the usual thumbs up quality. I especially like the portrayals of Tars and Sola and how they come alive on the page, along with the (mild) action of later on.

So we wrap up The Air-Pirates and bid them adieu. Until next time folks.