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Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #15 Advanced Review

By Andy Frisk
September 17, 2012 - 20:31

Dejah Thoris, the future love of John Carter, Warlord of Mars, continues her excellently crafted solo adventures (which take place years before she meets Carter) in the pages of the ongoing Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris series from Dynamite Entertainment. Issue #15 is a stand alone issue that also serves as an excellent jumping on point for new readers. Dejah, having recently faced a dark side of herself that she didn't know existed when she was possessed by a Boora Witch, has decided to take the route through the "gateway to Nirvana" by traveling down the River Iss to oblivion, but instead ends up in the Kaolian Forest. It's a realm populated by a people that Dejah's people have had little contact with. They are a people in need of a hero to help them overcome a terrible danger. Perhaps oblivion isn't what the Gods of Mars have in store for Dejah, despite the darkness that resides deep inside her...

Proving that a constantly near-nude heroine has more appeal than just her looks, Robert Place Napton weaves a simple, yet introspective, stand alone adventure that continues to build upon the character of one of the most influential female sci-fi characters ever created. The fact that Martians basically go around nude (in an interesting reversal of the "naked savage" stereotype-one that Edgar Rice Burroughs often conversely confirmed and condemned in his literature) is a major aspect of the visual appeal of Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris, but Napton proves that Dejah is more than a hot body and pretty face by focusing on her brains more than her boobs.

The focus on her boobs is supplied by Marcio Fiorito's artwork. Fiorito's art is as solid and tight, much like Dejah's body, as it is crisp and sharp. He does a great job of not wasting a single blank of space within nearly each panel by filling them out with well developed (and endowed) figures, plants, buildings and Martians.

Overall a fun read about a highly influential and groundbreaking character of classic literature, Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris is more than just a pretty face amongst the mounds of mush that often clog the stands at your local LCS.
    

Rating: 7 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12