The mystery deepens.
Creative Staff:
Story: Frank J. Barbiere
Art: Francesco Manna
Colors: Morgan Hickman
What They Say:
Exiled from the kingdom of Helium and on the run, Dejah Thoris turns to the Army of Barsoom. Will she be able to survive long enough to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance? Plus: John Carter explores the conspiracy at home in Helium! Frank J. Barbiere and Francesco Manna continue an all-new story with Dejah as you’ve never seen her before!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of the Dejah Thoris series worked some familiar angles to be sure but it did it with a lot of polish and appeal both in writing and artwork to make it appealing. The setup was a strong enough foundation to launch things with but it’s whether it can sustain and direct the momentum that will be telling when it comes to this arc. Dejah’s being turned out of power, separated from everyone that she knows, and her city, puts her an interesting position where she can gain a lot of experience and understanding and it’s important to be able to vocalize that. Thankfully, the book works a solid narrative where Dejah is aware of just how little she knew compared to what she thought she knew and expresses it as she ends up deeper and further into the mystery that Volaris has cast her upon.
Figuring out the best course of action takes a little doing but a little luck does come her way. While she’s very much on the outside of things at the moment, there are those that want to help. We get a little standard Burroughs style mysticism here with help from an old woman who provides Dejah with some hazy memories and a location far away to try and seek out that might have answers. It’s simple and easy in this regard to how things come to her, but the idea that it’s only enemies out there is nicely balanced by those who do feel towards her and will try to help. The problem, of course, is getting to the distant city where there aren’t even any trade routes due to Reds and Greens that are fighting like crazy across the wastes. It’s a welcome expansion into the world and what the traders and general citizens face in regard to connecting with other cities across the landscape, reminding us that it’s not a simple drive like Dejah herself as a princess might normally experience.
Dejah’s journey as Larka is an interesting one in this installment since she can largely go by unrecognized by many, which includes a lengthy bit of traveling on foot with others to join the people’s militia that will get her closer to where she needs to be. I do like that it puts her in a more dangerous camp with recruits and commanders that employ a very different style than what the government militaries do and the royal guard as well, since it all serves to expanding her own skill set while also gaining a greater appreciation for the world around her and its people. The fight sequence takes up a decent piece of the back half of the book but it works solidly to show her approach to combat and attempts to work with others even though they view it as every Bartsoomiam for themselves.
In Summary:
Dejah Thoris has a solid second outing and doesn’t falter in the slightest here. It doesn’t rush into a wave of new discoveries but instead nudges us forward in a direction that we can work with and explore. While I’ve enjoyed Barbiere’s stories before, I’ve been frustrated by the pacing in some of them as it just felt like it skipped too many parts. Here, he’s digging into it in a solid way and giving it the room to breathe in the right way. It also lets Manna do some great work in exploring the locations we’re in and giving it a solidly lived in feeling. His action sequences in the back half are great as well with some wonderful visual placement and sense of flow about it that keeps it all full of the right kind of energy. Good stuff all around and has me excited to see where they’ll actually go with it.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: March 2nd, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
