A perfect ending.
Creative Staff:
Story: Dan Abnett
Art: Alessandro Miracolo
Colors: Dearbhla Kelly
Letterer: Simon Bowland
What They Say:
FINAL PULSE-POUNDING ISSUE! Dejah and John’s ultimate battle with the Longborn causes shockwaves that will change Mars for all time! Will the planet be saved? Can the star-crossed lovers stay together despite the impossible odds?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Dan Abnett worked this property well in moving the characters into something that felt like it really moved time forward and made changes to the nature of the world that made for an engaging story. We’ve had a lot going on with Dejah discovering the truth of what’s happening and why and bringing it to that final battle that serves to protect everyone at the expense of their own lives is certainly fitting for Dejah Thoris and John Carter. This issue once again looks fantastic thanks to the richly detailed and designed pages that Alessandro Miracolo’s artwork presents. There’s such a great angular look to the designs, especially with Carter this time around, that really hits a sweet spot for me in making it engaging and stylish.
We do get a bit of time in Dar Shadeth as the decision is made to drop the bombs and let it put this place, and the Longborn to rest, but it’s mostly just a holding action until they can’t wait any longer for Dejah and John to get out of the place they’re in. That leaves most of the issue focusing on those two as they face off against their opponents. With John, he hasn’t had the best presentation in this run as he was being controlled initially and then not quite himself for a while, but here we get him fighting hard against the Longborn that are now stupidly in mortal bodies in order to deal with this threat and really kickstart their plans for conquest. The downside is that they give John a true target to go after, one that can definitely be hurt and killed because of the unfinished bodies that they’re in.
At the same time that fight unfolds, we see how Dejah and Gall are struggling against their opponent, which is a slightly wild and untrained adult John Carter. The idea that this clone, boosted up and all, would be the final home for the Longborn certainly makes sense when it would be finished. But what we get here is a wild and violent version of him that’s also like a newborn in that it’s all muscle memory and no real context for events, nor full control over the body since it’s so new. Having both of these play out alongside each other lets both John and Dejah get to deal with a Longborn while Gall’s role in everything is brought to a hard end too. Of course, it wouldn’t be a big epic story like this without a quick last-minute escape, but I like how it plays out and gives our leads, at least for now, a happily ever after that they so richly deserve.
In Summary:
This run comes to a close and brings to an end, and a start to Dejah and John. It’s an interesting place to be because this series takes place so many years down the line from where so many of the other recent books have been that I can see them just moving back to an earlier period with whatever may come next. I really liked this one for the chances it took, the characters it introduced, and the largeness of the story overall. It has a really great feel to it and seeing so much of what Dejah brought to Barsoom with her family and more is an absolute delight. This run had gorgeous covers, great interiors, and a story that was a lot of fun to read every month. Those that get to read it in full in a trade will have an even better experience, I suspect, and ride that energy hard because it’s just that much fun. I continue to enjoy these characters a lot and this was one of the best of the series that Dynamite has produced for them.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: January 5th, 2022
MSRP: $3.99
