Warlord of Mars Volume 1

Warlord of Mars (collected editions) #1

by Arvid Nelson, Stephen Sadowski (Artist), Lui Antonio (Artist)

The original warrior of Mars comes to Dynamite Warlord of Mars is an enhancement of the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs story, Princess of Mars. If you thought you knew the story, think again Featuring John Carter, an ex-cavalry officer in the Confederate Army who finds himself mysteriously transported to Mars, joined on his adventures by Tars Tarkas, his Martian comrade, and Dejah Thoris, a Martian Princess. Collects the first 9 issues of the hit series, along with bonus material and a complete cover gallery featuring such great artists as Alex Ross, Joe Jusko, J. Scott Campbell, Lucio Parrillo, and more.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Pulp, Fiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2011

About the author

Arvid has worked on everything from film to video games, but he’s best known for his original comics title, Rex Mundi, published by Dark Horse Comics. The Band of the Crow has occupied his creative memory banks ever since Rex Mundi ended.

Reviews

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this graphic novel can be ever so slightly confusing (The Warlord of Mars is actually the third Barsoom novel). So, no, this isn't an adaptation of the third John Carter novel. This particular book is actually an adaptation of A Princess of Mars, which is, of course, the right place to start.

Now, this is a graphic novel, and it is based on an early example of pulp fiction. It is also, for the most part, somewhat true to the original text. It's important to bear this in mind, because, yes, the female protagonist walks around naked (for all practical purposes) and she is somewhat dependent on being rescued by the muscle bound male protagonist at regular intervals. Really, if you've been paying attention you should know how these things used to work. All in all, it's actually pretty good fun. It's also super violent and gory, so I wouldn't recommend giving this to your six year old for Christmas.

And doesn't the Joe Jusko cover art remind of the glory days of Frank Frazetta? Now, if only the rest of the book was illustrated in the same retro fashion this would have been a true prize.

[Diayll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally Reviewed at: Mother/Gamer/Writer(This was reviewed in conjunction with the movie. Visit the link to see full review of both)
Rating: 5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Me


Never having read the original John Cater series created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, I don’t really have anything to base my review of the movie and graphic on other than my overall opinion of the finished product. With that being said, I must admit I absolutely adored both! John Carter is not your typical superhero; in fact he is nothing more than an ordinary bad mouthing, gun slinging ex-cavalry officer in the Confederate Army with a short temper who just happens to end up on Mars. He’s a tad bit arrogant, very compassionate, and just can’t seem to stay out of a fight. All of these qualities combined make John Carter one tough Science Fiction character not to love.

The story begins in 1866 at the close of the Civil War in a small frontier establishment in Arizona. In the graphic novel, John is accompanied by John K. Powell; however in the movie he meets Powell with his fist shortly after arriving in Arizona, literally. The circumstance in which John Carter ends up on Mars, or Barsoom, are slightly different in both the graphic novel and movie. I won’t go into too much detail about how he mysteriously arrives on the planet, but Carter tends to get himself into a mega amount of trouble.

Diving into the graphic novel first, Warlord of Mars Volume 1 embodies everything I love about comics and graphic novels. It’s full of action, has beautifully illustrated artwork, and an over the top storyline. Volume 1 consists of 266 pages, 170 or so being the actual story and the rest is artwork (at least in my review version from NetGalley). There are 9 Issues from the Warlord Series, and each explains the complicated story of John Carter on Mars and how he became infamous. The legend of John Carter is EPIC. And by epic I mean there is plenty of fighting, ruthless killings, Barsoomian creatures, futuristic cities and machinery, a scantily clad man, and one well endowed woman to rev even the tiniest sci-fi nerds engines.

VROOM, VROOM.

Once I started reading I couldn’t strip my eyes from the pages. They were super glued, to every frame, every creature, and every battle. I loved meeting all of the major characters, Tars Tarkas, Princess Dejah Thoris, Sola, and a little green monster dog named Woola who was so slimy and cute I couldn’t help but smile at her overzealous behavior. What I liked most about Warlord of Mars was the back story. While the movie failed to give us history and depth to our characters, the graphic novel excelled at delivering the who, what, when, where and why certain things where happening. Though the storylines were different, it was still nice to get a sense of who our characters were and what made them into the people they are today.

Overall, the story of John Carter and his victories around Mars are told brilliantly in this graphic novel. I highly, highly, highly, (and in case you didn’t hear me) HIGHLY, recommend Warlord of Mars Volume 1 to all Science Fiction/Fantasy/Adventure lovers. And due to the extreme graphic nature of this comic, please read responsibly and keep it over 18.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork leans heavily on the bombastic side, but it's still beautiful. The narration is done in what sounds like a Civil War era style, so it's also a bit exagerrated, but I enjoyed the feel of it. Dejah Thoris is welcome eye candy. I'm surprised the artist got away with showing so much skin. Even with these aspects that might be seen as lacking, the story reads itself. It's just a joy to behold this universe that is much unlike our own.

John Carter was a Confederate captain during the American Civil War. After the war he tries to make a living searching for gold with help from his friend, James K. Powell, also an ex-captain. The latter gets captured by Apaches and gets killed while Carter tries to rescue him. Carter ends up in a cave where a mist surrounds and paralizes him. He feels an irresistible pull from Mars and finds that he has instantly travelled there.

Tars and Tarkas are two martian warriors who are shown rescuing children from a group of White Apes. Their return to Jed, their leader and judge, where Tarkas challenges Tars to a duel. Tars kills Tarkas, claims his name and gains the title of vice-chieftain.

Carter discovers that his strength is greatly augmented on Mars. He meets Tars Tarkas who takes him to his city where Carter accidentally defeats a martian warrior and gains the martians' approval. While exploring, Carter is attacked by a White Ape and saved by Woola, something like a martian dog, gaining its loyalty. He also gets close to Sola, the female who was saved by Tars and is secretly his daughter, making him feel less like an outsider while he trains under the martians.

A repulsed aerial attack on the city results in a human-looking female named Dejah Thoris being captured by the martians. She is interrogated rather brutally, so Carter helps her to the dismay of the martians who are unwilling to challenge him. He is smitten by her beauty and she also cares for him.

Carter's position as chieftain is a precarious one. The other chieftains await an excuse to kill him as per their custom: in self-defense or if he tries to escape with Dejah. Sarkoja, a scheming female initially owned by Tarkas, convinces the judge of Thark, Tal Hajus, to sentence Carter to fight in the arena, so Carter decides to escape with Dejah and Sola. They split up with Carter remaining behind to cover the women's escape, but he then loses track of them. Hungry and thirsty, Carter stumbles onto the atmosphere factory where he meets an old man. The latter is initially inviting, but Carter doesn't trust him and leaves the factory after having obtained the secret code for opening its doors.

Carter's meeting with the red martians goes a lot better. They dye his skin so he can pass as a red martian when he enrolls in the air scouts in Zodanga, where Dejah is being held. He saves the nephew of the Jeddak of Zodanga, the governor, and gets appointed as the Jeddak's bodyguard. He then finds that Dejah is supposed to marry the Jeddak's son to end the war between Zodanga and Helios. Dejah is unable to do anything because of martian custom, but Carter doesn't give up.

Carter finds the Tharks who are almost wiped out by an underhanded attack. Tal Hajus is responsible for sending them into that battle, so Tars kills and replaces him as Jeddak. Tars elevates Carter to chieftain, allowing him to use the green martians against Zodanga, to lift the siege on Helios and free Dejah from her betrothal.

They receive news that the caretaker of the atmosphere factory is dead and the factory has stopped pumping air. Carter quckly makes his way there, but passes out because of a lack of oxygen. He wakes up back on Earth.

[Terence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Largely faithful adaptation of Burrough's A Princess of Mars and the artwork is good (3+ stars, though both red and green women are gravity-defying pin ups, even accounting for Mars' weaker field). But the writer doubles down on Carter's problematic origins (ex-Confederate soldier) and his appalling self-centeredness (a throwaway line about the horrors of Zodanga's sacking by the Tharks even though he's the one who led them there).

Going back to the artwork, Lucio Parrillo's covers are particularly striking. Dejah Thoris is highly sexualized, of course, but she's also the most realistic and beautiful visualization (IMO). There are also a couple of art nouveau-inspired panels by Stephen Sadowski that are of interest.

[Fred Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Carter

A very good graphic depiction of the books. Read both, even the movie which is much better than the reviews.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Warlord of Mars" is an adult comic re-imaging of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "A Princess of Mars." I can't directly compare the storyline to the original source because it's been many years since I've read the work, but much of what I remembered seemed to match up in the adaptation, albeit with some introductory changes to round the characterizations a bit. The artwork contained in this collection of volumes is quite well done. I liked the clarity in the individual cover art pieces, as well as the in-comic art, which captures the characters and settings for the work as Burroughs' imagined. There's graphic images of gore/blood and nudity (or near nudity), but nothing's actually shown on the latter note.

John Carter is a Virginia native, a soldier of the Confederate Army who has his world upturned when, after a harrowing encounter, teleports into a kingdom of Mars. The world seems quite grand and much unlike his own - with a distinct group of green aliens who speak in a tongue much different than his. He's taken under the supervision (and ultimately building friendship) of Tars Tarkas. After some time spent in recovery, learning their language and customs, Carter meets a princess (Dejah Thoris) who wants to return to her kingdom.

John Carter's a likable hero to follow, a gentleman yet one who's apt to defend himself in the heart of a conflict or challenge. He learns quickly, doesn't hesitate to explore the realm around him, and is loyal to his comrades. The pacing is pretty quick in this, and it's a simple, yet enjoyable story as John navigates the realms he travels to in Mars, learns the culture and technology there, and ultimately falls in love with Dejah Thoris in his encounters and travels with her.

I think for an action oriented, sci-fi story, it was well done. Given the pacing of the work, it was appropriate for the story told. It wasn't my favorite because there are the all-too-familiar tropes of the princess needing saving, John Carter seemingly learning everything with lightning speed and not seeming to have any major flaws, yet I still found it enjoyable. I used to read a lot of Burroughs works (Tarzan mainly, but I think I read the first two John Carter books when I was in middle school) when I was younger, and I appreciated this first installment of what is a multi-volume collection. This is certainly a collection would think Burroughs' readers and sci-fi/fantasy comic fans would appreciate.

Overall: 3/5

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Dynamite Entertainment.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warlord of Mars Volume 1 is a great and colourful adaption of the first John Carter novels and charts the character of John Carter as he is transported to the planet of Mars and meets Green Men of Mars and the Princess of Mars Dejah Thoris! :D The pacing of the story is relentless and never gives up for a second with the plot allocations changing by the page! :D Even amongst this though the characters are very much developed! :D The story is also told from the point of view as if the story was a document found by the author E R Burroughs! :D

The art style is bright and vibrant the characters expressions and the landscape and technology been displayed in brilliant detail giving a real feel for the events occurring! :D The style is very much in the 1930s style you would expect at the same time with a modern twist that brings the story a great style! :D

Fast-paced, great drawing and inking, three-dimensional characters and plotline, brilliant stuff and highly recommended! :D

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too bad. The story is very well-written. The artwork could use a bit of work here and there. It is quite a bit different from the recent John Carter movie, but I'd guess it hews closer to the original material than the movie did. All in all, it was worth reading.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warlord of Mars is a graphic novel of the John Carter from Mars Edgar Rice Burroughs stories.
The colored art is superhero style, photo-realistic with a lot of detail on muscles and clothing. The book is very text-heavy, starting with a note from ER Burroughs saying that this story is from John Carter's diaries and continuing with John reaching Arizona as a confederate soldier in search of gold.
The parts on Mars have much less dialogue, and John is essentially superman with a 12-pack. The woman, Dejah, is equally offensively drawn, but while John gains clothing throughout the story,she does not.
If you're interested in the John Carter stories, you could try this graphic novel.

[Dan Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very ambivalent on this book. On one hand it is a very faithful adaptation of “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice
Burroughs. This means all the blood and breasts one would expect. It also brings with it ERB’s favorable presentation of the Confederacy. Judge for yourself if as a faithful presentation of the source material that needs to come too, or if it could have been relegated to the past the way many modern Tarzan adaptations manage to get by with fewer stereotypes. Still a well produced book and definitely a look at the original in a graphic medium.

[Terrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

A acceptable retelling of Edgar Rice Burroughs classic tale. The author took a few liberties with the story, that neither added to, nor detracted from the original story. The artwork is acceptable, yet
in my opinion nothing amazing. I felt that the Tharks could have been drawn with much more detail. Overall, this graphic novel was simply okay. Borrow it from the library as I did.

[Matthew J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mars Needs Silicone!
This is a fairly by the numbers adaptation of "A Princess of Mars," but with some super cartoony, giant boobied art.
It's also that weird thing, where the nudity is slightly edited, but the violence is sometimes quite graphic. A nipple? Never! An exploding head? No problem.

[Centauri · Rating 2 out of 5]

the movie was better!
SPOILERS, maybe
...
The protagonist had no humbleness, humility, or vulnerability. On top of all that, those of Barsoom were too eager & ready to "bow" down before the odd pale man. John Carter was not just a strange & fantastic mystery to the indigenous peoples of the Sister Red Planet, he was their superior; John was too quickly accepted as not an equal, but a better.
How did he just know how to fly the Barsoom airships? How did he just know how to tap into telepathy? How did he so quickly accumulate to the knowledge of the red world? John Carter being able to jump so greatly & be super strong is answered by "skewed science," which for a fantasy, sci-fi tale is acceptable & plausible. But his other gifts? His lack of needing to adapt? None of that helped with character building. I was so disappointed in this story.

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cómic tipo pulp, con ilustraciones sugerentes en donde todos los personajes van prácticamente desnudos. La historia es un buen punto de partida para comenzar a leer la saga de John Carter.

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη]

Did not finifh σελ. 50

Μπα. Δεν ένιωσα καμιά σπίθα.

[El Shnookmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arvid has a new original comic book, Band of the Crow. Check out the trailer https://youtu.be/Z16wRyYKl2A?si=gEEFy...

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A faithful version of the first Barsoom novel. The original book was pulp fun filled with sex and violence which makes it well-suited for a graphic adaptation. The artist even works in some tasteful nudity before covering everyone up.

[Abhinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadowhawk reviews the first volume in the retelling of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic Princess of Mars. This is a nine-issue collection with additional bonus material that somewhat parallels the story of John Carter the movie as well.

“Expect to be bowled over by this fantastic retelling and wowed by the amazing artwork as Arvid Nelson tackles the origin story of one of the world’s first superheroes. You seriously cannot miss reading this.” ~ The Founding Fields

I am a recent convert to the world of John Carter, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs all those years ago. It began with the movie John Carter and then progressed through to reading the first two volumes of Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris and now with this. I have to say that I really can’t get enough of this entire setting and the characters and the location itself. They are all just too evocative and immersive. You can get lost for hours and not even realise how much time has passed. Warlord of Mars Volume 1 is just utterly fantastic in that way.

Warlord of Mars Volume 1 is John Carter’s origin story in that it tells of how he comes to Mars and becomes a legend in the histories of both the Tharks and the Red Men. In all aspects, this is a very mature and serious narrative that really shows the more brutal side of John Carter’s first visit to Barsoom, as Mars is known by the natives. Comparatively, John Carter is very upbeat and even Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris often has a less serious tone. That was the charm of this graphic novel for me. I wasn’t reading just a comic-book adaptation of Princess of Mars, but something much more that can really appeal to the adult readers.

The story is very much a romp through the world. We get to see the workings of the Thark society throughout as Arvid Nelson exposes John Carter to this Orcish race of the future and then later with the Red Men as the hero gets embroiled in their inter-city conflicts. This helped me in immersing myself into the narrative. By the end of the collection, I felt like I understood both the Martian societies as they were well-developed and well-characterised. In any SF setting, in order to portray alien societies as realistic and unique, it is important to work on developing them in detail, whether it is a direct experience for the reader through the eyes of the “aliens” themselves or through the “non-alien” characters. It also helps if there is a strong basis for contrast with something that the readers will be familiar with: our own Earthly societies and cultures.

A full review can be found over at The Founding Fields:

http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/06/...

[Abhinav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though Arvid keeps the plot close to the original work, the story deviates in minor ways to keep the reader hooked on. Arvid's art is excellent. Definitely a book some teenager will keep locked in a secret chamber! Dejah Thoris is showed as a distant outline to her cheesy damsel in distress image in the original. She mostly shown in pinup poster poses, while having her wear pasties alone was not enough. Good imagination by Arvid, though his drawings of the Tharks and John Carter himself are not consistent throughout the volume. For instance, JC's muscle mass and jaw size varies a lot from the historical gentleman to the iron pumped fashion model playboyish looks. And the Tharks' teeth evolve from looking like fangs to tusks towards the end.

Good book, definite eye candy, but meant for only one-time reading.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there was some additional material at the beginning, this collection generally made a fairly faithful retelling of "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Although enjoyable, I'm not sure we really need that kind of faithful retelling. Certainly not those of us who have read the orginal novel in all it's expanded glory.

The art in today's graphic novels continues to amaze me. I thought this art was really good, although because everyone is so overly endowed it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between, say, Dejah Thoris, and other red women of Barsoom. I ceratinly can't come close to drawing this well, though.

I thought the backgrounds, and particularly the envisionining of the flying craft of Mars was the best work.

[Fabian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this one for free in a Humble Bundle with a bunch of source books for the Pathfinder Pen & Paper RPG, and for that it was alright. Barely.

This is an old-school pulpy sexist white saviory slaughterfest, played completely straight, without even the tiniest bit of irony. The storytelling is so shallow and outdated that, in a way, it's almost endearing. When the female lead/love interest shows up mostly naked on the issue cover two issues before she even makes her first appearance in the story, you know what you're in for.

The art is okay, but not enough to lift it up to two stars. Even if you get it for free, it’s not really worth reading.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was quite impressed by this graphic novel adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough's first Barsoom story, A Princess of Mars. The entire book is neatly encapsulated in this eight issue collection, with no padding or questionable cuts. The story moves along at a fast pace, just like Burrough's original yarn, and the artwork is fantastic. While I prefer ERB's novel, this is a high quality adaptation and one I can recommend wholeheartedly.

[Ginny Lurcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

...I can tell you that the story was an excellent adaptation. Sure in places there was less detail then you would���ve gotten from actually reading the novel, but it never felt lacking. Ok it felt a bit lacking in the speed at which John and Dejah fall madly in love��� but I���m willing to forgive that because of the art...

For a full review, click here

[j_ay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Research for a sketch card project...

A fair adaptation of the novel (in which the "writer" should be credited with "adapted by", *not* "writer") with rather atrocious, embarrassing art.
Put badly proportioned tits on each cover (even if the entire contents have no female(s) within) and the comic will sell?
Sad...

[Mike McDevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fair adaptation of the book. For some reason, pasties the exact size and shape of female nipples are acceptable comic-book imagery, while authentic-to-the-source-material nudity is not. Bums for both genders and, indeed, species ARE allowable. Huh. Grotesque violence remains adorable childen's fare!

[Heine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not understand the decision, to continue this miniseries beyond Burrough's first book. It starts faithful to the original material, but when it goes beyond book one, it only looks loosely at the source material for the final 3 or 4 issues.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable and well illustrated. Considerably closer to the book "A Princess of Mars" than the film "John Carter" was. Well recommended to any fans of either John Carter or the Sword and Planet genre.

[Sctechsorceress · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this version of the John Carter story. While the story is well known and certainly simplified for the comical format, it was well presented here. I found the art to be well suited to the story.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent graphic novelization of the original "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs. True (for the most part) to the original source, this book brings all of the excitement, chivalry and glory of Barsoom to the graphic page. Lots of fun to read.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Very faithful to the source material (unlike the recent film), although as another review mentioned, it is based around A Princess of Mars as opposed to the third book in the series (titled Warlord of Mars). Lots of extras at the end after the story too, including some great artwork.