DEJAH THORIS VS. JOHN CARTER OF MARS #2 – Review

In DEJAH THORIS VS. JOHN CARTER OF MARS #2, available from Dynamite Comics on August 25th, 2021, Dejah confronts Rotak Gall, evil scientist and manipulator, in his mountain hideaway to find out what experiments he was conducting for Sabal Than and Kurz Kurtos.

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The Details

• Written By: Dan Abnett
• Art By: Alessandro Miracolo
• Colors By: Dearbhla Kelly
• Letters By: Simon Bowland
• Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: August 25, 2021

Was It Good?

Yes, I enjoyed this issue quite a bit for the classic, pulp vibe in the introduction of this new villain, Rotak Gall.

It’s a common occurrence these days to try and make villains relatable or redeemable. To portray them as regular people just like you and me who made one too many bad decisions in life or just had one really bad day to set them on the wrong path. Refreshingly, there’s none of that here. Rotak Gall is as deceptive and slimy as an evil genius scientist as you’ll ever meet.

You may wonder why that’s important. It’s important because it helps readers’ motivation to have a truly evil villain that you desperately want your heroes to punch in the face. It’s great to root for your villains, and it’s even better to also want to root against the villain. Comeuppance is a powerful emotional hook when it’s done right, and it’s done the right way in this issue.

Storywise, you get a strong pairing of heroes, a villain you’re completely on board with hating, and the entire scene is cast in a seamless blend of ancient tech that could almost pass for magic with grounded swordplay as the heroes fight to save their planet. The story is simply fun.

As for the art, Miracolo is the master of gestures. We don’t talk about hands enough, but you can convey quite a bit of tone through hand gestures that enhance the expression of emotions more than body posture can do alone. You get the complete acting-through-art package in this issue, and it looks great. As with prior issues, Kelly uses a muted color palette that lowers the energy of the scenes. It would help to add in some occasional pop of color for impact.

in all, this is a well-drawn, well-acted, and narratively fun issue. I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

this is the first series pairing John Carter with Dejah Thoris we’ve had in a long while, so go back to our DEJAH THORIS VS. JOHN CARTER OF MARS #1 review to get reacquainted.

When last we left Dejah and her team, they found themselves face-to-face with Rotak Gall, a brilliant scientist in service to Sabal Than and Kurz Kurtos. Now that the pretender king has been dethroned and his witch-queen in hiding, Gall holds many secrets to what the dastardly duo was working on and how it relates to the coming Longborn invasion.

At first, Gall is apologetic, claiming his brilliant mind was coerced into unsavory experiments. When he offers to show everyone what Kurtos “made” him do, he and Dejah suddenly disappear after walking through a ruined archway, leaving everyone else behind.

Gall rigged the archway to transport himself and Dejah to a laboratory positioned between dimensions. There, he’s been secretly breeding genetic supermen to be used as hosts for himself, Kurtos, and Than. Things go from bad to worse as Dejah has to fight against a small army by herself with only her sword and her strength-enhancing army.

We conclude the issue with Dejah’s fight not going as planned, more insight into Gall’s scheme, and John Carter doing what John Carter does best.

Final Thoughts

DEJAH THORIS VS. JOHN CARTER OF MARS #2 takes a big step forward in amping up the separation by giving us a villain you love to hate, a seemingly impossible trap to escape, and hero moments aplenty. The art represents a great example of acting-through-drawing and the cliffhanger is a spot-on example of building anticipation.

Score: 9/10