JANE PORTER: THE PRIMORDIAL PERIL, from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., recounts one of Jane’s adventures as a respected archeologist. This time she finds an unexpected dig, run by a longtime rival in the Arctic.
The Details
- Written by: Mike Wolfer
- Art by: Roy Allen Martinez
- Colors by: Diego Vazquez
- Letters by: Natalie Jane
- Cover art by: Roy Allen Martinez, Bruna Costa
- Comic Rating: All Ages
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: Available Now
Is It Good?
There’s nothing quite like an authentic Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure. JANE PORTER: THE PRIMORDIAL PERIL, published by the company founded by the famous author, continues Jane’s solo adventures across the globe to deliver a classic pulp adventure synonymous with Burroughs’s reputation. If you’re a Burroughs fan, you’re in for a treat.
Since this comic is published by Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc., it’s considered canon. What immediately comes across in the setting, dialog, and plot is a painstaking effort by the entire creative team to keep Jane’s voice and adventure as authentic as possible to her roots. For Burroughs fans, authenticity matters, so on that point, this comic is a winner.
The plot involves Jane Porter stumbling upon a secret archaeological dig run by Anton Helvig, a morally corrupt scientific rival and profiteer. The dig bears out a unique, potentially profitable, and possibly dangerous discovery. In other words, it’s the perfect setup for a story set in the world of Tarzan and Jane.
In terms of writing execution, the pacing is solid albeit slower in the middle, the dialog is pinpoint accurate for Jane, the conflict hits all the right notes for the spirit of adventure mixed with discovery, and the action is trademark Burroughs. Again, this comic is clearly made by Burroughs fans for Burroughs fans, but it’s crafted well enough to be accessible to all readers.
Roy Allen Martinez’s art is outstanding in this issue. Martinez’s figure work is excellent, the character designs are grounded but memorable, and CVazquez’s digital colors are some of the best around. The minor down point is a slight lack of energy during the action scenes.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Jane Porter arriving at a previous archaeological dig in the Arctic, only to find the dig has been commandeered and greatly expanded by an unknown scientific team. When one of the guards takes Jane captive at gunpoint, she’s brought into the dig’s main office to find the leader of the facility is her longtime rival, Anton Helvig.
Jane knows Helvig is up to no good, but she plays along until she can find out what Helvig is up to. Helvig, eager to boast of his archaeological superiority, shows Jane one of his new discoveries from the site – a resuscitated Sabretooth Tiger. Unfortunately, the tiger woke up from its sedation and surprised the doctor performing an examination. Helvig gives the order to have his guards kill the tiger, but Jane intervenes with techniques only a Lady of the Jungle could master.
We conclude the issue with more surprises, an immoral scheme, and the deadly cost of betrayal.
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Final Thoughts
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JANE PORTER: THE PRIMORDIAL PERIL is a new adventure for Jane Porter that feels like it was made by Burroughs fans for Burroughs fans. The character work, in the writing and art, is spot-on, and the adventure feels right at home in Tarzan & Jane’s mythology.
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