PRODIGY: SLAVES OF MARS #4, by Dark Horse Comics on 11/20/24, sends the Crane brothers on a jaunt to Sri Lanka after they figure out how their father recovered Martian artifacts.
Credits:
- Writer: Mark Millar
- Artist: Stefano Landini
- Colorist: Michele Assarasakorn
- Letterer: Clem Robins
- Cover Artist: Stefano Landini
- Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
- Release Date: November 20, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature (for language)
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of PRODIGY: SLAVES OF MARS #4:
First Impressions:
Say what you will about writer Mark Millar’s creative choices, but the man knows how to pull out a whopper of a surprise to keep you on your toes. Not only does Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #4 pull the rug out from under you with a big swing in the plot department, but you get one heck of a twofer for a cliffhanger.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left the Crane brothers in Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #3, they stopped a worldwide nuclear holocaust with minutes to spare when they stopped the mysterious Froth Schroeder from mind-controlling the President into launching missiles against the world’s superpowers. The issue ended with no good deed going unpunished as the brothers were forced to make an unbelievable leap to avoid capture by the authorities, and Froth Schroeder was revealed to be a front from someone (or something) else.
In Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #4, we begin with a brief flashback showing Elijah’s decision, at 15 years old, to leave home and get away from his father’s overbearing life plans for him and his brother, Edison. Now, the adult brothers break into a museum dedicated to Edison to find what they need to travel without resorting to transportation systems that will get them spotted.
Mark Millar keeps the nigh-unbelievable hijinks of the Crane brothers at a high level as they use their superhuman smarts to find materials, come up with plans, and concoct futuristic tools in the blink of an eye. It would be ludicrous if Millar didn’t make it so damned entertaining.
The brothers “borrow” the aero-car Edison invented when he was 12 years old (last seen in Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #1) to get them where they need to go. Where? Elijah concluded the dot map they found earlier wasn’t a constellation but the location of multiple research stations on the Earth, built around ancient stargates. Elijah theorizes their father’s rocket program to reach Mars failed, so he used the stargates to reach Mars and recover the artifacts. Their next stop? Sri Lanka.
Millar injects all the speed and spirit of adventure of an Indiana Jones tale as the brothers roll up their sleeves and head out to their next destination, ready to face whatever they find. The only missing is a transition scene showing their Aer-car following a red arrow as it glides across a map of the world.
The brothers arrived at their father’s Sri Lankan research facility and made a risky air jump to avoid getting spotted. Unfortunately, Elijah’s high-impact suit doesn’t work as planned, so their landing is rough. When they scramble out of the mud and much, they find a facility of ultra-powerful research antennas pointed at the sky and a small army of mind-controlled soldiers pointed in their direction.
The issue concludes with modern solutions for modern problems, a step into the unknown, and the last person they expected to find.
Overall, Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #4 delivers clever twists and turns, an Indiana Jones-like spirit of adventure, planet-hopping surprises, and a doozy of a cliffhanger. Mark Millar’s tale gets better with every issue.
Artwork and Presentation:
Stefano Landini’s artwork goes a long way toward making this series feel semi-realistic and grounded to the Nth degree while adding the little surreal touches that show off the creativity of all the geniuses involved. The panels move and flow just as you would imagine for storyboards used to film a live-action sequence, but Landini packs in the details and special touches to elevate the visuals well beyond mere reference.
Art Samples:
Final Thoughts:
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PRODIGY: SLAVES OF MARS #4 amps up the adventure when the Crane brothers’ investigation takes them around the world and beyond. Mark Millar’s script creates an entertaining mix of surreal realism, elevated by Stefano Landini’s grounded yet kinetic art. This issue was a lot of fun.
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