DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER OF MARS #6

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Writer: Dan Abnett

Artists: Alessandro Miracolo & Vincenzo Carratu

The big battle with the Longborn. John Carter fights the Longborn in their clone bodies. Meanwhile Dejah fights a clone of John Carter. They both have a tough fight and talk about their feelings. Eventually John Carter kills the Longborn. Dejah kills the clone Carter but not before it kills Rotak Gall. At about this time, Kantos Kan detonates a radium bomb at the ruins to seal in the Longborn. Carter and Dejah manage to find a portal to another world. They are in some new world and kiss.

The final issue of this series was a very mediocre ending. Not a lot happens with the writer giving us a whole bunch of talking while they fight. Naturally they win and get blown into a new world. Sadly, Dan Abnett is not the guy to write Dejah or Carter. While some of his ideas have promise and there were some interesting moments, the reality is he just doesn’t understand the characters. I never really felt like I was reading a Barsoom story. So, we will see what the new writer can do for the upcoming John Carter series.

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER OF MARS #5

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Writer: Dan Abnett

Artist: Alessandro Miracolo

John Carter and Dejah Thoris are lost in the palace of Gall. They find themselves in different times and have to fight a giant T-Rex and the black pirate clones. Gall meanwhile has to create two clone host bodies for the Longborn. The Longborn are desperate for their dimension is about to die. They also decide to terminate their agreement with Gall and kill him. Gall manages to transfer his conscience into another clone and contact John and Dejah. He leads them to the Longborn where Carter starts to fight them. Only a clone of John Carter is activated.

Well, this was a decent issue. Storywise I had no problems with it. The two are trying to find Gall. Gall gets betrayed by the Longborn. The Longborn are desperate and resort to what they call “mortal urgency.” The only real problem is I just feel meh about this. The story isn’t grabbing me and with only one more issue I doubt it will do that.

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER OF MARS #4

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Writer: Dan Abnett

Artist: Alessandro Miracolo

John Carter and Dejah Thoris are now captives of Rotak Gall. He takes a genetic sample of Carter to create his army of clone warriors. Fortunately, Dejah managed to hide an arcanotech pick under the skin of her wrist. She frees Carter and the two try to find a way out. They battle some of the Black Pirate clone warriors who they find have the face of Rotak. They make it to a radio that communicates by telepathy. Dejah contacts Matai Shang with instructions that the gateway must be destroyed to prevent the invasion by the Longborn. Even if it means that Carter and Dejah will be trapped in another dimension.

This issue was a fairly mediocre one. It had a bunch of time for the characters to discuss their feelings which isn’t all that exciting. Carter also seems to be going back a little into his self-pity. Dejah of course saves the day with her putting a lockpick under her wrist. They escape and have some battle with more discussing of feelings. Find a radio and tell Matai and Kantos Kan to destroy the gateway and probably sacrificing themselves. Also didn’t care for the art in this issue. Dejah and Carter are drawn to look too much alike.

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER OF MARS #3

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Writer: Dan Abnett

Artist: Alessandro Miracolo

John Carter has arrived at the interdimensional palace of Rotak Gall. Gall has been expecting him and takes his captive Dejah to meet the Longborn. At a gate she sees two of the Longborn for the first time. They are impressed with Dejah and how she managed to disrupt their plans to conquer Barsoom. Now that Dejah has united the planet the Long Winter will not work. They have decided to use the direct method and conquer outright. They plan to use Dejah as bait to lure John Carter to them and capture him. Which they manage to do at the end by wearing him down with numbers. Gall will use Carter to genetically create an army of super Earthmen to conquer the world.

This issue we get to finally meet the Longborn. Actually, I am not that impressed. They just seem to be giant guys. Yet we find out they are gods that created the planets. Now they want to take over. They also plan to create a clone army of John Carters. Not a bad idea and has some potential. Nice to see Carter no longer this whiny pussy and actually being a man of action. A heavy exposition issue intercut with scenes of Carter fighting hordes of warriors and giant creatures. Not a real exciting issue but does give us some insight into the plot. Enough to keep my interest.

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER OF MARS #2

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Writer: Dan Abnett

Artist: Alessandro Miracolo

Dejah and company come face to face with Rotak Gall a mastermind scientist. He seems to be harmless and except for some monsters that he sends away, no threat to anyone. Rotak claims that he was mind controlled by Shab Than and forced to do their bidding. What that was? Well, Rotak offers to show the group. Only he manages to transport Dejah alone to another dimension. In this dimension he shows her what he was working on. Genetically engineered black pirates that could survive the long winter. They capture Dejah and Rotak then tells her his plan. He will sell her to the Longborn in exchange for them letting him live when they invade. John Carter hears that Dejah is gone and goes to the palace of Rotak. He manages to find the dimensional doorway and faces a horde of the black pirates.

This second issue was something I really enjoyed. The story was interesting with an intriguing character. He starts out as harmless but is revealed to be anything but. Now Dejah is a prisoner with him building an army of genetically enhanced black pirates. What I was really happy to see is John Carter back to himself. No longer this pathetic simp but a man of action. He goes after Dejah and comes out fighting. Definitely an improvement over the first issue.

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER OF MARS #1

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Writer: Dan Abnett

Artist: Alessandro Miracolo

Dejah is now queen of all Barsoom apparently. She takes off to find a scientist that was working for the deposed regime. John Carter is left behind full of self-pity. All he can do is whine about being pathetic and wanting to go back to Virginia. Dejah’s ship comes to a jungle and is attacked by a huge creature. Dejah with special armor is able to jump off the ship and kill it single-handedly. Fortunately, the Therns are along and can use their magical powers to kill all the other beasts that the scientist Rotak Gall created. They find the scientists palace and him sitting on the steps.

A new series continuing where the last one left off. Dejah is now the Jeddara and taking charge to fight the Longborn. This series title implies that John and Dejah become rivals and fight each other. So far that doesn’t look very likely. John Carter is a whiny pathetic excuse. Really not a fan of this. This is the typical bullshit of having to elevate the woman character by denigrating the male one. Dejah in this is some super perfect Mary Sue. She can just save everyone against a worm creature as tall as the Empire State building without breaking a sweat. Also don’t care for making the Therns these overpowering super magical people. In the books they were pretty much a bunch of charlatans and losers.

I will end on some positive notes. The overall story has some potential. The art looks OK, and this weird scientist has piqued my interest. So, we will see what the next issue brings us.