This review originally appeared on Goodreads on June 24, 2012.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris Volume 1 – The Colossus of Mars

By Arvid Nelson (Writer), Carlos Rafael (Artist) – Dynamite Entertainment – November 1, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Set four hundred years before the events of Edgar Rice Burrough's A Princess of Mars, this comic focuses on the adventures of Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium. This five issue miniseries is about a renegade jeddak (Martian chief) and his attempt to destroy rival city-states through the use of an ancient golem-like war machine.

While it'd be disingenuous to deny that cheesecake artwork—Dynamite's specialty—is a major selling point (as in ERB's original stories, Martians wear very little clothing, and they don't call her “the incomparable” Dejah Thoris for nothing), I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the storytelling.

If anything, Dejah Thoris is a stronger character here in the comics than in the original Barsoom tales. While in the novels she tends to function as a kidnapping victim or quest object, here she takes a much more pro-active approach. She's generally in a leadership role, comfortable in battle, and proves herself to be exceedingly competent and resourceful. She's got more depth than the cover would suggest.

This story was much more engaging than Dynamite's other Warlord of Mars spin-off, Fall of Barsoom. I look forward to future volumes.

★★★★☆

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