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Dejah Thoris #g1
Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars Volume 1
Deadly appetites for power -- and flesh -- threaten the life of Dejah Thoris, the proud princess of distant Mars! Intent on shattering the fragile peace between her red-skinned people and his green-skinned species, the brutal Voro kidnaps Dejah away to his underground hideaway. But it's not a ransom from her lover John Carter that this rogue Thark is after. Voro is a butcher by trade, and for the Green Men who never lost their taste for red meat, the flesh of Heliumite women is always in demand. Unless she can break free from his slaughterhouse, the incomparable Dejah Thoris will become the rarest of delicacies!
112 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 19, 2015
Not quite sure what to think here. The basic plot of the story seemed pretty good. The art was well done but many of the panels were so dark that I had a hard time making out what was going on, and I couldn't always follow the tale from panel to panel. Part of that is probably because I don't read a lot of comic book work. I also prefer my John Carter to be leaner, but I know the steroid style bodybuilder form is popular now. The print font seemed awfully small to me too, but that could be partly because I'm older.
One story issue for me was that it really, really went out of its way to put Dejah Thoris into sexual positions that seemed to me to strongly suggest rape by the Green Men. I don't mind the heroine-in-danger storyline, and Dejah certainly proves to be resourceful and a good warrior in the story. One might argue that the danger of rape should be shown in such tales to represent reality. I found it a bit much myself.
One story issue for me was that it really, really went out of its way to put Dejah Thoris into sexual positions that seemed to me to strongly suggest rape by the Green Men. I don't mind the heroine-in-danger storyline, and Dejah certainly proves to be resourceful and a good warrior in the story. One might argue that the danger of rape should be shown in such tales to represent reality. I found it a bit much myself.
December 6, 2013
I've followed Dynamite Entertainment's various comic series based upon "Warlord on Mars" and this is one of the better adventures I've come across in a while. The last volumes I perused had Dejah Thoris, one of the main characters, really not doing much of anything and being something of a damsel in distress in environments that really went for show rather than being anything remotely that I could believe. Suffice to say, I was more than disappointed perusing those.
Thankfully, that changes with this particular volume, a compilation of four issues in the "Dejah Thoris and the Green Men" line. Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkkas, and John Carter all make appearances in this volume, but Dejah's taking the reins as she's captured by a rogue group of Green Men who torture and brutalize their prisoners, auctioning off body parts of their victims to the highest bidder. Dejah's on the run and fighting for her life. Fair warning for graphic violence and torture scenes.
The consistency of the artwork is much better in this particular installation, and the story held my attention for all of the thirty minutes it took for me to read it. The volume also contains a full color risque cover gallery, which I appreciated from an artistic rendering perspective (warning: contains graphic nudity).
In sum it was a well written compilation written by Mark Rahner and illustrated by Lui Antonio. I would read future installments of the series based on this one, and I hope the momentum of the storylines and the artwork quality continue with it. It was a quality compilation for what it offered.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
Thankfully, that changes with this particular volume, a compilation of four issues in the "Dejah Thoris and the Green Men" line. Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkkas, and John Carter all make appearances in this volume, but Dejah's taking the reins as she's captured by a rogue group of Green Men who torture and brutalize their prisoners, auctioning off body parts of their victims to the highest bidder. Dejah's on the run and fighting for her life. Fair warning for graphic violence and torture scenes.
The consistency of the artwork is much better in this particular installation, and the story held my attention for all of the thirty minutes it took for me to read it. The volume also contains a full color risque cover gallery, which I appreciated from an artistic rendering perspective (warning: contains graphic nudity).
In sum it was a well written compilation written by Mark Rahner and illustrated by Lui Antonio. I would read future installments of the series based on this one, and I hope the momentum of the storylines and the artwork quality continue with it. It was a quality compilation for what it offered.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
January 16, 2014
Bit of a funny business, pasties. If you cover up all the naughty bits just right, with nothing off color peeking through, it appears to be more acceptable than not. Which is why the some of the cover artists have made two identical copies of their covers, one of which risquely feature... no pasties.
But I deviate. Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars is not only a prepubescent fantasy drawn out in gorgeous slathers of ink, it is also a scantily clad story about female empowerment. Even Princesses of Mars have PTSD, and when your horror literally returns, you just have to take things into hand and fight back for yourself despite any paralyzing fears you might have.
Men always want women for their body parts and the green men in question are not any different. With their two sets of extra-muscular arms flexing, they take and take and take from the other women imprisoned along with Dejah Thoris until they're reduced to exhausted, vestigial vessels. The Princess of Mars hones her fear down to a weapon point and fights back.
Unfortunately, the fact that just about every female character is endowed with major sexy body parts straining at every opportunity to escape from their stylish restrains pretty much cancels out any message about female empowerment. I would be lying if I said I didn't wish I had this book when I was thirteen.
But I deviate. Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars is not only a prepubescent fantasy drawn out in gorgeous slathers of ink, it is also a scantily clad story about female empowerment. Even Princesses of Mars have PTSD, and when your horror literally returns, you just have to take things into hand and fight back for yourself despite any paralyzing fears you might have.
Men always want women for their body parts and the green men in question are not any different. With their two sets of extra-muscular arms flexing, they take and take and take from the other women imprisoned along with Dejah Thoris until they're reduced to exhausted, vestigial vessels. The Princess of Mars hones her fear down to a weapon point and fights back.
Unfortunately, the fact that just about every female character is endowed with major sexy body parts straining at every opportunity to escape from their stylish restrains pretty much cancels out any message about female empowerment. I would be lying if I said I didn't wish I had this book when I was thirteen.
December 23, 2020
This is a hard one to rate. I thought the story was fine, but somehow it left a very bad taste in my mouth. Not because it was too nasty, too sexual, or too silly--rather, a combination of all three. I don't enjoy being disgusted and titillated at the same time, and the whole thing is way too unpleasant to invoke the level of fun I expect from a John Carter story.
And speaking of John Carter, the author portrays him as rather doltish and insensitive. He felt more like an SJW critique of the character than he did the actual J.C. from the novels.
Too bad, because the basic story could have been interesting. The author obviously gets Edgar Rice Burroughs' style of plotting, if not his tactfulness and restraint.
And speaking of John Carter, the author portrays him as rather doltish and insensitive. He felt more like an SJW critique of the character than he did the actual J.C. from the novels.
Too bad, because the basic story could have been interesting. The author obviously gets Edgar Rice Burroughs' style of plotting, if not his tactfulness and restraint.
October 31, 2017
'Did she detour for a drink with her female friends? They do love to talk.' So women are gossiping alcoholics. Feminists, go get 'em! But really, the story adds a great deal of depth to the aftermath of the Red and Green alliance under Carter and Tars. Even though the two peoples are now equal partners, some remember the hatred felt during the war and choose to act with hatred from the shadows.
The Green Voro kidnaps Dejah before a ceremony. He imprisons her with other women and intends to mutilate her and feed pieces of her to the guests she invited to a festival. Vengeance is quite bloody in this story, but there is also a need for secrecy to maintain the Red-Thark alliance. Dejah is at the center of it all, but the compunded lies make it more and more difficult for her to keep everything under control.
The Green Voro kidnaps Dejah before a ceremony. He imprisons her with other women and intends to mutilate her and feed pieces of her to the guests she invited to a festival. Vengeance is quite bloody in this story, but there is also a need for secrecy to maintain the Red-Thark alliance. Dejah is at the center of it all, but the compunded lies make it more and more difficult for her to keep everything under control.
August 7, 2017
There is a universal message in this rather gruesome tale. Even in times of peace not everyone agrees to act peacefully and forget the past nor do they want peace and move forward.
Dejah is kidnapped and put in a dungeon with other people who are having their body parts removed as food on the black market. Yet, this people are still alive until all their body parts are harvested. Gruesome. Of course, Dejah escapes in exciting adventure sequences.
This book has a brilliant comment about positive change in society when Dejah is in the midst of fighting to escape she sees her friend Tars and realizes that even though his race just tried to kill her he is not her enemy. A person is not defined by the bad people within their race.
The art is average. The characters body's are exaggerated and very similar making it hard to tell who is who during the action sequences.
Dejah is kidnapped and put in a dungeon with other people who are having their body parts removed as food on the black market. Yet, this people are still alive until all their body parts are harvested. Gruesome. Of course, Dejah escapes in exciting adventure sequences.
This book has a brilliant comment about positive change in society when Dejah is in the midst of fighting to escape she sees her friend Tars and realizes that even though his race just tried to kill her he is not her enemy. A person is not defined by the bad people within their race.
The art is average. The characters body's are exaggerated and very similar making it hard to tell who is who during the action sequences.
January 24, 2018
Based on the classic Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this is a spin-off starring John Carter's warlord princess wife Dejah Thoris. This book is a tad gratuitous in the same manner that a Vampirella or Lady Death comic usually is, but not so over the top that I would consider this a mature read. While this is a simple 5 issue revenge story, I liked it enough to seek some more titles in the series out on Comixology - here's hoping they do it well. I always like Dynamite;'s take on classic public domain characters like this or Zorro, they treat the properties with respect and true to their roots.
February 8, 2018
Dejah Thoris is in herself a cool character - a strong and confident female adventurer heroine. But this volume begins really disturbing, with dismembered almost-naked female torsos. That's a bit rough, and not what I expected, even though it is a part of the greater story. I hope the next volumes will be much better, but this one was a chocking introduction.
December 25, 2020
what you would expect ...
August 15, 2021
Basically torture porn. I've read several other Dejah Thoris comics where she is treated as a person despite the overly sexualized drawings. Here she is literally treated as a piece of meat.
April 15, 2023
Good story but unfortunately artists continues to objectify Dejah Thoris. She barely gets to wear anything especially being a princess. Though the art is good!
August 5, 2014
When I was a boy, I read a fair amount of what one might call vintage Science Fiction. Sure, I’d also read some of the more contemporary stuff for that time (mid-1970’s to mid-1980’s), but for a whole number of reasons that modern stuff didn’t stick with me, not in the way the classics did. In the classics, the characters all seemed a bit larger-than-life. It was far easier for my young mind to imagine John Carter gallivanting around the Martian landscape than it ever was a 70’s-era astronaut. Nowadays, my tastes haven’t changed all that much – I still gravitate toward some very classic characters like John Carter, The Shadow, Conan, Batman, and Superman – but I have to say that I’m not sure what my young mind would’ve made of Dynamite Entertainment’s version of DEJAH THORIS.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the product packaging: “The peace John Carter brought to Helium and Thark is new and fragile. On the eve of a Red & Green festival to balm age-old hatreds, Dejah Thoris is kidnapped. The ordeal triggers her lingering nightmares of abuse and helplessness at the hands of brutal Tharks. And the kidnapper is nightmare personified: Voro. He caters to a taste some green men never lost: the red meat of Helium women.”
With DEJAH THORIS AND THE GREEN MEN OF MARS, it looks like Dynamite Entertainment has entirely given up the pretext of being anything like epic fantasy or golden age science fiction so far as this incarnation of the John Carter universe is concerned. In fact, a reasonable person might conclude that this four-part tale bears a striking resemblance to epic exploitation fare more than anything else. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE immediately comes to mind, as do any number of ‘Women Behind Bars’ motion pictures of the 1970’s and 80’s. I don’t say that to disparage the tale at all – in fact, I’m a bit of a fan of that whole exploitation genre of filmmaking; I do say it, though, not entirely expecting it from such a tentpole scifi figure as the Princess of Mars.
I can admire good storytelling, and scribe Mark Rahner – mining territory normally left to direct-to-DVD releases – certainly serves up a tale as captivating and the women as drawn in here. Essentially, they’re clad in little more than scraps of fabric – along with the obligatory nipple clamps and cleverly-placed jewels. (Heck, at this point, that’s half the fun of this title!) As much as others might wish to rain on the parade of one man’s rape fantasy to the next, I suppose there’s nothing all that wrong with wanting a little S&M and T&A with your A&E. That’s precisely what you get here.
Because it’s a Dejah Thoris story, John Carter really only appears as a happenstance. He’s in there, but his involvement is trivial, something which may be adjusted according in the next installment as this is openly billed as Volume 1.
DEJAH THORIS AND THE GREEN MEN OF MARS – VOLUME 1: RED MEAT is published by Dynamite Entertainment. The story is written by Mark Rahner; the art is provided by Lui Antonio; the colors are by Arison Aguiar; the lettering is done by Marshall Dillon; and the volume’s cover is by Jay Anacleto. While Dejah Thoris and John Carter are the creations of Edgar Rice Burroughs, these Dynamite comics are not authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
(MILDLY) RECOMMENDED. At this juncture, I suspect you more than I already know whether or not Dynamite Comics’ modern run on DEJAH THORIS is in your area of interest; and, if it is, then DEJAH THORIS AND THE GREEN MEN OF MARS is little more than more of the same. That isn’t a bad thing – plenty of folks are buying it or, at least, enough to keep Dynamite churning them out. But it’s amazing how far the title has come from the Walt Disney film, eh?
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’ve repeatedly reached out to the fine folks at Dynamite Entertainment for the purposes of getting on their pre-release distribution list; however, they’ve thus far refused my every request for materials. (So, yes, folks: that means I paid for this myself!)
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the product packaging: “The peace John Carter brought to Helium and Thark is new and fragile. On the eve of a Red & Green festival to balm age-old hatreds, Dejah Thoris is kidnapped. The ordeal triggers her lingering nightmares of abuse and helplessness at the hands of brutal Tharks. And the kidnapper is nightmare personified: Voro. He caters to a taste some green men never lost: the red meat of Helium women.”
With DEJAH THORIS AND THE GREEN MEN OF MARS, it looks like Dynamite Entertainment has entirely given up the pretext of being anything like epic fantasy or golden age science fiction so far as this incarnation of the John Carter universe is concerned. In fact, a reasonable person might conclude that this four-part tale bears a striking resemblance to epic exploitation fare more than anything else. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE immediately comes to mind, as do any number of ‘Women Behind Bars’ motion pictures of the 1970’s and 80’s. I don’t say that to disparage the tale at all – in fact, I’m a bit of a fan of that whole exploitation genre of filmmaking; I do say it, though, not entirely expecting it from such a tentpole scifi figure as the Princess of Mars.
I can admire good storytelling, and scribe Mark Rahner – mining territory normally left to direct-to-DVD releases – certainly serves up a tale as captivating and the women as drawn in here. Essentially, they’re clad in little more than scraps of fabric – along with the obligatory nipple clamps and cleverly-placed jewels. (Heck, at this point, that’s half the fun of this title!) As much as others might wish to rain on the parade of one man’s rape fantasy to the next, I suppose there’s nothing all that wrong with wanting a little S&M and T&A with your A&E. That’s precisely what you get here.
Because it’s a Dejah Thoris story, John Carter really only appears as a happenstance. He’s in there, but his involvement is trivial, something which may be adjusted according in the next installment as this is openly billed as Volume 1.
DEJAH THORIS AND THE GREEN MEN OF MARS – VOLUME 1: RED MEAT is published by Dynamite Entertainment. The story is written by Mark Rahner; the art is provided by Lui Antonio; the colors are by Arison Aguiar; the lettering is done by Marshall Dillon; and the volume’s cover is by Jay Anacleto. While Dejah Thoris and John Carter are the creations of Edgar Rice Burroughs, these Dynamite comics are not authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
(MILDLY) RECOMMENDED. At this juncture, I suspect you more than I already know whether or not Dynamite Comics’ modern run on DEJAH THORIS is in your area of interest; and, if it is, then DEJAH THORIS AND THE GREEN MEN OF MARS is little more than more of the same. That isn’t a bad thing – plenty of folks are buying it or, at least, enough to keep Dynamite churning them out. But it’s amazing how far the title has come from the Walt Disney film, eh?
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’ve repeatedly reached out to the fine folks at Dynamite Entertainment for the purposes of getting on their pre-release distribution list; however, they’ve thus far refused my every request for materials. (So, yes, folks: that means I paid for this myself!)
November 19, 2015
Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars Vol. 1: Red Meat is a science fiction story based on the eleven-book Barsoom series starring John Carter and Dejah Thoris. The first book was published in 1912 and the last was in 1964. As a fan of the author, I read all eleven of these books while I was in high school and personally own 62 book by Edgar Rice Burroughs. For a long time, he was my favorite author and John Carter was one of my favorite characters. I was very excited in 2012 when Disney released the movie John Carter. I loved it and thought Disney did a good job of bringing the characters and world to life on the big screen.
As for this graphic novel, I had forgotten how much nudity was in the books, and then I remembered. As with the Tarzan books, the Barsoom books didn't have people wearing a lot of clothing. ERB wrote these book way before humans knew very much about the planet Mars, so he didn't know that it was cold on Mars. The story is not very complicated. This is more of an action, thriller novel than one with a complicated plot line. There isn't a ton of dialog and the story moves along quickly. I found that I quite enjoyed the story, but was a little grossed out by the subject matter.
As for the artwork, Lui Antonio likes drawing women in provocative poses. Sometimes, I found this to be a little too much, but the book is rated M for Mature, so I guess this is what he was shooting for. His artwork is pretty good and I found that it went fairly well with the story. I did have an issue with the way he drew the Tharks, though. As I recall, and the movie confirmed this, the Tharks are not overly muscle-bound aliens. Sure, they are nine-feet tall, but they are thin and strong. The artist drew them as bodybuilders, basically. I found this to be a little hokey. Maybe he should have read some of the original books before he decided to make every male in the book into the perfect specimen of his race.
Being a huge fan of the series, I found that I was generally happy with this graphic novel and will look forward to reading more stories about John Carter and Dejah Thoris. As for all mature science fictions fans out there, this is a graphic novel that is sure to be enjoyed by many of you. I know the movie wasn't as successful financially as Disney would have liked, but the series by ERB is definitely worth reading, as is this graphic novel.
At the end of the book are twenty or so pages of all of the covers for the original four comic books. In addition, there are quite a few of the risqué covers showing Dejah Thoris without her nipple-covers on. Fanboys will surely get a kick out of those.
Overall, Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars Vol. 1: Red Meat is a good story that kept me engrossed. I read it in one sitting, as I wanted to find out how Dejah Thoris escapes the perilous situation she finds herself in, plus, without a ton of dialog, it doesn't take too long to polish this bad boy off. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next volume, as I don't think that Helium troubles with the Tharks are over quite yet.
I rated this book a 7½ out of 10.
As for this graphic novel, I had forgotten how much nudity was in the books, and then I remembered. As with the Tarzan books, the Barsoom books didn't have people wearing a lot of clothing. ERB wrote these book way before humans knew very much about the planet Mars, so he didn't know that it was cold on Mars. The story is not very complicated. This is more of an action, thriller novel than one with a complicated plot line. There isn't a ton of dialog and the story moves along quickly. I found that I quite enjoyed the story, but was a little grossed out by the subject matter.
As for the artwork, Lui Antonio likes drawing women in provocative poses. Sometimes, I found this to be a little too much, but the book is rated M for Mature, so I guess this is what he was shooting for. His artwork is pretty good and I found that it went fairly well with the story. I did have an issue with the way he drew the Tharks, though. As I recall, and the movie confirmed this, the Tharks are not overly muscle-bound aliens. Sure, they are nine-feet tall, but they are thin and strong. The artist drew them as bodybuilders, basically. I found this to be a little hokey. Maybe he should have read some of the original books before he decided to make every male in the book into the perfect specimen of his race.
Being a huge fan of the series, I found that I was generally happy with this graphic novel and will look forward to reading more stories about John Carter and Dejah Thoris. As for all mature science fictions fans out there, this is a graphic novel that is sure to be enjoyed by many of you. I know the movie wasn't as successful financially as Disney would have liked, but the series by ERB is definitely worth reading, as is this graphic novel.
At the end of the book are twenty or so pages of all of the covers for the original four comic books. In addition, there are quite a few of the risqué covers showing Dejah Thoris without her nipple-covers on. Fanboys will surely get a kick out of those.
Overall, Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars Vol. 1: Red Meat is a good story that kept me engrossed. I read it in one sitting, as I wanted to find out how Dejah Thoris escapes the perilous situation she finds herself in, plus, without a ton of dialog, it doesn't take too long to polish this bad boy off. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next volume, as I don't think that Helium troubles with the Tharks are over quite yet.
I rated this book a 7½ out of 10.
September 1, 2016
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 1.75 stars.
It wasn't too long ago that I reviewed a different title in the Dejah Thoris series ( Warlord of Mars Dejah Thoris ). I had requested this volume before I had reviewed the previous book. The good news is: this is better than the previous Dejah Thoris book I reviewed. The bad news is: not by much.
This is still nothing more than pre-pubescent porn -- the sort of book a young teenaged boy, who can't figure out how to find porn on the internet, might be interested. A nearly naked Dejah Thoris (very naked in some of the finer artworks on display at the end of the book) is tossed about and by way of a flimsy plot, used to be drawn in some very compromising, sexual positions. I'm curious how many times Dejah is seen in this book on her hands and knees, especially with her backside to the viewer (or should I say voyeur?). The artwork by Lui Antonio is better than that which was in the above mentioned book, but still a long ways from solid, exciting graphic novel art.
Let's face it ... sexy women in spacesuits, or chain mail, or flimsy faille, have long been a part of the sci-fi/fantasy landscape, and I would not deny that it was just as likely that I was first drawn to Burroughs' Barsoom series by the sultry Frank Frazetta covers. But I stayed with the series for the pulp adventure; for the stories. The story here is extremely simple. A Thark manages to kidnap Dejah (while John Carter wanders aimless wondering where she went) and plans to chop her in to little pieces to sell as red meat delicacy. Dejah has to fight her own way free because Carter is clueless to the fact that she was kidnapped. That's it. She's threatened to be eaten.
Any attempt to look at this story as a feminist fighting for her own freedom, not needing John Carter to constantly come to her rescue, is deflated by the sexual dress and posing in the art.
Burroughs' characters could be strong and resolute. Their continuing adventures could be captivating and exciting. Instead, they've become foils for rakish writing. The cover artwork samples included at the end of the book are beautiful works of art, suitable for this pulp style. Dejah clearly wears nothing more than metal pasties, and the artwork at the end of the book show what Dejah would look like without the metal pasties.
Looking for a good book? Read the original, Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series, and pass this one by.
It wasn't too long ago that I reviewed a different title in the Dejah Thoris series ( Warlord of Mars Dejah Thoris ). I had requested this volume before I had reviewed the previous book. The good news is: this is better than the previous Dejah Thoris book I reviewed. The bad news is: not by much.
This is still nothing more than pre-pubescent porn -- the sort of book a young teenaged boy, who can't figure out how to find porn on the internet, might be interested. A nearly naked Dejah Thoris (very naked in some of the finer artworks on display at the end of the book) is tossed about and by way of a flimsy plot, used to be drawn in some very compromising, sexual positions. I'm curious how many times Dejah is seen in this book on her hands and knees, especially with her backside to the viewer (or should I say voyeur?). The artwork by Lui Antonio is better than that which was in the above mentioned book, but still a long ways from solid, exciting graphic novel art.
Let's face it ... sexy women in spacesuits, or chain mail, or flimsy faille, have long been a part of the sci-fi/fantasy landscape, and I would not deny that it was just as likely that I was first drawn to Burroughs' Barsoom series by the sultry Frank Frazetta covers. But I stayed with the series for the pulp adventure; for the stories. The story here is extremely simple. A Thark manages to kidnap Dejah (while John Carter wanders aimless wondering where she went) and plans to chop her in to little pieces to sell as red meat delicacy. Dejah has to fight her own way free because Carter is clueless to the fact that she was kidnapped. That's it. She's threatened to be eaten.
Any attempt to look at this story as a feminist fighting for her own freedom, not needing John Carter to constantly come to her rescue, is deflated by the sexual dress and posing in the art.
Burroughs' characters could be strong and resolute. Their continuing adventures could be captivating and exciting. Instead, they've become foils for rakish writing. The cover artwork samples included at the end of the book are beautiful works of art, suitable for this pulp style. Dejah clearly wears nothing more than metal pasties, and the artwork at the end of the book show what Dejah would look like without the metal pasties.
Looking for a good book? Read the original, Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series, and pass this one by.
March 6, 2014
Dejah Thoris is the princess of Mars from the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. In this graphic novel, Dejah and her people of Helium and the green skinned monstrous looking Thark race have come to a truce. It is a time of peace and Dejah and John Carter are getting ready to celebrate. On a peacekeeping tour, Dejah is kidnapped by Voro, a Thark bent on a gruesome goal.
Voro is a butcher. Rather than any reward or ransom he thinks he could get, his plans are to sell parts of Dejah to the highest bidder for them to eat. He already has captured a number of Helium women and they are in various states of harm. Can Dejah escape this monster and get back to John Carter? Can this shaky truce withstand such horror?
I've read a previous Dejah Thoris graphic novel, and while it was good, this one was much better. You get to see Dejah as a warrior and she is in a pretty horrific predicament. If you've read the books then the familiar characters are here, and you know the state of dress, or rather undress, that the people of Barsoom are in. There is a cover gallery that features alternate and more risque covers. I like what Dynamite has done with this series and would like to read more.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this graphic novel.
Voro is a butcher. Rather than any reward or ransom he thinks he could get, his plans are to sell parts of Dejah to the highest bidder for them to eat. He already has captured a number of Helium women and they are in various states of harm. Can Dejah escape this monster and get back to John Carter? Can this shaky truce withstand such horror?
I've read a previous Dejah Thoris graphic novel, and while it was good, this one was much better. You get to see Dejah as a warrior and she is in a pretty horrific predicament. If you've read the books then the familiar characters are here, and you know the state of dress, or rather undress, that the people of Barsoom are in. There is a cover gallery that features alternate and more risque covers. I like what Dynamite has done with this series and would like to read more.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this graphic novel.
March 6, 2014
I posted my full review of this over on my blog, The Itinerant Librarian. Click (or copy/paste to your browser) the link below to read the review.
Link: http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/02/booknote-dejah-thoris-and-green-men-of.html
Link: http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/02/booknote-dejah-thoris-and-green-men-of.html
April 7, 2014
Una nueva proyección al universo de Barsoom realizada por Dynamite, donde la muy interesante premisa - el tráfico ilegal de hombres rojos para su consumo - se estanca en un guión que se atropella cada tanto y un dibujo que no ayuda a la fluidez. Daba para mucho más.
March 20, 2014
Incredibly, no insanely bad. In fact even though the Warlord of Mars/Dejah Thoris-series have been of declining quality for some time, this one was so bad I want to forget even having read it.
July 28, 2014
Just awful. So very disappointing.
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