Story by Arvid Nelson
Art by Lui Antonio
Having been separated from Deja and Sola as they escaped from the green Martian caravan, John Carter awakes before a great desert complex on the brink of death.
This is only the beginning of an issue that spans a significant amount of story in a very short space. The minor plot points contained within could have been expanded into a multi-issue arc, but each beat is instead compressed into a few pages before moving on to the next. Arvid Nelson handles the transitions gracefully, though, and the issue flows well without getting too choppy.
It does, however, have a slight “get from point A to point B” feel to it, with some moments feeling rather forced. The conversation with the Jeddak’s butler at the end of the issue felt somewhat rapid-fire, but the final page brings the necessity of that rush into focus. Overall I enjoyed the journey, but at times I wished I could have spent more time with some of the characters and locales.
Antonio’s art went a long way toward adding to that feeling. Between his characters and layouts and Adriano Lucas’s vibrant colors, the artwork does a fine job of drawing you into Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mars-scape and making you wish to linger just a little bit longer. If I have one complaint about the art it’s that the colors, while lush, were a little inconsistent, especially when portraying John Carter’s altered skin color.
Warlord of Mars #7 is a bridge issue, portraying many of John Carter’s travails en route to returning to Deja Thoris. While not as focused as I would have liked, the issue is fast and smoothly paced. I’m enjoying this adaptation of ERB’s original story so far – Warlord of Mars is worth a look.
