John Carter - Warlord of Mars #14 - A Review

John Carter and Dejah Thoris have returned home to Helium. Yet the streets are deserted and there is something else odd about their home city, which defies their senses and calls into question the very nature of reality around them! Is there some science or sorcery at play? Or has too much time in the desert wastes driven the royal couple mad?!

Ron Marz and Ian Edginton deliver an epic conclusion to their original saga of Barsoom. I'm sad to see this series end but I'm glad to see it go out on a high note, with the quality undiminished. It's truly amazing what these two writers accomplished together, crafting tales true to the spirit of Edger Rice Burroughs.

The artwork by Ariel Medel remains equally impressive.  Medel's a great artist, capable of rendering loud action and quiet reflection with equal ease. He's also one of the few artists who can draw a Dejah Thoris who can look sexy and strong without being objectified. The final art is realized by the excellent colors of Nanjan Jamberi.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars #13 - A Review

John Carter and Dejah Thoris have been trapped in the desert wastes for five days. Things look grim until they find an oasis... and barely survive a deadly encounter with a creature dwelling in the inviting waters. This leads them into an underground city... and a deadly secret that could lay waste to all of Barasoom!


This story by Ron Marz and Ian Edginton proves exciting enough and worthy of the legacy of Edgar Rice Burroughs. I particularly like how realistic survival skills are depicted throughout the issue. Though I question the efficiency of bullets that explode upon being exposed to sunlight underwater, I'm willing to write that off as pulp science being pulp science and merely enjoy the fact that it is the scientist Dejah, not John the adventurer, who takes the lead in this adventure.


Ariel Medel continues to deliver some impressive visuals. Of particular note is the two-page spread where we first see the vast underground city John and Dejah discover and we see their conversation unfold as they move through the great backdrop Medel has created. The colors by Nanjan Jamberi perfectly finish Medel's pencils and inks.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars #12 - A Review

John Carter and Dejah Thoris have jumped from the frying pan and into the fire! The tomb raiders who held them hostage inadvertently awoke the last of The Orovar - the ancient race who ruled Mars centuries earlier. But now he intends to awaken the rest of his people and conquer all of Barsoom!


This issue, while enjoyable, is perhaps the most weakly written script Marz and Edginton have composed to date. While the story is well written and we do learn a far bit about the past of Mars, the sad truth is that John and Dejah are more passive figures in this story than usual and their actions do nothing to stop the villain. Still, we do get several good character moments along the way.

The artwork remains top-notch throughout. Ariel Medel is a true talent and this issue boasts some of the best work on the series to date. The colors by Nanjan Jamberi are applied with equal skill.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars #11 - A Review

Things have gone from bad to worse for John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Their transport was grounded by a sandstorm, leaving them stranded in the wilderness. Then they were abducted by a gang of bandits turned grave-robbers, led by a rogue general of Helium with a grudge against Dejah's family. But could even greater dangers be in store for our heroes? In the wilds of Barsoom, almost certainly...
The story by Ron Marz and Ian Edginton continues to engage readers. Though John and Dejah are held hostage for much of this issue as the exposition unfurls, what little action exists proves exciting. And the exposition proves riveting, despite largely being set-up for one hell of a cliff-hanger.


The artwork remains equally impressive. Ariel Medel is one of the finest sword-and-sorcery artists working in the field today. Colorist Nanjan Jamberi does an effective job in subtly applying different tints and gradient effects to enhance the original artwork. And letterer Rob Steen's print is clear and efficient.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars #9 - A Review

The good news is that Dejah Thoris has solved the mystery of what has been happening to the disappearing townsfolk of a distant village. The bad news is that she discovered this by being captured by the golem-like creature that was abducting the missing people! Now, as John Carter gives chase after the beast, Dejah must free herself and the captive women before the golem forges them into his perfect mate!


In all honesty, this book should be titled John Carter and Dejah Thoris, rather than giving John Carter solo billing. The scripts by Ron Marz and Ian Edginton treat the two as equal partners in adventure. Indeed, recent issues have seen Dejah playing the hero more than her husband!

While she may be a captive in this issue, Dejah is no damsel in distress and she uses her knowledge of science to free herself and her fellow prisoners.  As Dejah notes at one point, while she will always need John Carter, she doesn't need him to rescue her. Nor does she allow John to send her off with the rest of the women, staying behind to fight by his side with a sword in hand. It's a refreshing change of pace from the usual pulp tropes.

The artwork for the issue is equally excellent. Ariel Medel's only weakness is an occasional tendency towards forcing some poses, such as Dejah's unusual fighting stance in the page above. Thankfully, these moments are few and far between. The color art by Nanjan Jamberi is also impressive, as is the lettering by Rob Steen.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars #8 - A Review

As John Carter and Dejah Thoris continue to search for a way to restore a dying Barsoom, they stumble across a more urgent mystery.  A farming community in the distant deserts has been terrorized by an unknown threat and all their attempts to summon aid have failed. It should be a simple matter for the Jeddak of Jeddaks and a warrior princess of Helium... but the key word there is 'should'.


If you like classic pulp action, you should be reading John Carter: Warlord of Mars. There's a lot to like about this series, which - unlike the previous Warlord of Mars book by Dynamite Entertainment - is devoted to original tales involving Edgar Rice Burroughs' characters rather than adapting classical works. And despite the title the book is just as much about scientist/princess Dejah Thoris, who is presented as an equal partner to her Earthly mate, John Carter.


The scripts by Ron Marz and Ian Edginton are innovative while still holding true to the Burroughs oeuvre. The artwork by Ariel Medel and Nanjan Jamberi proves vivid and exciting  I'd recommend this series without reservation to anyone who enjoys classical adventure fantasy.

Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #6 - A Review

I'm several weeks overdue in covering this book, which I only discovered had come out by chance.  However, since the comic itself has not had a new issue come out for over a year, I feel little guilt over being late in covering it.  In any case, it has proven worth the wait.

Curiously, Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword seems to be migrating further away from its apparent purpose - anthologizing comics based around Robert E. Howard's less famous creations.  Yet of this issue's five stories, three are devoted to Conan the Cimmerian!  Still, one can't complain.  Even the weakest story in this volume is better than the current Conan the Barbarian comic and all of the stories contained within this volume feature top-tier talent.

Two stories continue on from the last issue.  One is the tale of Bran Mak Morn - Howard's Pictish hero.  This story by Ian Edgington sees the chieftain fighting a battle of wills against a shaman who disapproves of Bran Mak Morn's efforts to cease his peoples' barbarous practices of human sacrifice.  It is a bold tale, skillfully retold with amazing art by Richard Pace.    

The other continuing story centers upon the origins of Dark Agnes - a red-haired swordswoman who had as much a hand in inspiring Red Sonja as Robert E. Howard's historical heroine Red Sonya of Rogatino.  Fans of Gail Simone's Red Sonja book would do well to pick-up this issue and Issue #5, for Dark Agnes's adventures will hold similar appeal.  The artwork by Aaron McConnell proves a skillful substitution for last issue's Dark Agnes artist, Francesco Francavilla.

The remaining three stories are equally appealing.  The issue's opening tale - Sargasso of Sand - centers upon Conan's misadventures as he gets lost in the desert and is confronted by a mad captain who seeks to make his ship sail upon the sand itself.  John Jackson Miller's script is a humorous one and the artwork by Phillip Tan lives up to his usual high standard.  

The second Conan tale - Demons of the Summit -  is a fairly standard tale.  Barbarian meets girl.  Barbarian loses girl.  Barbarian kills monsters and wizards to get the girl.  Despite being formulaic, the tale is well-told and greatly enhanced by the excellent artwork of Tony De Zuniga.

The final story of the issue - Child of Sorcery - proves to be the issue's best.  Small wonder given that it is based on a story by Birds of Prey author Christy Marx with a script by legendary comics writer Roy Thomas!  Though this story also details Conan's efforts to save a woman from enslavement and defilement, the heroine is no helpless prize to be won.  The artwork by Ernie Chan is reminiscent of the classic Marvel Conan comics for all the right reasons.

In short, this book is a must read for all fans of fantasy in general and Robert E. Howard in particular.

Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #5 - A Review

Anthology titles are a difficult sell to modern comic book readers. It is difficult enough for a reader to justify purchasing a title starring familiar characters with artwork or scripting by a creator they enjoy in these tough economic times. It is harder still to convince an empty-pocketed reader to part with double the price of a regular comic for a collection of stories they might not entirely enjoy. Even the name of a respected writer with a rich body of work like Robert E. Howard makes such a thing a challenge. But sporadic though the publication of this book is, averaging two issues a year since it first premiered in late 2010, Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword has always proved an engaging read.

This issue offers less variety than previous installments, though the quality of workmanship remains the same as ever. This volume is almost entirely comprised of sword-and-sorcery tales. This doesn't offend me but it does seem to defeat the purpose of this series, which I believe was meant to draw attention to some of Robert E. Howard's creations besides Conan and Kull.

Even the one non-fantastic story in this collection has elements of the fantastic in it. I speak of In the Forest of Villefere -a historical horror piece adapted by that master of modern horror, Steve Niles. Paired with his artistic partner from Criminal Macabre, Chris Mitten, Niles borrows heavily from the original Howard text. This proves to be a wise move, though the twist of the story is rather obvious. Mittens does a fair job setting the moody tone of the story, though the protagonist looks just as warped and tinhuman as the foreboding landscape.

For my money, the best story in the batch is a retelling of the origin of Dark Agnes - a crimson-haired warrior woman who deserves far more fame than she's ever achieved. The script by Paul Tobin depicts Agnes as a woman ahead of her time, strong-willed and unwilling to be bullied into a marriage she doesn't want by her boorish father. The art by Francesco Francavilla perfectly depicts Agnes as a beautiful woman and a capable fighter - a feat that seems to elude many sword-and-sorcery artists, who draw every heroine like a supermodel. Those who dismiss Howard's writing as sexist purely because of his Conan stories would do well to check this issue out as well as the original stories.

Speaking of Conan, the one original tale in this anthology - based on Howard's characters rather than on a specific story - is a King Conan tale written and drawn by the legendary Howard Chaykin. The artwork is gorgeous but the plot - involving Conan's investigating the murder of a harem girl in his own palace - doesn't seem much like a Robert E. Howard story or indeed a Conan story. While Conan is far from the muscle-headed dolt many authors depict him as, puzzling out the details of a killing Sherlock Holmes style seems somewhat out of character for the world's most famous barbarian.

The first and last tales of this anthology are perfect bookends. The first tale, written by Ian Edgington with art by Richard Pace is an adaptation of Howard's Men of the Shadows - the first story to star his warrior chief tan hero Bran Mak Morn. The last tale, Kings Of The Night, is a reprint of a classic Roy Thomas adaptation with art by David Wenzel. I believe this story marks the only time that Robert Howard initiated a crossover between two of his own creations. In this case, King Kull of Atlantis is brought forward in time to aid Bran Mak Morn in leading a rough union of barbaric peoples against the invading Romans.

I cannot recommend Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword strongly enough, though at the same time I cannot recommend it to everyone. Like certain wines, this book will only appeal to those with a certain palette. But if you are the sort of reader who enjoys the kind of entertainment that might be more appropriately described as a ripping yarn than a story, I don't think you'll get better value for your money than you will purchasing a copy of this book.

A Study In Scarlet: A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel - A No Flying No Tights Review

SOURCE: A Study in Scarlet: a Sherlock Holmes graphic novel

Dr. John Watson is a veteran, newly returned home to Britain from the war in Afghanistan. Watson is a good man, though far too free in spending his money and living well – a fault that leaves him in need of a roommate when he can no longer afford to live alone. A chance encounter with an old classmate leads Watson to a man – a scientist of sorts – who had been lamenting his own empty purse and need of a roommate to split the cost on a set of rooms he wished to move into. Watson agrees to meet the scientist – one Sherlock Holmes – and see if they might be compatible as flatmates.

At first Watson sees little of his new roommate, who keeps odd hours and odder company. Eventually Holmes reveals to Watson the source of his income and his position as the world’s only consulting detective. As two of Scotland Yard’s finest come to their doorstep to bring Holmes in to investigate a mysterious murder, Watson finds himself being drawn into Holmes’ work as both a medical expert and a chronicler. And so begins what will become one of literature’s greatest partnerships.

Writer Ian Edginton and illustrator I.N.J. Culbard are not new to adapting classic literature into graphic novels or even to adapting Sherlock Holmes. The two have worked together on previous Illustrated Classics adaptations such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Hound of The Baskervilles. When reading this book, one can sense that partnership as the text and illustrations are – like Holmes and Watson – well suited toward one another.

Culbard’s art-style is cartoonish but not overly so. Like the majority of manga artists, Culbard exaggerates the physical features of his characters to make it easier to display their emotions. This enlargement of facial features such as noses, eyes and chins also serves to make each character more distinctive. The characters’ appearances remain consistent throughout, though with his jutting-chin there are some panels where Holmes looks not unlike Bruce Campbell of Army of Darkness fame.

Judging Edginton’s adaptive writing is a trickier task. I am not unfamiliar with the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle but I had never read the original text of A Study in Scarlet. As near as I can tell, Edginton has changed very little of the dialogue – a touch which I’m sure will please Holmes purists but one which also makes a good deal of this volume a difficult read for the teenage audience it is supposedly aimed at.

I suppose I must also acknowledge the elephant in the corner – yes, this is the infamous Sherlock Holmes story that says a lot of factually inaccurate things about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. To say more would give away the mystery of the book. Suffice it to say Arthur Conan Doyle freely admitted to basing the information in this story off a newspaper story that later proved false and his portrayals of the Mormon faith in later works was far more respectful. I just find it curious that Edginton would leave this text intact, including a reference to Brigham Young himself, yet saw fit to exclude some equally offensive remarks regarding Native Americans that were in the original text.

Ultimately the greatest problem this volume has – though this fault lies not with the adaptors – is that A Study In Scarlet has little to recommend it for adaptation into a graphic novel format in the first place. Apart from the fact that it is the very first Sherlock Holmes story, there’s little of interest here. There’s no mystery that the reader can solve along with the detective, as Holmes withholds all his evidence until he is explaining how he solved the crime. A full third of the book is devoted toward the killer explaining why he did what he did after the fact. And there’s not much in the way of action, with the better portion of the story consisting of men standing around the parlor having conversations.

A Study in Scarlet: a Sherlock Holmes graphic novel
by Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Edginton (Adaptor)
Art by I.N.J. Culbard
ISBN: 9781402770821
Sterling Publishing, 2010
Publisher Age Rating: (13 )