Warlord of Mars. Dejah Thoris Volume 2: Pirate Queen of Mars. Arvid Nenson (Writer), Carlos Rafael (Art), Carlos Lopez (Colours), Marshall Dillon (Letters). Dynamite Entertainmement (2012)

A very enjoyable story marred by a fantastically stupid consume for the leading character. In the rubble of the newly united  cites of Helium, a problem with the water supply is a disaster. Dejah Thoris  leads an expedition to the pumping station in the ice belt to see what the problem is. She finds that the pumping station crew have been locked up and then her craft is blown up. Pursuing the person who blew up her ship, Dejah is kidnapped by Phondari, a female pirate captain who is looking for something. When Phondrai's ship comes under attack  from an old enemy the situation becomes significantly more complicated and dangerous. The story moves at a fast pace, the action is loud and vivid, the reveals are very well staged and the conclusion is satisfying.
This story is everything that adventure science fiction should be, it uses ideas from the Edgar Rice Burroughs stories cleverly, there is not need to know the stories to enjoy the action, knowing them does add to the pleasure. Arvid Nelson uses ideas from pirate stories in a smart fashion, mixing them up with science fiction in a very enjoyable way without loosing or diluting the essential parts of either genre. Happily he realizes the outstanding value of a competent and committed villain who can drive the action forward in a natural and effective way. The mix of motives is very well done as the major players each bring something a little different to the adventure and the tension between allies and enemies is held tight and works very effectively.
Carlos Rafael's art is lovely, it is bold and dramatic when it needs to be, the splash pages are full of enjoyable detail and the action scenes are excellent. There is slight problem with Dejah Thoris' facial expressions, she appears to be somewhat surprised all the time. Of course it may be that she is simply embarrassed at the appalling costume she has been given, a thong and tear shaped nipple covers, in particular when worn under a cloak  with a fur trimmed hood in an ice cave would make anyone feel more than a bit surprised. Phondrai has the more standard female lack of costume, however even hers is still considerably better than Dejah's.
Carlos Lopez understands that bold, bright colours are the correct choice for a big bold science fiction adventure story. The colours add greatly to the story, they bring the world of Mars to life, and give sharp focus and depth to the art. Marshall Dillon's letters are a a quiet pleasure, they add to the character and his sound effects are great.
A very well thought out story, lovely art, and a great cast make the comic well worth reading wardrobe
malfunctions not withstanding.

Warlord of Mars, Dejah Thoris. Colossus of Mars. Arvid Nelson (Writer), Carlos Rafael (Art), Carlos Lopez (Colours), Marshall Dillon (Letters) Dynamite Entertainment( 2011)

A  hugely enjoyable pulp science fiction story set on Mars or Barsoom as it is called by those who live there. The story is set 400 years before the arrival on Barsoom of John Carter and deals with the life of the woman he fell in love with, Dejah  Thoris, Princess of Mars.
Greater and Lesser Helium are constantly fighting each other for supremacy and just as victory seems to be in sight for Lesser Helium, lead by Dejah Thoris's grandfather Tardos Mors, the overlord of both Lesser and Greater Helium, the Jeddak of Yorn intervenes to stop the conflict. He wants Dejah Thoris to marry his son, something she accepts as her duty as a princess of Helium. The marriage turns out to be a cover for a much more significant action by the Jeddak of Yorn and Dejah and her family find themselves caught in a trap. The story esclates very nicely, the reveals are very good, the battles superbly staged and the cast are vigorous and very engaging.
The worst part to the book is the stripper costume given to Dejah Thoris, while everyone on Barsoom wears very little clothing a full bikini would have served considerably better than the thong and tear-drop nipple covers she is inflicted with. This creates a unnecessary tension within the story, Dejah Thoris is no passive heroine, she is a active, skillful fighter. Her clothing dramatically and consistently works against this, she is constantly on the verge of being ridiculous, something she manifestly is not. Avrid Nelson gives us a full blooded action hero, she is fast and forceful, a recognised leader and the equal of any. The writing is consistently excellent throughout, it has all the forward motion that the adventure needs, the action is big and loud, the set pieces are a joy, the cast are never overshadowed by the explosions. The cast come strongly forward and it is clearly they who are driving the action and not the reverse, this gives the story real weight and grip.
The art by Carlos Rafael is everything that romantic science fiction should be, it is lush and detailed. The cast are given great physical presence, they look like they fully inhabit the space and respond to each other with nice range and subtly. Included with the volume is a great step-by-step view by the extraordinary Joe Jusko of how he painted one of the covers for the series. The colours by Carlos Lopez are vibrant and give the story the bright light it needs, the colours are not subtle they are matched instead to he loud drive of the story and the wild context of Barsoom. The lettering by Marshall Dillon is nicely varied, it gives depth the voices of the cast and the sound effects are great. Great pulp, comic adventure, well worth reading.