Writer: Chuck Brown
Art: Emiliana Pinna
Colors: Ellie Wright
Letters: Jeff Eckleberry
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 8th, 2023
Set 1000 years before the first John Carter, Warlord of Mars novel “A Princess of Mars”, Dejah Thoris #1 shows a bit of the young Princess Dejah Thoris’s daily life before switching into overdrive when a massive wave of Kaldanes (giant spiders) assaults Dejah’s Royal Palace and the surrounding city.
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Dejah Thoris #1 Review.
The Story
If you’re terrified or disgusted by spiders, you might find Dejah Thoris #1 incredibly triggering and icky, but suck it up, because this is a fantastic 1st issue that quickly kicks into high gear and never lets up. The great thing about this debut issue is that you don’t have to know anything about Dejah Thoris to enjoy the book. The book starts with enough setup so that you know who Dejah is, as well as her homeworld of Barsoom, the kingdom of Helium, the Martians who live there and their continual conflict with the dreaded “green men” who are their mortal enemies. So if the cover of this first issue catches your eye (and why not, it’s VERY striking!), then pick it up and dive in!
The bulk of the issue has the Kaldanes, who are a race of spider-like beings, laying siege to the Royal Palace. There are so many spiders skittering around (of sizes ranging from tiny to gargantuan) that it really starts getting under your skin, but in the best way possible. It’s thrilling watching Martian warriors and defenses battling the attack. How do you defend yourself against thousands and thousands of spiders? You can blast a few of them but eventually, a lot of them are going to get through to you. I loved seeing Dejah’s royal guard Dorgon in action, whirling her staff and smashing spiders as she frantically tries to help Dejah escape. Dorgon, with her gray hair tied in a tight bun, her fierce expressions and her battle prowess, looks like she could give even Black Panther’s Dora Milaje a good thrashing.
Dejah wants to stay at the Palace and fight with her soldiers. You can feel her frustration as Dorgon literally starts dragging her away from the Palace, telling Dejah that she has to survive at all costs. These scenes add another layer of tension to an already insanely tense battle. There’s a dash of political intrigue at the denoument of the issue. The Martian books have always been about political maneuvering and power struggles, and this series looks to be no different. It’s one of the best things about past Dejah Thoris series and the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, there’s lots of action and adventure, but there are also “Game of Thrones”-style political machinations also, and I look forward to seeing where this series goes next.
The Art
Emiliana Pinna’s art on Dejah Thoris #1 is a simple clean style that makes all the characters look natural and not “cartoony”. Dejah and her army move with grace and Dejah herself is drawn in such a way that she always looks regal. Helium looks like a beautiful kingdom carved from stone. There’s one fantastic half-page panel where the Kaldane are invading the Royal Palace, thousands of them skittering across the two bridges leading to the kingdom, and it felt very much like the prelude to a huge epic battle similar to “The Battle of Helm’s Deep” from “The Lord of the Rings”.
Final Thoughts
Dejah Thoris #1 is a great slam-bang beginning to what promises to be a great series. There is a LOT of action, some “Game of Thrones”-style intrigue and it promises to show us a lot more of the exotic landscape and creatures of Barsoom in future issues.