#IReadsYou Review: DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER #5

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER, VOL. 1 #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Dan Abnett
ART: Alessandro Miracolo
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Joseph Michael Linsner; Alessandro Miracolo; Max Fiumara; Sebastian Fiumara; (Rachel Hollon cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Dejah Thoris and John Carter are characters that first appeared in the serialized novel, Under the Moons of Mars (The All-Story, 1912), written by Tarzan creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs.  When it was first collected and published in hardcover, the novel was re-titled, A Princess of Mars (1917), the first of Burroughs' “Barsoom” novels, which were set on Barsoom, a fictional version of Mars.

Dejah was the title character of A Princess of Mars, the princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium.  John Carter was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who was transported to Mars via “astral projection” where he got a new body that was similar to the one he left behind on Earth.  John made several trips back and forth between Earth and Barsoom, and Dejah and John were married and had two children.

John Carter first appeared in comic books in the early 1950s, and Dejah has become a prominent comic book character since 2010 via Dynamite Entertainment.  Now, the star-crossed lovers are the stars of Dynamite's new comic book, Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.  The series is written by Dan Abnett; drawn by Alessandro Miracolo; colored by Dearbhla Kelly; and lettered by Simon Bowland.  The series finds Dejah and John caught in a war to save Mars from an ancient race, “The Longborn,” that has returned to reclaim the planet, and their surprising ally, the rogue scientist, Rotak Gall.

As Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #5 opens, Rotak Gall finds out that his allies from outside of time, The Longborn, are not easy to please.  Meanwhile, Dejah and John continue to fight impossible odds in the time-lost palace of Dar Shadeth.  Having escaped into the random folds of time, they must survive … if they are going to survive the coming struggle.  Decaying emissaries of evil are searching for the perfect host, which could be … John Carter.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #5, the fifth issue of the series that I have read and only the fifth Dejah Thoris or John Carter comic book I have read.

In Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter, writer Dan Abnett offers a comic book that gives off traditional serial fiction thrills.  A quick and delightful read, I always find myself wanting more by the time I reach the last page.  Also, Artist Alessandro Miracolo and colorist Dearbhla Kelly get stronger with each issue.  I highly recommend Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter to fans of Dan Abnett's comic book work.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Dynamite's Dejah Thoris and Barsoom comic books will want to try Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Review: THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1

THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Neil Gaiman
WRITERS: Simon “Si” Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, and Dan Watters
ART: Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara
COLORS: Mat Lopes
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Molly Mahan
COVER: Jae Lee with June Chung
VARIANT COVERS: Dave McKean; Jill Thompson; Jim Lee with Alex Sinclair; Sam Keith; P. Craig Russell with Lovern Kindzierski; David Mack
48pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2018)

“Suggested for Mature Readers”

The Sandman created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg

The Sandman is a DC Comics comic book series created by writer Neil Gaiman and artists Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg.  Published by DC Comics from 1989 to 1996, The Sandman ran for 75 issues, and tells the story of “Dream” of “The Endless.”  Also named Morpheus (as well as other names), Dream rules over the world of dreams.

DC Comics announced earlier this year an expansion and quasi sequel to The Sandman, “The Sandman Universe.”  This will be a line of four comic books that will launch in September and October of 2018.  The release dates are timed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sandman #1, which was covered dated January 1989, but released to comic book stores in October 1988.  It will also commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Vertigo imprint.

The Sandman Universe titles are a mixture of new and revived titles.  The first is The Dreaming (Sept. 5th), written by Simon “Si” Spurrier and drawn by Bilquis Evely.  The second is House of Whispers (Sept. 12), written by Nalo Hopkinson and drawn by Dominike “Domo” Stanton.  The third is Lucifer (October 17), written by Dan Watters and drawn by Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara.  The fourth is Books of Magic (Oct. 24), written by Kat Howard and drawn by Tom Fowler.

These four titles are previewed in the stand-alone anthology comic book, The Sandman Universe #1.  Neil Gaiman provides the story for this single-issue comic book.  Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, and Dan Watters write the scripts for previews of the respective titles they are writing.  Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, and Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara draw the art for the previews of the respective series they are drawing.  The Sandman Universe #1 is colored by Mat Lopes and lettered by Simon Bowland.

In The Sandman Universe #1, the denizens of The Dreaming discover that their master, the Lord of Dreams, is missing.  Now, Matthew the raven must traverse the realms and dreams of four characters:  Dora, Timothy Hunter, Erzulie (a voodoo deity), and Lucifer Morningstar (trapped in the body of an old man) to find Dream.  But does he want to be found?  What if he quit being Dream?

I enjoyed The Sandman Universe #1, but I would not call it an exceptional comic book.  It is a particularly well-produced preview comic book.  The best art, by far, in The Sandman Universe #1 is the work of Bilquis Evely, who is drawing The Dreaming, so I am putting this title on my reading list.

I want to try House of Whispers because I try to support Black writers of speculative and fantasy fiction, and the Jamaican-born, Canadian Hopkinson is a writer of color.  The House of Whispers preview in The Sandman Universe #1 is interesting and is the only truly unique offering in this comic book.  However, I must say that it did not quite connect with me the way I thought it would because of its various elements and ideas.

The Books of Magic preview did pique my interest; for obvious reasons, this is the closest thing to a Harry Potter comic book we likely will ever have.  I found the Lucifer preview to be a chore to read, taxing my patience for most of its six pages.

The Dreaming is both The Sandman Universe #1's framing sequence and the subject of a preview, which is good.  As I just wrote, Bilquis Evely's art is beautiful, and Evely's talent really shows on the killer last page she produces for this story.  As a preview of a line of comic books, The Sandman Universe #1 is as effective as it can be, but most of the effort is really up to the creative teams of the individual titles in the line.  I recommend this to readers interested in “The Sandman Universe” titles, but I doubt longtime fans of The Sandman comic book series will get much out of it.

7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You'


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 28, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

DEC170062    BTVS SEASON 11 GILES #1    $3.99
DEC170063    BTVS SEASON 11 GILES #1 CVR B VAR    $3.99
DEC170064    BTVS SEASON 11 GILES #1 CVR C ULTRA VAR    $3.99
JAN180099    DOCTOR STAR & KINGDOM LOST TOMORROWS #1    $3.99
JAN180100    DOCTOR STAR & KINGDOM LOST TOMORROWS #1 VAR CVR    $3.99
DEC170122    ELFQUEST FINAL QUEST #24    $3.99
DEC170051    HUNGRY GHOSTS #2 (OF 4) (MR)    $3.99
OCT170049    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS HC VOL 01 SHADOWS (C: 1-0-0)    $29.99
OCT170085    TOMB RAIDER LIBRARY EDITION HC VOL 01 (C: 1-0-0)    $49.99

Review: ABE SAPIEN: Dark and Terrible #1

ABE SAPIEN: DARK AND TERRIBLE #1 OF 3 (Series #11)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
ART: Sebastián Fiumara
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Sebastián Fiumara
VARIANT COVER: Max Fiumara
EDITOR: Scott Allie
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Dark and Terrible, Part 1 (of 3)

Abraham “Abe” Sapien is a character in the Hellboy line of comic books, also known as the “Mignolaverse.” Created by Mike Mignola, Abe Sapien first appeared in Hellboy: Seed of Destruction and is a member of the B.P.R.D., the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development. Abe is sometimes referred to as a “fishman” or “merman.”

Abe has made regular appearances in Hellboy and B.P.R.D. comics, and he has starred in his own one-shot comic book (Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead) and a miniseries (Abe Sapien: The Drowning by Mike Mignola).

Starting this week is a new-ongoing Abe Sapien comic book series, the launch of which has started a renumbering of Abe Sapien comic books. Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible #1 (of 3) is the 11th issue of the Ape Sabien series. Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible is written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie, drawn by Sebastián Fiumara, colored by Dave Stewart, and lettered by Clem Robins.

Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible Part 1 opens in Palisade, Colorado where a fierce demonic summoning is reaching fever pitch. Meanwhile, at B.P.R.D. headquarters, Agent Devon earns the ire of Director Corrigan, who is feeling the strain of the worldwide monster invasion. Meanwhile, three chatty hobos make a surprising discovery aboard the boxcar they share. Where is Abe Sapien? B.P.R.D. agents are getting closer…

Considering that Abe Sapien is mostly missing from Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible, the story manages to be interesting, if not a bit too chatty. There are four different groups of individuals taking part in the story, and their activities are more teasing than interesting.

Sebastián Fiumara and Dave Stewart are the main attractions here. Sebastián Fiumara’s art is beautifully textured, with the inking seeming to be a mix of brushwork and a scratching technique. The art also reminds me of Richard Corben. That art looks even better with Dave Stewart’s rich coloring, a mix of earth tones and darkish colors, over it. This comic book is worth having just for the art. Still, I want more Abe Sapien in my Abe Sapien.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux