Writer – Ron Marz
Artist – Abhishek Malsuni
Inker – Zsolt H. Garisa
Colours – Nanjan Jamberi
Letters – Rob Steen

This is the issue where readers finally learn the backstory between Captain Joshua Clark and John Carter, of how they became enemies and how Clark managed to take his vendetta to the stars. It is a fun tale as only Ron Marz can tell it and Clark has become a great villain for John Carter, of which he has very few real enemies or at least, the kind which stick around. Should Clark survive their encounter, one can see him going on to become a real adversary for Carter, more so than he is now. As the book progresses, John Carter manages to reach and rescue his beloved Dejah Thoris who was set to be executed and comes into contact with the man he thought was long dead back on Earth. Marz has been doing an exceptional job with the book thus far, making it accessible to new readers as well as being a very exciting read. He has introduced some new characters like the aforementioned Clark, as well as older ones to the reader and while Carter’s supporting cast has always been one of the best ones in popular fiction, the addition of a White Ape to his team is a welcome one indeed, not to mention a surprising one. Abhishek Malsuni continues to kill it with his artwork, the man’s pencils vibrant and electric and lending an energy to the series that it needs to succeed. Dejah Thoris looks beautiful under his guiding hand and Marz nails down her personality, giving her the right amount of confidence and strength befitting her station as a princess of Mars. All that is needed now is a giant battle scene between the forces of Mars and those that have invaded. So far, that has been the only thing that has been missing but if the story continues the way that it has, it can only be a matter of time before Marz and Malsuni oblige those that tune in. Truly fun stuff from all involved.

4 out of 5