All good relationships get tested sometimes and in Dynamite Comics’ newest series, aptly titled Dejah Thoris vs. John Carter of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ space-flung soldier and his eternal love, the Princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris, will be getting into quite the tussle. Set to be penned by Guardians of the Galaxy scribe Dan Abnett, with art by Alessandro Miracolo (Red Sonja), this newest John Carter story will pick up where Abnett’s previous tale left off, as Mars faces another set of indomitable foes which may spell the end for all life in the universe.
At the end of Abnett’s Dejah Thoris, the princess, along with her team of insurgents – including her granddaughter Llana of Gathol and separate displaced Earthling soldier Jefferson Clyde – managed to unseat the tyrant Kurz Kurtos along with an allied Thark army. In the process, she rescued both her son Cathoris and husband John Carter, who, under the malevolent magic of the witch-queen Sabal Than, had been turned into brainwashed slaves known as the Jeweled Killers. With her family reunited, but their future unclear, Dejah began her rule of the kingdom of Helium once again. But smooth sailing does not appear to be on the horizon.
According to a press release from Dynamite Comics, Dejah Thoris vs. John Carter of Mars will introduce “The Longborn,” god-like entities allegedly responsible for creating all intelligent life in the universe who are now on a mission to snuff it all out due to its seeming failure. At the same time, Barsoom (also known as Mars) is undergoing a climate catastrophe, with a new ice age threatening to both chill all life on the red planet into deep freeze and cause all-out war amongst the tribes of Barsoom. John Carter himself, the dashing hero of Burroughs’ original series, is still recovering from his long bout of brainwashing, and his own loyalties may be tested in this new and dangerous conflict. Sounds like a whole mess of fun for Dejah, here depicted as a brilliant scientist and benevolent queen. Check out the preview art below, including covers from Miracolo, Lucio Parrillo, and Joseph Michael Linsner.
Said Abnett:
Now that John Carter has returned, is he still the legendary hero they all respect? And are he and his beloved Dejah still working to the same ends? It’s a tale of swords, sorcery, space gods and true love, an interplanetary romance in the true sense of both those words.
John Carter and Dejah Thoris first appeared in the 1912 serialized story A Princess of Mars, one of the first of his many adventure yarns. While time would not be kind to the racist and sexist tropes he would often populate his stories with, his work helped inspire a wave of science fiction as the 20th Century progressed which is still alive and well today. Who will in the battle of the sexes? Dejah Thoris vs. John Carter of Mars #1 goes on sale in July from Dynamite Comics.
