Ron Marz Previews and Discusses John Carter, Warlord of Mars #1 From Dynamite

Dynamite Entertainment have released a first look at next month's John Carter, Warlord of Mars #1 by writer Ron Marz and artist Abhishek Malsuni, and Marz joined ComicBook.com for a chat about the new series.

The massive world of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom comes to life in a new, monthly series that's authorized by Egar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Because many of the characters are in the public domain, American publishers have been known to go without authorization or approval from EBR, but Marz -- an outspoken fan of Burroughs and of the recent feature film adaptation of John Carter -- has been working with them to produce comics based on some of Burroughs's other creations for the Web and was a natural fit when Dynamite and EBR decided to team up.

Joining them is Malsuni, who isn't yet a household name to U.S. comics fans, but like Witchblade's Laura Braga, who also works with Marz, his work might start to change that soon.

"This was really a test of fire to Abhishek. These are his first interior pages for a U.S. publisher, and his first time drawing the Mars of Edgar Rice Burroughs," Marz told us. "It was a lot to throw at an artist, and I know he was nervous about it, but I think these pages show he absolutely nailed it. His Dejah is tough and beautiful, his John Carter is heroic and handsome. Obviously the color is pretty spectacular as well."

"The first issue had to serve the purpose of putting readers right into the story, as well as laying out all the necessary information for new readers to be comfortable with the setting and characters," he added. "I think we came up with a way to serve both those masters, hopefully fairly seamlessly. Abhishek's ability to bring Barsoom to life was a huge part of that. I told him the first issue would make him stronger ... if it didn't kill him."

The involved world, which brings not just new races and settings but its own mythology, history and politics, can be something that's hard for new readers to overcome (that's one of the reasons cited for the movie not performing at the U.S. box office). Marz, though, says that won't be an issue and that the Dynamite series is meant to be new-reader friendly from the outset.

"Readers don't need to bring any knowledge with them for the series. You don't need to have read the previous comics, the novels, or even have seen the movie. Though I think you should see the movie, because it's pretty damn great."

Marz, who has said in the past that he's been connected to John Carter and Dejah Thoris ever since childhood, when the classic Marvel Comics series based on the property brought him his first look at the world of Barsoom and a bit of a childhood crush on the character of Dejah, thinks the pages below effectively communicate the unique look and feel of Burroughs's stories -- something, of course, that can be tough to do when different rights holders own the elements they've brought to the property, so Malsuni had to craft a look all his own in some ways.

"I'm really proud of this first issue, especially the way it looks," Marz said. "Burroughs was an amazingly visual writer, with such an incredible imagination, that capturing his creations really demands stellar art. We have the right team in place to do that."

John Carter: Warlord of Mars #1 is in stores on November 5. The final order cutoff date from Diamond Comics Distributors is today. Check out the solicitation text below.

Price: $3.99

Shipping: November, 2014

Related Products:

SKU: C72513022350001011
Rating: Mature
Cover A Main: J. Scott Campbell
UPC: 725130223500 01011
Cover B Variant: Bart Sears
UPC: 725130223500 01021
Cover C Variant: J.G. Jones "Wraparound"
UPC: 725130223500 01031
Cover D Variant: Ed Benes
UPC: 725130223500 01041
Cover E Variant: Emanuela Lupacchino
UPC: 725130223500 01051
Writer: Ron Marz
Art: Abhishek Malsuni
Genre: Science Fiction 
Publication Date: Nov 2014
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
ON SALE DATE: November 5
John Carter: Warlord of Mars returns in a new monthly series, officially authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.! Superstar writer Ron Marz finally gets to pen the series he has always wanted to write, with amazing new art talent Abhishek Malsuni joining him. Return to the exotic landscape of Barsoom, as John Carter has to save his adopted world, not to mention his beloved Dejah Thoris, from an enemy like no other he has ever faced. John Carter must truly become Warlord of Mars against an adversary who is every bit his equal on the savage red planet. An amazing new era for John Carter of Mars starts here!