With no predisposition to the character and no lingering need for such a property to return so soon after a failed film, “John Carter: The End” still manages to be a welcomed minimalistic approach to a character who is about as interesting as his name suggests. The licensed property is plugged into a dystopian future, giving author Brian Wood, Alex Cox and artist Hayden Sherman a chance to really set tone and mood in this comic. Even though this is a licensed property, the pitch for this issue is a little thin to get fans excited about the prospect of a future-laden Carter. Thankfully, the issue has a card trick leveling the playing field in the wonderful art team gracing the series.
Written by Brian Wood and Alex Cox
Illustrated by Hayden Sherman“THE DEATH OF MARS! Centuries have passed and time has taken its toll. Conflict burns across the landscape of Barsoom. A war of supremacy and genocide at the hands of a brutal despot has brought the planet to the edge of collapse. A search party has finally located an aged John Carter and Dejah Thoris, living in quiet seclusion on a desert moon, in perpetual mourning for a lost son. How could they be Mars’ last hope? Introducing a John Carter story like you’ve never seen before, from writers Brian Wood (Star Wars, DMZ, Northlanders) and Alex Cox (Adventure Time), and artist Hayden Sherman (Civil War II: Kingpin).”
Carter’s foray into the distant future is rendered with such sleek visuals, Wood and Cox wisely figured out that he could step down and let Sherman do the talking in this opening scene. Unfortunately, the narrative thread opened up by Wood and Cox is disappointingly sparse. Wood and Cox set up the narrative conflict and the issue comes to an abrupt ending right as the series kicks into gear. With a small taste of what this comic will end up being, perhaps there serialized publication of monthly issues wasn’t the best approach for this comic. However, this is an issue published in the method of single issues, making the comic’s disappointing approach to a serialized debut issue regrettable.
Sherman is given the freedom to really set this world apart from other John Carter comics or books on the stands while still contributing to the established world. One of Sherman’s primary concerns seems to be the illusion of motion. This is a comic that is really wonderfully immersive, as the opening sequence gives Sherman free reign to explore what he can do prose weighing him down. Another great aspect of this series that can be accredited to both members of the creative team is how the story introduces the different characters of the narrative. Heroes interrupt the flow of the story in an unexpected manner, making this comic feel cinematic, showing that this story has a high production value.
The letters from Thomas Napolitano and colors from Chris O’Halloran are both vital contributions to the issue. O’Halloran really switched up the palette often, cementing the exaggerated style of Sherman in a way that wouldn’t have been utilized had this comic been simply black-and-white.This issue swaps color palette according to not only mood but setting as well. In closing the comic, readers should be able to recall such vibrant and beautiful hues of purple and orange, colors that don’t always mix together in the best manner, but in a way that makes the environment of Mars feel alien and otherworldly.
Sherman never quite draws the same thing twice, making quiet scenes between the characters a little disorienting at times. His pencils can take away from the emotion of some scenes by virtue of Carter’s eyes barely being depicted at all. This is just one of the reasons why Dejah Thoris steals the show here. Her shoot first, ask questions later mentality makes her the more interesting character of the duo. When she discovers a lie, readers are also more naturally going to empathize with her. In future issues, Wood and Cox best serve this comic by fleshing out more of a story for Carter instead of his bleak cliches and uninteresting back-peddling having served as his defining traits in this issue.
Wood and Cox’s dialogue in this issue is wonderfully subtle, with characters saying things you wouldn’t expect them to in the way they twist dialogue or phrases. However, the wordplay isn’t verbose or over-the-top as is the case with other comics. The issue only truly begins to falter in the downbeat cliffhanger and simple story, featuring a character simply running away from a situation. In a story that desperately could have used just one last twist on the conventional narrative, Wood and Cox stumble, making this issue seem obvious in nature. The saving grace of the story is the mood and tone already built upon by other John Carter projects. Wood and Cox don’t have to introduce this entire world from scratch and the tone and feeling on the page is intoxicating. Spending time in this purple-orange sci-fi landscape makes some of this issue’s flaws worth overlooking.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – Sherman steals the show, but Wood and Cox’s minimalistic script in “John Carter: The End” needs to pick up in future installments.
