Marc Andreyko, writer of Chastity #5, talks with Ron Marz about John Carter: Warlord of Mars #1, both on sale Nov. 5
MARC ANDREYKO: Ron, this first issue is fantastic! It is accessible to any reader -- those who saw the film, those who are big ERB fans, and even the casual first-timer. How difficult was it getting all of that character info into one issue without of feeling like an "info dump"?
RON MARZ: Thanks, Marc, I really appreciate that. I felt like my biggest job in issue #1 was to establish all the characters in the entire setting of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars. And I hate info dumps, so I was really concerned that we find a way to convey everything any reader needs to know, from hardcore John Carter fans to people who are completely unfamiliar with it. The way we went about it also provided a chance for [artist] Abhishek [Malsuni] to showcase what he can do. I told him if the first issue didn't kill him, it would make him stronger..
MA: Have you been a longtime fan of John Carter? Or are you new to the mythos?
RM: I discovered the John Carter novels at the perfect age, maybe 11 years old, when everything seems magical. I've been in love with it ever since, and I've wanted to write stories with these characters, on this world, since I was 11.
MA: Interesting to see a (SPOILER WARNING) Union soldier as a villain. Will we see you deal with John's Earth politics and how the slavery situation on Mars has changed him (if at all)?
RM: The one thing that I felt the John Carter stories lacked, to a certain extent, was a worthy villain. John is basically Superman on Mars, so I wanted to give him an opponent truly worthy of his skills. Captain Joshua Clark is John's equal in most ways, especially on the battlefield, but where John is an utterly honorable man, Clark is a scoundrel. They're two sides of the same coin. We'll definitely get into the fact that they were on opposite sides in the Civil War, and what all that means.
MA: I love me some Woola! Any chance of seeing an issue spotlighting my favorite dog/slug?
RM: Woola's the best, isn't he? I thought the version of Woola in Andrew Stanton's John Carter film was genius. I'm still annoyed nobody made a plush Woola for me to have in my office. So yes, I'm absolutely planning on a Woola solo issue.
MA: And the art is quite stunning. Where did you find Abhishek? And have you chained him up somewhere so he doesn't get poached?
RM: Abhishek is an Indian artist whom I edited on a project for an Indian publisher. That project was a big, exotic adventure, and even then it occurred to me that he'd be a really good fit for John Carter. Of course, when the opportunity came up a year or two later, and I discussed the possibility with Abhishek, he admitted that he had very little familiarity with the property. But obviously he's thrown himself into it, immersed himself in the great tradition of Barsoom illustration, and really made a stunning debut. I couldn't be happier with the work that he and the rest of the art team are doing.
JOHN CARTER: WARLORD OF MARS #1 is currently on sale from Dynamite Entertainment. Check out the preview from the first issue.
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