I’ve never read Burroughs or any of the other Mars comic incarnations currently being published – so I came to this series blind.

With this second issue, Langridge & Andrade both find their stride – & it’s a darn beautiful stride. Where the first issue seemed to skim over a little too much of the plot that must’ve been in the source material & the art felt at times claustrophobic, not giving the wide shots necessary to flesh out the setting for the reader – issue two not only solved these problems, but further, created a story that was fluid and unexpected in both the art and the writing.

Andrade’s art is the real hero of this book. It looks different than anything on the stands, & while it’s clear that Andrade has a firm grasp of anatomical proportions, he skews everything into a style that is simultaneously irreverent and classical. Almost every page is a masterpiece of form & flow & color.

Langridge’s writing only falters slightly in a few dialogue spots, but they nonetheless work, as he creates interactions from the alien characters (Dejah Thoris included) that feel foreign in a new & refreshing way. The difference in cultural perspectives is played up here with very skilled nuance, making the reader feel as clueless to the subtleties of the alien characters as John must feel.

Reading the issue, you become completely immersed in this world & in the emotions John feels for Deja Thoris & for his captors – a great leap forward from issue 1, & a promise for a great story to come.