I’m a recent convert to Edgar Rice Burroughs’s John Carter books, and right now, the Earth is a friendly place for aspiring Martians like me. Disney, Dynamite and Marvel are all vying for our attention with different takes on John Carter (and, more interestingly, on his lady love Dejah Thoris). But no vision of Barsoom is as refreshing or as cleverly defiant to the source material as Roger Langridge’s, so if you want to burrow into Burroughs, this is the place to start.

This is like Thor: The Mighty Avenger for the Barsoom fan. Langridge’s Carter is goofy, wisecracking but still heroic and strong. He certainly doesn’t speak like a Southern gentleman of the Civil War era (“super amazing”? Did they say that in 1885?), but if the dialogue tried to reproduce all of Burroughs’s ponderous thees and thines, there wouldn’t be any room for the art. And this is art that deserves room. Andrade’s art is fluid, packed with energy and lushly coloured by Sunny Cho.

Like Thor: The Mighty Avenger, this book also has some tasty romantic chemistry building. Langridge seems to have a knack for writing super-strong dorks who get the girl. In the novels Dejah Thoris can come across as shoulder candy — she does get captured and chained up a lot — but Langridge’s version is a little bolder, and her relationship with Carter promises to be pretty love-hate.

But I’m willing to bet love will win out. Just a guess.