Dejah Thoris #5 // Review
Things had been overwhelming. The battles hadn’t gone as planned, and so the Martian princess had to retreat. She was under the impression that she would be going somewhere to build an army and save her kingdom. Instead...she was being sent into hiding. They didn’t tell her, of course. There was no way that she would have agreed to it. She gets her chance to return to action in Dejah Thoris #5. Writer Chuck Brown continues a high fantasy adventure with artist Emiliana Pinna and colorist Ellie Wright. The action and adventure move swiftly across the page in another adventure for one of the longest-lived action heroines.
Dejah Thoris is NOT going to let the moment give her pause to rest. She is going to take advantage of what she is given and fight back against those who have ostensibly defeated her. Sometimes, the most powerful weapons come in the most unsuspecting places. There is a large bird known as the Malagor that has been thought extinct for ages. Dejah Thoris has access to one. If she can learn to guide it, she might guide it into battle...but she’s going to need to practice.
Brown isn't quite pacing things right. Nor is the connection between the action and the political drama being presented in a way that’s strong enough to be compelling. The title character’s heroism is not given enough chance to really breathe. So much of the story is lost in politics that rest beyond the immediate. For Dejah’s victory to feel like the kind of triumph it’s meant to be, there would really need to be more time spent with her and the Malagor. As it is, the political end of the trauma feels relatively dull. A deeper connection with Dejah would have served the issue much better.
Pinna and Wright do a solidly respectable job of bringing the action to the page. The drama feels suitably intense as well. What seems to be lacking is a sense of perspective. The immensity of the Malagor is clearly there on the page. It just doesn't feel as powerful as it should. More dramatic perspectives on the flight of the bird and the landscape below would make the fantasy of the action feel that much more sweeping and heroic. The art team does, however, do a decent job of bringing across the overall fantasy of the story in an appealing way.
The plot of the series thus far has been enjoyable. The actual execution of the plot is lacking in intensity. If it was to be amplified in certain areas, it could really be something remarkable. Edgar Rice Burroughs’s characters and setting are inherently very appealing. There's clearly something in them to have lasted for as long as they have. Dejah is a really interesting character. It’s so very, very difficult to frame her in a way that does justice to her potential.
