John Carter: Warlord of Mars #1 J. Scott Campbell cover

Ron Marz is the popular writer of such comics as Witchblade, Green Lantern, Artifacts, and more. Now he’s taking on John Carter: Warlord of Mars for Dynamite. Westfield’s Roger Ash contacted Marz to learn more about the upcoming book.

Westfield: What attracted you to the project?

Ron Marz: I’ve loved Edgar Rice Burroughs in general and John Carter in specific since boyhood. These are stories I’ve always wanted to tell. I know I keep saying that it’s a dream come true whenever anybody asks about this project, but it’s absolutely the truth. I’ve wanted to write John Carter forever.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars #1 Bart Sears cover.

Westfield: What can readers look forward to in the book? Is there anything you can say about the story?

Marz: I wanted to make sure that the series, and especially the first issue, are as accessible as possible. These stories are for longtime John Carter fans, as well as readers who have never visited this world before. The John Carter stories are the blueprint for so much of what came after: Star Wars, Star Trek, Avatar, Superman and so many more. I want to introduce newcomers to this fantastic world and these great characters, as well as offer up something that resonates with the loyal readership. The first story arc, “Invaders of Mars,” runs for six issues, and puts John Carter in the position of having to save his adopted world from an alien invasion.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars J.G. Jones cover.

Westfield: Will you be introducing new characters?

Marz: The villain of the first story arc is a new character, and hopefully a villain worthy of John Carter. John is a virtual superman on Mars, so I wanted to introduce an antagonist for him who is every bit as powerful. The villain is John’s opposite number in a great many ways. There will be other new characters introduced as we go forward, but John, Dejah Thoris and Tars Tarkas will always be the core.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars preview art by Abhishek Malsuni.

Westfield: You’re working with artist Abhishek Malsuni on the book. What can you say about his contribution?

Marz: I actually worked as the editor on a project Abhishek drew for an Indian publisher, and was really impressed by his talent. He’s still pretty young, so I think the work he’s doing is even more impressive for someone who’s still learning and getting better with every page. When the opportunity for this series came about, Abhishek was the first name I put forward for the art duties. Even though he wasn’t terribly familiar with the John Carter mythos, he’s really taken to it fantastically.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars preview art by Abhishek Malsuni.

Westfield: Any closing comments?

Marz: I couldn’t be happier doing this series. They’ll have to pry it out of my arthritic fingers years from now. So much of our heroic and adventure traditions come from John Carter, it’s an honor to be working on the original that started it all.

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John Carter: Warlord of Mars #1