PRODIGY: SLAVES OF MARS #5 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix
STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Stefano Landini
COLORS: Michele Assarasakorn
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITOR: Daniel Chabon
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
COVER: Stefano Landini with Michele Assarasakorn
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Stefano Landini
40pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (January 2025)
Rated M / Mature
Prodigy created by Mark Millar at Netflix
Prodigy: Slaves of Mars is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar. It is the third entry in the Prodigy series, following the original 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy, and the 2022 miniseries, Prodigy: The Icarus Society. This new series' creative team is comprised of artist Stefano Landini; colorist Michele Assarasakorn; and letterer Clem Robins. Prodigy focuses on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane.
In Prodigy: Slaves of Mars, Edison returns to New York City from an adventure in the Himalayas to find his company, Crane Solutions, in disarray. He also learns that his father, the former Senator Whitney Crane, is dead on Mars after discovering some shocking secret. Now, a wanted man, Edison only has one person left to whom he can turn. That would be his older, smarter brother, Elijah Crane.
Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5 opens on Mars. Elijah ascertains that he and Edison's father, Whitney, discovered a series of “star gates” on Earth. So Edison and Elijah head to the most consequential star gate, the one in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka, and that's how they got to Mars.
Now, it is time to get down to three mysteries: First, who murdered their father? What is the full story behind the secret mission to Mars? And what is the terrible fate of the human race is facing sooner than it thinks? The answers are shockers.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest title to mark my return is Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5.
While the fourth issue was a blast to read, Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5 offers the reader a chance at a variety of emotions. The issue is at once humorous and then, scary. It contemplative and talkative by measures before moving onto weird conspiracies and threatening futures. Millar goes full “Ancient Aliens,” secret space programs, and the Anunnaki. You already know about Millar's love of secrets and conspiracies if you have read Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 or read Prodigy: The Evil Earth, the trade collection of the first miniseries.
The art team of illustrator Stefano Landini and colorist Michele Assarasakorn, as in the earlier issues, unveil the surprises in a steady stream of straightforward storytelling. Landini's storytelling here is more cautious, and does not race across the pages. Now, Landini wants us to savor doom, and Assarasakorn colors it all in the red hues of bad dreams. As always, Clem Robins provides the perfect soundtrack to this chapter with his classic lettering – this time more muted and ominous.
Without spoiling things, I can say that Millar's script is the kind that a father would write, with its resolutions and redemption. It is more about legacy than inheritance, and more about pointing the way than making the way. That makes Prodigy: Slaves of Mars a unique entry in a idiosyncratic franchise.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: Slaves of Mars.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://www.netflix.com/
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.darkhorse.com/
https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/
https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/
The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
-----------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment