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prodigy slaves of mars #2
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Dark Horse Comics reviews 9/11/24 – Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #2

Jeffrey Lyles , , ,

Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #2 continues one of the more exciting story arcs to come from the Dark Horse era of the Millarworld titles.

Edison Crane has been framed by Froth Schroeder, a genius rivaling Edison’s vast intelligence. Froth has already killed Edison’s father and now he’s aiming to take him out.

With his financial accounts drained and a Deepfake video suggesting he’s a mass murder, Edison is on the run. The only person Edison can turn to is the only man on Earth smarter than him, his brother Elijah.

Slaves of Mars #2 ups the stakes by putting Edison and Elijah in some unexpected scenarios with Froth keeping an annoying, near ever present eye on them. Froth continues to escalate the conflict by extreme measures to ensure they Crane brothers end up like their father.

Writer Mark Millar has written the Prodigy volumes, The Evil Earth and The Icarus Society (both available now on Amazon) as sprawling spy thrillers with a mix of fantasy elements. Think James Bond crossing over with Indiana Jones. If the first two volumes were Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Temple of Doom, Slaves of Mars definitely has that Last Crusade vibe with Edison reuniting with a family member to take on a new threat.

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Elijah is aiming to be a Dark Horse era Millarworld breakout character. He’s cool, laid-back and insists on calling Edison “Eddie.” Just an issue and a half into his debut and Elijah already reads like a longtime fan favorite. Very similar to Sean Connery’s immediate crowd-pleasing stint as Professor Henry Jones Sr. in The Last Crusade.

Elijah also has some interesting pathos as he cracked from the strain placed on him by their father. While Edison sought to earn their father’s approval, Elijah stopped worrying. Slaves of Mars #2 finds him in a state far less opulent and glamorous as Edison, but he’s just as content.

Artist Stefano Landini provides a near melodic flow with his artwork. It’s not as polished as the other Prodigy artists, but it works in the sense of just going with the vibe and tone Landini creates as opposed to worrying about crisp line work and complex details. Colorist Michele Assarasakorn adds to that warm embracing feel with bold, yet muted color combinations. Letterer Clem Robins keeps the dialogue smoothly laid out and not reading like uninviting text walls.

Slaves of Mars #2 doesn’t lose a trace of the momentum from the first installment. It raises the tension and sets up a very fun action buddy dynamic where the script has been flipped. The previous volumes showed Edison constantly amazing his companions while Slaves of Mars #2 finds Edison in amazement at what Elijah is able to pull off.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Dark Horse Comics

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