Marvel Entertainment and Disney Publishing Worldwide have announced the October release of John Carter: World of Mars #1, the first book in a four-issue miniseries written by Peter David that will function as a prequel to Andrew Stanton’s John Carter film, which opens nationwide on March 9th, 2012. 

 

The comic series, which is being drawn Luke Ross (Dark Tower, Captain America: First Vengeance), will show how the major characters in the film, John Carter, Princess Dejah Thoris, and Tars Tarkas are set on the paths that will bring them together for the action of the movie, which is Pixar’s first live-action film.

 

Director Andrew Stanton, who is at least tangentially involved in the comic book project, commented: “I am really thrilled to be collaborating with Disney & Marvel on this project and look forward to audiences exploring the world of John Carter via this exciting comic offering.  I have wanted to see this property on the big screen since I was a young boy and hope that John Carter: World of Mars will excite and inspire fans of the series much like I was inspired many years ago.”

 

Although John Carter: World of Mars is the only comic with direct ties to the Pixar movie, it is not the only new comic book based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ groundbreaking Edwardian science fiction Barsoom saga. Marvel is publishing another series, John Carter: A Princess of Mars #1 written by Roger Langridge in September (see “It’s Getting Crowded on the Red Planet”), while Dynamite Entertainment has released three series based on the public domain property (see “Warlords of Mars: Fall of Barsoom”).