Altered States: Warlords #2 Preview: John Carter Hunts the Secret of Red Sonja on Barsoom
Altered States: Warlords #2 continues Dynamite Entertainment’s wild parallel-reality adventure on July 8, 2026, sending John Carter deeper into a version of Mars forever changed by the arrival of Red Sonja.
Written by David Avallone with art by Mariano Benitez-Chapo, the issue blends sword-and-planet adventure, alternate history, science fiction, and classic pulp energy into one of Dynamite’s most intriguing crossover concepts of the summer.
For readers who missed the launch, our coverage of Altered States: Warlords #1 breaks down the first chapter of this alternate-reality take on John Carter, Red Sonja, and the mysteries of Barsoom.
Welcome Back to Altered States
Dynamite’s Altered States line works in the same spirit as DC’s Elseworlds or Marvel’s What If…? stories, taking familiar characters and placing them into dramatically different realities.
This time, the question is simple but powerful:
What if John Carter was not the first human from Earth to reach Mars?
That twist changes everything.
In Altered States: Warlords #2, John Carter discovers a Barsoom that has already been reshaped by another legendary warrior: Red Sonja. Her presence on Mars stretches back millennia, and the mystery of what happened to her becomes central to Carter’s mission.
The result is a story that feels built for longtime pulp fans, sword-and-sorcery readers, Dynamite collectors, and anyone who loves alternate-universe storytelling with real stakes.
John Carter Faces a Changed Barsoom
John Carter has always been tied to mythic adventure, strange worlds, alien kingdoms, and larger-than-life battles. But in this version of Barsoom, he is stepping into a history he does not fully understand.
Red Sonja came before him.
Her legacy remains.
And if Carter cannot uncover what happened to her, he may have no hope of saving Barsoom from the Holy Therns and their death cult.
That gives Altered States: Warlords #2 a strong mystery engine beneath the action. It is not only about survival or spectacle. It is about lost history, buried power, and the dangerous consequences of one warrior’s arrival changing the fate of an entire planet.
Red Sonja’s Shadow Looms Large
Even when Red Sonja is not dominating every panel, her presence drives the issue. She is treated less like a guest star and more like a mythic force whose choices altered Barsoom itself.
That is the smart hook here. Dynamite is not simply throwing characters together for novelty. The story makes Red Sonja matter to the world, the politics, and the danger surrounding John Carter.
The preview pages lean into that mythic feeling, opening with an altered path for Carter and showing how destiny, Mars, and Sonja’s past are tangled together. The result feels like a pulpy cosmic legend being rewritten in real time.
Art That Leans Into Classic Adventure
Mariano Benitez-Chapo gives the issue a big, clean adventure look. The pages carry the wide-open scale that Barsoom needs, while the character work keeps the drama grounded.
The desert landscapes, alien riders, royal interiors, and Martian warriors all help sell the setting as something familiar yet changed. This is still Barsoom, but it is not quite the Barsoom John Carter expected.
That visual contrast is important. The issue needs to feel like a classic world turned sideways, and the art delivers that feeling without losing the pulp clarity that makes this kind of story fun.
Why Fans Should Watch This Issue
Altered States: Warlords #2 should appeal to several kinds of readers.
For John Carter fans, it offers a fresh angle on Barsoom and the mythology of Mars.
For Red Sonja fans, it presents Sonja as a world-changing figure whose actions echo across centuries.
For Dynamite readers, it continues one of the publisher’s most entertaining alternate-reality experiments.
For new readers, the concept is easy to understand: John Carter arrives on Mars and discovers someone else changed the story before he got there.
That is a strong enough premise to pull in casual fans, but the creative team adds enough lore, danger, and mystery to keep longtime readers engaged.
Cover Lineup
Altered States: Warlords #2 arrives with all-cardstock covers and a strong variant lineup.
The covers include:
Cover A: Joseph Michael Linsner
Cover B: Mike Rooth
Cover C: Mariano Benitez-Chapo
Cover D: Cosplay cover featuring Jackie Goehner
Mike Rooth and Mariano Benitez-Chapo also contribute connecting cover work for the series, giving collectors another reason to keep the run together.
Readers can also find more release information through the official Dynamite Entertainment product page.
Final Thoughts
Altered States: Warlords #2 looks like the kind of crossover issue that understands why alternate-reality comics work.
The appeal is not just seeing John Carter and Red Sonja share a concept. The appeal is watching one major change rewrite an entire mythology.
By asking what Barsoom would become if Red Sonja arrived before John Carter, David Avallone and Mariano Benitez-Chapo create a story that feels familiar, strange, and full of old-school adventure energy.
With the Holy Therns, a death cult, Red Sonja’s lost legacy, and John Carter trying to piece together the truth, Altered States: Warlords #2 gives readers a strong reason to return to this alternate Mars.
Altered States: Warlords #2 arrives in comic book shops on July 8, 2026 from Dynamite Entertainment.
Book Details
Title: Altered States: Warlords #2
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer: David Avallone
Artist: Mariano Benitez-Chapo
Covers: Joseph Michael Linsner, Mike Rooth, Mariano Benitez-Chapo, Jackie Goehner cosplay cover
Format: FC, all cardstock covers
Pages: 32
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure
Price: $4.99
Rating: Teen+
Release Date: July 8, 2026
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