"Tonight is the Night Helium Dies!"
Helium crumbles and burns as John Carter, its Prince and self-appointed protector watches helplessly. Moulting man-thing Zhuvan D'Ark revels in the destruction. Only an arch-fiend of Brobdingnagian excess would rejoice at such wanton wreckage.
Obscene osmosis occurs as the army of marauding skeletons start to absorb the flesh, muscle and sinew from Red Martians, to be restored to a half-life. No matter, they still choose to follow the walking cadaver King, Zhuvan D'Ark, who uses a similar process to corrupt the form of John Carter.
D'Ark/Carter's ultimate goal, aside from the conquest of Helium - gaining him overdue payback on the city's elders (who died centuries ago, rendering said revenge, thus redundant), is to resurrect his dead lover, Adanna. He plans to use Dejah Thoris's body to house her spirit.
All seems lost, but Kantos Kan and Grogg never surrender, and manage to revive Tars Tarkas. Together the three stand as one against D'Ark/Carter's forces. Only they can save Princess Dejah from a certain living death.
Contains a fan letter from Catherine Yronwode.