It’s only taken 98 years for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first novel to go before the cameras.  Earlier this month, Disney set up shop to begin production in Utah on John Carter of Mars, based on A Princess of Mars.  Carefully calculated marketing and buzz are to emanate out of Hollywood, beginning with this piece of artwork —

— and thanks to the folks over at Blue Sky Disney who hunted down a great explanation.  It is certainly evocative of the time period of the classic pulps, but artistically it owes more to art deco aesthetics than pulp illustration.  I do like the swirling lock of hair — it’s instantly evocative of the signature of all action heroes of the thirties —

— but perhaps none more so than . . .

But seriously, didn’t you ever wonder about why his hair changes whenever he takes off the glasses?  It’s all iconography: the man of meekness suddenly transforms into the man of steel, and it’s signified by the errant lock of hair.  Apparently, men of action don’t have time to use a comb.