Sheena #3 (Moonstone Books 2014) - A Review

Sheena #3 opens in the thick of the action, as the jaguar men - who had only attacked in stealth before - make their presence known.  The Queen of The Jungle has fought many strange things before but beasts that walk as men are unusual even by her standards!  Can she conquer this new supernatural evil while simultaneously protecting an ancient temple from looters and the treacherous Colonel Pinto and his secret police?


The final chapter of "Return of The Jaguar Men" delivers the classic pulp action one would expect of a Sheena comic.  Paul Storrie's script - based on a plot by David de Souza - brings things to a satisfying conclusion while simultaneously setting up material for future stories.  It is gratifying to see this classic heroine written as being more than a beautiful bruiser and Storrie's script offers Sheena ample opportunity to showcase her cunning and intelligence as well as her ability to fight.


The artwork by Shawn McCauley is comparable to the work of Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke.  Stylized and streamlined, McCauley's linework is simple yet is rendered deeper by atmospheric inking.  The final effect is reminiscent of Will Eisner in his prime.

Sheena #2 (Moonstone Books 2014) - A Review

When we last we left The Queen of The Jungle, she was launching dual investigations into a group of soldiers enslaving the local natives and reports of a jaguar attacking a local archaeological dig.  The case has quickly become personal for Sheena (a.k.a. heiress Rachel Caldwell) as her pet jaguar Yagua has been implicated in the attacks and is being hunted by the ruthless Colonel Pinto of the Val Verde Secret Police.  And that's ignoring the rumors of a race of jaguar men, who legend has it made use of the recently uncovered temple to perform dark rites involving human sacrifice and cannibalism!


Sheena #2 is an improvement on its first issue in every respect.  As I noted in my review, the first issue was an enjoyable read but I feared it presumed too much in thinking the reader would already be familiar with the established cast first introduced in the 2007 Sheena mini-series.  By contrast, this issue takes care to introduce us to all of Sheena's supporting cast and identifies them all by name.

This issue also features a number of good character moments that the first issue lacked.  My favorite of these involves bodyguard Martin Ransome - a man's man if ever there was one - showing he's more than dumb muscle after being called 'Sherlock Holmes' sarcastically.  There's also a funny bit where Sheena fights against the bimbo stereotype she normally plays at being in her secret identity, in a tribute to a classic joke.  


The artwork by Shawn McCauley is a perfect match for the story.  McCauley's general style is exaggerated in a way that is reminiscent of the great Will Eisner - fitting given that Eisner was one of Sheena's co-creators!  This streamlined style lends itself well to the issue's fluid action sequences but also allows the characters some intricate expressions in their close-ups.

Bottom Line: If you're a fan of classic pulp adventure comics, Sheena should be on your pull list.  

Sheena #1 (Moonstone Books 2014) - A Review

Moonstone Books' Sheena #1 is a good comic but a bad first issue.  This is because, in all the ways that matter, this isn't a first issue but a continuation of the 2007 Sheena series printed by Devil's Due Publishing.  Reinvented for the modern day by Die Hard screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, this series established The Queen Of The Jungle as Rachael Caldwell - an heiress thought lost in the Amazon as an infant, who was raised by friendly natives and taught the ways of the animals.   Now, having been reunited with her robber-baron grandfather, Rachael plays at being a vapid party girl by day while spending her nights protecting the rain-forests as Sheena.

This is briefly explained at the start of this issue but precious little else is.  It seems to have been assumed that anyone reading this book will already be familiar with the DDP Sheena series, which is a bad assumption after several years of inactivity and never a good idea for a first issue.  We do get glimpses of Sheena's supporting cast - shaman Don Felipe, environmentalist Bob Kellerman and bodyguard Martin Ransome - but only Kellerman is identified directly by name.  In fact, Martin Ransome's name is not mentioned once in the whole issue!


The artwork by Jake Minor is equally problematic.  Minor is a good artist but I don't believe him to be the right artist for this story.  Minor's style is bold and exaggerated in a way that is reminiscent of Will Eisner's The Spirit.  This would be a fine thing were the script written on the same light-hearted level as Eisner's The Spirit but this book has several bloody moments (including one man taking an arrow through the neck and another man being devoured by piranhas) that are graphic enough to push this book into T+ (16 and Up) territory.  These scenes, as rendered by Minor, look goofy rather than horrifying.



Despite these problems, I enjoyed Sheena #1 immensely.  More care could have been taken to reintroduce the supporting cast but Sheena herself is explained well enough.  More importantly, Sheena is depicted as a capable heroine.  And while I may take issue with certain scenes looking odd, Minor's action sequences are well-choreographed.  There is enough right with this book for me to recommend it, provided you pick up a copy of the first two DDP Sheena collections along with this first issue.