Jana’s going to learn to curse if it kills her.
Creative Staff:
Story: Marguerite Bennett
Art: Mirka Andolfo
What They Say:
As the jungle descends into a lethal winter, Red Sonja and Jungle Girl have finally cornered the vicious Mistress Hel and — oh, whoops, wait, it’s the other way around. Monsters, magic, a dreamboat in distress – and a velociraptor chariot race? Time is running out for Sonja and Jana to restore to island before all is lost!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of the Red Sonja and Jungle Girl miniseries was one that hit some very fun notes to it even if the overall premise left me a little cool to it. Sonja’s one of the key pieces of the Swords of Sorrow storyline but her being pushed off to a side adventure like this felt like spinning the wheels in a sense when she should have been involved in grander things. But with it being an attempt to sideline her for the most part, similar to Vampirella, it makes a certain kind of sense. The plus side to it is that we get a really solid creative team putting it together and someone who could definitely provide us with some great Red Sonja storylines in the future. And quite possibly Jana the Jungle Girl as well, as I’m still frustrated by her most recent seasonal series.
With this second of three arcs, the series puts us in a place where events are picking up but there’s also time for playfulness. With Mistress Hel looking to get what she’s after with the source of magic for the Prince (unless that in itself is a ruse), she’s putting the screws to both Jana and Sonja at first in a pretty fun way. It’s only because Bel’lok is there that things get salvaged in a sense through some quick thinking on his part as both women were ready to just fight – especially Jana after the damage done to the animals of the forest thanks to Hel. The dynamic there is one that works well as the three women verbally spar while making their threats and demands and there’s a good sense about them in tone and personality that comes through. Bel’lok, for his part, is mostly background until he provides the diversion that lets them move on.
Because this is the middle act is basically bookends the act in it and while I enjoyed the kind of crazy chase that gets underway at the end, it’s the juicy goodness of the middle that made me the happiest here. Sonja’s initial attempts at teaching Jana how to curse properly was adorable and then later her teasing Jana about the unconscious Bel’lok has her nuding the two of them together with some hilarious moments, especially the whole licking of freckles. The back and forth between them is great and it brought Jana to life in a really good way and has me even more curious as to the Red Sonja works if this is similar to how the dialogue there operates. The two also have to deal with some of the local men here, all pumped out and intense about what’s going on because of Hel’s attacks, and that provides some additional color. But it’s Sonja and Jana that continually steal the scenes with Bel’lok getting a few good moments in as well.
In Summary:
While I admit I kept my expectations low for this book because I get the structure and intent of the event series overall with its supporting books, I’m having an absolute blast with this. It’s not high end material in a certain sense but it’s a thoroughly fun read with some great dialogue to keep it all moving right along and infusing life into these characters. Bennett has a knack for this pair right from the get go and this second installment just cements it. Andolfo’s artwork again continues to be really appropriate here, though some scenes look a little rushed or off model, but the bulk of it has the right kind of playfulness about it as well as some great reaction shots for both Jana and Sonja that should rightly leave you in stitches if you have any affection for these two at this point. Good stuff that has me hoping they’ll find a way to team these two up again sometime in the future with this group behind it.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 26th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
