The tables are starting to turn.
Creative Staff:
Story: Stephen Mooney
Art: Jethro Morales
Colors: Dinei Ribeiro
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
The Queen of the Jungle has Returned! Featuring an all-star creative team and the most amazing roster of cover artists this side of the jungle! The thrilling adventure combines the classic elements of the legendary character along with a modern sensibility that will make it the perfect debut for fans new and old! And look at those covers: Linsner! Parillo! Besch! Suydam! Cosplay! When we opened our adventure, it was clear that Sheena had not arrived at the offices of Cardwell Industries willingly, and that her trip inside the dome was done out of concern for her animal friends. But who was behind her capture and how does their role play into the carnage going on inside the dome? Find out in this issue! Jurassic Park meets Predator meets The Hunger Games. Sheena is Queen of all.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The series has been moving pretty well so far even if it feels like it’s pulling too much from well-known properties while trying to make the whole thing it’s own. That’s not a bad approach but I always hate it when I end up seeing other properties so clearly in something that it distracts me sometimes. Writer Stephen Mooney and artist Jethro Morales set things up well and left me looking forward to more as they’re both exceptionally strong talents that are more than capable of working this. Sheena is such an odd character in that there’s a kind of timelessness about her but at the same time a kind of dated aspect that keeps her from being used too widely. It’s a delicate line to walk but one worth trying because the payoff tends to be really good.
With this installment we get to see more of how Cardwell is orchestrating a much larger plan here with it basically being a way to hunt and assassinate within a controlled environment. Though they haven’t figured out that Beatrice is the killer cat so far, it’s an alluring target and Sheena is one as well, which is why a lot of various hunters and assassin types are being worked up into a good frenzy to go after the pair. Of course, they’re all dudes at this point and a good number of them end up thinking with their genitals more than as actually killers, which showcases exactly who they are. But seeing how Cardwell is using a number of them just for entertainment and expecting only real results from a few select others again just paints the pure cruelty being the point aspect of what’s going on here. Well, that and making money. They’re still not a great villain within the scope of things here but it does add that extra layer of damage.
With Sheena, she’s firmly aligned with Beatrice at this point as they do realize they need each other, and Sheena is also doubly focused because of familiar connections and the fact that her animal friends are being held now as future trophies. So she’s fully intent on getting them back but only just now learning of the true scale of the situation after the pair deal with the latest attack wave and end up getting a look at the map to see just how much more of this place is actually involved. Sheena’s also dealing with Ransome through the earpiece and we see how he’s not exactly in charge of things here like he was playing at, as he’s trying to use Sheena to deal with Cardwell in his own way. It’s not an unexpected manipulation but it is amusing to see him trying to sneak things past Cardwell so that he can help Sheena help him.
In Summary:
Sheena continues to be a pretty fun title here overall but this issue feels like it’s stretching things out a bit in order to get to the six-issue run. It’s filling in the blanks but it’s not exactly tense at any point and some of it just feels drawn out with the dialogue. Sheena and Beatrice are certainly a team to watch together and I definitely was amused by some of Ransome’s expressions as it progressed, but everything with Cardwell and what he’s running just didn’t prove interesting or engaging overall. The artwork continues to be solid and I really like the way Beatrice in her transformed mode delivers some great moments visually.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: March 3rd, 2022
MSRP: $3.99