Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by Marguerite Bennett & Christina Trujillo
Illustrated by Moritat
Coloured by Andre Szymanowicz
Lettered by Thomas Napolitano
Deep in the heart of the Amazon, Sheena acts as guardian and protector, defending her home from any threats that might dare present themselves. Without warning, the delicate balance of Sheena’s world is shattered forever by the arrival of an outside force greedy to get its hands on the ancient secrets the forest holds. Now Sheena must protect her home from a menace unlike anything she’s ever faced before—one threatening to tear the forest apart from the outside……
You know what there is to like about this? Everything. What the girls do with this is set-up pretty much everything we need to know about Sheena and the world she lives in. They manage to do this through some stellar storytelling. You get a chance to see that while Sheena is protector of the Jungle from outsiders, Cowodi, that this is the present and she isn’t familiar with modern technology.
Moritat is one of those artists whom I believe is totally underrated. I was such a fan of the work he did on Jonah Hex and John Constantine that i’d follow him wherever work takes him. Also his vision for Sheena is well realised, she’s strong and vibrant not to mention sexy without being slutty, a rather fine balance to achieve. His use of page layouts through the angles and perspective are magnificent. The use of backgrounds is amazing to see and the sene of movement and action he can capture is superb for this character. Plus his animals are completely on point.
That we get some background information in this as well as the set-up for what’s to come is very well done. The Forbidden Temple has been broached and whether the booby traps laid by beings unknown are meant to keep people out is something we will hopefully learn. Also the identities of those whose equipment was left behind is another thing i’m looking forward to learning. The Temple itself is a point of interest for a myriad of reasons and what we see here is just the tip of the iceberg.
The characterisation is great and that she’s so out of touch with the world outside the jungle makes her naivete more endearing to me. Her ferocity and skillfulness are not in question and neither is her desire to be the person the jungle and it’s people need. She’s so much more than what you might think she is.
This is the kind of introduction that wins over new readers, fans and detractors to the characters side. It’s strong, interesting and full of promise.