Writers: Wes Clark Jr. & Steven E. de Souza
Artist: Ediano Silva
Colorist: Renato Spiller
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Cover Artists: Lucio Parrillo; Joseph Michael Linsner; Arthur Suydam;
Publisher: Dynamite
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 6, 2023
A new student arrives as the school year begins. She’s a young blonde that hunters captured in the jungle. Her name's Rachel and she rocks her school uniform! What's all this got to do with our vine-swinging heroine? Let's leap into Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #1 and find out!
Story
L’école des Jeunes Filles du Val Verde is a school for the daughters of the rich and powerful. While an orphan, Rachel's extended family wields influence in Val Verde. Tyler's upset she has to room with "Monkey Girl." But that's just Sheena's cover story. The elite school sits on the edge of the forbidden zone, allowing her to investigate the intrusions plaguing native villages. While Tyler sleeps, guess what her roommate’s doing in Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #1!
Wes Clark Jr. & Steven E. de Souza deliver a dialogue-heavy story that demands concentration. Sheena's a culprit, as her friend Don Felipe chides while posing as the school gardener. Readers must wait to learn character names. Some never get mentioned. Still, even if they don't adhere to the K.I.S.S. writing style and demand patience while introducing the cast, Clark Jr. and de Souza tantalize with two mysteries: one in the jungle and another in the school. Both puzzles involve technology, but one could have supernatural elements.
Art
Ediano Silva shows Rachel delivering her speech while simultaneously portraying it. These compelling scenes may confuse, as they show her mother's upbringing before switching to Rachel’s. (Or is that Sheena’s?) A scene involving corporal punishment is also confusing, as the stick the teacher used to beat the child resembles a sword. Still, dynamic layouts excite as packed pages deliver a wealth of lifelike imagery in Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #1
Renato Spiller loads his palette with vibrant colors that enrich characters and settings. Perhaps Sheena's panther looks blue, but Spiller conveys darkness without relying on black or gray. Shading and highlights make Ediano Silva's impressive art in Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #1 a feast for the eyes. Perhaps it’s just as well Wes Clark Jr. & Steven E. de Souza give readers so much to read!
Taylor Esposito's tiny footnotes inhabit colored narrative boxes, and some dialogue seems designed for Ant-Man. While the dialogue balloon arrangement wasn't always easy to follow, the pleasing black, uppercase letters were easy to read. Bird fanciers will like Pete, the Macaw that perches on Sheena's shoulder when her monkey is elsewhere. Even if Pete doesn't ask you for a cracker, you'll enjoy reading his colorful squawks as he aids Sheena's investigations.
Final Thoughts
Privileged students discover spirituality as powerful interests threaten the indigenous inhabitants of the forbidden zone in Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #1.
Rating 9.4/10
For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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