Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #4 Review

 

Writers: Wes Clark Jr. & Steven E. de Souza

Artist: Ediano Silva

Colorist: Vinicius Townsend

Letterer: Taylor Esposito

Cover Artists: Lucio Parrillo; John Royle; Arthur Suydam; Cosplay

Publisher: Dynamite

Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 13, 2023

 

Her roommate's father arrested Sheena's friend, Don Felipe. Gordo’s goons attacked her friend Roberto and shot Ransome, Cardwell’s Head Of Security. As Sheena and Tyler prepare for their school's 400^th anniversary, the Queen Of The Jungle wonders if the V.I.P. attendees will be safe. And what’s the story with the amulets many of the girls wear? Let's charge into Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #4 and find out!

 

Story

Unsanctioned drilling in the Forbidden Zone drew Sheena’s interest. She attacked the surveyors in the jungle and liberated some of their soil samples. The Norteamericano outsiders murdered the professor who studied what they extracted. After Sheena captured and questioned him, Omar admitted the surveyors were testing for nothing.

 

As Rachel Caldwell, Sheena rains lawyers down on Col. Pinto’s head. But with the school inviting Val Verde’s First Lady and V.I.P.’s to their celebration, Tyler’s father—and head of the secret police—can’t release Don Felipe. The aging gardener may have treated Rachel kindly, but no public records of him exist, and his soldiers found a priceless volume of Father Olvido’s diary in his room.

 

Thankfully, Doctor Domingo patched up Ransome. Along with Roberto and Chano, Cardwell’s Head Of Security found a clue to the unsanctioned operations in the Forbidden Land. As Sheena’s chief protector, Ransome doesn’t want her to follow it up. But she’s the Queen Of The Jungle, and all the alligators, hippos, and Cowodis in Val Verde can't stop her from investigating.

 

In Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #4, Wes Clark Jr. & Steven E. de Souza reveal the identity of the Cowodi boss, Don Felipe's past, and the secret behind the Blessing Goddess. Sheena's animal friends, Pete and Yagua, assist her while mischievous Chim runs up a Video On Demand bill. It's exciting to see all the plotlines converging and long-held secrets revealed. Yet the issue also boasts a surprisingly touching moment when a villain mourns a fallen colleague.

 

 

 

Art

Ediano Silva’s lifelike characters inhabit dense jungles. Hippos rise above the surface to menace Cowodis that invade their waters. Val Verde shines as a tropical paradise, while the exclusive school exudes its rich and romantic history in Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #4.

 

Vinicius Townsend imbues Silva’s panel-packed pages with multihued realism. His attractive colors lend vitality to this intriguing story filled with danger, mystery, and revelations. The purple-blue sky hangs over vibrant greenery as Sheena avoids red and yellow tracer fire, taking on a bazooka-wielding villain with her spear. Yet the magenta hippos steal the spotlight, their slick hides glowing in the moonlight.

 

Taylor Esposito’s black, uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons are easy on the eyes, even if yours don’t reflect a vision of the Blessing Goddess. Energetic and colorful sound effects help you hear small moments like a cellphone ring and a shadowy villain’s cigar ash hitting the river. Yet the big moments in Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #4 don’t disappoint either, as blades slash, hippos chomp, and explosions rock Sheena’s beloved Forbidden Zone.

 

Thanks to Dynamite Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

A rich man finds inspiration in the ancient writings of an imprisoned priest, and investigations into the Forbidden Zone reveal a link with America’s C.I.A. in Sheena Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams #4.

 

Rating 10/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.