SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE – FATAL EXAMS #1, from Dynamite Comics on 9/6/23, begins a new undercover assignment for Sheena when she infiltrates a girl’s school to solve a mystery.
The Details
- Written by: Steven E. de Souza, Wes Clark Jr.
- Art by: Ediano Silva
- Colors by: Renato Spiller
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: September 6, 2023
Is SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE – FATAL EXAMS #1 Good?
Sheena’s back for a brand new adventure in SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE – FATAL EXAMS #1. This time, the Queen of the Jungle gets two mysteries for the price of one when she finds unsavory characters creating a mess in a nature preserve, and her fellow students fall victim to a cult leader. De Souza and Clark Jr. waste no time giving you as much mystery as you can handle in one issue for an intriguing start.
De Souza and Clark Jr.’s centers on Sheena, assuming her Rachel Cardwell identity, to infiltrate a wealthy girls’ school adjacent to a nature preserve experiencing destruction by unknown assailants. During her first deadly encounter, Sheena discovers the assailants are after something more than jewels or animal pelts. Meanwhile, Sheena’s cover gets more complicated when her fellow students fall under the thrall of a New Age mystic.
Wheesh! That’s a lot. In a standard 22-page issue, you get a retelling of Sheena’s background (tweaked to maintain the illusion that Sheena’s an ignorant savage), the setup for the Nature Preserve’s troubles, at least one battle, and a secondary mystery involving a cult. On the plus side, Dynamite is giving you your money’s worth in terms of sheer storytelling volume. On the other hand, some may find this issue a little crowded.
What’s great about SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE – FATAL EXAMS #1? Sheena’s back in prime form, figuratively speaking. In an era where presenting a “strong female character” is all the rage, de Souza and Clark Jr. meet the need perfectly with a Sheena who’s smart, shrewd, lethal, talented, and a force for good. In addition to the brilliant character work, Sheena’s mysteries are interesting and bursting with curiosity. Again, you get a lot of great work for the cover price.
What’s not so great about SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE – FATAL EXAMS #1? Yes, there are points where this issue feels overstuffed. Between the shenanigans of maintaining her cover as a student, the nature preserve’s mystery, the catchup with Bob and Ransome, and the developing mystery about a New Age cult turning Sheena’s fellow students into mindless zombies, it’s a lot. I’m worn out just typing this paragraph. In fairness, all of the subplots and side stories are well done, but this could be a case where a little less is a little more.
How’s the art? Excellent. Ediono Silva deserves credit for taking a full issue that can only be told with six or more panels per page and creating a succession of visually interesting panel layouts. Silva’s figure work and compositions are super clean (they need to be to fit everything in), and Renato Spiller’s colors are gorgeous.
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What’s SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE – FATAL EXAMS #1 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a teacher at the prestigious girls’ school of Val Verde introducing a new student to the class – Rachel Cardwell, aka Sheena’s civilian persona. Sheena recounts her gratitude for attending the school to help her overcome her savage upbringing. In reality, Sheena is attending the school undercover to investigate the adjacent nature preserve that experienced a series of ecological assaults by unknown persons for unknown reasons.
At night, Sheena changes into her jungle uniform to investigate the preserve. When she stumbles upon a group of armed men taking soil samples, the encounter ends with much bloodshed and few answers.
Meanwhile, Sheena’s snotty classmates have discovered an online personality who promises wealth and fame if they “ascend” through the leader’s teachings, starting with the gift of a special amulet sent to all the acolytes. We conclude the issue with soil testing, monkey mayhem, and a mindless meeting.
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Final Thoughts
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SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE – FATAL EXAMS #1 kicks off a new adventure when Sheena goes undercover at an elite girls’ school to investigate attacks on a nearby nature preserve. De Souza and Clark Jr. handily bring new readers up to speed with brilliant character work, two intriguing mysteries, and excellent art by Silva and Spiller. That said, there’s a lot going on in a standard-sized comic, so it may feel a little overstuffed.
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