SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE #1 – Review

In SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE #1, available from Dynamite Comics on November 3rd, 2021, Sheena is engaged to help find out what happened to a group of Eco-tourists who disappeared while touring a state-of-the-art bio-dome preserve.

The Details

• Written By: Stephen Mooney
• Art By: Jethro Morales
• Colors By: Dinei Ribeiro
• Letters By: Taylor Esposito
• Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: November 3, 2021

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Was It Good?

SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE #1 is our first foray into the pulp character’s adventures in a very long time. Created by the legendary Wil Eisner and S.M “Jerry” Iger waaaaaaaay back in 1938, Sheena even predates Wonder Woman’s first appearance. How’s that for a strong female character?

The current arc deals with a culture clash by way of nature versus progress and what happens when modern progressives encounter an unexpected foe in their efforts to preserve nature. Sheena is a staunch preservationist in favor of protecting the rain forests and jungles much in the same way Aquaman is a fierce protector of the oceans. Humanity, however, can’t seem to stop progressing, and our hero is brought into to clean up the mess when a clash between old and new gets people killed by something mystical/monstrous.

I like the (re)introduction of the character as a no-nonsense hero who has no patience to suffer the smarmy arrogance of Cardwell Industries. She’s tough, unapologetically rude to the corporate mouthpieces, and she exudes confidence as a total badass.

The story setup fits right within Sheena’s wheelhouse as a protector of the jungles and the innocent. Her friends are threatened, so she goes into an area (the bio-dome) that she wouldn’t otherwise. It makes her motivations for helping people she can’t stand that much more plausible.

The piece that doesn’t quite work in the story is the very beginning. How does Sheena become a guest of Cardwell Industries in this first issue? There are brief Editor’s notes hearkening back to prior issues that haven’t been seen in over a year or more, so effectively the reader is going into the story cold, yet it feels like we’re already a couple issues into an arc. You feel like you’ve missed something, and it takes a few pages to get reacquainted with what’s going on. After such a long hiatus, it would have helped to have some kind of primer to bring readers (new and old) up to speed.

That said, the art in this issue is excellent and fits perfectly with Mooney’s storytelling style. This is the second series this year where Mooney and Morales have worked together (the first being Bettie Page: The Curse of the Banshee), and they seem to have a rhythm that marries the art and writing together seamlessly.

Despite a mildly disorienting first couple of pages, Sheena is turning out to be a hero for the ages with powerful main character, an interesting central conflict, and phenomenal art.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with Sheena waking up in a very upscale hotel room, lamenting the uncomfortable sleeping conditions. She’s met by a Cardwell Industries escort, Mr. Ransome, to the corporate headquarters for an urgent meeting with their current CEO, Ms. Jeffries. For those unfamiliar, Sheena’s birth name is Rachel Rivington Cardwell, and although she’s disavowed any association with the corporate wealth of her deceased parents, her name still carries weight.

Jeffries shows Sheena that the corporation is committed to preserving the nature it’s been accused of destroying by creating the world’s largest bio-dome as a nature preserve for endangered species. The irony of creating an area to protect jungle life by first destroying the jungle is not lost on Sheena. Jeffries explains a group of Eco-tourists lost communication during a tour of the bio-dome, and the search & rescue team sent in after them also disappeared. Jeffries requests Sheena’s help in finding out what happened and if anyone is left alive.

We conclude the issue with Sheena going into the bio-dome and finding strange symbols, destruction, and animal behavior that doesn’t seem natural when she’s confronted with an unusual predator.

Final Thoughts

SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE #1 (re)introduces readers to the Queen of the Jungle with a mystery centered around the culture clash of nature versus progress. The characters are established with clear, concise motivations. The setup is plausible given Sheena’s disdain for the modern world. And the art is a seamless fit for the writing. That said, the first few pages are a little jarring as they assume the readers know all the players, setting, and history without much setup, and it takes a few pages to get oriented.

Score: 8.5/10

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