Sheena Queen of the Jungle #3

Written by: Marguerite Bennett and Christina Trujillo
Art by: Moritat and Dimi Macheras
Colours by: Moritat and Casey Silver
Published by: Dynamite

I’ll start off this review by explaining exactly why I have been enjoying Sheena Queen of the Jungle as of now. And it is crazy simple: Bennett and Trujillo have taken a pulp heroine, kept most of the pulp sensibilities that long time fans will love, but added some modern sensibilities to the character.

From my limited knowledge of the original character, I don’t think she was ever the “damsel in distress”, but she was probably still played more for titillation than anything else. In Bennett and Trujillo’s version, she keeps the revealing outfit, but that is just one part of who this character is. The other parts? A kick-ass heroine who is not troubled by the predicaments that she finds herself in; a heroine who is clearly smart and knowledgeable about her surroundings, always coming up with the answer (or so it seems), and a pretty damn capable problem-solver. All that has made me enjoy this comic immensely since the start.

As for this issue, it is pure, unadulterated fun from beginning to end where Bennett and Trujillo barely give the reader a moment to breathe. In the last issue, Sheena and her travel buddy Chano find themselves imprisoned by a deadly plant that is looking to make a meal of them both. Luckily, Sheena is one to thing on her feet and is able to get them both out of that predicament.

From there, it’s one pulp adventure trope after another, but in the contact of this comic, that works and it is welcome. What greets them at the end though? That I can’t wait to see how they deal with it.

On art this month, it shows that Moritat shared art duties with Macheras. Unlike in issue two where it was difficult to distinguish where Moritat started and where he ended with his co-artist, this month, it is pretty clear. Macheras has a great style and it is similar enough to Moritat’s, but distinct enough that there is a clear break when Macheras takes over from Moritat.