Customer Reviews

Shanna, the She-Devil

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Frank Cho knows women, and few comic-book artists today can draw them like he can. For a regular fix of Cho's women (and anthropomorphic animals, if that's your thing), check out "Shanna the She-Devil," an eye-popping miniseries collected by Marvel. Talk about your action-adventure delights. You've got a heavily-armed paramilitary group marooned on a remote island. You've got a Lost World environment, with dinosaurs and other giant predators galore. You've got copious death and maimings. You've got a lost Nazi fortress where scientists labored over illegal genetic experiments. You've got a plague, little medication and dwindling supplies.

And you've got Shanna, a biologically engineered killing machine with a body that ... well, while the dying won't be pleasant, at least the view will be nice as you go.

The nice thing about Cho's women is, they look real. Sure, they typically have a bra size (if they typically wore bras, that is) higher than most folks' IQs. But gravity works, and when Cho's women move, their bits move accordingly. They're also appropriately muscled; no teenyboppers with a waifish bod, spindly limbs and strength like a rhino here. Shanna has muscle definition, and when she lifts a velociraptor and hurls it over a tree, her arms and legs are thick enough to make it look possible.

If you haven't caught on yet, the art in Shanna is extraordinary. And not just because Shanna wears loincloths, either; the characters and settings are realistic and expressive, and the dinosaurs just rock. I mean, there's teeth and claws and blood and wow! Oh, and the story's good, too.

No, really. The Lost World plot isn't the most original tale in the world, but heck, you rarely go wrong when you throw dinosaurs, Nazis and superstrong supermodels into the pot and stir. It's told well, with interesting plot and character development. I mean, I'd read this story even if Shanna weren't so, well, Shanna.

But I'm glad she is.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

I should say up front that I am a big fan of Frank Cho and, as a result, simply had to pick this book up. As a comic book artist, he is probably among the top five or six pencilers/inkers working today, and Shanna The She-Devil proves why: brilliantly illustrated and entertainingly written (also by Cho), it's a worthwhile and energetic read for the more mature comic book fan.

Readers should take note, first off, that this "Shanna" is not the Shanna the She-Devil who is married to Lord Kevin Plunder, better known as Ka-Zar of the Savage Land; nor is this Shanna the sort of "ultimate" re-vamp of the character that Marvel seems to fond of these days. Essentially, this story is totally out of regular Marvel continuity - the only reason the main character is called Shanna is because, as one character, "Doc", notes, she happens to look like a "certain" comic book character.

Here's the story: A group of soldiers, lost for three years on a dangerous island filled with prehistoric horrors, finds a secret Nazi lab harboring a dark experiment in genetic manipulation. The final survivor of this is "Shanna," a clone built to be the perfect killing machine. She is taken in by the soldiers, and educated by the kindly "Doc," in the ways of humanity. However, when a mysterious plague suddenly strikes the soldiers, it is up to Shanna, "Doc," and two other soldiers to set out in search of an antidote, braving a horde of hungry raptors along the way. Can they survive - and make it back to the camp with the antidote in time?

You can tell that Cho had a blast working on this comic - all of the standard elements of his art that you would expect are here: beautiful women, heart-pounding action, and dinos, dinos, dinos. There's also a healthy dose of Cho's trademarked bawdy humor, often at Shanna's expense, as well as plenty of (sometimes excessive) gore - to be sure, this isn't a comic book for children, by any means. This comic is, essentially, a creative take on the standard "10 Little Indians" scenario, with a group of people confronting a stalking horror that knocks them off one by one. However, it's a lot of fun and has a surprise ending. Highly recommended for any fan of Cho, or of a good comic book read. If you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy Frank Cho's entertaining comic strip, Liberty Meadows, Vol. 1, or Modern Masters Volume 14: Frank Cho (Modern Masters (TwoMorrows Publishing)) (Modern Masters (TwoMorrows Publishing)) which contains a great, long interview with the master interspersed with excellent artwork and sketches. Enjoy!

"Frank Cho draws women the way women should be drawn." Yes. I said that, and a truer statement -- be it sexist -- has never been uttered. Nor will it. Ever. Cho has taped into the male mind, identified the perfectly voluptuous comic book heroine from those neutrons, and presents her here -- in vivid color and (thankfully) few clothes -- in SHANNA, THE SHE-DEVIL.

Now, about the story ...

There are a few a major hiccups here:

A group of military commandos serving an undeclared nation on an unspecified mission [apparently] crash on an unidentified island in the middle of nowhere. On the island, they find a deserted bunker [apparently] set up by the Nazis before the end of World War II where the nefarious scientists were [apparently] interested in recreating various species of dinosaurs AND engineering an Aryan race of blonde, voluptuous super soldiers. Think ABC TV's LOST -- without the pesky character-defining flashback -- coupled with Michael Crichton's JURASSIC PARK and you get the idea.

Ignore the fact that some of the decisions these soldiers make don't make sense. For example: why would you ignore the safety of staying in a secure and deserted Nazi military bunker in favor of setting up camp in the wild of an island virtually overrun with velociraptors? Ignore the fact that no real satisfying explanation for the why, when, how, or where are ever really ponied up -- at least, not satisfyingly -- for the characters, events, and situations. Even ignore the fact that this first installment doesn't really even bring the whole affair to a satisfying conclusion. SHANNA, THE SHE-DEVIL is about SHANNA, THE SHE-DEVIL, and nobody -- I mean nobody -- can put a pencil to paper and create a creature more lovely, more inspiring, more adventurous, more vivid, and more primal than Frank Cho.

This book is about the lady, and this lady ain't no tramp.

Shanna the She-Devil is quite simply the best Marvel Comics graphic novel I have read in a long time. Frank Cho does a great job writing and penciling the tale of Shanna(who is not the same Shanna from the Ka-Zar series)and a group of American soldiers trapped in a lost world filled with deadly dinosaurs and Shanna must work together with the soldiers to fight their way to survival. Please keep in mind that this book is NOT suitable for children and people with weak stomachs, for it has gory graphic violence, mild language and brief nudity.

This graphic novel written and illustated by Frank Cho is a masterpiece. It is one of the best done in one colletion of storys I have ever read. He ends the tale perfectly. The fantastic art by Mr. Cho is breath taking along with his writting skills. The only bumber is even though it has an end and you have fallen in love with the characters you want more. So I guess I'll just have to read more of this artists talented work.

Theodore Raymond Riddle Artist/Creator/Writter

This comic is pure male sexist fantasy entertainment. Never mind the fact that the story line is quite good, and set with plenty of rip-roaring adventures, this comic gets a 5+ just for Shanna. Now tell me that any red-blooded male doesn't desire this type of woman. Why are the men always drawn so imbecilic looking next to her? How does Shanna view them?

You can see the imagination of Frank as he sets out to show the world that Women have there own way of doing things and can still show emotion. Lots of awesome drawings of Shanna as well as the inhabitants of the island the people find themselves on. Dinosaurs galore! Frank has a knack for doing great drawings of more than just the female form.

Terrific art from Frank Cho. Granted, he can only draw one woman, but he draws her very well. Lots of dinos and bikini warrior woman action. A fun read!

This book was a guilty pleasure. It should actually come with every page laminated, the book is drawn so well. I look forward very fondly to more work by Frank Cho.

Frank Cho's reinvention of the jungle queen. Shanna is found, presumably the result of an experiment, by an expedition. They realise there is something remarkable and that she is superhuman.

In the end, with her enhanced abilities she helps to save them from a marauding bunch of terrible lizards.