Review: Pantha #1

Spinning out of Sacred Six, the magic writing duo of Tom Sniegoski and Jeannine Acheson, of Vampiverse fame, bring back fan favourite Pantha in a new series. Bearing in mind how successful the pair have been with Vampirella, this is one big cat story, that is clearly out of the bag!

The gods are in trouble. With a quintet of earth bound gods in the frame for some damage, there is a need to restore Sekhmet’s wrath. Problem is, Skehmet’s wrath is feeling a little bit sorry for herself, allowing herself be captured and placed in a zoo. Still, when her goddess comes-a-calling, can Pantha really say no for what may be one chance to right her previous transgressions?

This book is not as pacy as Tom Sniegoski and Jeannine Acheson’s Vampi books. Part of the problem is that this issue has effectively four elements that kind of jump around, but all are required. We have the threat, the gods and of course Pantha herself in both the past and present. Therefore the book does feel a little too explanatory in places. I understand why, Sacred Six was not picked up by everyone and new readers will need to know something of Pantha’s origin, Sniegoski and Acheson work hard to make the book boring for existing fans of the character. The dialogue is snappy enough, helping to speed up the pace, allowing for differences in the gods regardless of some limited time in the spotlight.

The art is supplied by Igor Lima whose style at first didn’t really impress me. With that said, Lima seems to grow into the book, the final act of the book is a doozy! Early doors, the art does seem a little functional in places, getting better when ancient Egypt comes to the fore before falling into functional again before the heights of the aforementioned crescendo. A book of true ups and downs. The colors are also a tad of mixed affair from Adriano Augusto, bright in places to contrast the darker zoo scenes and a rambunctious Egypt. letters are provided by the trio of Dezi Sienty, the excellent Carlos M. Mangual and one of the best letterers in Taylor Esposito; between them they deliver a fun font that has a couple of quirks that catch the eye.

A new book with a character that may be new to some delivers some high points that hint at the quality of story that Sniegoski and Acheson can achieve. Bring on the second issue!

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 3.5 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Written by’ Tom Sniegoski & Jeannine Acheson
Art by; Igor Lima
Colors by; Adriano Augusto
Letters by; Dezi Sienty, Carlos M. Mangual & Taylor Esposito
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network