Review: Shang #1 (of 3)
Never ones to shy away from the opportunity to “Grimm up” existing fables and fairy tales, Zenescope takes a turn of the classic story of Mulan. Thankfully eschewing their usual half naked girl in provocative pose style, those involved actually try to make a good fist of their version, sensibly wrapping it around the Yoda of the Zenescope universe, Shang.
Back in 618 CE, Shang led an army in the war for the Imperial Throne. Of course, the Imperial army has something to say about it and before you know it, the two headstrong leaders are in the battle that will shape their destiny’s. But who is the real enemy?
The book is written by Nick Bermel, who although starts out well enough, falls into a creative trap that sadly undermines the gravity of the story, before trying to right the ship. The early set up pages are well written; clear information is given as to who is who and the respective sides that straddle the war. Intimation and clues lay abound as to the overall story. Sadly, the introduction of a “see another issue completely” to find out how a major story element occurred kind of destroyed my interest. What is the point of reading on, if at any time I may get more “go look elsewhere” for explanations and action directly relating to this story? What are you playing at Zenescope; this isn’t a DC mega event! The actual action scenes that we do get are well paced, giving the book an even balance.
The art, provided by Daniel Mainé, is equally hit and miss, though feels like a case of what could of been. The conversation pieces suffer from some very poor facial aspects; characters appear wooden and even eyes disappear. The action scenes, so well paced from a writing point of view, suffer from a lack of movement and wooden poses. Finally, given that this as much about Mulan as it is about Shang, I would have though that the more feminine elements would be clearer towards the end of the book. Color schemes and quality are one of the key components of Zenescope and here Grostieta Maxflan Araujo, a Zenescope veteran, doesn’t disappoint. Finally, letters are provided by Carlos M. Mangual who, like Araujo, does his usual excellent job, especially as the book is quite wordy during the first act.
I took on this book as I was intrigued by Shang’s origin; I didn’t need the Mulan tie-in. For me, by trying to pigeon in a different story altogether, it kind of demeans one of the core characters in the Zenescope universe.
Writing – 2.5 Stars
Art – 2.5 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 3 Stars
Written by; Nick Bermel
Art by; Daniel Mainé
Colors by; Grostieta Maxflan Araujo
Letters by; Carlos M. Mangual
Published by; Zenescope Entertainment
Author Profile
- 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
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