Swords Of Sorrow
Sisterly smackdown
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Writers: Gail Simone, Leah Moore, Nancy A Collins Artists: Sergio Davila, Francesco Manna, Dave Acosta
Swords Of
Sorrow opens with a teenage boy telling a young girl that not even Jana can tell their tribe’s masculine members what to do, just before the pair are rescued from a rampaging dinosaur by the Jungle Girl herself, and it’s hard not to see this first scene as a witty riposte to any less enlightened male fans who object to a crossover featuring solely female characters.
Drawing on Dynamite Entertainment’s numerous licensed properties, Gail Simone brings together a disparate band of allies, using the familiar device of an inter- dimensional portal to connect very different milieus. With its fast pace and frequent narrative cuts, there’s little chance to get to know those involved, in the first two instalments at least, while details of the central mystical conspiracy of the villainous Traveller are also scant.
The main series is accompanied by the obligatory tie- ins, and some titles are more essential than others, judging by their respective first issues. G Willow Wilson and Erica Schultz’s Masquerade & Kato one- shot is a mildly interesting diversion concerning the Green Hornet’s missing car, while Vampirella & Jennifer Blood is bogged down by Nancy A Collins devoting six pages to the latter’s story to date. More successful is Leah Moore’s Dejah Thoris & Irene Adler, which unites two vastly contrasting protagonists.
Mostly avoiding any cheesecakestyle poses, the art standard is also high, with the Frank Cho- esque Sergio Davila acquitting himself well on the central storyline. An absorbing read that’s a refreshing alternative to Secret Wars’ superhero overload. Stephen Jewell Other spin- offs include Bennett and Andolfo’s Red Sonja & Jungle Girl and Beeby and Rodolfo’s Pantha & Jane Porter.