Edit: The photos didn't upload right, and I can't seem to remove them from the post.
Sheena is still struggling to get going, in my opinion. I realize it's easier to criticize than it is to create, but I'm offering this as constructive criticism, rather than anything mean spirited.
For reference, my page numbers are based upon the numbering in the digital release through Comixology.
Most of the issue suffers from "floating character syndrome," where there's little or no environment, or even any kind of background, included with the characters. Not every panel can be packed with detail, of course, but when the majority of them don't have any, it doesn't create a 'world." It's like watching actors against greenscreen because the studio decided not to add the effects in post production. To be fair, from what I've seen this is an increasingly industry-wide problem, but willfully sinking to the lowest common denominator isn't a great way to stand out.
On page 6 we've got Sheena's floating bracelets again. The beads are on her right wrist, throughout the issue, but in the final two panels on page 6 they're on her left wrist. In the penultimate panel, she's even slapping the guy with her right hand while clutching him with her left. It's just incredible to me that the artist would misplace the bracelets in a panel like that where the left/right is so clearly defined.
On page 8 it seems as though the first two panels have been swapped. Sheena's cutting the attacking vine in the first panel, but it's just grabbing on to her in the second. If it's meant to be a different vine grabbing her, it's a terribly executed sequence, since we don't see her escape it, as the next panel finds her out of danger at the top of the stairs.
Pages 13, 14, and 15 are all one action sequence of Sheena being attacked by, and ultimately disabling an arrow-launching booby trap. That's an insane amount of space for that action. Should have been one page at most. In general there's been way too much padding in this series so far.
On page 18 we have, for the second time (the first being in issue #1), a complete misunderstanding of how photographic film works. The character says: "What, you mean the negatives?...It's just the way people look before the pictures are developed and printed." Unfortunately, that's backwards. Negatives are what you get after the film is developed. I get that the average person probably hasn't used film cameras in at least a decade, but still, this is an embarrassing error.
Dynamite really needs to step it up here. I get that they're a small company, and don't have the backing of huge media conglomerates, but you've got these classic characters, and they deserve some respect. Sheena was co-created by Will Eisner, for crying out loud. Put the money into the book. How much are those variant covers costing? Have they tried rolling that money into the book, and seeing if a higher quality book will sell more over time, or is this the business model they're beholden to, just to cover their bases financially? Are they not able to take any sort of risks? It would be a shame if that's so. To a fan, a mediocre effort can be worse than none at all.
For the time being, I'll continue to support the book, but it's going to be an easy drop -even for a big Sheena fan- if the quality stays where it's at. Still, best of luck to the creative teams. I'm hoping they're just finding their balance and will improve with time.
Sheena is still struggling to get going, in my opinion. I realize it's easier to criticize than it is to create, but I'm offering this as constructive criticism, rather than anything mean spirited.
For reference, my page numbers are based upon the numbering in the digital release through Comixology.
Most of the issue suffers from "floating character syndrome," where there's little or no environment, or even any kind of background, included with the characters. Not every panel can be packed with detail, of course, but when the majority of them don't have any, it doesn't create a 'world." It's like watching actors against greenscreen because the studio decided not to add the effects in post production. To be fair, from what I've seen this is an increasingly industry-wide problem, but willfully sinking to the lowest common denominator isn't a great way to stand out.
On page 6 we've got Sheena's floating bracelets again. The beads are on her right wrist, throughout the issue, but in the final two panels on page 6 they're on her left wrist. In the penultimate panel, she's even slapping the guy with her right hand while clutching him with her left. It's just incredible to me that the artist would misplace the bracelets in a panel like that where the left/right is so clearly defined.
On page 8 it seems as though the first two panels have been swapped. Sheena's cutting the attacking vine in the first panel, but it's just grabbing on to her in the second. If it's meant to be a different vine grabbing her, it's a terribly executed sequence, since we don't see her escape it, as the next panel finds her out of danger at the top of the stairs.
Pages 13, 14, and 15 are all one action sequence of Sheena being attacked by, and ultimately disabling an arrow-launching booby trap. That's an insane amount of space for that action. Should have been one page at most. In general there's been way too much padding in this series so far.
On page 18 we have, for the second time (the first being in issue #1), a complete misunderstanding of how photographic film works. The character says: "What, you mean the negatives?...It's just the way people look before the pictures are developed and printed." Unfortunately, that's backwards. Negatives are what you get after the film is developed. I get that the average person probably hasn't used film cameras in at least a decade, but still, this is an embarrassing error.
Dynamite really needs to step it up here. I get that they're a small company, and don't have the backing of huge media conglomerates, but you've got these classic characters, and they deserve some respect. Sheena was co-created by Will Eisner, for crying out loud. Put the money into the book. How much are those variant covers costing? Have they tried rolling that money into the book, and seeing if a higher quality book will sell more over time, or is this the business model they're beholden to, just to cover their bases financially? Are they not able to take any sort of risks? It would be a shame if that's so. To a fan, a mediocre effort can be worse than none at all.
For the time being, I'll continue to support the book, but it's going to be an easy drop -even for a big Sheena fan- if the quality stays where it's at. Still, best of luck to the creative teams. I'm hoping they're just finding their balance and will improve with time.