Zendra 2.0: Heart of Fire #1 (of 6)by Barb Lien-CooperReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk.
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Credits Grade: 7 Ah, Zendra's back with its creative team intact, seemingly (there weren’t any credits in the preview issue, but I believe the press release said everyone's back). The cover is arresting, with hellfire reds and yellows competing against an encroaching darkness, with only the mutated figure of Halle standing between the darkness and the fire.In this issue, the humanoids of Zendra are attacked by space probes, which look a lot like the heads of giant flies. They are about twice the size of a person's head, they look evil, and like Pokemon, Zendra's people gotta catch 'em all. If they're not all caught, those remaining can reproduce. Halle goes after the probes, only to have her well-meaning boyfriend get in the way. She doesn't get to destroy all the probes, but her relationship with her boyfriend is definitely on the ropes. She decides she needs more skills to fight the good fight, so the Aesirians (the group that helped the humanoids emigrate to Zendra after the Earth was destroyed) help to teach her how to use her special mental powers. The tone of this Zendra mini-series is a bit more character oriented, but the action isn't sacrificed at all. I like that Moore is pulling back a little to give the story a chance to have meaningful character interaction. We're seeing little rips in the fabric of the civilization of Zendra. One gets a little scared that the Zendrans' hopes, dreams, and ambitions will be destroyed from inside if they're not careful. But, the Zendra stories always leave me wanting more information. For instance, Zendrans seem to live like cavepeople, yet they seem to have technology. So, how far advanced culturally are the Zendrans? Can they read and write? If so, in what language? Do they have poets, writers, and musicians? What are their spiritual beliefs? When I want to know more about the people in a story, it's a good sign, as it means that I care about the characters. The art, as always, is arresting and a treat for the eyes, although the costumes on the women show a bit more nipple action and rear end than what's really needed, in my opinion. The penciller does action scenes quite well and the panels have epic sweep to them that shows a very graceful way with the pencils. But what's really impressing me about Penny Farthing Press's art is the bold as brass coloring. The colors are incredibly vivid while happily avoiding being garish or harsh on the eyes. Penny Farthing Press, I've discovered, is a class act, with consistently good titles and some of the best talent money can buy. You can tell the people involved with the concern care about putting out the best product that they can. I'm pretty impressed with their publishing concern all around. Written: May 2, 2002
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