Writer: Stuart Moore
Artists: Martin Montiel (p), J.C. Buelna(i), Mike Garcia(c)
Publisher: Penny-Farthing
The new Zendra exceeds the first’s intrigue. Zendra is the home of the last humans: the majority having been exterminated by the Jekkrans. In a take off of Fritz Lieber’s “Our Lady of the Sauropods,” a scientist from a more benevolent species creates Halle, a human hybrid, whom he considers his genuine daughter.
The first series detailed Halle’s destiny. The Jekkrans wiped out humanity because they feared our adaptability and intuitive abilities—key elements in the second series. The Jekkran warlord Abathor killed Halle and at the same time attempted to use an Aesirian—one of the species who hid the last humans on Zendra—to locate the fabled habitat.
Abathor faced his downfall when the Aesirian and Halle became human and host. The Aesirian far from being malevolent allowed Halle to achieve the first level of her potential. Not fully human, Halle’s other abilities inherent to her genetically manipulated DNA facilitated Abathor’s ass-kicking. With the threat of Abathor no more, Halle with the Aesirian’s help reached Zendra and took her place among her people.
If the first series seems a little overwhelming, don’t panic. You need not know what happened before to appreciate what happens now. Though the first series now collected in a trade paperback is highly recommended.
The second series’ starting point can be considered scratch. Devilish Jekkran probes are invading Zendra home of the last humans. It’s up to Halle the protector of Zendra to stop them.
The second series is less complex than the first, but it should not be dismissed because of its more streamlined plot. Indeed, Halle is just as interesting a character as she was in the first series, perhaps even more so given her certainty in self-knowledge.
Halle is the protector of Zendra, and the art team even gives her the look of hero rather than a Star Trek type officer. In this sense, Zendra is an engrossing super-hero story in a successful science fiction backdrop. The Jekkrans and Zendra are not at war. War requires a certain evenness in the opponents. The Jekkrans would slaughter all on Zendra if not for a champion who descends more from Superman than Sgt. Rock.
The artwork by co-creator Montiel and J.C. Buelna with Garcia’s colors has an old-school appreciation for anatomy and the way a cape should fall on heroic shoulders. The setting evokes comparisons to Russ Heath “Tarzan” and Al Williamon’s “Flash Gordon.”
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