Jungle Girl #3
	Plot: Frank Cho Script: Doug Murray Artist: Adriano Batista Colorist: Frank Martin Letterer: Zachery Matheny Covers: a) Frank Cho, b) Adriano Batista Published by: Dynamite Entertainment
	Reviewed by: Bruce Logan

EXCLAMATION: “Adriano (Batista) is one kickass artist!”

EXPLANATION: Starting with the face-off ending of the previous issue, Jungle Girl #3 goes as – Jana tries to save the outsiders but thanks to the greed/bravado/idiot driven trigger happy antics of one of them she too ends up getting captured by the dirt people. Paraded in front of the tribe chief she breaks free and, well, it is at this ‘and’ that things get a bit, uh, wonky. There is a whole lot of mumbo jumbo about some spirits by someone who could very well be the elder (bigger) sibling of Fat Bastard (of Austin Powers fame). The issue ends with yet another animalistic cliffhanger, with a bear this time around.

EXAMINATION (Story): Three issues in and Jungle Girl hits its first brake point. Not break point mind you but ‘brake’ point. Meaning, compared to the previous two issues this one felt a bit on the slower side. I’ll go as far as calling it a bit more decompressed. It could be because of the increase in the dialogue bubbles or maybe because the characters don’t move around that much, at least not physically, but whatever the reason it just felt that the creative (plot and script) duo lifted their feet off the acceleration and tapped it on the brakes just the tiniest bit.

Regarding plot development, the new angle of the spirits of the dirt people seems to come out of stage left with the proverbial finesse of a bull dinosaur in a Jurassic china shop. While the initial ‘Lost World’ angle was more than intriguing (despite its having been done before…many times over), this one isn’t as spirited, mind the pun. This goes double for the dirt people’s ultra-obese leader. Unless his identity is a big secret that will come into play later it too comes across as a deliberate and not entirely useful twist on the Jabba the Hutt story.

As for the characters themselves, thankfully enough they behave as themselves. Moreover, we also learn the identity of the mysterious shadow from last issue and through him a little more about Jana. However, his presence (as with Jungle Jabba) isn’t all that useful or brings all that much new to what was/is already there. And ‘Monkey Boy’?! Frank Cho couldn’t resist putting himself into this story either, could he? All that remains is a geeky character in the style of the Frank from Liberty Meadows. And no the horny photo/camera-man from the crash group doesn’t count.

EXAMINATION (Art): About the art I’ll limit myself from quoting myself (from the beginning), “Adriano (Batista) is one kickass artist!” In addition I’ll go with, “and colorist Frank Martin complements Adriano to a T.”

PROCLAMATION: Here’s hoping the lull (of this issue) is a temporary one and the story gets back to its fast paced self soon.

RATING: 3/5