Shahrazad #0 - Review

Shahrazad #0

Writer:
Tom Hutchison

Pencils:
Mike Krome

Colours:
Nei Ruffino

I am always excited by new comic book titles by Big Dog Ink and to be completely honest I was not sure whether Shahrazad was going to be a title I would be interested enough to follow. I am a Penny for Your Soul reader and for a short time I read BDI's Legend of Oz - The Wicked West series. So I have been unsure about whether I should pick Shahrazad up off the shelves....let's just say that I'm glad I did.



Now I don't normally review an issue #0 of any title. You are really only given a taste of things to come. You are introduced to the main character/s and the basic storyline. All in all, an issue #0 is the hook to get you to reading issue #1 and beyond. I am reviewing Shahrazad #0 because I was absolutely blown away with the potential this title has. With Mike Krome on pencils and the Nei Ruffino on colours readers are blessed with a visual array of concepts and ideas for this title. Clearly the Persian Queen will take us all on many exciting adventures, and if this is the standard of the art work readers will continue to see, well, I plan to be a long-time fan of this title.

Shahrazad is about to tell us the story of her life. She starts this in a narrative sense and this pleasantly persists throughout the issue. Shahrazad will introduce readers to tales of the past, adventures in secluded lands and of modern times. Fantasy and adventure is what we can all expect from this title.

The art work is just amazing. Mike Krome demonstrates his mastery on pencils and readers are shown the beauty of the characters as well as of the tale itself. Krome's smooth and soft lines make this issue a real pleasure to view. His attention to detail is just extraordinary and if Krome continues to be part of this title's creative team you can expect to collect some attractive and extremely well drawn comic books.

There is something special to be said for the genius that is Nei Ruffino's colours in this issue. We see rugged jungle scenes come to life with explosively warm colours and then in the next panel we see cold blue scenes of space and machines of the future. Krome and Ruffino had me studying every panel of this introductory issue and I really felt I was given a great introduction into a great comic book story concept.

So what do I give this issue?

Grade: A

Being an issue #0, readers should still remain cautious, but in the case of Shahrazad, I advise cautious optimism. I am optimistic that this will be a title to collect.

Enjoy!