I have no problem admitting that at times I judge things by their outward appearance. Don’t get me wrong, I am talking about products – not people. As a graphic designer I am drawn to the better designed bottle of fabric softener, even if it is a dollar more. If I am browsing between two books, I will probably go for the one with more intriguing cover art. I might judge a website by the effort put into the presentation and the interface instead of solely the merit of the message.
Another prime example stems from a comic book that I have passed over multiple times, simply because I questioned its virtue due to association. The book is Shadow Hunter, a comic crafted in the likeness of porn superstar Jenna Jameson.
Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter: Preview Issue
Created by: Jenna Jameson
Written by: Christina Z.
Art by: Mukesh Singh
Cover by: Greg Horn
Intended Audience: Suggested for Mature Readers
First, let me clear up that I don’t have any problem with Jameson or the porn industry in general. I would go as far to say that Jameson is good at what she does. However, it goes without saying that her line of work is built entirely around the superficial, and I translated that shallow nature to a product crafted in her image. Again, this is not a jab at Jameson – just a truth about the adult film industry.
When I was first introduced to Shadow Hunter at SDCC in 2007, I was impressed with the artwork immediately. Greg Horn told Aktrez and I about a new book he was working on – a comic featuring the likeness of Jenna Jameson. As usual, the artwork was stunning, but it alone was not enough to add the title to my pull list.
Recently when I was researching comic coverage for GEN on VirginComics.com, I came across Shadow Hunter again. Once more the familiar face of Jameson stared back at me in a cheesecake manor. But this time, I clicked the picture. Why not? Learning about the book would not cost me anything.
It turns out that Virgin Comics has an entire line of titles produced under the “Voices” label. All these titles are created in collaboration with celebrities, directors, and other influential members of popular culture. Shadow Hunter falls under this label and is boasted as being created with much help from Jameson herself and further fleshed out by Witchblade co-creator Christina Z. Even better, VirginComics.com lets you preview the majority of their titles online in digital format. With that bit of information, I decided to give the comic a go.
Premise
Shadow Hunter stars a young woman named Jezzerie Jaden – a girl who was orphaned at a young age and has always struggled to keep her life in order. As an adult, things are not working out very well for her. She is having trouble at work, her boyfriend is cheating on her, and she can’t ever quite seem to scrounge up rent. In addition, something deeper troubles her. Jaden has been dealing with dark visions – disturbing fantasies – since childhood. What originally only frequented her during her sleep now has bleed to her waking hours.
Searching for answers, Jaden enrolls in a Past Life Regression experiment in order to learn more about what she is going through – and to earn a bit of cash. Her doctor is thrilled with the chance to study her unusual situation, and suggests that one of her past lives in overlapping her current one instead of visiting in the form of déjà vu like it does with most individuals. However, instead of helping, the treatment seems to be making matters worse. Her visions are becoming more frequent and more violent.
Walking back from her most recent treatment session, shit hits the fan. Her visions begin to manifest in reality. They are now real. They have the power to harm her. Familiar demons she has seen since childhood tear at her skin. Afraid at first, Jaden cowers in terror. Then something natural – something primal – takes over. Her hair turns black. A sword erupts from the bone of her forearm, and the rest is a bloody dance. Jaden cuts through the demonic visions as if they were paper, until she is joined by a sword-wielding stranger who seems to know a bit more about her and the current situation than she is comfortable with.
Before he has a chance to explain what she is involved in, a massive figure known as the Shadow Lord appears before her eyes. He recognizes her, and calls her a princess. Knowing his intentions are full of malice, but still high from her surge of power – she orders him to bow if she in truth is royalty. His response?
“A king never bows to his princess.”
The book ends with Jaden being impaled by swords on both sides – by her supposed father in front and the mysterious stranger from behind. Uttering the word “Daddy,” the comic ends.
Impressions
Granted, I have only read the comic preview, but I was drawn in by the last word. If you ignore the stripper-esq name and the obvious daddy issues, the comic seems to have something interesting to offer.
Surprisingly, the comic does not pander to the lowest common denominator as we would expect. Aside from the cover, the T&A are kept to a minimum. In reality, there was very little gratuitous material. The book offered what I was looking for, an intriguing story and captivating art.
While the tagline boasts “Demons. Slaying. Sex” I have yet to be turned off by Shadow Hunter. Hey, there is nothing wrong with a little smut in a comic, right? As long as it has the story to back it up.
Honestly, I don’t know where the comic is going, or what Jaden’s future holds. I don’t even know if it continues to be as strong as the preview issue. I have been trying to find print issues in my local store and have been told that the title is floundering. It might not make it much longer due to poor sales. Perhaps there were too many people like me that did not give the book a chance. Even if Shadow Hunter goes under, I have learned my lesson. Don’t judge a comic book by the cover.
Want to try the comic on for size yourself? Check out the digital comic here.
September 12th, 2008 at 9:08 am
You have to assume there’s a good percentage of people that have done the same thing though.. makes you wonder how much good stuff gets missed because of a crappy title, or a bad endorsement!
September 12th, 2008 at 9:14 am
As most of you know, Greg Horn is the reason I got into comics in the first place. I found some of his artwork for Serra Angel on a Magic the Gathering card and looked him up. Low and Behold - Emma Frost was brought to my attention and into the books I dove.
As VG stated, last year he told us about this comic. I also got a FREE poster of the cover signed by him. The sad part is, as much as I am an UBER fan of Greg’s work (www.greghornjudge.com), I felt guilty about displaying my signed Jenna
It’s really nice to hear that the book, itself, is actually good!!!
September 12th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Good read VG! I was really intrigued by this, and like Becky I am also a HUGE fan of Greg Horn. But it didnt look that bad at all, and I loved the whole moral at the end of the story VG. Your stuff always makes you think hehe
September 12th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Mandy: I assume you are right. I don’t think enough people gave the book a chance. However, Virgin had to know they were talking a risk when they made the book.
Aktrez: I feel the exact same way. To be honest, I even felt a bit strange asking for the book at my comic store. It was a great surprise that it turned out to be a good read!
and thanks Lilith!!
September 12th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Thanks for all this information
I have to check this out too
September 12th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Oh WOW. The art is definitely amazing, but the story sounds really cool, too. Great post, Meg!
September 13th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
@Meagan: Actually, Virgin probably thought they had a sure-fire megahit on their hands. Somewhere on the walls of the Virgin Comic offices is a formula that reads something like:
1. Jenna Jameson
2. Swords
3. Sexually-repressed comic nerds with money
4. Profit
As you may or may not know, I wanted to make comics before becoming a journalist, and I was originally posed to collaborate with Christina Dolce (aka Forbidden, the “white Tila Tequila”) on just such a project.
Unfortunately, despite my amazingly amazing ideas, I could never get past her fucking agent. This guy was the slimiest of slime, he made Ari Gold look like a Good Samaritan. Instead of an original story that was edgy and hadn’t really been done before, he wanted the comic to be “just like X with a little bit of Y and a dash of Z.”
And of course, the number one note I had from him day in and day out was “make her boobs bigger.” So, while I’m glad this Jenna project turned out better than it could have, I can only imagine the field of broken glass the creative team was dragged through behind-the-scenes to get it to that point.
If you’re interested, a really great South African artist named Warren Lau did up the mock cover for the first Forbidden comic book, which you can see here:
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm68/William_Haley/Forbidden.jpg
September 14th, 2008 at 3:36 am
@Meagan: Actually, Virgin probably thought they had a sure-fire megahit on their hands. Somewhere on the walls of the Virgin Comic offices is a formula that reads something like:
1. Jenna Jameson
2. Swords
3. Sexually-repressed comic nerds with money
4. Profit
As you may or may not know, I wanted to make comics before becoming a journalist, and I was originally posed to collaborate with Christina Dolce (aka Forbidden, the “white Tila Tequila”) on just such a project.
Unfortunately, despite my amazingly amazing ideas, I could never get past her damn agent. This guy was the slimiest of slime, he made Ari Gold look like a Good Samaritan. Instead of an original story that was edgy and hadn’t really been done before, he wanted the comic to be “just like X with a little bit of Y and a dash of Z.”
And of course, the number one note I had from him day in and day out was “make her boobs bigger.” So, while I’m glad this Jenna project turned out better than it could have, I can only imagine the field of broken glass the creative team was dragged through behind-the-scenes to get it to that point.
If you’re interested, a really great South African artist named Warren Lau did up the mock cover for the first Forbidden comic book, which you can see here:
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm68/William_Haley/Forbidden.jpg
September 15th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Holy crap William. That is an awesome cover. Why don’t you do the book without the Christina Dolce bit???