Frank Cho may not be involved, but the jiggling jungle girl he resurrected returns in Marvel Comics’ SHANNA, THE SHE-DEVIL: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, written by the JONAH HEX team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, and drawn by Khari Evans.

The four-issue story begins when jewel thieves steal a load of diamonds from a luxurious cruise ship – one which then is attacked by a leviathan and swarmed by its sharp-toothed babies. Our modern-day pirates escape on a boat that crash-lands on Monster Island. No sooner have they stepped foot on sand than they’re staring face to face with hungry velociraptors.

Luckily, Shanna also lives on this island, and she is well-versed in slicing heads and limbs off dinosaurs with ease. With that out of the way, she then has to save the gang from giant bees. Those who survive make it to Hitler’s lost city of gold, which isn’t so lost to the race of Neanderthal brutes who live within its walls. Making matters worse? The Chinese-led thugs the diamonds belonged to have tracked the gang here, and they’ve got firepower.

As you likely can tell, FITTEST heavily resembles AIP’s Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptations of the ’70s that starred Doug McClure, what with the oversized creatures and anachronistic beasties. Plus, given the might-as-well-be-naked heroine and the underground Nazi city, it also appears to have been influenced by the jokey ’80s tease-adventure JANE AND THE LOST CITY.

Gray and Palmiotti keep the action going, from one set piece to another, but they forget to advance – or even introduce – their characters. Who dies? Who knows? Evans’ art is passable, but it pales in comparison to Cho’s, being neither as fluid nor as well-developed (in more ways than one). Shanna’s sexiness from Cho’s series now has devolved into awkwardness, meaning sequelitis has definitely settled in. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• SHANNA, THE SHE-DEVIL