Being a member of the Major Spoilers team, but having not listened or participated in the Major Spoilers podcast, I was the perfect person to review Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter for the site. Why? Because I hadn’t heard what apparently many of you have heard; that it was no good. All I know is that Stephen asked me to review it, and so I will.
Sadly, for any of you that enjoyed it, you won’t be getting a different answer; this comic book blowed. Don’t believe me? Proof after the jump!
Created by Jenna Jameson
Story by Jenna Jameson and Christina Z
Script by Christina Z
Art by Mukesh Singh
Cover Art by Greg Horn
To start with, I was pretty certain that Jenna Jameson had died. It would have made sense to me, for someone to publish this posthumously. However according to Wikipedia she is alive, so I have neither any idea who I was thinking of nor any idea why Virgin Comics would want to print this book.
To be fair, I loved the artwork. Mukesh Singh really pulled off some beautifully fantastical artwork, and the splash page towards the end of the book was simply stunning. I am a fantasy fan at heart, and love the dark detailed drawings. Granted, Dr. Ingersol looked like a man, and it wasn’t until her last appearance in the comic that I realized otherwise.
That, however, is the best that I can say about this comic. In what seemed nothing more than an attempt to express some weird love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jameson has created her own little make-believe world. But unlike Buffy, Shadow Hunter has no possible storyline in sight.
I would offer to summarize the story line for you, to save you the trouble of reading this book. However, upon reaching the end of the book, I was so unsure of what actually happened that I wouldn’t be able to do it justice.
From what I can gather Jenna Jame… no, hang on, Jezzerie Jaden – my mistake – can see demons and monsters in her waking world like we see humans. Apparently the creatures are represented by the drawing talents of whatever age JJ is at; working their way up from bloated stick figures to more filled out … cupids, apparently.
At some point however Jezzerie walks out in to the world – newly gifted pendant in tow – and sees the demons for what they, presumably, truly are. At this point she apparently calls on years of martial arts training (I once again assume) and hacks in to a now solidified demon. She is within seconds coated in demon blood and gore, whilst walking the streets of New York.
This is where they start to get hazy… yeah, that’s what I thought.
Apparently nobody else can see these demons, but their blood and guts coating Miss Jaden is perfectly noticeable… I think. They definitely can’t see the demons; that much is for certain, except, within a few pages we see that there is something causing havoc in New York such that a news crew is on the spot. I got a little confused.
After her landlord so lovingly shows Jenna her … sorry, Jezzerie her boyfriend whoreing it up with some women somewhere, she is forced (why?) to go back to the doctors where, under testing, undergoes a “grand mal soul split.†No, I’ve no idea what it is either, but apparently it’s bad!
Within moments her hair turns black, a sword comes out of her arm, a mysterious stranger comes to help, and she is reunited with a family member who, yes, you guessed it, is who she is fighting against.
Whether you want to parallel it to Star Wars, Buffy, Shakespeare or a dozen other stories, it’s up to you. But whichever you choose, Jenna’s storytelling ability is literally non-existent. Not just her actual ability to write coherently, but her storyline was somewhere on holiday in the Bahamas and when anyone got a chance to speak amidst the dozens of narrative boxes, they sounded as if the first page child had written them alongside her stick figure drawings.
I may sound overly harsh, but over the past several weeks wherever I’ve reviewed, the lowest I’ve ever given was a 3 out of 5, and most of the time it was 4. This book, is only worth stealing – which I am not advocating – which means I don’t think anyone should hold a copy. EVER! The art was wonderful, true, but thankfully his artwork can be found elsewhere. Nevertheless, Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter receives a 1 out of 5, entirely on its artwork.
5 Comments
I don’t think it’s the worst thing I’ve ever read, but it was far too boring and confusing for me to be sure… There sure were some pretty pictures in it, and I’m amazed it didn’t just go the “Tarot” route….
I wonder if excessive cheesecakery would have made it better?
those of us who have read and reviewed the issue are starting a support group, Josh. The first meeting is next Tuesday.
I naturally assumed the claim that it blowed was some reference to an action of the main character
and, it’s a virgin comic. huh.
Thanks Rodrigo… just let me know time and place, and I’ll be there… trust me, it’s going to take a few weeks to get rid of this.
I believe you may be thinking of Savannah, an adult film star who did pass away, but several years earlier than Jenna’s career, I thought…
Either way, why does she have stitches in her hair?