CHO PREVIEWS SHANNA

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

She's bold, she's beautiful, and she's your best hope of escaping the raptors nipping at your heels.

She's Shanna, the She Devil.

But she ain’t Shanna O’ Hara, wife of Lord Kevin Reginald Plunder, also known as Ka-Zar.

What th-?

Well, in Shanna, the She-Devil, a seven-part limited series from Marvel Knights, Frank Cho brings you Marvel’s bodacious jungle girl as you've never seen her before: Reborn from Nazi science gone mad to battle her genetic destiny on an island full of prehistoric horrors. Shanna has never looked this good...or acted this bad.

Cho’s Shanna has been a long time in the making. “I’ve been working on and off for about two years,” Cho told Newsarama. “There are many reasons why it took such long time. The main reason is [that] I often rewrite pages that I’ve drawn. There [are] some pages that I’ve redrawn as many as five times and recently due to the rating change, I had to go back, redraw and cover up certain pages. Also, I’ve taken breaks to work on other projects such as [Marvel Knights] Spider-Man.”

However, according to the writer/artist known for his Liberty Meadow series, the first five issues of Shanna are in the can. “I’m currently working on issue #6 right now.”

Fans of Cho’s have always been fascinated with the way the artist brings women to life in his drawings. Some even say his women are just out-of-this-reality! And he’s even got a fan in a certain Executive Editor of Marvel Comics. “Axel Alonso was a big fan of mine. He got in touch with me and asked me to work on Shanna. Sexy women in skimpy outfit fighting dinos in the jungle. It was a perfect fit for me.”

“I’ve always been a fan of jungle tales when man is pitted against nature. It’s my fondness for these types of stories that this Shanna adventure was born. That, and I get to draw dinosaurs tearing people up.

“[The mini-series is] part Jurassic Park and part Mysterious Island,” he continued. “A small American military squad crash lands on a mysterious island overrun with dinosaurs. They have no idea where they are and how to get off the island. Five years pass, the military unit has built a fort and has learned to survive by hunting and scavenging. During one of these hunting/scavenging trips, they discover a hidden and recently abandoned Nazi medical lab full of genetic experiments - Shanna. The [question] is: will Shanna help this military unit get off this island or will her genetic programming destroy them all?”

As mentioned, this is not the Shanna that you’ve become familiar with in the good old days. “Ka-Zar and Matthew do not exist in this Shanna book. [And] it’s a completely different place. [The] Savage Land is never mentioned. It just focuses on Shanna and the military unit fighting to survive the island.”

If she is a totally different character from the Marvel Universe version, why call this Shanna, the She-Devil then? “Because "Cindy" doesn't have the same ring to it. This isn’t the same Shanna character from the 1970’s. It’s a completely different character who happens to share the same moniker. The background story is that the Nazi Regime tried to breed an army of super soldiers for over 70 years. [But] the [main] story takes place in present time.”

Apart from the two issues of MK Spider-Man that he’s completed as well as wrapping up the Shanna mini-series, Cho, who extended his exclusive contract with the House of Ideas earlier this year, is keeping himself occupied with work for the foreseeable future. “I’m working on Liberty Meadows #37, the fourth Liberty Meadows Collection Book, the new sketchbook for San Diego Convention, couple of covers, a movie proposal and just started co-writing a new mini-series for Marvel which I will also do the art. And yes, I’m pretty stressed right now.

“[And] Yeah, they [Marvel]'re playing to my strength.”

Shanna, the She-Devil #1 will be in stores February 2nd. It’s 32 pages with a $3.50 cover price and is expected to have fans drooling from page to page.

Click on the thumbnails for larger versions:

[Kid A]

This looks delicious.

[Fazhoul]

Old Shanna, new Shanna. I don't care. It's Frank Cho and I'll be picking up this book.

[clubzone69]

SPEECHLESS!!!

Can't wait til Feb.

[blankpoint]

About half the people who pre-ordered this through me cancelled their orders when the nippleage, as seen in Comic Book Artist #2, was removed.

[MattBrady]

Originally posted by blankpoint
About half the people who pre-ordered this through me cancelled their orders when the nippleage, as seen in Comic Book Artist #2, was removed.

I'm not sure what meaning should be taken from that...it's not as if Cho isn't still drawing the book.

Were nipples that big of a selling point?

MattB

[Darth Presley]

poor Elektra looks a little ... "drafty".

[Christian Otte]

Incredible art - can't wait for this series.

[Pikachu007]

Originally posted by Christian Otte
Incredible art - can't wait for this series.

Still don't know why they could leave Cho's art alone and make it a MAX imprint book instead....

[Crump's Brother]

Is this book really going to sell more now that it is no longer MAX and Shanna is in overalls?

Frank Cho is an oustanding artist and I will continue to support Liberty Meadows, but give the man an MAX series. Give me a break.

[IanZL]

I like Shanna and will be getting the book (where I probably wouldn't have if it was MAX, just a personal thing).

I think Cho's Elektra is particularly strong, I'd like to see him do an Elektra book.

[fredeur]

Cho Rulezzzzzz!!!

$3.50 a comic book?
Marvel Sucksssssss!!!!!

[Jed Saxon]

Originally posted by Pikachu007
Still don't know why they could leave Cho's art alone and make it a MAX imprint book instead....

It was supposed to be a MAX book and then it was said that sales wouldn't be that great ebcause in some ares people just wouldn't order a book with a bare-breaszed heroine.
But if the series is successfull they will maybe publish this uncensored version as a trade (and I bet they will make that a very rare collector's item or something like that).

[fredeur]

Originally posted by Jed Saxon
But if the series is successfull they will maybe publish this uncensored version as a trade (and I bet they will make that a very rare collector's item or something like that).

Yep, like a $79.90 hardcover =__=

[GOSD]

Originally posted by MattBrady
I'm not sure what meaning should be taken from that...it's not as if Cho isn't still drawing the book.

Were nipples that big of a selling point?

MattB

Matt,

Nipples are ALWAYS a selling point.

[GOSD]

Originally posted by Jed Saxon
It was supposed to be a MAX book and then it was said that sales wouldn't be that great ebcause in some ares people just wouldn't order a book with a bare-breaszed heroine.
But if the series is successfull they will maybe publish this uncensored version as a trade (and I bet they will make that a very rare collector's item or something like that).

Christ,

Did ANYONE ever see the last 3 or 4 issues of Supreme Power?

Princess Power or whatever her name is, is completely nude throughout the book.

This is gay and makes no sense.

FU Marvel.

P.S. And please stop the madness with these $3.50 books.

[samnoir]

Cho's Spiderwoman is fantastic!

It would be interesting to see him on a fill in issue of New Avengers.

I think his Luke Cage would rock!

_____________________

HOWARD CHAYKIN COMPLETE BLACK KISS for sale on eBay. RARE OUT OF PRINT!

GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE POSTER for sale on ebay.

[roach04]

Originally posted by Ghost of ScooterDoom
Matt,

Nipples are ALWAYS a selling point.

LOL. Did you see the page from CBA that the above poster is referring to? 1/2 splash of naked Shanna being blown out of a Weapon-X like glass enclosure towards this guy. Bottom two panels - one of his shocked face, one of just her naked breast, which was obviously heading towards his face. I got a laugh out of it, but I can see why many others would not. The other thing that's likely true - (as told to me on another messageboard!) Marvel likely wants to see what they can do with the property and don't want to have a fall-out like they did with the Garth Ennis Nick Fury mini from a few years back. Better safe than sorry - Hollywood likes graphic violence, not graphic nudity!

The thing that amazes me is the number of times Cho has redrawn some of the pages -- 5 times? Jesus. And, if there was as much nudity as originally advertised, I guess there's a lot more redrawing to come.

[GUTB]

People like this sort of stuff? Who aren't teenagers?

Lie.

[LK_]

ya, was drooling until i see the 3.50 price tag.

sadly, i'll have to pass.

[kalorama]

Gimme a "T!" Gimme an "A!" Gimme ... um ...

[Rich Johnston]

I've been told that, rather than sales concerns, this has more to do with Shanna being touted as a possible media-licensing vehicle, along with a number of lesser known Marvel characters.

As a result, they may not appear in MAX publications, for fear of a similar event that saw the FURY series bury the chances of George Clooney appearing in a movie version of the character.

Also the reason the Deathlok series was shelved.

http://images.comicbookresources.com/litg/shanna.jpg

[KingPagla]

Originally posted by Ghost of ScooterDoom


This is gay and makes no sense.

FU Marvel.

So, you're blaming the covering of nipples on homosexuals?

[DCON]

SWEET!!!

[Skinshark]

While I don't care to see nipples unless there's a reason for them, I'm almost more annoyed by the self-editing (whether it's company dictated or creator ditacted it's yet to be determined).

That's what the "rough" stages of art are for. To make clear the direction and choices that need to be made...but I also understand of course how the "collective creative" can make those last minute decisions for you.

In the end, you gotta ask yourself was the sacrifice sizable enough to undermine the creative process?

Clearly not.

=s=