Zener: Master of the Mind #0 Review

Writer: Web Bleynat

Artist: Juan Paolo Mananita

Rating: 6 of 8

Zener

Master of the Mind #0

When it comes to comics, it takes a lot of parts to make the whole. Sometimes these parts come together to form a bigger and better whole - and others, one of them just isn't as good and lets the rest down. Unfortunately, that's initially what happens here as, while the writing is good throughout, the art - at least in places - isn't really as consistent.

Early on, character's faces just aren't drawn as well as they should be. In the opening panel, Night Soverign's face isn't as threatening as it should be. When we see Diego watching it, his expression's a bit glazed over, though this might make sense, given his later complaints about the film. 

Later on, when we see the monster leaping from point to point, I think it would've been better to have given it more of a faded effect for the first few times, to better show it's speedy movement. The art does improve as the issue goes on, with the characters looking a lot more expressive and better defined with heavier inks. The action's pretty dynamic, too.

Like The Boys, it's a world where, though superheroes are real, they're still part of people's entertainment. Though unlike The Boys, the ones on the cinema screen are fictional, while those beyond it are anything but. So far, it's a lot less harsh than that series, though with the ending, might be a lot more subversive than your average superhero tale. 

Through most of the issue, the dialogue's decent, but not that great. This definitely changes towards the end, where what characters say is both ominous and intriguing, certainly piquing my interest about the growing mystery at the heart of all this. Early on, the film Diego and Sasha see is packed with ultra-corny dialogue, reminding me of Adam West's Batman in a very good way. It's an interesting contrast to the rest of the issue, where none of the characters talk like that.

Overall, it's a bit of a mixed issue, though if the art's more consistent from here on out, the series could have a promising future.