JIRNI #5 closes out a story arc that sees Ara embarking on a heated rescue mission to save her mother from the clutches of a sorcerer with a djinn of his own, and she does so in merciless and bloody fashion. From the first panel, Ara demonstrates to a pickpocket that she ain’t the one, as she crushes his Cinemax-After-Dark hand for daring to lift her treasured bracelet. ¬†Alas, she springs an ambush, but she rises to the challenge and quite literally paints the room red.
Crushed hand? No problem. True love is still possible with Senor Lefty.
The script by J.T. Krul works well for the short story form and I’m curious as to where Ara’s “JIRNI” continues from here on out. The finely crafted pencils from Paolo Pantalena stand out big time here. They are infused with life and urgency of movement, something any artist worth their salt that draws action MUST do. The poses he puts Ara in from time to time might strike a few as …gratuitous, but such is the field these days. The little in-lines he litters his subjects reminds me a lot of the line work from Leinil Francis Yu‘s short run on X-Men Vol. 2.
Is it me, or did she go up a cup or two?
The supporting colours from the team of Brett Smith and Wes Hartman complement Pantalena’s work nicely as the inks don’t overpower the mauve based palette. With golds and browns dominating the details, this teams run on JIRNI #5 is rendered beautifully. This is the kind of work Aspen needs to keep up with the ‘other’ guys. I quite enjoyed giving my copy another ‘appreciation’ reading, something I usually don’t make time for unless I really like a comic. Well done Aspen.