From Aspen Comics, JT Krul, V Ken Marion, Juan Fernandez, Josh Reed.

Jirni is back, but is she better than ever?  Our purple pigmented princess persevered past perilous palisades presented per past periodicals.  But she is now embarking on a whole new adventure.

Ara survived her last volume but the story of her quest is far from over.  Set upon the dangerous seas with a crew that can be trusted as much as feared, Ara’s journey must come second to the pirates pursuit of riches.  Even in the middle of a dangerous land with more dangerous inhabitants Ara doesn’t hesitate to let her sword and her morals do the talking.

As always in every book from Aspen Comics the focus is on a strong beautiful woman who doesn’t need anyone.  This comic company is the home of the self rescuing princesses.  Ara must keep her mind alert and operating faster than anyone around her in order to stay ahead of their schemes.  She asks questions, she observes her surroundings, she notices small details and is always on guard.  It is only by this never ending vigilance that she is able to be mentally and physically faster than both her allies and enemies.  Its a great testament to the writer that the most powerful weapon the Violet Genie has available is her own mind.

Marion makes every panel look like a snapshot of a real world.  There is nothing in this book that readers should find familiar and yet the pirate ship, the seas, the cliff, every bit of it is expanding off the page and surrounding the reader in a 3D theme park fully realized world.  My favorite artistic choice is Ken’s design of the mysterious creatures.  So many artists do the Jim Lee/American Godzilla reptilian look to any alien or monster or anything other than human.  Thankfully Marion designed something original and interesting.

My only complaint about the book is the coloring.  Don’t get me wrong, the colors are beautiful and Juan did a great job.  But I fell in love with Jirni thanks to Brett R. Smith’s art.  Juan Fernandez is great at his craft and as good as ever in this book but some people love David Lee Roth and others love Sammy Hagar.

Don’t worry about it if you haven’t read volume one.  Jirni has a great jumping on point and gets readers right into the story.  Pick up issue one and learn to walk before Jirni runs, and runs away with your money as you buy every issue.