Zein (2nd Series)

(AK, 2005)
™ and © AK

Zein, last Pharaoh of an advanced, ancient society, has survived into the near future “now” linking most of the AK titles (after the “55 year war” when the Middle East is at peace) using his great wealth and technology to defend the land of his fathers. But he’s far from the last member of his civilization, which he learns when faced with his arch-nemesis, The Scarab, who has dire plans for both him and all mankind.

Admittedly there isn’t a whole lot of text, let alone a subtext to Zein, but there’s something wonderfully refreshing about a super-hero comic which actually admits to having a higher moral purpose. (Which, according to the inside front cover, is “each hero and heroine is a unique blend of traditional and modern qualities that provide a sense of pride and optimism.”)

It’s nice seeing a villain bent on global destruction who sees his battles with the hero as a way of improving himself. And the attractive art is actually helped, rather than hindered, by the rich computer coloring.

—S. A. Bennett

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