Review - Jungle Book: Last of the Species #2

When things go wrong in the jungle, they tend to go really, really wrong. It's a savage place full of fierce creatures; creatures who, occasionally, find cause to fight one another for whatever reason. That fighting comes to fruition in Jungle Book: Last of the Species #2 from Zenescope Entertainment.

The title is written by Mark Miller, with pencils by Jorgel Mercado and Jason Johnson and colors by Liezl Buenaventura.

Mowglii and Dewan start off as friends, but that turns sour when Dewan attacks. Akili saves Mowglii at the last minute from Bomani, who's still got an axe to grind with her and the wolves. Her escape isn't quite as clean as she'd like though, considering she's pulled underwater and is confronted by something possibly even more dangerous than what she previously knew.

Miller's story keeps up the ferocity of the jungle at it's most dangerous. The tigers are on a rampage, the elephants want their due and Baloo continues to worry about Mowglii. Mowglii was the main character of the original title the series is based on, but Zenescope's take manages to spread the love so to speak among a number of characters. Those characters don't like one another because of their animal allegiances, despite all being shipwrecked there together.

Mercado and Johnson's pencils are rather exotic and handle the animals very well. Jungle Book: Last of the Species #2 is as much about animals as it is humans and it doesn't manage to lose sight of that fact. The fighting among the animals is savage and leaves behind a body count, something that is illustrated in a way that really hits home how dangerous the jungle really is.

The second volume of Zenescope's take on the classic tale continues to sprint towards the possibility of an all-out extinction event in the jungle. Mowglii is in a rather tight spot and really doesn't know who her friends are, which is something that will likely come up down the road. It's a second issue that keeps things interesting and sets the table for an even more intense battle.

Jungle Book: Last of the Species #2 is in stores April 2.