Zein, the Last Pharoah

AK Comics is a new line of comic books with the vision of uniting the east and the west by creating superheroes who exemplify the best of both worlds. Most comic book companies’ primary existence can be pointed to providing great entertainment, generating huge sums of cash flow or simply, sharing a beloved character out in the market to fulfill a childhood dream. AK Comic’s dream, however, is to assuage the separation between eastern and western ideals and (mis)perceptions of either side by creating heroes for a newer age. These heroes reflect a cool mix of the culture of the Ancient Egyptians and the advancements of the today’s technological genius.

The quality of the book really stands out. Its cover sports a slick, professional trade dress that is eye-catching and appealing. Readers will notice the slightly smaller size of this gem as compared to its brethren’s market norm. AK Comics embraces the new talent in the field and allows them to display their wares in full force. This book marks very strong debuts of writer Todd Vicino and artists Raphael Albuquerque and Raphael Kras. Very clean and dynamic line-work accentuated by the appropriately hued earth-tones of Ann Hertzog highlight the premier issue. The back of the book includes information on the Pharoahs and a space for the upcoming letters page. The inside back cover has a “Challenge Your Mind” section that has a general family appeal. This is definitely an entertaining book for all ages.

My gripes are minor as they are overshadowed by the enormous task of presenting this book to both Middle Eastern and western markets. There were a few occasions that the lettering didn’t fit the word balloon or caption. In fact, Editor Daerick Gross Sr. attached a Post-it that made me laugh next to one of the faux pas saying “Sometimes Isis has a hard time keeping her words inside the balloon. She’ll do better next issue”. My other gripe is that I feel that the writer sometimes colors a phrase too much when it could’ve been written much simpler with less fanfare. This is a minor gripe as I’m sure Todd and company will hone their skills with each progressive issue. I once compared the initial works of Steve Rude’s Nexus and Tony Harris’ Starman to some of their later works a few years down the line and the difference is as night is to day. I look forward to seeing more of this creative teams’ storytelling…great stuff ahead.

(This review was originally published in TheComicsReview.com)