American Mythology's Starring Sonya Devereaux a Comic Series That's Actually Fun!

When I saw STARRING SONYA DEVERAUX: SPIDER-SHARK VS. SNAKE-BEAR on the shelves at my local comics shop, I didn't even register the title or even the publisher. My eye was instantly drawn to the excellently done homage to the classic HOUSE OF SECRETS #92 (featuring not only the first Swamp Thing story, but also a portrait of comic book creative legend Louise Simonson on the cover). Only after it had already leapt into my hands did I notice any of the ancillary information.

I was not familiar with Sonya Devereaux or any of the other titles American Mythology had placed her in. A little googling revealed that, no, she's not a real actress who had franchised her way into comics (it's happened before), but is an original creation, used in an intriguing capacity. Sonya is an actress, and the books she headlines are the movies she has done, such as DEBUTANTE DESPERADO and VAMPIRE ACADEMY 4 (all available from AmericanMythology.net if you can't find them at your local retailer).

SPIDER-SHARK VS. SNAKE-BEAR opens with the same conceit, with the schlocky monster battle film being first introduced by television horror host, Ivonna Cadaver, who has Sonya on as a guest before launching into the "film." The adventure adapts -- and then skewers -- every single sci-fi B-movie trope that exists, and makes it fun in the process. Sonya plays a disgraced military sergeant who claims her platoon had been killed by a monster. Now with an archeologist in trouble and a monster needing to be captured, Sonya (or rather, her character of Sgt. Haley Lord) is released from a military psychiatric hospital to lead a covert squad into the jungle.

The adventure is filled with double-entendres and straight-on exploitation, all of which was exceedingly common in B-movies. It's unashamed in the way it serves up a cocktail of titillation and forced punchlines, and that's exactly what makes this book an exceedingly fun read. Todd Livingston and Nick Capetanakis have obviously watched more than their share of Rhonda Shear "Up All Night" cable presentations, and Brendon & Brian Fraim know how to present the sexy without overdoing the anatomy.

The one critique I will leave that is even worth mentioning is with the coloring by James Couts. It's a perfectly fine job, but it's a bit limited in tone. It's very bright throughout the book, and gives the pencils a flat appearance rather than adding depth to the panels. It's not a deterrent to enjoying the book at all, it's just something that could be done better. Overall, however, this one gets our recommendation.