Killer Kobra (2025): Rediscovering Comics

In the last issue of Rediscovering Comics I read Terror & Fury by Zenescope. Having enjoyed a new (to me) publisher and comic I decided to stay in the same universe for this review.

I read a three issue mini-series called Killer Kobra: The Hunt Begins, featuring the titular character, Killer Kobra and his sidekick, a mongoose named Chopstick.

The mini-series, written by Joe Brusha with art by Rodrigo Xavier and Massimiliano La Manno, serves as an introduction to a character who proves to be both deadly and charismatic.

Let’s see if it was worth the time…

Killer Kobra: The Hunt Begins

Killer Kobra: The Hunt Begins wastes no time, dropping us right into the action with Killer Kobra on the trail of a savage beast believed to be Bigfoot. Killer Kobra, a martial arts master who operates on a “venomous” one-touch principle, is the quintessential lone-wolf vigilante. The character reminds me of Iron Fist or Richard Dragon an expert martial artist with a mysterious past.

Killer Kobra’s hunt is sidetracked as he crosses paths with Man Goat and Bunnyman, who we also met in Terror & Fury. The team-up adds some humor to a darker monster hunting story but I still don’t understand Man Goat and Bunnyman. Just like in Terror & Fury they seem to appear out of nowhere. Does Zenescope have a mandate to include them in every comic? While their appearance doesn’t take away from the story it doesn’t really add anything either.

Also in the story is Vesper, Special Agent for the mysterious organization called S.H.A.D.E. (Also seen in Terror & Fury) Vesper assists Killer Kobra while trying to recruit him into S.H.A.D.E. It’s still unclear, at least to me, if Zenescope is trying to setup a super hero team like Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.

There’s a teaser at the end of the issue hinting Vesper and S.H.A.D.E. will visit Robyn Hood, another established Zenescope character. Maybe they are building a super team.

Killer Kobra is an interesting character, he’s a stoic, no-nonsense fighter. His interactions with his talking mongoose sidekick, Chopstick add to his mysterious past.

The Killer Kobra world is intriguing with villains like Komodo Kahn, a komodo dragon humanoid who calls Killer Kobra ‘brother.’ It’s a good twist that isn’t explored in this series. Hopefully they continue with the Killer Kobra story so we can learn more about Komodo Khan.

I loved the art in Terror & Fury. I’m conflicted on the Killer Kobra artwork. There are two artist for each issue. They split the issues into thirds with one artist taking the first and last third and another artist taking the middle. The contrast is jarring. They have different styles and it’s apparent when you turn the page. Faces and bodies are drawn different, action is different. While both artists are good, switching back and forth is off putting.

The coloring by Leonardo Paciarotti is fantastic making the action dynamic and adding to the dread of the dark forest at the right time.

Overall Killer Kobra: The Hunt Begins is a good mini-series introducing an interesting new character top the Zenescope universe. The writing and pacing are good. Although, throughout the series I felt like I missed an issue or two. Killer Kobra and Chopstick would talk about events like I was supposed to know about them. It was like starting a TV show mid-season. There were a few flashbacks to give some background but not enough for me.

Fans of Zenoscope will enjoy this series. New readers may want to start with Terror & Fury. I’m interested in the Killer Kobra character and will keep an eye out for other comics and maybe, hopefully a new on-going series.

Have you read Killer Kobra: The Hunt Begins? Let me know you’re thoughts or tell me how wrong I am with my analysis in the comments below. You can share your thought on X too. The main Retro Network channel is @TRNSocial and I’m @MileHighSamurai You can also find me on Bluesky @MileHighSamurai

Read the previous editions of Rediscovering Comics.