saros by zenko -- A review

Saros by Zenko – A Review

The ancient gods are dying.

After millenia of surviving on the worship and sacrifice of mankind, these celestial beings find themselves wasting away as the humans turn away from ritual in pursuit of more ‘scientific’ beliefs. Now the immortals watch helplessly while one by one, those they love dissolve into stardust. And they’re next.

Fearing the death of his people, Ocote seeks to claim a human sacrifice himself. One bloodline, a product of a union between the immortals and man, may be enough to sustain his people, to be the key to their survival. But another immortal, Jerico, stands in his way, vowing to protect the human and cease the barbaric rites and reliance on mortal men. But will this rogue Jerico be enough to protect the innocent mortal? Or will his celestial race overwhelm his efforts and slay the innocent?


My first experience with manga came from an art classmate of mine at school. While the other members of the class were copying the works of famous artists, trying to get our oil pastels just right, she was creating unique works of manga art topped with gentle watercolors done by a steady hand. This classmate has since grown up (obviously) and now she creates fantastic works for businesses and authors.

In other words, I met my first professional artist.

Whenever I consider manga, I immediately start to feel old. Sure, people have been reading comic books forever, but the rise of this particular style of graphic novels was just starting to gain popularity in the states (or at least my corner of them) when I was finishing high school. Because of this, I’ve never been one to pick up these books. I stick mainly to novels, my comfort zone and my little niche. Recently, however, I have become friends with a manga artist, and I cannot help but sit and stare at her works!

Where I have spent hours, days, weeks, and months learning how to draw with words, she can actually draw! Her characters are lifelike, expressive, and filled with emotions communicated through visuals. In other words, it’s a skill I don’t have and I’m a little jealous about it.

Zenko’s latest graphic novel Scatheless is in the works to be released very soon by Walnut Street Publishers, and I have already read and have a review waiting in the wings, but, while waiting for that launch, I dove back into some of her earlier works. Saros is a three-part series filled with crazy, fantastical creatures battling it out over the ethics of human sacrifice. Which, from, you know, a human view sounds like a no-brainer, but Zenko skillfully shows the desperation of people seeking only to survive through moving pictures, high-stakes battles, and funny (and sexy) characters.

I encourage you to head on over to https://globalcomix.com/c/saros to see her works (the comic is free to view) and keep an eye out for Zenko’s next novel to release: Scatheless!