Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends #9
Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Raven Gregory
Artist: Marlin Shoop (cover by Fan Yang)
Sometimes when you check out a book on a hunch, it ends up biting you on the backside. This is not one of those times. The book starts out (part 2 of “The Little Mermaid” story line) with the birth of a child. This child ends up being kidnapped and given to parents that are in the service of the Dark One. When the baby grows up to be a beautiful young woman, things seem normal. Well, for a short time anyway. Erica soon finds out, though, that she is more than just a pretty face. You see, when she comes into contact with water, she turns into a full-on mermaid! Within hours she’s confronted by the Dark One, and then later by Samantha (Guardian of the Earth). She is also being watched ever so closely by the Sea Witch, as well! Yeah, talk about a bad day!
After reading this one, I think I’ll go back and read the last issue (if not from issue #1). Not to say I didn’t understand anything, but a little more back story wouldn’t hurt either. The issue had some good elements to it – the baby snatching in the beginning, the Dark One and Samantha vying for control of the mermaid, and why the Sea Witch is so interested in her, as well. Lots of different angles to explore here, like also the one of Erica’s real parents, perhaps?
The artwork by Marlin Shoop, and colors by a trio of fellows (highlighted by Embury), did this book a lot of justice. The panel with the Dark One near a pool was fascinating. His reflection was his devilish form, and when Erica saw that, she bolted, as anyone would. Again, the story was good, but the artwork definitely helped this book be even better in my opinion. Rating 3.5/5
Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends #10
Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Raven Gregory
Artist: Matt Triano (cover by Romano Molenaar)
In issue #10 (part 3 of “The Little Mermaid”), we see Erica being attacked by her “family” and boyfriend. She then turns into a hideous sea creature that is ticked off, and ready to lay a beating on everybody. Immediately, Samantha gets wind of these activities and transports to the scene to try and stop her. It doesn’t quite work out the way she planned, and she ends up expending all her energy trying to stop Erica. The Sea Witch then swoops in, and uses her cunning ways to dupe Erica into joining her side…for now. Erica actually wanted to see how her real family is doing, and well, that ends up being a mistake. Her father spurns her, and her mother is so sick she is going to die any minute in a hospital. Will the Sea Witch control Erica, or will Samantha help her escape?
This issue wasn’t quite as action packed as the previous, but it was still solid and has me interested in the outcome. I do enjoy how Erica is being manipulated on three different fronts, and that is surely going to come back and bite more than one of them. I’m also glad we got the origin on Erica’s family. It revealed some things that will hopefully bear fruit in the future. Erica seems to be confused, frightened, and that all seems to point to her in a direction of being used fairly easily. The next issue will probably be a lot bloodier, because you can definitely see a confrontation coming between Samantha, the Sea Witch, and possibly even the Dark One.
New artist this time around, and Matt Triano was great at filling in on this one. He was pretty strong with his panels, and didn’t really leave much room for scrutiny. Also, as like last issue, the colorist was a big part of the success. Multiple covers are another cool extra to these titles. Typically there are 2-3 really cool covers (below) with most of Zenescope’s books, and that is very cool. I’m amped up for the next issue, so hopefully Gregory will be able to keep up the pace for a long time. Rating 4/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
