Just a quick interlude here before I get to the reviews. I’m a few weeks behind, therefore I’m going to do three parts of the amazing Dream Eater Saga in one review. Up until now, we’ve seen that Bab Yaga is seemingly the only person with a plan to try and stop the dreaded Dream Eater. The Queen of Hearts has been torn to pieces, the Piper sent running away like a little school girl, and the once mighty Pan has been reduced to mugging hobos in the alleys of New York City. What does all this mean? Well, in my opinion, it means that more people are going to get ripped apart before the Dream Eater is satisfied. On to the reviews!
Grimm Fairy Tales
The Dream Eater Saga part 6: Salem’s Daughter (one-shot)
Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Raven Gregory
Artist: Roberto Viacava (cover by Ale Garza & Sanju Nivangune)
As Braden Cole and Anna watch an old woman die in their arms, an eerie feeling creeps around the forest. Braden wants to pack up and go away, but Anna tells him that her visions say the next town where this woman is presumably from is their next destination. They get a less than cordial welcome from a young boy that points a rifle in their face. He explains to them that the town is under quarantine from an unknown illness. Anna (Salem’s Daughter) then uses her powers of suggestion to get past the boy. Once inside the small town, though, they wish they hadn’t gone through the trouble. Just about everyone in the town has fallen ill, then died two days later. So needless to say, the population is dwindling. Cole thinks they should leave, but Anna wants answers. They don’t find many, but they do find something not quite right about the town’s doctor. After Cole becomes sick suddenly (after shaking hands with the good doctor), she decides to pay an impromptu visit to the doc’s house. Well, without spoiling it, you see zombies attacking, then we find out the doctor’s true identity. Oh, and also throw in an appearance of Darius, and Pan faces the Dream Eater all alone, as well! Rating 4/5
Grimm Fairy Tales Myths & Legends
The Dream Eater Saga part 7: Myths and Legends #7
Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Raven Gregory
Artist: David Miller (cover by Eric Basaldua)
The phrase “out of the frying pan, and into the fire” holds different weight for every situation where it is used. In the case of The Piper being pulled through a portal by Baba Yaga, it’s used with an incalculable amount of weight. Baba Yaga has teamed up with Samantha to retrieve an artifact that might stop the Dream Eater. The first order of business is to interrogate The Piper. You see, he knows where this artifact is, but it’s guaranteed he isn’t giving it up easily. The girls first torture him to try and get the answer. It’s during this time when Baba Yaga explains to Samantha why she hates The Piper. After that quick retelling of sins past, Baba leaves the room to fetch something. In the meantime, the crafty Piper manages to get Samantha to let him loose, but then he double crosses her. Just as the Piper is about to leave claiming victory, Samantha and Baba Yaga jump him, and reveal their plan was to trick him all along. Rating 4/5
Grimm Fairy Tales
Dream Eater Saga part 8: Sinbad (one-shot)
Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Dan Wickline
Artist: Shamus Beyale (cover by Eric Basaldua)
Sinbad is your typical swashbuckling pirate type guy. He lives for adventure, but also cares for his shipmates. While the local officials are trying to behead one of his friends, Sinbad and his friends come swooping in to save the day. Unbeknownst to them, three visitors from another place and another time have come to visit. Three beings in the form of Baba Yaga, Samantha, and The Piper. They have come searching for a genie’s lamp, and they aren’t leaving without it. Baba knows that the lamp is around one of Sinbad’s buddies’ waists, so they stowaway on his ship to get a closer look. Once they realize who it is that has it, they do not hesitate to attack. The only problem is that Sinbad isn’t going down without a fight, and he and his teammates have a few tricks up their sleeves, as well! Rating 3/5
OK, my thoughts are as follows – Salem’s Daughter was very good. The relationship between Cole and Anna is very well done. Great dynamic there with a perfect representation of opposing forces. The artwork was unbelievable, as usual. The Grimm Myths #7 book was also a solid read. The enjoyment Baba gets from torturing The Piper is quite sadistic, but I did find myself cheering for her to give him more. Again, good artwork, and the colors are very vibrant. Now, on to Sinbad. While it was a decent story, it lacked something. Not something I can quantify per se, but it just didn’t get me excited. The artwork wasn’t bad, but I felt like the story lacked…something. It’s like in football when they say the quarterback has “intangibles.” This story just didn’t seem to have any to me, but I still can’t wait for the next issue in this series. The new position that Pan is in with the Dream Eater, Baba Yaga and Samantha’s partnership, and so on. Plenty of things to build off of and finish the last few issues out with a bang!
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
