Grimm Fairy Tales Neverland: Hook #1
Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Joe Brusha
Artist: Jim Rodgers (cover by Artgerm)
The concepts of good and evil have been talked about, debated, and analyzed for centuries. There is one persisting discussion, though, that intrigues me and is how this great book starts off. Do the forces of good need an opposing force of evil to survive or thrive? Or, can either one be totally destroyed, or will they just take another form? One thing’s for sure, Pan is evil, and he’ll do anything to get revenge on Wendy and Nathan. Nathan Cross is plagued by nightmares about his brother, Timmy, who is thought to be dead in Neverland. The nightmares suggest that Timmy is alive, and Nathan is feeling guilty about not trying to go back and save him from the clutches of Pan. Throw in some good old homicide, a subway ride, and even psychiatric counseling, and you have one issue that you dare not miss!
First off, I’d like to state that I haven’t read the previous installment of this series, so I’m not really up to par with the characters and settings. I will say this, though – this is a great starting point for new readers for one huge reason. It’s totally accessible to new readers. I jumped right on and can easily understand what’s going on from what’s been provided, and also a teeny bit of help from reading The Dream Eater Saga, as well. The characters slightly mirror the ones from the regular fairy tale, but are also their own entity, too. Brusha does a fine job introducing the characters, situation, etc. The artist, Jim Rodgers, is new to me, but he also is solid with his craft. The cover speaks for itself (Artgerm), fantastic! Rating 4/5
Grimm Fairy Tales Neverland: Hook #2
Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Joe Brusha
Artists: Rain Lagunsad & Scott Larson (cover by Marat Mychaels & Ivan Nunes)
The following issue picks up right as the first ended. The subway ride that ends with Pan (maybe) knocking out Belle (who swooped in from out of nowhere). Just as he is about to kill Wendy, Nathan comes to her rescue, and slows Pan down enough to make an escape. The subway riders are not so lucky. Nathan decides it’s time to go back to Neverland for some answers and to find his little brother. He runs into some interesting obstacles on his way, though, and things get really complicated when the doctor tells a police detective about Pan and Neverland. We get to see a bit less action in this issue, but also some good surprises to keep you reading!
Alright, as I said above, this issue seemed a little bit slower than the first, but did keep my attention. I did like the parts where “Hook” (Nathan Cross) is fighting some crazy crocodiles that escaped through a portal from Neverland, and also the mysterious new ruler of Neverland being teased. The artwork was OK, but I really wish that the artist from the first issue would have been on this one, too. He had a really good vibe to his work that was definitely missed in issue #2. Overall, it’s still a good series and worth picking up. The story is flowing pretty good, and is definitely showing promise for a bright future! Get out and pick these up, they’re on the shelves now! Rating 3.5/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
