Review: Belle Labyrinth One-Shot

I have to admit, I quite like Zenescope’s idea of larger page counts books acting as one-shot, rather than a meandering, extrapolated mini-series. Despite the one-shot model, each story has a continuing theme meaning that you have to be a fan to enjoy the longer arcs.

A priceless reward awaits Belle as she takes on a labyrinth and all the monsters that exist within it. Armed with her trusty weapons, a girl and a tortoise “in the chair” Belle is suitably prepared for the up and coming battle, or so she thinks! Taking a bit of a break from the usual round table approach to story and writing credits, Dave Franchini is in sole command. Franchini does a great job of weaving in aspects of previous issues, scene setting and inner monologue. Sounds perfect?

Nothing is perfect. Case in point; Belle is in a Grecian labyrinth and Franchini decides not to go with a minotaur as the big bad? Speaking of the maze itself; it doesn’t seem very winding or even, dare I say, a-mazing? In fact after a few turns and a chase Belle pretty much finds herself where she needs to be. I enjoyed the inner monologue a lot more than the dialogue, especially towards the end of the book, which feel stilted and tired; a malaise that also affects the art. Franchini does manage work he way out of what could have been a contrivance with a clever little twist, showing a clever deftness to the overall nuances of the book.

The art is provided byRodrigo Xavier who starts out well but tapers off, with odd body shapes and angles, towards the end of the book. Taking the positive, the set-up works well, the easy setting of the first arc working well with Xavier’s lines. The initial action scenes and the “pose” panels also show some skills. Xavier does an annoying quirk; it seems that all his characters talk with their mouth closed. I can forgive a couple of occurrences, but every time? There is also the way Belle’s body shape changes toward the end of the book, which serves to distract from what up to the point had been quite enjoyable art. Zenescope are renowned for their colors, so I am little disappointed with the scheme from Juan Manuel Rodriguez. The darkness of the maze is fine, but the light hearted Greece landscape, with all its sun does come of a little flat. Taylor Epsosito of Ghost Glyph Studios is on hand for his usually excellent fonts, ably assisted by Elizabeth Sharland. There are a few covers to choose from along with retailer specials. From the regular covers, I have to say the A cover from Jeff Spokes, with a touch an Adam Hughes homage, would be my choice.

I have been on a bit of a Zenescope kick of late. Robyn Hood has been good; Van Helsing more so. Here, the solid plotted arc elements, both previous elements and future teases are well handled. It’s a shame that the art doesn’t quite meet Franchini’s ambitious story.

Writing – 4 Stars

Art – 3 Stars

Colors – 3 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Written by; Dave Franchini
Art by; Rodrigo Xavier
Colors by; Juan Manuel Rodriguez
Letters by; Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios
Letters Assist by; Elizabeth Sharland
Cover A by; Jeff Spokes
Published by; Zenescope Entertainment

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network