Review: Grimm Tales of Terror – Black and White Special Edition
As a series, Grimm Tales of Terror, has probably been one of the more consistent books from Zenescope Entertainment. Regardless of if the twists in the stories are actual twists or they have been signposted from the outset, the high production qualities have always made for eye-catching stories; almost as eye-catching as their covers. Now, the book has spawned a feature film, due to be released later this year. This two-part style book features a short story based on that film, along with art and script from a previous classic story “Black Cat”.
As you would expect, the main story features a “guest appearance” of Keres, this time making the acquaintance of Lana way back in 1892 North Dakota. Lana tells a tale of heartfelt sorrow, featuring two girls, a drunk father and the drowning of a pair of kittens*. This being a horror story, you’d expect things to get a tad freaky and this case they do by way of Pet Cemetery. This is really the first instalment of Lana’s story, with rest being told in the aforementioned movie.
Joe Brusha provides the story, which to be fair is pretty much horror by numbers. All the tropes are there to feast upon, which may well put off older readers. The familiar elements don’t really scream out originality and I have to say, that on this occasion, I was disappointed in the first half of the book. Still, every comic could be someone’s first book, so for some this could be a gateway into other “Tales of Terror.”
Yusuf Idris provides the art and inks for the first story, Set way back in history as it is and featuring kittens, there is a lack of the usual flesh on show elements that can be found in Grimm books. This is a bit of a change of pace, which I did find suited the book. Idris’ art is functional, driving the reader through the book, hitting the required beats in the process. In the past, the colouring of Grimm books has been consistently outstanding. Having a black and white book kind of takes away one of the better parts of their product.
The second story, still black and white by the way, is a more almost reflective experience. If you have ever wondered how a script can apply to comic books, Black Cat is definitely for you. Writer LaToya Morgan, from a story by Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco and Morgan herself present to you the script of the book, broken done panel by panel and speech balloon by speech balloon. Next to her work is the completed page of art, sans text. You get to play editor by putting the two together. Maybe not the best reading experience to be sure, but once you break your normal comic book reading habit, the level of detail may surprise you. Black Cat is a great way to show aspiring writers how to approach the idea of formatting a script and shows aspiring artists how take heed from offering the work required, along with subtle changes that may well improve the story, seen here by the number of crossings out. Putting the word and pictures together, you can see how cohesive the comic making process can be.
With more and more comic properties ending up on-screen, on this occasion, I had hoped for a stronger story in which to entice fans. Instead, the strength of the book is clearly the latter half, pulling away the curtain on the mysteries of making a comic book, which ironically is more suited to comic book readers than the larger scale audience of movie goers that the book is actually aimed at.
*Please Note, no animals were actually hurt in either this comic book or the review.
Writing (Lana’s Story) – 3 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Black Cat – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Joe Brusha &Â LaToya Morgan
Art by; Yusuf Idris & Eric J
Published by; Zenescope Entertainment
Author Profile
- 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
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