This series has surprised me at times. I always thought Robyn was a bit of a reach to be honest, taking the gender swap that makes up so many of the Grimm characters a little to far. But over time, I have warmed to her and would have hoped by now, that this affection was shared by Zenescope. Instead, we get another mish-mash of artists let loose for 20-odd pages.
The story is brought to you by Joe Brusha with words by Lou Iovino. For the most part it pretty much goes as you’d expect. There are some solid character moments, the old lady in the alley for example and of course, there is the pledge that Robyn makes that she practically then ignores unless the pledge was to sit in the hospital watching over her friend! Not a very heroine-esque pledge, not quite up there with swearing vengeance on criminals over the bodies of dead parents. Still, things progress nicely, leading to the confrontations and almost conclusions.
Now the art, brought to you by Sergio Arino, Renato Rei and Riveiro. Surprisingly, their respective pages are not given on the splash so it’s up to your eyes to determine who does what. At a guess, I would have Arino on pages 1-6, Rei on 7-17 as their styles are similar although the art in the middle of the book looks flatter with the characters looking less engaged. That leaves Riveiro on 18 onwards. The art in latter third of the book is by far the best in this issue. There is a more mature feel to proceedings with stronger frame-work and faces that are not bland. The art is helped by heavier inks as well as a darker color scheme that matches the overall “impending doom” vibe that is prevalent in the early part of this issue.
So, another mixed bag from Zenescope, which is a shame. For Zenescope to move up in the minds and comic book readers and retailers, their product needs to be consistent and not in a consistently inconsistent way that this and other books (Cinderella: Serial Killer Princess for example), have suffered as underneath these constant changes in in art styles mid books, there is a hint of the quality that they can produce.
Writing – 3 Stars
Art & Colors (up to page 17) – 2.5 Stars
Art & Colors (18 onwards) – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
(Story) Joe Brusha (Writer) Lou Iovino (Art) Sergio Arino, Renato Rei, Riveiro
Author Profile
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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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