As
our loyal readers know I have recently become an official reviewer
for Zenescope Comics. This means that I receive PDF copies of
everything that they release. Obviously I can’t personally review
everything that they release, but as long as I hit a certain number
each quarter they’re cool with it.
In
this Comic Book Wednesday I’m taking a look at Robyn
Hood
#6. It will be available on January 28th at your Local Comic Book
Shop, so ask for it now!
PAT
SHAND
Artwork
JAMIE
SALANGSANG JR.
Colors
SLAMET
MUJIONO
Letters
JIM
CAMPBELL
Editor
PAT
SHAND
This
sixth issue of the Robyn
Hood
ongoing series is pitched as a jumping-on point, something Zenescope
(wisely) seems to offer with frequency. This is the first issue I’ve
read of this title, so I’ll be judging it on that basis and
checking out the previous titles if I dig it.
The
story thus far is that Robyn Locksley was taken from our world to the
city of Nottingham in the world of Myst (one of the kingdoms that
make up the Grimm Fairy Tales universe). Robyn saved the city and was
returned to New York, which is interesting because I would have
expected the character to remain in Nottingham, doing hero stuff.
While
in Myst, Robyn met a witch named Marian and brought her back to New
York, which is where this issue picks up…
Once
again, the art is solid and the artist is a good storyteller. The
only time I was confused by the panel sequence was when I got to a
double page spread in the middle of the book. Those don’t read so
well in PDF form. Heh. So aside from format issues, the art flowed
smoothly and was easy to follow.
The
characters look good and distinct and their faces are very
expressive. Robyn has anger issues and you can see it in her face in
many of the panels, even without the dialogue. Marian is unsure and
uncertain in this new world, and it shows in her face and posture.
Salangsang has a talent for making drawings feel human.
Also
of importance to me is the fact that almost every panel has
interesting, detailed backgrounds that place the action in a
definable environment. Rare is the panel with a blank, monochromatic
background. And when it does happen, it’s always for emphasis. A
lot of
work is going into illustrating this book.
The
color is very nice, as well. The shading is beautifully done and –
once again – the backgrounds are fully rendered. There aren’t any
blobby parts where large portions are just the same color. If there
are times in a panel, they are distinct and individually detailed.
Robyn
Hood
continues what seems to be a common theme in Grimm Fairy Tales books
– the fantastic in the context of the real world. I realize this is
something that has been done countless times, but Zenescope has its
own flavor of this theme. I can’t quite pin down what makes it so
unique, but there’s just a feel
to these books. The characters are flawed and relatable, despite
being witches or gifted beings or gods or whatever.
The
concept is laid out in a fairly plain way in this book. Marian is a
lesbian witch that left Myst because Myst is not the most progressive
of worlds, if you catch my drift. Earth is better, but not by a whole
lot. Marian’s magic is fading and her dilemma is that she is not
defined by her sexuality or her magic, but they are definitely parts
of her being. And she’s losing one of them. Buffy
has addressed similar issues (yes, I know “lesbian witch” sounds
awfully derivative), but Marian feels like a very different character
from Willow. And this is certainly a different world from Sunnydale.
I’m
not familiar with the details of what happened in Myst and I don’t
know the specifics of the Earth that Robyn and Marian inhabit (though
it seems to be pretty much our Earth) or if it’s the same Earth
where the other Grimm tales are taking place. But I do know that I
fucking love this page:
That’s
an awesome monster that first shows up stalking the heroines in the
streets while wearing a hoodie. I don’t know what it is or where it
came from, but I have all of the information I need without
a word of exposition:
it’s sentient enough to wear a disguise, it’s powerful enough to
scale the side of a brick building, it’s evil enough to be ready to
murder Robyn and her poor, poor psychiatrist.
Unfortunately
for the monster, Robyn has the most awesome go-to move in the history
of comic books. Right out of the gate she straight-up head butts the
monster in the chest, which causes its chest to EXPLODE:
Now,
this is obviously a spoiler and I hate doing this sort of thing, but
there’s no way I couldn’t talk about this panel. It’s one of
the best panels I have ever seen in a comic book because it defied
everything I expected from Robyn
Hood.
And the monster maiming escalates
from there.
Not only is Robyn powerful, she’s fucking
nuts.
This is demonstrated by her handily dispatching a giant, terrifying
monster during a visit to her therapist.
Opening
with a head butt, man. Not even JYD did that (may he rest in peace).
I’ll
admit that the opening of this book didn’t hook me like some of the
other Zenescope stuff. It was a little too dramatic. But then that
head butt happened and that was just what I needed. And it wasn’t
just
the head butt. That was just the point where everything seemed to
sort of pick up and come together. I think if I’d had the five
issues leading up to this under my belt, the first nineteen pages of
this issue might have gone a little more smoothly.
As
things stand, this issue closes with a creepy (presumably) secret
society, a captive (allegedly) insane sexy witch, and a (apparently)
dedicated therapist. Who I definitely do not trust.
Robyn
Hood #6
got me interested and excited enough to look forward to seeing issue
#7 in my inbox. Issue six comes out on January 28th,
so keep an eye out.
D’oh!
Sorry, Robyn.
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