Publisher: Zenescope EntertainmentWriter: Raven Gregory
Story: Raven Gregory, Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco
Artist: Anthony Spay
Release Date: 4 May 2011
Issue 0 of 12. Calie's back! Along with the rest of your favorite heroes and villains from Wonderland and Neverland, Salem’s Daughter and Sinbad…and the rest of the Grimm Universe. The Zenescope Crossover event of the year starts off here in this low priced prelude issue that kicks off the biggest event in the history of the Grimm Fairy Tales universe. What is the Dream Eater? Where does it come from and what does it want? The answers will change the foundation of the Grimm universe forever and not everyone will make it out alive. The first ever Zenescope company crossover that goes through ever single Zenescope title begins this month!!! Don't miss out on the biggest event of the summer! (From Zenescope.com)
Grimm Fairy Tales: The Dream Eater Saga begins here with Issue #0 and will run throughout various other Zenescope titles. I have never read an issue of the publisher’s main title –Grimm Fairy Tales – although I am currently following the title’s spin-off Myths and Legends. However this issue appears to be a perfect introduction to new readers as we are introduced to the mythology of the story, such as the Dark One and the Book which demons are seeing out for a reason we do not know yet. Also, the character of Baba Yaga is introduced, who from scanning the character bio section at the back of the comic appears in the Grimm Fairy Tales series as seeing revenge for the events which happened in this issue – the murder of her mother and village.
Story wise there is a lot going on in these 12 pages. I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting so much to happen and I was prepared for a lot of backstory and set-up however both of these are dealt with in this issue while not bogging down the pace of the story and we are quickly introduced to the mythology of this world – The Realm of the Mist – and its characters, namely Baba. There are some things which are set up for the rest of the story however at this particular moment it is difficult to predict where the story will go next as we have yet to actually meet The Dream Eater. Although he is mentioned, he is never seen but it is revealed that a page that Baba’s mother tore out of the book which was eventually stolen from her contains information on The Dream Eater, so hopefully we will get an appearance in the next issue.
The artwork is brilliantly done, and fits perfectly with the mythical nature of the story. There are a lot of soft colours and vivid purples and reds which work really well. Also the artist Anthony Spay does a stellar job with the pencils, characters are well drawn and their expressions particularly of Baba on page four when she finds the book are executed perfectly. The action scenes are clear to understand and dramatic enough, there’s one particular image on page 8 in which Baba looks upon her dead mother which is horrifying but drawn perfectly to give such an impression. One thing that did slightly annoy me was the way in which Baba’s mother was drawn to be wearing very revealing clothing and had a very large chest. I know Zenescope are famous for their sexy and often over the top presentation of female characters, but I just felt here it was not appropriate or needed.
Overall, this book offers up an abundance of fantasy, action and a dramatic introduction to a major cross-over event which is sure to be a hit with readers – and it’s only the prelude. As a relatively new reader to the Grimm universe I am excited to see where this story will go and how other characters will factor into the story. If the rest of the issues can retain the momentum of this one in terms of story and artwork, then I think, as predicted by Zenescope, it could be one of the most exciting comic projects of the year. If you like fantasy and magic and you don’t mind women with ample chests and very little clothes gracing your comic pages, then I’d recommend picking this one up.
Rating: 4.5/5
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