The Brothers Grimm are more well known as the inspiration for the popular, saccharine remade folktales we learn at a young age rather than the actual stories they composed themselves; but in reality, the Grimms’ original vision is anything but cute and innocent. These are tales of brutality abounding and grotesqueries galore. Considering these characters are used by Zenescope Entertainment with a plethora of stories, it’s not shocking to see writer Paul Jenkins and artist Humberto Ramos take on the universe, especially after their Kickstarter campagin. That was funded back in May so with 9 months of work… is it good?
Fairy Quest #1 (of 2) (BOOM! Studios)
Imagine for a second, if all the stories you read were actually real only they existed in another dimension. What if those stories had to live by a script and physically live out their story over and over whenever someone spoke it.
That’s the basic premise of this book, only said stories aren’t too happy with their lives. Kind of like this:
Just a fairy tale girl living in a material world…wait that’s not right.
It’s a fantastical premise, but what better property to use it on than the Grimm Fairy Tales? It’s evident this two issue series has an open and close story to tell, which is a bonus for the readers who want their entertainment now. No waiting around for Red Riding Hood to fall in love. Leave that to Fables. Due to its brevity this miniseries reads more like a love story from Jenkins and Ramos. Considering how good Ramos is though that’s a win for the readers.
Oh we have fun.
In this story Grimm is the villain. A man who asks only that his minions never stray from the story. If they do they’ll get a blast of the Mind Eraser. They’ll forget their dissenting thoughts and go back to retelling their story.
How does that instrument work?
I suspect Grimm wrote this script?
Unfortunately for him Red Riding Hood has befriended the Big Bad Wolf. She likes to bring him treats and hang out when nobody is looking. I’m not sure if they like-like each other, as that’d be odd considering he’s an animal, but the wolf certainly doesn’t want to eat Red.
Fairy Tale AA.
Since Shrek popularized the fairy tale world this comic doesn’t read as if it’s breaking new ground. That’s probably the main issue with the comic as the Fairy Tale AA sequence and their straying from their stories isn’t anything new. What brings the story to light though is the understanding of the characters that there’s a place called the Realworld. A place they can have free will and not be slaves. The concept is interesting considering many people would probably prefer to live in a fairy tale land. Hell, many probably are in some sense.
That ladies name is Cindy Rella. Get it?
What saves this story from being a rehash of ideas, or at the very least not the freshest of tales is Humberto Ramos’ art. I can’t help but be reminded of Joe Madureira’s work on Battle Chasers some years ago. To see such cartoony and playful art in the fantasy realm makes me wonder why more books like this aren’t being published. That’s one reason I liked The Lookouts so much when I reviewed it back in July. The next issue promises to expand a bit as Red and the Wolf end up traveling to another story we are all familiar with,
This could be good.
Ultimately the story lives and dies by the characters who, quite frankly, don’t get a lot of airtime. This issue spends most of its time breaking down the premise and the world they live in. Most pages and panels seem to be created simply to allow Ramos the ability to draw what he likes. That’s not completely bad, but the story does read a little thin due to this.
Our heroes.
Final Score: 7.5
- Ramos art equals heaven
- Cool premise
- Not the freshest of stories
- Could use more character development
If you’re looking to peruse a comic that is exceptionally drawn look no further. The story is good enough to keep you interested, but don’t expect your mind to be blown or anything. Considering this all started from Kickstarter I don’t see how anybody loses. The fans get a comic they wanted, those who didn’t fund it get some great art and anybody who hates fairy tales has one more thing to point to as an atrocity. Win win…win!
Is It Good?
Yes. The color and art are so good I can’t see how anybody would hate this.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!