Comic Books

Is It Good? Grimm Fairy Tales: Demons: Unseen #3 Review

David Brooke

August 14, 2013

Another Zenescope Entertainment summer event tie-in ends this week. So, is it good?

Grimm Fairy Tales – Demons: Unseen #3 (Zenescope Entertainment)

Missed our review of Demons #2? Check it here.

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Haven’t been reading this series? Well, it goes something like this:

When the most powerful demons in existence combine into one entity, Masumi must abandon everything she loves for the fight to save the world. But is this lone assassin powerful enough to defeat the very embodiment of evil, or will she be destroyed by the demons that have haunted her since childhood?

Magic swords, ancient evil to kill and a whole lot riding on it.

Banging one minute, killing demons another.

Pat Shand writes what is basically the final, climactic sequence to this three part story. If you haven’t been following along you won’t understand the breadth of this story, nor appreciate the stakes at this stage. In a lot of ways this issue reads like a chapter rather than a whole story, which is perfectly fine. If you haven’t read the previous issues it’ll feel like a capped off ending you walked into. There are cases where single issues read as one story beginning to end in that issue which tends to make the single issue read a bit more satisfying.

I hate when she makes that face!

The incredible art of Jason Johnson is no longer here as he left the book with the last issue, but Matias Bergara does a great job filling in. His style is a bit cartoony like Johnson’s but in a completely different way. The action looks great, the demons are drawn well and the layouts are interesting too. The facial expressions are quite good as well, with just enough cartooniness to be fun, but still holding a bit of seriousness to keep the subject serious. I’d say his style works in regards to the design that came in the last issues, but in a lot of ways his style grounds things much more in reality. It’s cartoony, but very much realistic too, moreso than Johnson.

I will say the buildup to this confrontation does end surprisingly quickly. The resolution seems to be building toward an epic battle that just sort of fizzles. By issue’s end you’ll be wondering what happened, as if in a daze, and I think this arc could have used a few more issues to reach a purposeful crescendo.

There’s a turn of events I wasn’t a fan of either. When Masumi’s boyfriend shows up to save the day I rolled my eyes, hard. His involvement is heroic sure, but also very dumb. I’m not sure a normal man would risk so much when he knows so little too. Sure, he’s reading from a book and seems to have some handle on things…but seriously dude, have some faith in your girl! Either way, I understand Shand needed to give Masumi a reason to break it off with him, but it didn’t do it for me here.

Best gasp ever!

7.5

Artists change but still looks great and similar in style

Aside from some action sequences not much to chew on as the loss in this issue feels forced

This issue looks great and is a good conclusion to this three issue arc. That said, there are a few developments that disappoint in the climactic battle to end things. It’s understandable you need to get the character from point A to point B, but it all comes off a bit lazy and another issue or two really could have let this story breath. I’m not sure if it’s execution or just choice, but it does let you down a bit.