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"Grimm Fairy Tales #100" Comic Review
Written by James Ferguson
Published by Zenescope
Written by Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco
Illustrated by Anthony Spay
2014, 34 Pages, $5.99
Comic released on July 16th, 2014
Review:
In this age of constant reboots and re-numberings, it's rare to see a comic get into the triple digits. As such, it is a cause for celebration that Zenescope Entertainment's premiere title, Grimm Fairy Tales, has reached the monumental 100th issue. The publisher has been building up to this release for some time with the current Age of Darkness storyline. The Realm Knights are scattered and broken. The Dark Queen has risen to power. Now it's up to Sela Mathers and a small group of Falsebloods to stop this evil. But is it too late?
There's an unmistakable feeling of dread flowing through this comic. The outlook does not look good. I mean, the storyline is called Age of Darkness for a reason. Even this last minute rally by Sela and the remaining Realm Knights might not be enough to stop the Dark Queen. She's been working tirelessly behind the scenes, moving all of the pieces into place for this very moment. Now she's pulling the trigger and there's not much that the good guys can do but watch. This is an interesting feeling, especially since some of the locations and characters, such as Oz and Neverland, are so synonymous with hope thanks to the classic literature they originated from.
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The story jumps between several characters, giving each of them some time in the spotlight and tying up some loose ends. References are made to some of the tie-in issues for Age of Darkness, so if you read just the main storyline like I did, you'll be missing a few minor plot points. Fortunately, this doesn't hold up the book at all. Good and evil are very easy to recognize.
The endgame for Grimm Fairy Tales #100 isn't that surprising in hindsight. The final page reveal is akin to something we've seen repeatedly through DC Comics' various crises. Unlike those, this version has far dire consequences. Everything isn't tied up neatly in a nice new package. It's rough and literally changes everything. I know that term is thrown around a lot in comics, especially with event books, but in this case it's true. The Grimm Universe has been irreparably altered in a big way.
Anthony Spay was the perfect artist to bring Grimm Fairy Tales into the hundreds. His artwork is neat and concise. He gives it the feeling of a book you'd expect from either of the big two publishers. No corners are cut and every panel is filled with detail, showcasing everything from the individual characters to the monsters and demons they have to fight their way through.
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Spay keeps the designs of the female characters tasteful yet beautiful. This is not cheesecake. Sela isn't in danger of having her boobs fly out and hit her in the face during a fight scene. That goes for all the women in this issue. They're not here for readers to gawk at. Instead, they're a powerful force to be reckoned with. Even the Dark One trembles in fear against Sela and Baba Yaga. These ladies are the real super heroes and villains in the Grimm Universe.
Grimm Fairy Tales has grown and evolved over the course of these 100 issues. If you pick up the first chapter of this series and compare it to the latest, you might not believe they're the same book. An entire universe has been built around Grimm Fairy Tales, expanding and improving upon works of classic literature, while maintaining the elements of horror and fantasy that have made the comic great. Issue #100 is an event that puts the comic shoulder-to-shoulder with anything published by Marvel or DC.
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