A weak issue in an otherwise strong run.
What They Say:
Clad in her fallen brother’s armor, massacre survivor Branwyn vows to repay every drop of blood that was spilled during the slaughter of her wedding party. But her mission turns even more horrific than expected when the true authors of her torment are revealed in the grisly conclusion to “Bride of Blood”!
Creators:
Story: Alex de Campi
Art: Federica Manfredi
Color: Federica Menfredi
The Review:
Bride of Blood part two ends the current Grindhouse story that I tend to think of as Death Wish with chainmail. The heroine, Branwyn, was attacked on her wedding day by reavers. They raped her, tormented her, cut out her tongue, and left her for dead. Once she regained her strength she stole her dead brother’s armor and left to seek revenge. The first story was told exclusively from Branwyn’s point of view and we were even given some beautiful panels where we see the events from her perspective. However, part two focuses primarily on her former betrothed, the Lord Callyreath, and while it is fun to see how Branwyn gets her revenge, this second issue isn’t quite as satisfying as the first and that largely has to do with the shift in point of view.
One of the main things that this switch accomplishes is that it allows us to know why Callyreath allowed the reavers to attack his future in-laws. It turns out that the Lord holds a tenuous alliance with the reavers and hopes that time and the gift of land will soften them to the point where they will no longer be a threat. Branwyn’s people owned valuable land full of iron ore and the marriage proved to be a threat to the reavers, so Callyreath set up the slaughter to appease them, while at the same time acquiring the rights to the land. He tells all of this to a southern lord whose daughter he hopes to marry as they hunt boar.
That’s when the horror begins as Branwyn’s plan goes into full swing.
Branwyn, for the majority of this issue, is a ghost: her presence is more often felt than seen. She does a brilliant job of setting traps and herding Lord Callyreath, including one particularly gruesome moment that involves a dead boar and wild dogs. It’s entertaining to see the Batman-level of planning Branwyn goes into, but in some ways it’s a tad unsatisfying because the protagonist is largely separated from the action, which blunts the vicarious joy we take in watching her take revenge.
What hurts the story more, though, is the revelation that her mother is still alive. It seemed pretty clear to me in the previous issue that her mother was dead. She looked dead in the panel and later on the nuns treating Branwyn remarked that she was the last of the line. So if she did survive then who cared for her? When did she contact Branwyn? How involved was she in orchestrating this revenge? While her appearance doesn’t quite rate as a deus ex machina, it comes pretty close. Grindhouse movies aren’t exactly known for their tight plots or brilliant characters, but de Campi is, and I’m not sure if I’m missing something here, if the artist did not do a good job of conveying certain ideas, or if there was just something lost in the translation. Unfortunately, this makes the story the least satisfying so far of this anthology.
The good news, however, is that the fake movie posters are back! With any luck, these are future stories that will be shown in this series, but even if they aren’t, they’re incredibly fun and capture the feel of those great Grindhouse movie posters from back in the day. The first one, Sister Justice, is probably my favorite. It shows a nun wielding two uzis standing in a dark alley, facing down some unknown punk or punks and the tagline reads “One Bad Habit Deserves Another.” I’ve said it before, but Dark Horse should really release these as posters. I know I’d buy them.
In Summary:
Even though this particular issue of Grindhouse didn’t thrill me like the previous ones, it’s still a solid title. I love the energy, the craft, and the love for the genre that de Campi and the rest put into this work and I continue to hope that Dark Horse keeps pumping out the issues because this is some of the most fun I’ve had reading comics in some time. Every anthology has its weaker moments, but in this case it’s still worth your time. I’m definitely coming back next month for Flesh Feast of the Devil Doll! and I hope you will too.
Grade: B-
