Before you burn the bridge, make sure you are willing to pay the toll.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Zach Calig
Artwork: Diego Galindo
What They Say:
In modern day 2015, a group of unsuspecting women are attacked and killed in New England. The men responsible call themselves the New Crusaders and they are determined to find a young woman named Avril Williams, a descendant of one of the most powerful witches of all time. It’s a race against time as Baba Yaga returns in one of the most intense and exciting Grimm Universe titles of the year!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The witches’ persecution continues as the Covenant’s head hunter has managed to secure his quarry. However, the timely intervention of Liz’s coven succeeds in chasing off her pursuer to save their sister; but, why should they save Baba Yaga whom had betrayed them before, only to allow her to do so again? She can help them secure the vengeance they have longed for, but are they willing to trust her? Can they trust her?
Avril also finds that not all of the New Crusaders are of like mind – some do have their doubts that all witches are evil. But is this an ally who is willing to go against his people and the doctrine he has trusted all these years? Dartanian has misgivings; can he trust something that looks human and shows no malice when all of his life he has been told that all who practise magic are evil? Has she bewitched him?
The coven will now accept Baba Yaga’s help destroy their enemy as long as they help her to rescue her charge, Avril. However, they will need the help of someone from Liz’s past. She now has the power to raise her from the dead and bring forth the one called the Shape Shifter – a witch able to change her form to any that may suit her. This one will accompany Yaga to the crusaders’ headquarters, but the former sister has plans of her own. She will sacrifice anything to save Avril – or anyone. But, is the truth as it seems or is this just a ploy to open a path to change?
In Summary:
This issue raises more questions than answers and the foremost is who can you trust in the Coven or the New Crusaders? Writer Zach Calig is balancing both sides and their interactions of who they can believe in is what brings the viewer into this world. How can anyone have a meaningful relationship if you fear being betrayed by someone? But at the same time, the opportunity to be able to create a new ally in the fight is also worthwhile – as with the interaction between Avril and Dartanian. The next generation may be the key to ending the war. It is this hope that makes the story worth reading.
But, the one thing that I found too convenient was Liz’s ability to bring back the dead for the Shape Shifter. They could have found another way into the stronghold, and yet Calig had to fall back onto this overused plot device. If she had this ability before, why not bring back the rest of her sisters instead of relying on Baba Yaga? With their renewed strength, they could have taken on the Covenant without Yaga’s help, but this twist had to be added for some reason. It makes the story weaker by bringing in an all powerful character instead of being able to rely on themselves.
However, Diego Galindo’s dramatic pages are what make this series a pleasure to view: his action filled scenes of the Covenant and their technology versus the witches and their nurturing ways with nature. But, as you watch the tragedy unfold, you see that the two worlds seems to be growing closer if you compare the bases, both reliant on harsh metal and stone. Although the coven does live underground, they have reinforced the cavern with steel. They may fight over their differences, but they seem to becoming more like each other in their taste for vengeance. However, the one page that summarised the whole of the issue was Avril realising that she was trapped within a submarine. The look on her face, you didn’t need any words, just grips at your heart; she was being held captive, all because of her powers and the struggle to either make or destroy the prophecy from coming to pass. Beautiful.
All in all, this may have been a transition to the real action in the next issue, but it still brought meaning into the conflict. A moving story of hope amidst a war that has been raging for hundreds of years. If both factions cannot settle it amongst themselves, then perhaps their contemporaries can find another way to end the bloodshed? One can only hope.
Grade: B+
Rating: 17+
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: August 19, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
