Jealousy isn’t what you think … it really can become a monster.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Joe Brusha
Artwork: Vincenzo Riccardi
Colors: Valentina Cuomo
Letters: Fabio Amelia
What They Say:
Pickford’s Model
When a successful young artist enjoying the good life can’t help but gloat over his jealous rival who struggles to make end meet, terror can’t be too far behind. Envy is thought to be a sin, and when this man lets it take over his life, he soon learns exactly how deadly it can be.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Edward Whitney had always been a decent painter, but when it came success, there was no way he could compare to his art school classmate, Jeremy Pickford. At every gallery show they went to, his rival would always sell out of his pieces, and of course, would take great pleasure at rubbing his accomplishments in his friend’s face. No matter much Edward tried to surpass him, his competitor always seemed to be able to outmatch his best efforts. And as time passed, Jeremy finally went on to benefit from his progress and was able to have his pieces displayed at a local gallery. Either out of jealousy or curiosity, Whitney swallowed his pride and attended the show, to see how his friend was able to realize what he could not in such a short period of time.
As he wandered through the crowd and listened to impassioned buyers praise his rival’s art then greedily snatch up the latest works, this acclaim only served to depress Edward even more. Finally what he saw Jeremy as the center of attention, showing off his latest masterpiece and toasting his admirers as they heaped even more approval as the night dragged on. When the commotion finally settled down, Edward gathered his courage and decided to congratulate his friend. Having consumed too much wine and having his ego stroked over the night, Jeremy was surprisingly civil and invited his adversary for a few more drinks. As the liquor flowed and his tongue loosed, the successful artist finally apologized for all of his insults and asked for forgiveness. Edward would only welcome the concession under one condition: if Jeremy would make him his apprentice. But why would want to serve under the bully who once tormented him … does he have an ulterior motive?
In Summary:
As I unraveled the intrigue of this issue, it began to feel more like an episode of the Twilight Zone as we dug deeper into the rivalry of the two classmates. That show always had a moral tale to tell and of course we cannot overlook the one that Joe Brusha wrote into the story: Jealousy make you a driven man, but in the end, you can never tell when it will turn its back on you. While they had Rod Serling to steer the audience towards the final conclusion, in Grimm Tales of Terror, we have Keres who only points the protagonist in the wrong/right direction and then returns after the damage is done. But of course, this version is much better since we can actually see what happens to the antagonist, which makes for a much more satisfying end against such a sadistic bully. However, even with this conclusion, unlike that classic show where we always expected a twist ending, we fully knew what will happen once the big secret was revealed. As such, the finale did feel a bit empty since a human is involved, Edward’s change in attitude will probably make him end on the same note.
And to make this tale an even more sobering moment, artist Vincenzo Riccardi dramatically gives us the right tone for the story – one of languish and overzealous pride. From the first time we saw Edward, we knew that he would be the underdog of the issue, someone unconfident in his talents and feeling that he was underappreciated. But then Jeremy had the exact opposite attitude – someone overly pompous and a classic egomaniac who never valued anything in the world that he didn’t take or steal for himself. The body language and expressions reflected in each character’s demeanor and of course the coarse shadow surrounding the pages by Valentina Cuomo helped to set the melancholy mood for the issue. She painted each panel with a profane darkness, almost as if Jeremy brought his secret with him every time he entered the room – a brilliant foretell for both a beginning and an end.
The final issue for this volume of Grimm Tales of Terror suits well to close the book on another haunting chapter of this series. While this section did have its highs and lows just any anthology does, the majority of this collection had quite a few which stuck out like glowing eyes in the night. I cannot wait for the next volume and let us hope that it will be able to better this one, but that will indeed be a tough calling.
Grade: B+
Rating: M (Mature)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: October 05, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
