Never wait until the last minute … especially when you need a costume.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Adam Kelly
Artwork: Moy R.
Colors: Leonardo Paciarotti
Letters: Fabio Amelia
What They Say:
Just in time for convention season comes the Grimm Fairy Tales 2018 Cosplay Special! Get ready to check out all of your favorite Grimm Universe heroines and villainesses, cosplaying some of pop culture’s most iconic characters! Some of the industry’s top artists contribute gorgeous pin-ups of the Grimm Universe’s most popular female characters. This stunning collection also includes a never-before-published Grimm Fairy Tales short story!
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
Since Skye is too preoccupied texting to notice disguised kids playing around, so she also does not notice as one of these cosplay friends saves the day, rescuing her jostled cell phone. After thanking the girl and praising her clothing choice, the Guardian finally at her destination, a local party supply store, and tends to her own business – finding a costume for the upcoming Comic-Con. However while the sales clerk appears to be helpful, it is the offhanded remarks which attract attention, marking her as someone who is not as they appear to be … in more ways than one.
In Summary:
While this is a one-shot volume, it does not mean writer Adam Kelly can neglect the introduction which leads us into the main premise, and with this narrative, he welcomes the audience with a charming tale. Although the story is short and lacking in complexity, it still allows us to watch as Skye becomes too wrapped up with her own concerns and neglects her responsibilities as the Guardian, until it is almost too late. However as with any Grimm Fairy Tales story, it still revolves around Mathers’ persona and draws the reader into an adventure which is suitable for the theme of the issue; this allows the reader to have a laugh at Skye’s expense, while still acknowledging her duties never take a day off, even if that holiday is for Comic-Con.
But of course what makes this issue so graphically pleasing is the comical opportunity for Moy R to show readers he can have fun at the characters’ expense, all while visually expressing so much within his normally serious illustrations. It is delightful to see his work lighthearted at the beginning, watching Skye play around like a normal teenager, with emotive visages which change drastically when compared to the regular series, almost amusing given the following events. But what makes the start very disarming are the subdued colors of Leonardo Paciarotti – there is a normalcy in the story, none of the particular emphasis for an explosive palette to drive the narrative forward by preparing us with a brighter array. However it does not mean this team cannot have fun with the atmosphere once Skye enters the costume store and we are entertained by blatant superhero clothes, but their names have been changed to make you doubt the identities. You have to laugh trying to figure out who is depicted, but then when reading the description, it makes you smile even more: Superteen – Hero of Radon, Green Lame – Hero of Woah and then Mathers’ pick, Linku – Hero of Hyrelia. Although even with all of these greeked items, there are still those images which you recognize by appearance: Sailor Moon and masks of Batman, Deadpool, Wonder Woman and Naruto, which all make the reader chuckle and wanting to scan the pages if they can spot anyone else hidden within. Nevertheless, it is only after she dons her new persona, this is when Moy R and Paciarotti allow themselves to return to the brutality of a Grimm Fairy Tales story and see their artwork for all the glorious wonder with heightened audacity within isolated panels, monumentally presented action lines and the grittiness of organic colors. But what makes this shift all the more hilarious are those last panels – the Guardian now physically and mentally exhausted, drags herself out of the store, the fun drained from the afternoon, only to replaced by her burdensome duty once again. This is how you make a Cosplay issue incorporate into the Grimm Universe, all without losing the enthusiasm for the series.
Grimm Fairy Tales 2018 Cosplay Special may be another glorious example of Zenescope displaying the beauty that is the female human form within a collection of tastefully selective cheesecake shots, but they add a new twist with the idea of allowing the girls to cosplay within these portraits. And while the story may have been a bit lacking in our needed complexity, the artwork more than made up for the narrative, injecting nuances of the genre while keeping the characters true to their underlying personas. Though most loyal fans will be purchasing this one shot for the glamorous views of their favorite characters, it is the added pleasure of trying to figure out which pop culture reference they are disguised as that makes this issue all the more desirable and promising. This merger of amusement and sensuality shows the reader that both can exist within the same book, but it doesn’t hurt if the latter eclipses the former. After all, one cannot survive on bread alone … sometimes you also need a savory side of desert too!
Grade: A-
Age Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: July 11, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
