NO ONE harms Cindy’s family … except her!
Creative Staff:
Writer Lou Iovino
Artwork Ryan Best
What They Say:
After Malec’s shocking death at the hands of Bloody Bones, the Dark Horde has a void in leadership that threatens their continued existence. So when they look to Cindy to fill the role, she responds exactly as you’d expect: “No friggin’ way!” But when a new and powerful threat to the realms emerges and hits very close to home, will Cindy step up once more?
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Malec is gone and the Dark Horde is falling to shambles without a leader, so who they want? They need Cindy of course, but she has no desire to rule over a band of misfits without her favourite mentor. Out of frustration, she returns home to find that all is not well – Fairy Godmother is gone and someone has kidnapped her stepfamily. Surveillance shows a shadowy figure wielding a glowing book which absorbs those who it sees into its pages. There is only one other who has held that tome, and it’s time to pay her a visit. Whether she cooperates or not doesn’t matter … as long as this enforcer gets the information she wants.
Sela, the former Guardian of that book has encountered this man before and calls him the Binder. His only purpose is to gather the characters that were once imprisoned within back into their stories, but the process has a side effect: the more he condemns to its confines, he more it corrupts him. But Cindy doesn’t care – he took her family and she wants them back. But it won’t be that easy, for this villain can call forth anything from the tales contained within, which might even overwhelm our blonde sadist. Determination has carried her through many battles, but this one may be too much to lay siege by blade alone, a sacrifice is required to turn the tide; any price will be paid, for as long she can profit from the exchange, so much the better.
Though Cindy did emerge from the battle triumphant, the true coward escaped, but her prize has been won and she will be prepared for the future. The time for tending to wounds is now and to reward her family for their loyalty. There will be another encounter with that bookkeeper, but for now, she must rein in those idiots that were once called the Horde. Who knows what kind of trouble they will get into without someone to knock a few heads around to show them who’s the boss? And what person is better suited for the job than poor old Cinderelly?
In Summary:
Every time I see our favourite psychopath, I can’t help but hear the song from the Disney film: Cinderelly, Cinderelly, Night and day, it’s Cinderelly! “Make the fire, fix-a breakfast, wash the dishes, do the mopping…” It’s no wonder she turned into the raging killer that we all know and love! And yet, she somehow now shows a modicum of compassion toward the family who mistreated her? One would think that with all of the bodies that Cindy has left behind following the Dark One’s orders, the first ones to fall would have been her stepmother and those nasty stepsisters! But now we find that writer Lou Iovino had other intentions in mind for that loving family? And yet, it would seem that this fate is far better suited to this enforcer’s sense of justice!
Who would have guessed that Cinderelly was still capable of caring for someone, let alone someone from her past? I can understand her Godmother, but why that family? Perhaps Iovino needed someone close to her for the Binder to kidnap, something to stir some lost emotions? Wouldn’t the former have been enough? But somehow, he manages to turn this issue into a heartwarming story, or as much as Cindy could love anyone aside from Malec. I would be surprised if they survive much longer among those ruffians or how soon until she uses them as cannon fodder!
The book shines with this story and Ryan Best’s artwork – his ability to show the blonde sociopath enjoying the slaughter of anything that gets in her path, then in the next panel, a bubbly teenager addressing her mousy friends when she gets home. This visual disparity helps to show the two sides of Cindy, and yet we know which side is the dominant one. However intense her rage may grow, it still is hampered by the camaraderie she shows among the ones she trusts. His images reflect the flaxen beauty’s intensity, but it is still tempered by a bit of sanity when it is needed, which is not too often. A joy to see that can be contained within these pages, but for how much longer?
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Cinderella One-Shot may be a self-contained story, but that was supposed to be the same concept within the Snow White One-Shot. However, we see the Binder within both tales. True that a good villain cannot be contained within one book, but to borrow him from another one-shot defeats the purpose of it being a separate tale; it would have been better to use an established character from the main series. Will we see this trend continue with the other anniversary issues or will they be able to isolate from the others? Guess we’ll have to see next month!
Grade: B+
Rating: 17+
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: October 7th, 2015
MSRP: $5.99
