All journeys must come to an end … but sometimes the adventure is more painful than that last step.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Pat Shand
Artwork: Andrea Meloni, Luca Claretti, Salvatore Cuffari, Mario Del Pennino & Roberta Ingranata
Colors: Erick Arciniega, Slamet Mujiono, Valentina Cuomo & Elenora Bruni
Letters: Ghost Glyph Studios
What They Say:
Sela and her mentor Shang, along with their former enemy Belinda, have opened a school for a select group of Highborn and Falseblood teens with enhanced abilities. Their goal is to guide the teens who may one day be humanity’s only hope against evil from other realms.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The final showdown with Bloody Bones and his minions has come to pass, but one of Skye’s allies is missing, namely the former Mad Hatter of Wonderland – Violet. She is an integral part of the students’ strategy, and without her, there may be no chance of winning against this vile monstrosity. But as the minutes tick by and uncertainty becomes dread, Ali returns after laying their friend Wulf to rest with the worst news imaginable: Violet is dead. Although the group cannot believe his story, once fear takes hold, they have no choice but to leave. However, when Soulevement calls and gives them new hope, the young Mathers knows that the time for running has come to an end. All the forces have been gathered and the time has come to face their worst foe … and he knows who will win.
As the teens meet their new reinforcements and pleasantries are exchanged, a familiar ghostly galleon begins to bombard the land below, with fatal results. In the ensuing chaos, the sanguine phantom begins his assault, thinking that none can stand in his way. His followers split the remaining foes amongst themselves, each wanting their own share of the spoils. But one rule remains in place, Bloody Bones wants Skye and Violet for himself, for no one shall have their luscious magics but him alone. The frightened students are not ready for this ferocity, watching their friends fall while remembering the gallantry of Wulf in their final moments. And as the battle reaches a climax, Ali himself is struck down, sent hurtling through the battlefield, dazzled as to face his attacker in stunned disbelief. An old menace has appeared, but which side will they join and for what reasons? The confusion of this conflict only grows as time passes, but who shall win in the end …. and at what cost?
In Summary:
To say that I cried while reading this poignant story is an understatement. Pat Shand has once again shown us that a comic book does not have to be consumed with violence in order to draw attention; the most important components which it needs to become a literary masterpiece are characters who draw the reader in through their strife and thus, make the viewer care for the repercussions of unwise choices. But in the long run, it is those same struggles which forge them into the people who make the issue worth reading, just to see how they deal with the aftermath. Humanity is a constant cycle of conflict and benevolence, neither gaining ground and forever kept in a precarious balance before rushing into the void. It is this contest which makes life worth living through a never-ending deluge of pain and pleasure, and it is in this finale by which we experience the best and worst both have to offer.
We all knew that the Bloody Bones saga was building up to an Earth-shaking event, but who would have guessed that it would end like this? The loss is too painful to fully comprehend, but the method by which Shand shaped the narrative brings everything into focus, comparable to a multi-generational play, with everyone playing their own part, no matter how trivial it may have seemed at the time. What we may have thought to be an insignificant detail can have life-altering results, bringing people closer together or driving them apart, even the passing of a friend. Wulf was the backbone of the group, it was his compassion which kept the group together, but once Skye and Lance left, things began to fall apart. Although the kids may have thought they knew what they were doing, it was that ignorance which ultimately lead to his death, and with that, the end of this Class of Arcane Acre. While the end was very satisfying, the sacrifice of their innocence was too high of a price, but perhaps that is the cost of being born a Highborn or a Falseblood.
Shand has crafted everything carefully, slowly building the students over his tenure with the series, molding each one into someone from which we can empathize their rationale, even if we don’t agree with their reasoning. But everything has reached its peak with this penultimate conflict with Bloody Bones, from which the students subconsciously acknowledge that they may not survive. We can feel the tension, the anticipation of what is to come, and to make the story even more decisive, the internal monologue is the most effective method for communicating the thoughts of each scene’s central actor. Words alone may convey the surface feelings which they project to their friends, but it is only by listening to the inner turmoil can we truly understand the motivations for their actions. Then to follow each character’s performance with a segue of what occurs due to their driving catalyst makes the narrative far more eloquent than what only plain words could impart. It is this depth of detail which makes this final story a truly moving experience from which any loyal Grimm Fairy Tales fan will joyously take with them the treasure of what has been and what will come to be as long as the Zenescope universe exists.
This final issue cannot be contained by the talents of one lone artist, and luckily Zenescope has numerous skilled individuals from which to call upon to give their own interpretation for each conjunctive section of the story. Although Andrea Meloni creates the hauntingly beautiful renditions for the principle story and Erick Arciniega uses his expertise to paint those somber pages which lead into the final battle, it is not these events which cause the reader to sympathize with the students. As each teenager tries to come to terms with their own actions within the story, we are given a transitional event called a flash-forward, illustrated by different pair of artists; these pages of course stand out due contrasting art styles, but more strikingly they cause a change in the sentimental timbre, all stimulated by the effect of their choices within the current timeline. While the surrounding narrative does have an impact on the characters, it is these brief moments which show us the repercussions of their choices which leave the audience with the most heartfelt glimpses into what seems like an uncertain future. These tear rending sections are brilliantly reflected and accented with color by: Luca Claretti/Slamet Mujiono, Salvatore Cuffari/Valentina Cuomo, Mario Del Pennino/Valentina Cuomo and Roberta Ingranata/Elenora Bruni. When you take into consideration the cumulative capabilities all of these artists, how could this concluding book be anything but amazing? But, to even say that, is a gross miscarriage of justice.
Grimm Fairy Tales is the foundation of the Zenescope mythology, and as such, to see a close to this series is tantamount to a symbolic passing of the torch to the next generation of titles. Every character within the Grimm Universe owes their existence to Guardian Sela Mathers and her big red book, for without her there would be no one to tell their story or give them a purpose within the Realms. She is the cornerstone of Zenescope, and though Belinda was at first her foil, she eventually became a trustworthy friend, with the pair becoming the standard for the originality and cutting edge interpretations of classic faerie tales. This issue may signal the completion of one pilgrimage, but with it we are exposed to a new nexus and new worlds, never-ending into infinity. The singular phrase on the last page says it all – The End. But, I don’t like to think of this an ending, for nothing is truly over, but a new beginning to grander worlds and even more awe-inspiring adventures.
Grade: A++
Series Grade: A++++, but Priceless would be more appropriate
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: August 31st, 2016
MSRP: $9.99
