When the goal is near … nothing had better stand in Robyn’s way.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Howard Mackie
Artwork: Babisu Kourtis
Colors: Juan Manuel Rodriguez
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
In order to find the cure for what is slowly killing her friend, Robyn makes an uneasy alliance with a team of super-powered criminal members of the Underground. She soon finds herself taking part in a heist at the estate of a powerful highborn, which leaves her questioning if she can survive being caught between the team and a mysterious being of ancient lore.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
With annoying niceties now out of the way, Robyn and her band of cohorts find themselves wandering below the deepest depths of New York City, even more subterranean than the Underground itself. However as they delve ever downwards into the expansive caverns, it is readily apparent her new partners have not told Locksley the entire truth behind the quarry they seek, even as the first obstacle suddenly appears before the group only and made visible due to a skilled shaft flying past a stunned Tatter. The mobile timber guardian does not keep its anger in check as the arrow embeds itself in its eye, only to have its pain soon settled by the quick actions of the rest of the team. However as a bewildered Robyn begins to question Watt as to the identity of this foe, the rest quip as to her ignorance and never give a clear answer as to what they are expecting in the trip before them, even joking as the path suddenly crumbles into a rocky mess with no evident means to progress any further.
And yet as they carefully make their way downward via a flimsy rope bridge, it is soon abundantly clear the group knows more than what they are volunteering calling the last creature they encountered a war dog which was separated from its pack. But once they reach the lower most area any ignorance they present is soon lost within greed, with Goldrush guiding the way by following a scent trail of the precious metal which leads to an ominous buried temple complex. As they explore the abandoned labyrinth of ancient stone it is soon apparent this structure was not as barren as it first appeared, with the central chamber dominated by a mammoth wooden statue and a haunting howl echoing throughout the endless complex. Not one to leave a foreboding presence ignored Robyn spots the sudden appearance of numerous glowing pinpoints of light taunting the group from the darkness, signaling multiple enemies waiting within the unknown. Letting loose a skillfully aimed arrow results in the fall of a forested mongrel, but the sudden action does not illicit any reaction leaving everyone on edge for what they know is coming next. The two sides will soon clash but is this something either wishes to rush into without breaking the tangible tension … and is there someone foolish enough to violate the uneasy stalemate?
In Summary:
It seems the deeper we delve into this title and the closer we approach the conclusion, the more writer Howard Mackie wishes to additional Easter eggs influenced from his tenure at Marvel Comics. At first I thought it was just coincidence however as the narrative progresses those chance happenings are becoming increasingly prevalent: Tatter having Cloak’s ability, the Underground gang possessing non magical abilities which seem to be mutations, Watt has electrical powers and a white mohawk, Gynt with the same presence and build as a certain kingpin and now a sentient tree-like creature is the Guardian of the mansion. But the most telling hint was the outright quote of “Hail Hydra”, and even though it is immediately acknowledged by the character as a joke, it makes the reader wonder how they would know of such a phrase. Although all of these concurrences may be serendipitous, you cannot deny at the same time they are a bit distracting from the foundational need for this to be a Robyn Hood story and not one influenced by another publisher, and yet as we try to overcome these minor diversions, at the core we are still entertained by the escapades of our favorite archer and her indomitable will to succeed in order to save Julia.
But at the same time, you cannot escape the underlying tone of this issue casting the crew into roles of an unprepared adventuring party exploring a dungeon, all leading to a massive confrontation against the floor boss just in like one of my favorite role-playing games. While this escapism is entertaining, it seems out of place for a character who is used to boldly confronting her problems and prepared for what situations they may entail within an urban jungle. However, due to her companions hiding the full truth from Robyn it gives the tale a sense of awkwardness, almost as if they are stumbling around in the dark due to a lack of information and not wanting to share the reality of the secret behind Gynt’s true goal. To watch Locksley not be in charge is unsettling, allocating her to a secondary role of follower and tagging along as the other lackeys only expose themselves as long as their employer’s true intentions are not revealed. At times it seems as if Tatter wants to tell the truth but the senior members always rein her in which is a shame since the story feels incomplete without our heroine front and center for this narrative. But for now all we can do is wait and see what comes next and hopefully, it will not be some villainous monologue as the conclusion quickly comes to pass.
But even within such a restrictive narrative one cannot deny the conducive atmosphere works in Babisu Kourtis’ favor by allowing him to concentrate his spectacular artistic details into concentrated form and allowing alluring imagery to bombard the reader with an engrossing environment which provokes their imagination to run wild within the story; and yet throughout these thrilling illustrations it is the anchoring force of Juan Manuel Rodriguez’s understated palette which sharpens our attention due to a limited color range, constraining our sight to a polarizing view and emphasizing the fine details of every page, allowing for both artists to concentrate on making the other’s work all the more fantastically mesmerizing. To create such a pronounced opening with Robyn staring down the group, arrow drawn and domineering eye glowing in defiance to challenge her, this establishes the dynamic immediately and made all the more intensely powerful by separating Locksley from the rest of the portrait by allowing her to stand out color-wise due to the muted earth tones and dark shadows to allow the eye to center on her feminine form. The signature forest camouflage hugging every curve of her body, toned muscles rippling under pale peach skin and most stunning of all are the specific uses of yellow to frame the face with a luxurious mane of blonde hair and the piercing stare of her eye – this is how you intimidate and control someone, whether they be innocent audience or untrustworthy allies. Through limited light sources Rodriguez manipulates the surroundings, extenuating Kourtis’ powerful line work to delineate each bit of tension which pervades every scene, allowing for faces and body language to communicate mistrust and a wondrous mastery of perspective to permit the audience to witness danger in all its strange forms. Every panel transitions beautifully what is needed from the reader to realize, with drawing and color portraying every event seamlessly without a need for words to mar the visual satisfaction of the issue only climaxing as we watch in amazement the fanaticism of the timbered guards and not allowing us to look away. This is how you build up to a cliffhanger, synergism between line and color to establish a formidable surroundings and plant our heroine in the midst of impossible odds … if this is what excellence demands, then how will they excel what we expect in the finale – I cannot wait to find out.
Robyn Hood: Outlaw at times seems too preoccupied in utilizing elements from other publishers’ properties, but once we return to the normalcy of our heroine’s struggles one cannot forget the sincerity of her determination to accomplish preset goals. However, it is the brilliance of fantastic artwork and sublime colors which elevate this series to become something memorable above all other titles within the franchise even within a dungeon-like setting aside from the usual urban jungle. And while we may forget the true motivation for Robyn with it buried within mistrust and underhanded dealings, one cannot deny the finale will be something to look forward to in all its lofty ambitions.
Grade: A-
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: June 12, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
