When there is malice involved … Keres will not be far behind.
Creative Staff:
Writer: R. Alan, Raven Gregory & Ben Meares
Artwork: Butch Mapa, Umberto Giampà & Salvatore Cuffari
Colors: Sebastian Cheng, Grostieta, & Maxflan Araujo
Letters: Maurizio Clausi
What They Say:
Back for another year of nightmare-inducing stories, Zenescope Presents the Grimm Tales of Terror Halloween Special! Join Keres, the Goddess of Death, as she takes up shop at a local costume store aimed to punish those unlucky enough to be worthy of her wraith in this small college town. Introducing three new short stories, just in time for the horror season!
Content: (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
Evil Tattoos
School was not the best place for Dan and gym class was made worse when coach made everyone stay late before Halloween until he made a free throw in basketball, and if he wasn’t nervous enough the heckling of three bullies made him feel all the more miserable for his failure. However their harassment did not end once they left the building for they also terrorized him in town causing the poor boy to duck into a local costume shop, only to find a familiar red headed clerk welcome him into her store. Seeing how dejected Dan was she tried to reassure he was safe here and handed some temporary tattoos as a peace offering, warning not use them for now. It is only then does she question how bad bullies can be, telling the picked on child it is best to confront his oppressors now before allowing the situation become worse than it has been before.
Cat and Mouse
Shawna was nervous in preparing for tonight’s big fraternity party and while this sultry girl still had trepidations in meeting new people it was hard to allow someone to know who you really were, however Halloween made it easier since she could wear a mask tonight to hide her identity – on both the inside and outside. But as she was deciding on what to wear three brothers in charge of the festivities were having problems on choosing how to decorate the place, with the trio loitering in a local costume shop instead of finding anything interesting until Charlie looked behind an Employees Only curtain and was amazed by what they found. A fascinating collection of foreign statuary and mystical artistry captivated the boys but they did not know they were intruding until a woman’s voice warned them about the sign they ignored. While the beautiful red head attempted to chase them out, Charlie could not leave until he asked about a set of stylized illustrations which she called summoning sigils that were created to test the virtue and spiritual purity of prospective initiates. Even as she reiterated these artifacts were special and they were not for him, the obsession to create a great atmosphere for the party and cost being no object made the employee reconsider his offer.
The Hunter
Watching in a van the man patiently surveyed his prey walking by on her regular routine, even if she may have spotted him watching this innocent raven haired beauty paid him no mind and went about her business. However as he noted her schedule and noticed the habits she repeated without thinking any harm would come from their occurrence, this man memorized her every move and allowed them to become his pastime for how ever long it would take to make him feel comfortable until the time was right. Even as she entered a local costume shop in an effort to find a disguise for Halloween the man stalked her, watching in amusement as the red headed clerk showed his victim a grotesque skull mask which disgusted her to the point of tangible repellence, he observed her reaction and knew this was what he wanted. Tonight would be the time where they would finally met and with his face cloaked in white the hunter would strike fear in his prey, for while he waited for so long for the right moment the satisfaction in seeing her horrified by his action would finally bring the peace which he sought for so long.
In Summary:
We know it is a time for frights when Keres makes her appearance within the annual Halloween special but instead of smothering readers with a selection of outright terror this year the annual has more of an inclination toward psychological chills which makes the resultant stories all the more resonating due to primal needs for revenge, nourishment and mental preservation – bringing the foundation of the season closer to home. While we may begin with a timid tale of schoolyard bullying written by R. Alan, it is the linking appearance of our favorite Goddess of Death which allows the audience an inclusive view into the struggles of a young boy which some may find a bit personal and nostalgic to those who have undergone the same trials. And yet it is this empathy with Dan which allows us an understanding of his overwhelming fear and a wish to have it stop by any means necessary, even with the aid of the red head clerk giving some much welcomed advice and seemingly innocent manner to change his position in life. And though this passive story serves as a gentle starting point from childhood, the next alluring narrative by Raven Gregory creates a mood which we know all too well thanks to a stereotypical attitude from teenagers and parties established within horror movies and magnified by raging hormones. However instead of the outright screams and gore of those clichéd films this clever scribe creates an atmosphere which suggests a hint of naivety from Shawna of wanting to have some fun while breaking out her shell, all while brilliantly disguising her desires within the escapism of Halloween with devastating results. However as the prior tales established an underlying need to embrace the holiday, writer Ben Meares inverts this established course and utilizes the ambiance of the season as a setting to create a chilling environment for a stalker whom we never can truly comprehend their motives or identity until the ruthless end. It is this challenging interplay via the point of view between hunter and prey which keeps the reader guessing, the wondrously ingenious choice of never revealing who is monologuing that creates doubt within the audience and keeps us invested until its conclusion all as the repetition of wording further solidifies their malice and dedication of resolve. This is a great way to close the annual and give us a tangible reminder sometimes Keres is not the simple bystander which we always assumed in past Grimm Tales of Terror stories and the temptation to see her involvement expand into something all the more connotative to her title within the Zenescope universe make these shorts all the more pleasing to dedicated readers.
But even as engrossing stories remind us words must convey the basis for the narrative, with just as much import one cannot forget fantastic artistry of line and color play an equally prominent role in communicating the essence of the tale, especially when it establishes an emotional attachment to the characters within these meaningful shorts. To witness the crumbling of innocence slowly come to bear via Butch Mapa’s heartfelt illustrations is moving and it is made all the more striking due to Sebastian Cheng’s clever application of color during essential moments to focus the ire of the actors, allowing the audience to almost feel the stress of Dan missing the shot and the bullies voice their hatred with the coach included within the callous group. And yet even within all of this unwanted panic one cannot but cheer to see out favorite red headed anti-hero helping this poor boy and hand over the key to his salvation with a grand flourish of radiant illumination almost overpowered by the action lines and shining grin – all as we know this is the turning point for the story and his life. And yet even as we leave childhood behind within a veil of vengeance, one cannot but acknowledge the seductive opening and turn toward the adult side of Halloween all thanks to the alluring imagery of Umberto Giampà via the curvaceous Shawna then made all the more steamy due to Grostieta’s dance of light and shadow accenting each nuance within the subdued story. But even as we attempt to recover from the stunning sight we are immediately brought back by another captivating beauty as the fraternity trio enter the tangible malice of Keres’ store, a smothering veil encroaching from every corner and an almost viable sense of danger emanating from the sigils, all as our goddess comes out of the darkness in a bewitching manner. However as we leave tantalizing artwork it is a bit disappointing to see normalcy displayed within such an amazing annual by Salvatore Cuffari’s straight forward crime drama panels all anchored by ordinary colors from Maxflan Araujo, making the reader wonder what happened to the horror of the tale. This is one few times where words and picture are needed to work in tandem, with each essential to the understanding of the other all to portray a haunting struggle of what is to come and we cannot fully comprehend the subtle differences unfold without each dependent source. Although it may seem to be a disappointing manner by which to conclude this excellent special, it is the underlying question of who is serving which role of hunter or prey which makes the short such a satisfying way to conclude a chilling compilation for the holiday season.
While I would have liked to see the shorts within this annual more expansive, this briefness allows the writers to be more creative in condensing an idea into a noteworthy tale and thus allows Grimm Tales of Terror 2019 Halloween Special to become a much welcomed treat within this trick of a holiday. By allowing each separate story color a different side of the season we are exposed to subtleties which one creative team may never have explored, thus allowing readers numerous pleasurable rewards. And yet as we savor the literary and visual splendor displayed within this wondrous collection, one can only speculate if next year will be able to top this chilling dessert with even more bittersweetness.
Grade: A+
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: October 16, 2019
MSRP: $5.99
