With Merlin in charge … is anyone safe?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Dave Franchini
Artwork: Cleber Lima
Colors: Jorge Cortes & Maxflan Araujo
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Skye has made it to the realms of dreams, but Wonderland is far more nightmarish than anything the Guardian of the Nexus has seen. As she travels through this land of madness, certain truths will be revealed, and things become curiouser and curiouser as Skye finds out everyone is all a little mad here. Will she be able to make it out with her life or at the very least her own sanity?
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
It was a mere few months ago when Merlin, overcome by his thirst for power foolishly absorbed the Grail, and now driven mad by the overwhelming savagery of its magic sought a new home for Camelot. But this quest was not without its casualties, for just as the Queen of Hearts thought she had her kingdom back a torrent of mystical monstrosities bombarded the realm known as Wonderland, resulting in her destruction and a new home for a forgotten realm. It is here where this brother of Arthur and his Knights find themselves, along with their kidnapped guest Stephen who is not in the best of moods as he is berated by this insane tyrant. However even as this defiant prisoner stands before a supreme being, the son of Hephaestus will not back down from his tirade of hatred, casting venomous aspersions against a man who recently had his father murdered for denying his will. And yet this former magician does not take this resentment lightly, boastfully declaring the boy is only alive due to a need of his skills, but if Stephen does anger him again – he can be easily replaced.
It is only then does Merlin materialize the item of his obsession, the Grail, and proudly shows off this glowing artifact to his pugnacious captive, only to have the boy mockingly insult the treasure. But instead of chastising his guest, the supreme sorcerer begins to unravel the relic’s history, humbly stating the prize originated in Wonderland and while most did not understand what they had uncovered, a chosen few listened to the whispers of the rock and understood it was a key to greatness. Driven by this compulsion to seek even greater gains, those special people constantly strove to expand their influence and power, allowing even more to become jealous of their success, which created strife amongst those who sought to bring them crashing down. As all empires fall, so too do those who are destined to rule, and now that responsibility falls upon the one standing before Stephen, but needs this blacksmith’s help to fully utilize the true power of the Grail. And so he is given a choice: either willingly serve Merlin or begin to suffer the greatest of anguish, but he must chose now.
In Summary:
As we leap from one excitement to another, it was expected writer Dave Franchini would need to take a break in the action for readers to catch their breath, but unfortunately that means a necessary flashback to remind us why we are here – to learn the history of the Grail. But at the same time, he does a great job in placing everything which has transpired into perspective: ascension of Merlin as he absorbs his beloved treasure, destruction of the Queen of Hearts’ court to make room for Camelot, kidnapping of Stephen plus the death of his father and Skye following her friend as we approach the final showdown. However even as we become absorbed within this essential background, this departure from the main storyline has a jarring side effect of halting any spontaneous momentum, from the intensity of being within the midst of an epic battle for the survival for Neverland into our Guardian being forced into becoming Alice as she explores Wonderland for the first time, with the help of a cantankerous white rodent escort. Although it is genuinely humorous to watch as Mathers argues with the disembodied narrator, and even more so as this voice throws a temper tantrum, we still have the basis of the issue to return to, with this pause only serving as a means to escape from the boredom. However while the opening exposition between Merlin and Stephen does serve was a grand reminder of the situation’s gravity, the story as a whole allows us to remember there are other things happening than Skye trying to save the realms – giving us the motivation as to why she fights.
While we begin to understand the foundation for Skye’s struggles, one cannot but gasp in amazement to delight in the spectacular opening sequence as presented by talented Cleber Lima, made all the extraordinary due to the enticing color selection of Jorge Cortes and Maxflan Araujo. However one cannot but be reminded of the curious change that has overtaken Merlin – when last we saw him in Grimm Fairy Tales: 2019 Giant-Sized, we saw a brief glimpse as to what the artifact had done, but now that monumental change is shown for full impact, and one cannot but question who were are now witnessing: is this the same sorcerer consumed by power or a electrically blue tinged, for back of a better comparison, Skeletor? Anyone familiar with this popular character cannot but see the similarities, from his stark face and the flowing royal blue hooded cape, almost expecting for an eerie cackle to be plastered on the page at some point during his appearances. However once this change has settled, and this is only momentarily since this image is beyond any other relation, one cannot but be shocked by the astonishing amount of details Lima places into each page, with the stunning palette of Cortes and Araujo magnifying every nuance in magnificent brilliance, allowing the reader to feel the intensity of every panel. If the shocking prologue was not enough to whet our appetites, the abject horror which we see etched upon the Queen of Heart’s face is riveting, with the illustrations marvelously balancing her beauty of fiery red hair and emerald eyes against the backdrop of a world being ripped apart due to a ferocity colors breathing life into this nightmare. And while a pause for the history of the Grail may be brief and eloquently accented by somber shadings of greys, sepia and flashes of neon blue, the underlying return to a skull faced Merlin is enough to register this new realm as being his, with the menacing presence of glowing dead eyes enough to scare us into acknowledging this man is a force to be reckoned with for the time being.
Grimm Fairy Tales continues to astonish us with an array of surprises around every corner, and this issue is no exception even due to a pause in the excitement, allowing readers a satisfying glimpse into the world of both hero and villain. Due to the brilliant nature of the visually spectacular environments and chilling manner by which we witness the rebirth of Camelot, the artwork does not fail to surprise, even if the full display of Merlin’s new appearance is a bit odd. But with a final confrontation between the Guardian and her long time foe, hope to save her friend and mentor, plus a chance to see an end to an expansive story arc, this series continues to reward us with many pleasures yet to come.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: February 12, 2020
MSRP: $3.99
