When going against Robyn … who is the hunter and who is the hunted?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Joe Brusha
Artwork: Rodrigo Xavier
Colors: Juan Manuel Rodriguez
Letters: Taylor Eposito
What They Say:
Robyn has taken on all types of evil – from sleazy and seemingly untouchable billionaires to monster-worshipping cults and crazed psychopaths – and through it all, she has always come out on top.
But, when she becomes the target of a mysterious hunter out for blood, and Robyn’s head, all the luck and skill in the world might not be enough to stop her from becoming a trophy for this demented predator!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
In an oppressive room shrouded in darkness, a lone man sits within the cold calmness of his gruesome sanctuary, surrounded by sickening trophies of past glories, severed heads of various beasts mounted on the wall behind him, and a lycanthrope forever frozen in time with jaws open to crush any who came too close, made harmless like the mournful others within this suffocating gloom. But as the bearded hunter despondently dwelled upon a prized victory that got away, outsmarted by prey which was gifted with powers not worthy of her lackluster skills, his brooding contemplation was broken as a young girl who entered his forbidden refuge, addressing the impressive person as her father. His crimson cloaked daughter stood steadfast before the man who aggressively trained her for this day, stern resolve passed down to his only worthy successor, calling this unfeeling apprentice the embodiment of the viper before handing over an intricately carved spear and matching blowgun with a quiver of darts, and with a few blunt words of encouragement, sends the austere child out to deliver her first kill.
Within an isolated warehouse outside of New York City, Robyn was once again being instructed by her callous mentor Smitty, with the rotund man calmly sitting on a pommel horse as her lectured his barely winded student after a three hour workout, now finishing off the day with an array of target shooting. But as the disinterested man complimented this skilled archer for not missing, he posed the interesting question to Locksley what could she do if she didn’t have her bow, now recalling endless training sessions of unarmed combat in preparation for those rare moments, even as the challenging pair bickered over an off-handed compliment. It is after this thorny exchange that the unassuming teacher commented all of her hard work deserved some kind of reward, stating they were going to one of the most beautiful places in the country, and within a few days found themselves at an isolated cabin within northeastern Montana. But as Robyn longingly gazed at the breathtaking view, Smitty once again broke the pleasant mood by gruffly stating she could admire the stunning scenery after they put away their gear, to then leave the exhausted girl to relax within the rays of the setting sun, only to have her brief yet blissful nap interrupted by a series of nearby explosions, forcing this dutiful heroine to investigate the chaos which was disturbing her well earned vacation.
In Summary:
As the ominous nature of the title peaked my interest, it was the gruesome introduction which stirred pangs of nausea due to the ghastly trophies spread across the room, presenting visual similarities that are hard to forget and yet at the same time unimpressive due to the callous nature of the side protagonist, a man’s bald head and hirsute face presented within an indistinct profile, as if mockingly goading loyal readers to remember where this disgusting excuse of a human being made his first appearance within the Zenescope universe; unable to misplace such a foul visage, and wildly provoked to recall the name of this villain, these stark clues led to the remote conclusion of a one-shot published six years ago for the tenth anniversary of the company, under the name of Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Red Riding Hood One-Shot, with the nemesis being a pompous man called Reichhardt Teodore Fuchs, who called himself the Master of the Hunt, or Reek for short, and in mocking fashion for the immensely confident Britney, he earns a parody of his name with a humorous yet satisfying conclusion, one in which her roommate Murray gives him the later seen scar and suggested other wounds as smolders in his comfortable chair. Perhaps due to these debilitating injuries or a fervent wish to pass on his desire to stalk the most worthy of prey, this craven man has taught his daughter to follow in his footsteps, with this special outlining the fruits of their unhealthy obsession.
And yet as writer Joe Brusha attempts to weave a new chapter for this revolting family legacy, it is immediately clear this will not be a typical Robyn Hood story, with our heroine seemingly allowed to take a much needed break due to relentless training from the surly man known as Smitty, but if she were as street wise as prior books have outlined, this blonde archer should have known anything this man says has its own underlying meaning, usually denoting more trouble for our favorite vigilante. Of course, as of late, most of her adventures have lead to the introduction of new villains, and this is no exception even if this Scarlet Viper owes her origin to a tangential character, with Locksley being nothing but a training mission leading better hunts. However as we arrive within the isolated woods of northeastern Montana, it is soon made clear this inexperienced girl is nothing more than an impatient pup who has only been recently weaned, with this current hunt being her first taste for dangerous prey, and yet the arrogant nature inherited from her father leads to amateurish mistakes which lead to her defeat instead of that of her more seasoned quarry. She had numerous chances to trap her opponent, but instead after some kind of foolish ritual ceremony to announce herself and control the pursuit, allowed a pompous nature and pale imitations of deadly techniques copied from her father to lead to diminishing returns and embarrassing results. Then to echo the advice from an irritable Smitty who stated that Robyn needed more practice with close quarter combat, this distanced Child of Darkness is able to conveniently tap into her recently unlocked powers to change imminent defeat into undeserved victory, suggestively made plausible due to the Scarlet Viper’s foolish bravado for bragging as much as possible, thus leading to a predictable ending and a wanted chance for the formidable women to meet again.
Even within such a stirring rendition of your typical ill-prepared villainy escapade, it is the somber opening sequence which prepares the reader for what is to come, and illustrator Rodrigo Xavier has crafted a haunting adaptation of the passing of the torch scene from stern master to untested apprentice, with all purposefully obscured so as to make the audience question their purpose, and made ever more chilling thanks to Juan Manuel Rodriguez’s wonderful usage of shadows and subdued tones to keep this pair hidden until the right time, within a gruesome setting of gory trophies which sets the mood of what they plan to do against our blonde protagonist. And yet as we step into the light with our titular heroine, Robyn is strangely different due to her long bangs pulled away from her face, instead allowing them to hang loosely over her right eye, it is only the captivating jungle camouflage which clings to every alluring curve and her glowing left eye which leaves no doubt as to who this beautiful woman might be, even as the sullen Smitty sits back in amused approval of his teachings. But as we can overlook this minor change to her appearance, it is the breathtaking transition from austere warehouse to lush atmosphere of the Montana wilderness which makes the stern reality all the more tolerable, made that much more delightful as we watch Locksley’s tantalizingly toned body bathe in the sun, even as Xavier’s delicate linework makes her strained face that much more pronounced when framed by a delineated mane of flowing flaxen hair. However as we finally have a full appearance of the cocky smirk on the face of Scarlet Viper, her striking costume design looks puzzling similar to her father’s nemesis Britney, with red leather accents and a fanged mantle, even if a majority of the design is composed of charcoal dyed material, the bright color is an odd choice for someone who is supposed to be hiding from her prey.
But as the beautifully rendered all important fight finally erupts between these two dynamic women, this is where the artwork runs into narrative continuity problems, directly after Robyn is shot by the poisoned blow dart, causing her to succumb to a fever dream. While it is possible for her subconsciousness to drift back to her assailant’s notable name of Scarlet Viper as something to latch onto during her delirium, plus the wicked alter ego of the Child of Darkness as a secondary nightmare, what is strangely out of place is the now scarred and ominous Reek whose fate was never revealed in the prior special, and the new facial features were only revealed at the end of this one-shot; therefore, unless Brit told her friend in detail about the disastrous hunt plus the injuries he sustained, how could Robyn know about him in this state beforehand? And yet as the wonderfully choreographed display is shown with gorgeous imagery and stunning colors, it is after the conflict is over that we run into another obvious mistake within the manor of this family, with daughter reporting her failure and Reek coldly stating there are other kills that must be made, before showing the foreboding wall of trophy plaques revealing the quarry of future hunts – notably the bane of Fuchs, a Brittany Waters. If this is supposed to be Red Riding Hood, then her name is tragically misspelled since she has always utilized her version as Britney, so unless this is a different woman who has given the Master of the Hunt the same problems, this is a sad manner to end this special and lead us into new possibilities.
Robyn Hood: Night of the Hunter creates an interesting premise for future encounters with an old foe, and while the Master of the Hunter may have been the rival of friend Britney, it is the bloodthirsty daughter Scarlet Viper who is as much of a threat as her murderous father, with the same bravado and arrogance which makes her an interesting nemesis, if she can learn to utilize her skills more effectively. And yet thanks to amazing artwork and breathtaking colors, this special is a visual treat, however, due to narrative continuity problems which make the transition between scenes confusing, the overall tension is broken, leaving readers wondering what went wrong between images and story. But as we leave this special questioning if the contest could have been more fully realized if both combatants didn’t have such glaring flaws, one with an overabundance of confidence and the other burdened by a convenient plot device to save the day, it creates the notion that this will not be the last we see of these rivals, and hopefully, any further encounters will end with a more satisfying conclusion.
Grade: A
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: September 29, 2021
MSRP: $5.99
