Valor should be respected … but not everyone is worthy of being saved.
Creative Staff:
Story: Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Dave Franchini & David Wohl
Writer: Dave Franchini
Artwork: Babisu Kourtis
Colors: Jorge Cortes
Letters: Taylor Esposito
Lettering Assists: Torrie Wilkinson
What They Say:
Taking over after the death of her mother, Sela, Skye Mathers is the new Guardian of the Nexus. With the help of Shang, her mentor, and her friends at Arcane Acre, she is learning the extent of her new powers and trying to figure out her place in protecting the universe.
A new threat has risen, The Dark Princess, a tyrant that has broken free from a crumbling universe not much different than ours. Along with her generals, The Swarm, she began her assault on the Nexus by expelling Skye, Shang and their allies, scattering them across the realms.
Now they are desperately trying to find their way back to Arcane Acre to stand up to the Dark Princess before it’s too late.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
After their base was overrun by vampiric flying primates, the motley rebellion of Oz has little choice than to escape into the surrounding woodlands, with Skye and Julia leading this irate group as this questioning pair of guests wonder aloud why disaster seems to follow them to every world they visit, only to have their somber conversation interrupted by this dimension’s curious Van Helsing doppelgänger in order to ask for an explanation. However as Mathers elaborates her austere observation of how every dimension they enter seems to be on the brink of falling apart, she cannot but wonder if they are somehow accountable since they are the gloomy constants, but as the Queen of Hearts attempts to disprove her companion’s grim analysis, it is the ever caustic Robyn who interjects with a correction of her own, callously correcting the prior statement. It is the archer’s unflinching opinion that perhaps their incursions are the trigger for tragedies, allowing Skye to boldly state as the Guardian of the Nexus, it is her responsibility to help those in danger, so perhaps they were brought to each place so she could fix their problems. Only then does Liesel ask for an explanation as to how their teleporter works, and while she is impressed by how another counterpart of herself created such a marvel, all are depressed by the need to rely on their version of the red gem to power the device, with Skye bewildered why they were not transported near the jewel as before, with everyone so caught up in their discussion they do not notice a simian spy flying off to report its problematic findings.
And yet as Skye deals with her own problems, Shang and his companions find themselves confronted by the sinister machinations of the Scorpion Queen, made more unsettling as this arachnoid general reports to her mistress the true results of exposure to the red gem, resulting in transport to other realms rather than death, but as the Dark Princess considers what to do, she orders this foul follower to execute her pitiful quarry. After this haughty woman orders her servants to carry out the sentence, Sam and Allexa wonder in a panic what to do about the quickly closing ring of insectoid soldiers as they turn to Shang for some final advice, only to shocked when this mustached man suddenly raises his voice and calls the retreating a leader a coward for not wanting to kill such weak foes herself. However as the former guardians worriedly question if it is in their best interests to anger such a powerful captor, their foolish mentor continues to hurl insults at the departing woman, only to have her growing ire reciprocated with an equally menacing pronouncement that she will not fall for such an obvious trap, her anger becoming visibly apparent as an ominous green energy pincer manifests around her left hand and the tip gentle grazes this prisoner’s chin. As this bold hostage continues to mock the progressing rage of the Scorpion Queen, her mystical armor now fully enveloping a captivating form and the same claw threatening to cleave Shang’s head from his body, the massive cavern’s inhabitants are shocked when an unlikely sound echoes through its stony confines, the derisive laughter of a man who should be counting the seconds before death only makes the executioner more furious. But as she prepares to follow up with her threat, it is only then do those who surround the gruesome pair notice a glowing golden ring of magic originating from the doomed man’s hand, and as the ground begins to fall out from beneath them, it is the Scorpion Queen’s turn to be surprised as she watches in shock while the world slowly dissolves away from her sight, an alarmed voice calling for her stunned minions to do something, before the familiar portal vanishes, taking all enclosed to a distant land where their outcome is yet to be determined.
In Summary:
After the stunning close of the last issue, it is certain most loyal readers such as myself, were expecting something more substantial when Skye met this dimension’s version of Sela, someone who was torn from us all at the end of Grimm Fairy Tales Volume 1 #125, and yet story creators Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Dave Franchini, and David Wohl do not elaborate much on what happened after that initial meeting, allowing writer Franchini to create an angst-ridden opening which is a grand departure from the usually optimistic narrative which are used to for this title. To have Skye suddenly burden herself in that she and Julia are responsible for trauma within the various dimensions is rather morose, made more depressing after the ever callous Robyn drives the point home by emphasizing that their arrival might be breaking things, even as the Guardian tries to place a positive spin on the morbid idea due to their arrival so she can fix a universe’s problems. And yet if this immense responsibility wasn’t enough, when Franchini finally does open up on Sela’s role within this world, doing whatever it took to survive and keeping back enough information to turn events to her advantage, this is a sickening departure from the noblewoman we truly admired, someone who did not hesitate to sacrifice herself to save Skylar and the realms she protected as the Guardian of the Nexus. To think this beautiful woman who shares the same face would be a polar opposite of the one we so tragically lost, with the painful repercussions for Skye to see her mother returned but only feeding off calamity, perhaps emotionally crushed after learning the unabashedly self-deprecating rogue is nothing like the hero and parent we once knew. I would have liked to see how Franchini unfolded the first meeting between these two women, one who thought her parent lost forever within the Shadowlands, and the other an unknowing scoundrel who might have seen a similarity between themselves and taken advantage of the situation to make her life better in the near future. Either way, this lack of confrontation for the audience makes the fallout feel hollow, only permitting us to see what happens as a result and not fulfilling in the reason as for this slight in development, almost as if the journey is not important, thus allowing readers to skip ahead to the goal since it is the only worthy prize.
Due to this reversal in the narrative, with Skye’s half of the story usually more exhilarating in prior issues, one cannot but anticipate what will happen to Shang and his demanding companions, especially if we remember they were cornered by the Scorpion Queen and her insectoid minions, allowing for their exploits to become anticipated in what will happen next, and Franchini does not disappoint with this unveiling. To witness the Dark Princess finally make an appearance since the beginning of the story arc is beguiling, but at the same time her immediate disinterest makes us think these heroes are no longer worth her time, allowing for the first mistake in underestimating the enemy and perhaps her last. But even as we smirk at the overconfidence of the main antagonist, readers cannot but wonder if the people within earshot will take advantage of the moment, permitting the mustached man to cleverly steer the situation against his superior foe, all while the Scorpion Queen arrogantly attempts to challenge her rival into not goading her to do something, even after she falls for such a bold tactic. You cannot but chuckle to see this prideful woman doing exactly what Shang wants, the obvious taunting is classic provocation to change the battlefield toward your favor, and while the audience can see this foolishness swiftly take hold, one begins to wonder if it is the conceit of villains which permits them to fall for this trick every time or some other reckless behavior that allows saviors to always come out on top, but whatever the reasoning, its does seem formulaic in these type of stories for the betterment of humanity.
While readers want to be enticed by the dramatic ambiance of a book’s introductory scene, this issue falls a bit short due to the mundane nature of our heroines leading a sullen rebel army into the woodlands of Oz, and even if we may be visually stimulated by Babisu Kourtis’ detail-oriented and emotive illustrations, made more engaging due Jorge Cortes’ clever manipulation of a muted palette to complete the gloomy feeling of this defeatist display, what makes this opening so distracting are the regretful, though necessary, word bubbles which detract from the amazing display of artistic synergy. With each page, what should be an immersive plunge into the plight of those suffering feels bogged due to an excessive usage of these narrative spheroids that litter each panel, and though we are entertained by the wondrous background imagery produced by talented artists, it is this opening barrage of white framed information which creates a bothersome noise for such a solemn crisis. It is not until the Dark Princess broaches the story are we able to be wondrously subjected to the ferocious provocation of Kourtis’ sultry illustrations and Cortes’ alluring manipulation of a limited color scheme, allowing for the audience to once again become captivated by the splendor of beautiful women boldly presenting themselves as forces to be reckoned, with high cheekbones, supple lips, and piercing eyes, all framed by luscious manes of cascading hair, allowing these tempestuous women to present themselves as formidable leaders, even as we are distracted by the beauty of evil personified.
While we may have desperately wished for a moving pseudo-reunion between bewildered daughter and doppelgänger mother, this issue is a disheartening departure from the expected, leaving loyal readers to ponder if this fated meeting will ever be presented with satisfying intent, for both Skye and a troubled audience. But as the usually spectacular artwork and enthralling colors subtly contribute to the disappointment due to an overabundance of narrative information obscuring the artistic presentation, these momentary distractions are soon forgotten once the captivating story returns to what is desired, creating an immersive treat as the issue reaches an exciting conclusion. But as we wonder what lies in wait for Skye and Julia, it is the lingering questions connected to an unsettling meeting which make us question if our concerns will be addressed, or will a need for survival be more important than deciding how a gripping conciliation will fit into this troubled dimension.
Grade: A
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: May 25, 2022
MSRP: $3.99