How hard is it to kill a walking corpse … you don’t want to know.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Pat Shand
Artwork: Roberta Ingranata
What They Say:
One year ago, Robyn Locksley was brought to Myst, a realm of swords and sorcery, to save the city of Nottingham from a great evil. Lives were lost and hearts were broken, but the war is finally over. Joined by Marian Quin – a witch has, up until now, only known the ways of Myst – Robyn returns to New York, ready to begin a new chapter in her life … This is the story of Robyn Hood.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Rotter had been helping our intrepid dual for a long time, but now he wants to them to help him. He didn’t get this nickname from his good looks, but the result of a curse; and now, he wants Marian and Robyn to find a way to break it so he can die in peace. What’s taking them so long to break it – it should be easy, right? Or so he thought … but nothing is that simple when magic is concerned.
As he unravels his twisted past, we learn that Rotter was once called Nicky Adams, a low-level crook for the Voltas. He only got into the gang so he could earn money for himself and girlfriend Emma. They did simple jobs like robbing liquor stores, but things changed once a guy named Monty join up. He had connections to the mob and with those, they started doing errands that brought in real money, things that Rotter wanted to forget. It all started by wanting to put some food on the table, then earning enough to get married, but now, Nicky was getting in deeper than he wanted. Just one more, then they could leave town and start a new life – but that last time was too much.
All they had to do was shake down a casino and collect on a debt owed, nothing too big. But something went wrong and a shot rang out, causing Nicky to leave the gang behind, racing away like a coward. It was all over until he got a call from Monty, asking if he had been affected; they had killed one of Eve’s kids, and the curse had started to take its toll. Rotter thought he had been spared, but it wasn’t until five years later that he learned he too had been affected – turned into an undying corpse. He couldn’t bear to let Emma find out, so he ran again, wanting to spare her the sight of a husband falling apart, but in reality, he was running from himself, not wanting to see his beloved tortured by his ghastly visage.
Now that they had a lead, it should be easy to break the spell. But, when the Children of Eve are concerned, memory is as long as their thirst for revenge. All those many years ago, one of their kin was murdered by Nicky’s friends and so, the punishment should fit the crime: they shall remain chained by the curse until the Children themselves die. Can Robyn and Marian exchange one life for another? Hasn’t Rotter been jailed long enough? The answer is clear and he will not like it, but he too knows that they made the right choice.
In Summary:
Wow, what a story! Glad we got to see Rotter’s background story. He has helped the pair for so long, I always wondered why Robyn and Marian hadn’t disposed of him like all the other monsters they’ve encountered – and now we know why. He always seemed like a character that Shand had in the background who would help the pair without any claims for remuneration; but, I guess they were paying him through this issue. Too bad they couldn’t find a way to cure the curse, but then that would mean he’d disappear – and then no more acerbic sounding board!
I have always loved how pop culture is woven into the stories, but this time – overload! Shand must have been watching AMC or FX when he wrote the script due to all the movies referenced in the issue, too many to count, but it was fun trying to figure out what came from where then chuckling as you can see how they fit to the story all too well. But the best part as near the beginning as Rotter was driving Robyn crazy and her only out was to text Marian in her caustic tones and then that emoticon! I wouldn’t have been surprised if she actually did carry out that action!
Still none of this could have been possible if it wasn’t for Ingranata’s art. Her clear and concise line work just draws you into the story, making the tragedy of the characters all the realer. You could feel for Rotter and the others cursed by the Children; the stunner of Sherman’s fate was especially moving, the look in Robyn’s eyes immediately followed by his wooden prison … just WOW! After all these decades, they just want it to be over. But then the build up to those creepy kids … those final pages are going to give me nightmares! I just wish it didn’t have to end.
If you do make it to the end, get some tissues ready. I will admit that I teared up when I saw that last panel: Nicky and Emma finally reunited after sixty years. It was so touching that you do not expect such a scene to be portrayed in a comic book. But this one magnificently helped to close this excellent issue.
Grade: A+
Rating: 16+
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: July 1st, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
