There are so many great comics each month from Zenescope and I did not want you to miss out on any part of the Zenescope Universe. Over the next couple of weeks, look forward to a couple of catch-up articles, just like this one, that will continue the tradition of Just Another Zenescope Monday. These may not always be on a Monday, but the spirit is the same. This set of reviews will be covering many of the issues released since October 2014 and forward.
Grimm Fairy Tales: Halloween Special 2014 – Continuing the story of Arcane Acres, the new school for Highborns, it is Halloween and Shang has set up a special party as a treat for everyone. Of course, Wulf just thinks it’s lame. After Shang tells him a story about a haunted graveyard, Wulf decides to head there, along with Haley and Violet. They are in for a treat… or maybe a trick as a dark figure sends something after them. This story is really about the true fears of each of the students. Whether it is a regret from the past and the fear of becoming something they cannot control or the fear of the power inside themselves, each student will have to deal with the issues presented to them by this wraith. I found this a very interesting story, not just a puff piece to fill space, but an insightful look into each character and who they are. Dan Wickline crafts a great tale keeping in line with the new world after the Realm War. Overall, a great book and a fun and interesting read. My Rating: 4/5
Masumi: Blades of Sin #3 – Masumi is a warrior who controls the blades of Legion, a demon that has haunted her family for years. She has been a demon hunter and is now training her distant cousin, Mei, to follow in the family business. The story began with Mei and Hiroto needing Masumi’s help because they had been involved with the yakuza. After Masumi’s intervention, the yakuza sent Ryujin to kill Hiroto and collect some ancient artifacts from Mei to be used to raise demons and allow them to inhabit human bodies. In this issue, Masumi and Mei travel to the Suicide Forest to stop a demon. After a thwarted attempt on both their lives, Masumi heads off into the forest to solve a mystery but comes face to face with the deadly Ryujin. The battle is intense and the forest fights just as hard as Ryujin, clouding Masumi’s mind with the spirits of the dead. Will Ryujin get his hands on the swords of Legion? This issue has a real cliffhanger ending. Good thing there is one more issue to wrap this story up. My Rating: 4/5
Masumi: Blades of Sin #4 – Lost in the seas of trees, Masumi is down to one sword and surrounding by spirits that do not look happy. She is lost… but not alone. Luckily, Mei rushes to her rescue, seeming to embrace her heritage as a demon hunter and giving us some hope that she could carry on this legacy. Masumi is able to temporarily capture the vengeful spirits in the family heirloom box and they are now off to get vengance on the yakuza who killed Hiroto and tried to kill both of them. Ryujin brought one of Masumi’s swords to the evil Shinobu. But, he knows they are coming… Masumi will have to use not just her combat skills but her mind to best this creature. Strap in for a major battle and be prepared for everything to change. I enjoyed this series as I really did not know much about Masumi before this series. This was a great way to get in touch with this character and her world and better understand the responsiblities and guilt that she bears. My Rating: 4/5
Grimm Tales of Terror #4 – “Red World”. Each issue of this series is a stand alone story that tries to teach some lesson in morality, like a fable. The result of the story is usually that the one who does not learn the lesson dies a miserable and well deserved death. These stories do have one common thread, our beautiful red-haired companion. This red lady is with us at the beginning and end of each tale and metes out her own sort of moral justice. This issue is focused on a post-apocalyptic world where the rich will survive at any expense. Antonio Bifulco’s art in this book is really good. I like the detail in his lines and the harshness with which he puts this story together. A harsh world and hard people. This is a great story, definitely one to check out. My Rating: 4/5
Grimm Tales of Terror #5 – “What Lies Above”. This is a special issue as you can read a great story penned by the writer of Wonder Woman, Meredith Finch who is continuing this awesome series with another scary story. This time we start with a sick child and his mother who tirelessly cares for him. As our scarlet narrator stops the mother in the hallway, she weaves a tale of a young boy who is just trying to get his parent’s attention. The twists of this story were really hard to read, even the second time through. Not bad, a truly great “tale of terror”, but just really hard to read. Keep up the good work on this title. My Rating: 4.5/5
Goddess, Inc. #3 – The plot thickens as Venus continues making moves to “collect” the gods and goddesses that will help or hinder her. Hearts in jars and all that. Venus’ plan is to restart the Aegina Festival where she can summon the Age of Heroes. The only Olympians that will survive will be the ones that swear their allegiance to Venus. She has other things to worry about as the Celluloid Sirens fashion show is tonight and she has some issues to deal with. Not my favorite Zenescope series, but interesting enough. My Rating: 3.5/5
Goddess, Inc. #4 – Venus knows that it was Gregor Brontios that was targeting her, also known as Zeus. Now, all she has to do is hold her team and her life together long enough to get to the solstice in a few days and she will be at the height of her power. From there, the plan can commence. Jules was the one who actually pulled the trigger, motivated both by a need for revenge against Venus and by a want to please her father, but she is not taking things very well. Also, there is a some fun stuff going on with the mayor and Sage as they try to control the impact to the city. Things are coming to a head. My Rating: 3.5/5
Goddess, Inc. #5 – The final showdown between the gods as Venus’ plan may reach its fruition. It’s Zeus and his daughters against Venus and everyone who is still alive. This is a battle not to be missed as all the players are on the field and all the pieces are falling into place. The ending is expected, but the final scenes are very interesting as we see someone who has been showing up in the pages of Grimm Tales of Terror… Keres, also known as Thanatos, our red haired beauty with the scary stories and frightening ability to make people pay for their sins. My Rating: 3.5/5
That is a ton of books for this installment. And, again, I know it’s not Monday, but you can always use a good dose of Zenescope. Look for more Catch-Up coming soon.
