Tag Archives: jungle book

Review: The Jungle Book Fall of The Wild #4

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fotw004aTo say that this series got complicated after the last issue would be an understatement.  Although the stories have been deep at times of the four children marooned on this island and raised to lead their animal clans, there has always been an unanswered question.  How did the children arrive there?  And where did they come from?  And even maybe where were they supposed to be heading?  The first series focused on the consuming nature of revenge, and the second series focused on more general concepts like loyalty, but the third seems to be tying together two different angles, that peace is a necessity or it will destroy all, but also to answer how this series fits within the bigger universe.  After all this is a “Grimm Fairy Tales Presents …” title, and so far in fourteen issues there has been no sign of Sela or other denizens of Myst.

This issue picks up near where the last left off, with Mowgli abducted by some unknown assailant (seemingly a pirate) who has been playing a role behind the scenes on the island for a while.  While other go to rescue her, the animals of the island continue their fighting, not realizing that it will destroy them all if they cannot band together.  A hasty rescue is conducted for Mowgli (which does not make much sense in an actual timeline), but the heroes and pirates are thrown together.  There are some clever aspects to the characterizations of the characters here, specifically the island humans talking in their animal languages, which was handled well from a technical standpoint as well.

What this issue comes down to though is the launchpad for the final issue.  It is there that readers and fans of these series will finally get a payoff, both what the link to the larger universe entails as well as to see if the residents of the island can find a way to live together peacefully or if violence will consume them all.  As it stands what the series needed was a lead-in to these big reveals and that is what this issue manages in an effective manner.  This is a series where the second to last issue will not be remembered as much as the last, but with this setup it is only for the creative team to bring out the fireworks in the final issue.

Story: Mark L. Miller Art: Michele Bandini
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.7 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy

 

Review: Grimm Fairy Tales Presents The Jungle Book: Fall of the Wild #1

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gft jb covThe original series from Grimm Fairy Tales on their version of Jungle Book was one of the most innovative series in recent years.  Taking a fairly gender bent approach to the stories, it recast Mowgli as a female focused on revenge for the death of her wolf mother.  Along the way, she learns the true cost of revenge, a lesson often not learned by many heroes, and saw more character development in six issues than many comic characters see in years.  Following on this the second series was a bit of a letdown.  It focused instead on the fantastical nature of the island and was less impressive in terms of theme, and ended up as little more than an adventure story set in a strange setting.

This third and supposedly final series dealing with the stories of Mowgli within the Grimm Fairy Tales universe seem at first reading as though it might recapture some of the quality of the original series.  Focusing instead on a greater theme, this series seems as though it will focus on war and the effect of its ravages.  Thus far into this third series, the story focuses on the disparate characters on the island as they deal with different elements of conflict and in differing positions of power, and while it is still early, it is easy to see that the creative team is after something bigger than just a fun story.  Equally this series seems to be putting the focus back on Mowgli, who was the heart of the first series, and for whom the second series suffered by often putting her out of the primary focus.

The end result is an issue full of potential for a fulfilling and meaningful series.  This seems to be following a general pattern of sequels often being a letdown and the third attempt in the trilogy being something more meaningful.  This was true with the Wonderland trilogy, and appears to be true here as well.  Ideally the creative team will be able to follow the pattern of the Wonderland series and to roll over this series into something more consistent as these are some of the most interesting and compelling characters of the Grimm Fairy Tales universe.

Story: Mark L. Miller Art: Michele Bandini
Story: 8.4 Art: 8.4 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy