I went in trying not to compare Nick Percival’s Legends: The Enchanted to that other series involving folklore characters.  Other than involving some of the main characters, the comparison ends there.  Legends: The Enchanted is a very dark story, both in content and story.

You think you know them? Think again!

Violently ripped from the pages of folklore come the Enchanted. Supernatural immortals living in a dark, steampunk, creature-infested world where nature, technology and foul magic are in constant conflict. When the twisted, burnt remains of the half-wooden, half-mechanical warrior, Pinocchio are discovered, wolf hunter Red Hood and giant killer Jack realize the fragile rules of their existence have been shattered. With the help of other powerful Enchanted (the mercenary, Goldilocks and psychic exterminators, Hansel and Gretel), Jack and Red team up on an adventure to stop whatever, or whoever is destroying their powers and murdering their kind.

The world is a mix of fantasy and technology reminiscent of so many steam punk dystopian futures we’ve seen before.  The art is very dark with a sickly green pallor that seems to make it’s way into everything.  At times it’s hard to make out exactly what’s going on.  The story also is choppy with various plot lines left open and unresolved.  The ending is abrupt, and I left without feeling much resolution when it came to the story.

While the story is interesting and the spin worth checking out, I just can’t recommend it.  There’s reports that this graphic novel will be making it’s way to the big screen and I’d wait for that.  For the $19.95, there’s just so much more that’s far better out there.

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