Tag Archives: marian

Review: Robyn Hood #13

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robynhood013Zenescope’s third monthly series has been at times one which requires some patience to read.  Although it has exhibited some signs of fulfilling some of its underlying potential, it has too often reverted to its previous performance by providing issues that are full of concept bu short of execution.  The previous two issues seemed to have signaled a change in direction for this series, as both issues managed to carry a better story without losing touch with the characters that make the series compelling.  The previous two stories were standalones, and featured stories which were a bit further off the script of the usual for the series.  With the return to the usual format it remained to be seen exactly if the series had in fact made the jump to something better.

The story focuses not only on Robyn and Marian this time, but also on Liesel.  Since being introduced she is an underutilized character, probably second only to Britney Waters at Grimm Fairy Tales as a character that needs more panel time.  She is in town, and it happens to coincide with a supernatural serial killer making his mark on social media.  Although the setup would tend towards more of a mystery, it ends up in another bloodbath battle for the characters, which Liesel even alludes to as what should be expected, both in the story for the characters and for the readers.  Meanwhile Marian is dabbling in some risky magic to try to return herself to full strength.

It is perhaps not as bad as some of the stories that have come before, but this issue still represents a step back for the characters and the overall tone of the series.  The previous issues show what this series could be, but this issue shows mostly what is has been, a decent series at times, but also one that has never really escaped the realm of being average.  There is still some way to go with this series, and hopefully the creative team figures it out, because the characters do have a strong fanbase.  In the meantime, readers have to be happy enough with stories such as this one, entertaining at times, but not much else.

Story: Patrick Shand  Art: Roberta Ingranata
Story: 6.6  Art: 6.6  Overall:  6.6 Recommendation: Pass

Review: Robyn Hood #12

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rh012Although this series is a fan favorite, it is also one which has often seemed to take the easy way out in terms of its story telling.  It often relies on a sequence of one liners and fairly generic supernatural bad guys.  Beneath it all are two main characters who have the potential to be a lot deeper but for whom that attention is rarely given.  It has happened a little bit as Robyn has opened up to her therapist, or as Marian has opened up to her girlfriend, but mostly this series has been one full of unrealized potential as it focuses more on the gore of the supernatural than it does on the characters themselves.  Although there have been glimpses before, the series has generally followed them with other poorer examples to follow, and the level of consistency in this series is thus hard to grasp, as it verges on something better, but never attains it.

If there is an issue where they might break from this trend, then this might be it.  Robyn and Marian are confronted at the beginning of the issue by the Rotter, the somewhat zombie like character that has been helping them out.  As they soon discover, his help was not completely altruistic, instead he is looking for help in return.  He has been cursed to live but to slowly rot away, and he simply wants the easy release of death after suffering for so long.  Instead of big scale, Robyn and Marian focus on small scale and it works well for them here as they are able to show their ingenuity as they hunt down reasons for what may have caused this curse.

What ends up following is what is by far the best issue in this series thus far.  Although there are still a few staples of what has made this series falter at times, they are mostly shuffled to the side as the first truly good story is told in this series, one which focuses on the characters first and the concept second, even when the concept is strong enough as well.  It may not have proven itself with just one issue, but the series seems to be on its way, a gamble from Zenescope which seems finally ready to pay off.

Story: Patrick Shand  Art: Roberta Ingranata
Story: 8.6  Art: 8.6  Overall:  8.6 Recommendation: Buy

 

 

Review: Robyn Hood #11

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rh011Among all of the comic book publishers it is Zenescope that seems to be the most aware inside its own universe of the existence of comic book conventions.  While comics about comics have occurred since well over five decades (it was a comic about a comic that launched the DC multiverse in the 1960s) there have always been a bit of a mismatch.  After all superhero comics are about the superhero world which is otherwise unattainable, and it would remain to be seen if such stories would even be necessary in such a world where people could just turn on the news for what is fantastic and extraordinary.  It is specifically comic book conventions that Zenescope has interest in though, and often to match up with the the convention season in summer time, specifically the one in San Diego.

This backdrop forms the basis for this issue, a one shot story mostly set aside from the ongoing story in this series.  Robyn and Marian are hired to find a hammer which is cursed, but which is also a family heirloom.  The owner of the hammer wanted to rid himself of the curse by selling it, but in having done so he finds that it has not worked.  He is still cursed but no longer has the hammer and wants it back.  The problem is that the hammer is in the hands of a dealer that wants to sell it at a comic con, and that means that Robyn and Marian have to attend to buy it.  There are other parties interested as well, specifically a group of wolfmen that want the hammer back after it had been taken from them many centuries previous, and so reacquiring the hammer is not as easy, instead Robyn has to fight her way past the wolfpack.

There are a couple of cute moments here, but mostly this issue falls a little short.  It is only when the issue actually acknowledges that it is a bit too meta that it succeeds.  This is over a spread page where Marian chooses her costume for the comic con, the choosing and the choice of being the highlight of this particular issue.  As always with this series, it seems as though all the pieces are there, only that they are not balanced correctly, and so this still remains Zenescope’s weakest monthly title.

 Story: Patrick Shand  Art: Roberta Ingranata
Story: 6.3  Art: 7.5  Overall:  6.3 Recommendation: Pass

Review: Robyn Hood #7

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RH_Ongoing_06 Cover DigitalFans of Zenescope‘s Grimm Fairy Tales series might have been a bit surprised when Robyn Hood was chosen as one of the first characters for her own ongoing series.  They equally might not have been so surprised when the series’ debut was less than stellar.  In a comic world with both Green Arrow and Hawkeye being quite popular, how could another series focusing on a superhero archer succeed, especially one that is from a smaller publisher.  Slowly though, the series has managed to find itself, culminating in this latest issue which is the best of the series so far, even though admittedly there is still some way to go.

This issue follows once again Robyn and Marian as they rent out their somewhat unique skills to help a woman find her boyfriend who has seemingly joined a cult.  Although this remains the focus of this issue, it also splits into two separate segments.  In one Robyn hunts down the cult, but the other focuses more on Marian and her struggle to fit into life on Earth and not in Myst.  At first the idea of yet another lesbian witch seemed a bit stale in terms of the inspiration for this series, which at its heart could be described as a female Green Arrow plus Willow from the Buffyverse.  Instead there is something a bit more to this particular story line as Marian summons the courage to ask a girl out on a date, and then as the two get to know each other, that she opens up about how her life used to be.  Although this focuses on her homosexuality, the theme is equally strong to match a lot of other problems where people feel ostracized from their communities because of their identities.  While this acts as a nice interlude, it is paced well with the impending danger to Robyn as she finds and infiltrates the cult, just in time for what looks like pretty mean battle.

The end result is still not great, but it is nice to see this series moving in the right direction.  As opposed to some other nascent series such as this one, they start off strong and then lose their momentum.  This on the other hand seems to be building as it grows, and is relying on both stronger characters and better story lines.  It started as an unconventional choice for a series, but slowly is becoming its own entity and not relying on the bigger universe for its own thrills.

Story: Pat Shand  Art: Roberta Ingranata
Story: 7.7  Art: 7.7 Overall: 7.7 Recommendation: Read

Zenescope provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review.