The 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