Hunters - The Shadowlands #1 Review

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents

Hunters - The Shadowlands #1

Writer:

Raven Gregory

Cover Art:

Anthony Spay and Ivan Nunes (Cover A)

Paulo Siqueira and Sean Ellery (Cover B)

Interior Art:

Tazio Bettin, David Cutler, Renato Mapa Jnr and Oscar Celestini

So what's it all about?

This issue has a bit of a Grimm Fairy Tales all-star cast with Roman Asher (Werewolf Hunter), Sela Mathers (whom I have adored ever since the creation of Grimm Fairy Tales in 2005), Liesel Van Helsing (Vampire Hunter), Elijah Jones (Zombie Hunter), Masumi Yamamoto (Demon Hunter).

They have all been banished to The Shadowlands where a dark and sinister force is going to rise and unleash terror on The Shadowlands and Earth. The Hunters have arrived in time to see if all the evil nastiness can be stopped (or at least try and escape if the Being proves too powerful for them to defeat). This 1st issue is really about the Hunters finding their bearings and working to understand the predicament they are in now that they are all reunited.

Roman arrives at The Shadowlands on his own and is a bit peeved about the length of time he is stuck there without his Hunter colleagues. It works okay, because it allows Gregory to introduce us to the environment that is The Shadowlands.

Two additional characters have also arrived to help bring forth the evil Being. The first is Samira who I have to say is my favourite character so far (see Unleashed #0 and #1). Samira is Queen of the Vampires. Ravenous is with her and he is the First of the Werewolves.

Sounds all a bit much for one issue I hear you say....we'll get to that!

The stage appears set for a bit of scrap in The Shadowlands between this significant cast of characters.

So what's good (or bad) about this issue?

I enjoy comic books with a strong and purposeful cast of characters. This story so far certainly has that. This issue spends a lot of time showing the reader the weirdness of The Shadowlands and its inhabitants and does it through Roman Asher, the werewolf hunter. 

The writing by Gregory is easy to follow and the story flows nicely in spite of the number of characters this issue is trying to manage. It wouldn't be Grimm Fairy Tales if there weren't some whimsical one-liners, but on the whole, the writing gives you a good understanding of the characters and the types of Hunters they are. The writing makes clear that the Hunters must come together to defeat what it is they are going up against.

The cover art by Siqueira and Ellery is stunning (Cover B). It really gives you an accurate sense of what this issue is about. The characters have cautious expressions and this is true to the story inside the comic. I've not seen Siqueira and Ellery's work before on covers and I was really impressed when I picked it up off the shelf.

The interior art flows well between the panels. The facial expressions between the characters compliment Gregory's writing.

If I had to be critical I would say that too much time was spent on Roman as a character in this issue. When I consider all that is happening in the Grimm Universe, I think I would have steered character development more toward Liesel Van Helsing given her release as a Grimm character over the last couple of months (see illustration below).

Don't get me started on how awesome Jamie Tyndall's art is. Ula Mos on colours is just spectacular (but we are not reviewing cover art for other titles in this post).

As a stand-alone series it should work well, there is enough there for Gregory to develop a good story around. That said, one of the things I loved about Grimm Fairy Tales when I started reading comic books again was that they were simple stand-alone issues. The Grimm Universe has become complex and this issue of Hunters - The Shadowlands certainly adds to that complexity by being part of a broader connected mini-series. To get the most out of this larger story you will need to read all the connecting titles and issues...I don't like that so much.

So what do I give it?

I give it 7 out of 10. Only because I dislike connecting mini-series.

So what have others said about this issue?

Well, not much. There is only one review worth reading:

Comic Bastards Review

Comic Bastards don't hold back on reviewing comic books and often tell it how it is. I really enjoyed reading this review.

C.

Wonder Woman #20 Review

Wonder Woman #20

'Moon Over Mayhem'

• Writer - Brian Azzarello
• Cover Art - Cliff Chiang
• Interior Art - Cliff Chiang, Goran Sudzuka
• Colourist - Matthew Wilson

I appreciate that starting a review of a new comic book series at issue #20 is a bit odd, but stay with me, hopefully I will be able to make you a late convert to the series if you are not already a reader.

This title is without a doubt one of the strongest of all of the New 52 published by DC. Azzarello's storytelling makes this title compelling reading. Cliff Chiang as the main artist assigned to this series brings beautiful artwork to this title (see above cover art).

Some spoilers here....be warned....

This is not a good issue to jump in on. You really need to have read all previous 19 issues to get a good handle on what has been happening. In short, Zola (a friend of WW) is pregnant to Zeus and has his baby (yeah, that's right!). The wife of Zeus, being Hera, is not too impressed and tries to have Zola and her baby killed (cruel stuff!). Over time, half of Olympus gets in on the gig and possession of Zola's baby (Zeke) has become the prize. There are fears among the Olympians as to Zeke's place in the line of succession. Anyway, long story short, WW steps in and takes Zola and Zeke away from those wishing them harm.

So where are we now? Well, Zola has Zeke back (thanks to Ares, an odd alliance I agree). WW is doing what she can to protect them both. Apollo for the moment appears to be calling the shots in Olympus. The internal political struggle among some of the Olympians has caught the attention of Poseidon who is not impressed with the way Apollo is handling things.

Now was the right time to start reviewing this series as well as starting this blog. The first really big event happens in this series which I am loathe to mention (Huge Spoiler Alert!) because many have speculated over one aspect of Wonder Woman's abilities for this series from the moment it went to publication...will she fly?

You see, comic book geeks for the last 19 issues have been curious to know whether Azzarello and Chiang were going to take WW in this direction. I kind of liked that she couldn't fly, or didn't fly. A grounded WW made her a little more vulnerable, which is what readers liked about this reincarnation of WW. It doesn't really matter now I suppose because guess what? She can fly!...and this issue #20 (and my blog) is where it all started!

The struggle for possession over Zola's baby continues...

Azzarello has done really well to maintain a strong momentum for this title over 20 issues. He is the sort of writer skilled enough to do this with such a complex and beloved DC character. The writing in every issue is just brilliant. He never gets side tracked or loses focus on the direction he is taking his story. He has brought readers a mature, vulnerable, sometimes uncertain, but very impressive new WW.

Cliff Chiang would have to be one of the best artists in comic books right now. His reinterpretation of the Greek Gods throughout this series has made many a comic book geek sit up and pay attention. Who could have imagined King Poseidon drawn the way he has been by Chiang. And Queen Hera, I am so impressed with how Chiang has visually represented this character.

As part of this and future reviews, I also plan to share the reviews of those more experienced at reviewing comics than I am...here are some...

Comic Vine Review

The Pop Cultist Review

This review gives credit to the great colouring done by Matt Wilson in this issue. I agree, the unsung hero of this issue...

IGN Comic Review

I give this title 9 out of 10.

Stay tuned for more comic book geekery!

C.