Review - Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Bad Girls #2

The Grimm Fairy Tales universe has its share of villains. All sorts of shape, species and sex, all vying for power for whatever reason. When some of those villains unite their power though, well, you get something akin to what's happening in Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Bad Girls #2 from Zenescope.

The second issue of five is written by Joey Esposito, with pencils by Eduardo Garcia and Salvador Velaquez, colors by Jason Embury and Jeff Balke and letters by Jeff Campbell.

The issue opens right after the events ending the first issue. Sela and Nathan Cross are holding their own against hordes of evil demons who have bene unleashed unto the world. They get an assist from Samantha, Guardian of the Earth. The new trio decide the way to fight the demons is by getting the help of the Mandersoon.

Meanwhile, Red Riding Hood is learning the ways of patience with Ming. She's working alongside him to better understand how to control wolves and make a great rabbit stew. Despite all his teachings, Red isn't quite prepared for what comes her way at the end of the issue.

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Bad Girls #2 is fairly formulaic from a storytelling standpoint. That is, the reader is told what the protagonists are going after and why. Esposito's story isn't bad, but it doesn't really leave much to the imagination, which is saying something when your book revolves around lands like Oz, Wonderland, Myst and Neverland.

As it stands, the trio of bad girls have really done nothing more than unleash demons on the world in the effort to claim the magical lands to divvy them up. Clearly, their motivation is sheer power, but so far they haven't really done anything that really makes you think they're that bad.

Pencils are done by Garcia and Velaquez and they're so-so. This is a Zenescope book, but there seems to be an overabundance of focus on T&A, so much so that it's distracting. Some shots are blatant T&A shots, trying to be counter-balanced by some serious line of dialogue. It really does nothing to advance the story or book.

What's more, Red is training in a town outside of Mt. Fuji. Geographical knowledge tells us that Mt. Fuji is in Japan, but village shots in the book show maybe one character of Japanese descent amidst a crowd of about 10-15. Of that 15, there are about 5 blondes, which doesn't really make sense in Japan.

The concept of the evil villains of the Grimm Fairy Tales universe uniting for bad seems solid on its surface, but so far it hasn't really delivered. There are still three issues to go and it's possible things shape up between now and then. Right now though, the book really just seems like a way to put the women of the Grimm Fairy Tales universe in drool-inducing poses more than anything.

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Bad Girls #2 is in stores now.