Review - Robyn Hood #5

Last we left our archer heroine, Robyn was hot off of winning the King's tournament and outing herself as the thorn in his side. Things didn't leave off so well for her, with her being contained and on the verge of execution. Of course, that would make for a very borin conclusion if it ended that way and Robyn Hood #5 from Zenescope prompts a different ending.

The final issue in the series is written by Pat Shand, illustrated by Larry Watts, colored by Nick Filardi, Adam Metcalfe, Slamet Mujiono, Omi Remalante, Jr., Wesley Won and lettered by Jim Campbell.

Robyn is a woman on a mission. To her, life in Bree is more than just freeing the people. No, she wants to make a statement, taking out her anger out being neglected and mistreated her entire life by using the arrows for what they're intended for. After a revolution and a pendant, Robyn makes her way back to her life, where she finds vengeance to be just as sweet, but coming with a cost of more turmoil.

Shand more or less kept things in canon, but he did stray a bit throughout. The straying was a good thing, as it helped to modernize the tale and make it more grounded in a believable reality. Having said that, the fifth issue seemed to suffer from some rather odd pacing. The Bree storyline was concluded--as was Robyn's modern day life--and another series was being set up in the process.

All of the storylines made sense, but the pace just felt jagged and a little too frenetic in the final issue. Robyn moved through just about any obstacle with ease, handling all comers with her arrows at the ready. The ending in terms of her making a return is pretty predictable, while the ending's creation of a new villain is a little less so.

The art by Watts looks blurry at times. There's a lot of violence and blood throughout the issue, some of which is rather gratuitous. Robyn is depicted with a focus on her talents as an archer, all of which are on full display throughout the issue. There's not too much that's very memorable as far as the art goes, but it does suffice for the story.

The conclusion of the first arc in the series definitely got things geared up for a follow-up series. Robyn realizes that all of her actions have consequences, both physically and emotionally. Finding out how Robyn deals with the aftermath of her actions will be intriguing to read.

Robyn Hood #5 is in stores February 6 with interiors below.