Review - Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Cinderella (2015) 10th Anniversary Special #1 (@Zenescope)

"This isn't horde business. It's personal."

Cinderella never could seem to catch a break. Unless, of course it's Cinderella in Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Cinderella (2015) 10th Anniversary Special #1 from Zenescope, in which case she breaks a lot of enemies. The issue is written by Lou Iovino, illustrated by Ryan Best, colored by Thiago dal Bello and lettered by Matt Krotzer.

When the evil Cinderella is confronted by her past, she must make a decision to exact revenge or show mercy on those who have wronged her. Will Cindy take her chance for redemption, or will she choose the path of evil once more? Zenescope presents an all new 10th Anniversary one-shot special that isn't for the faint of heart!

Cinderella is one of the newer "characters" in the Grimm Fairy Tales universe, but she still has plenty of backstory. Iovino touches on that backstory in Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Cinderella (2015) 10th Anniversary Special #1, essentially fleshing out her history as another heroine in that universe. He does so in a way that gives new readers some context for the events Cinderella is facing, while at the same time mixing in a lot of the familiar aspects of the character's universe. Despite all the information about Cinderella, things are still a little murky when it comes to what exactly is going on. Iovino's characterization of Cinderella is very much in line with the Zenescope characterization of these characters, as she isn't shy when it comes to language.

Illustrating the work is Best, who ensures Cinderella is readily recognizable to readers--save for the slightly less dressy gown that most people associate with the character. This version of Cinderella is much more combative and Best does a decent job of conveying her combat prowess. Best illustrates many of the characters interacting with one another against sparsely detailed backgrounds. There are a few instances where the perspective seems a little off; for instance, Cinderella looks abnormally small in a couple of panels. dal Bello's colors are largely muted and pretty basic, although Cinderella's blue does show prominently.

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Cinderella (2015) 10th Anniversary Special #1 will appeal to readers of books in the Grimm Fairy Tales universe and--as such--is largely steeped in that universe. That doesn't make the book inaccessible to new readers, but it does make it a little difficult to fully grasp what's going on. Iovino does good job of quickly crashing through the stakes in the oversized issue, giving Cinderella plenty of obstacles to overcome. Best's artwork is a little loose, but effective for the characters being depicted. Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Cinderella (2015) 10th Anniversary Special #1 likely won't draw many new readers in, but for those familiar with the character it'll be something worth checking out.

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Cinderella (2015) 10th Anniversary Special #1 is in stores October 7.