Review - Grimm Fairy Tales Genesis: Heroes Reborn (@Zenescope)

"I'll be the weapon."

Zenescope knows how to take a legendary literary character and modernize it. It's their bread and butter and they've been doing it for a while now. Some of the characters are better known than others, but Grimm Fairy Tales Genesis: Heroes Reborn looks to fix that. "Van Helsing Timeless Classics" is written by Pat Shand, illustrated by Larry Watts, colored by Walter Pereyra and lettered by Taylor Esposito. "Robyn Hood Auld Lang Syne" is written by Lou Iovino, illustrated by Riveiro, colored by Federico Blee and lettered by Esposito. "Wonderland Mad Dreams" is written by Joe Brusha, illustrated by Allan Otero, colored by Valentina Cuomo and lettered by Esposito. "Death Force Totems" is written by Dave Franchini, illustrated by Marc Rosete, colored by Leonardo Paciarotti and lettered by Esposito. "Grimm Fairy Tales Judgment Rising" is written by Brusha, illustrated by Salvatore Cuffari, colored by Erick Arciniego and lettered by Esposito.

One issue…five action packed stories. With 30 pages of action spotlighting the best known characters from the Grimm Universe, this is a great intro to the most popular Zenescope titles and characters. A great jumping on point for new readers, and a super value for current fans.

Each of the five stories in Grimm Fairy Tales Genesis: Heroes Reborn focuses on one of the more recently popular characters. Shand's approach in "Van Helsing Timeless Classics" more or less gives readers a glimpse into Van Helsing's resourcefulness as a vampire hunter. In "Robyn Hood Auld Lang Syne," Iovino uses Robyn's introspection as a means of showing the reader a glimpse into a day in her ever-active life. Brusha writes probably the most "Zenescope" story of the five in "Wonderland Mad Dreams," where he uses a violent Red Queen restoring order to Wonderland in her own, sadistic way. Franchini probably writes the lightest and most easy-going story in "Death Force Totems," focusing on the amusing thoughts of the lead character. And "Grimm Fairy Tales Judgment Rising" feels like it's a set-up of things to come as it introduces the reader to Skylar Mathers and sets the tone for where the universe may be going next.

The artwork throughout Grimm Fairy Tales Genesis: Heroes Reborn is varied but relatively consistent at the same time. Watts and Pereyra illustrate "Van Helsing Timeless Classics" with an attention to characters that feel lightweight compared to the scenery. In "Robyn Hood Auld Lang Syne," Riveiro and Blee rely on rendering Robyn in a lot of action shots, following her through a fight against an opponent that represents the norm for her life. "Wonderland Mad Dreams" gives Otero and Cuomo the chance to get a little graphic as they emphasize the rampant destruction wreaked by the Red Queen. The work of Rosete and Paciarotti in "Death Force Totems" feels surreal as the duo do a pretty solid job of rendering the enemies as spiritual totems. And the work of Cuffari and Arciniego in "Grimm Fairy Tales Judgment Rising" focuses primarily on the two combatants as they exchange blows, using inset and overlay panels to convey the frenetic energy of the battle.

Grimm Fairy Tales Genesis: Heroes Reborn is an anthology of sorts that resets the playing field for a lot of the Zenescope universe. Each of the tales focuses on one of the more predominant characters and presents them in ways that fit with their personas. The writers all take slightly different approaches, but each story taps into what makes the characters tick. The artwork is just as varied yet still manages to convey the action and exchanges well. Grimm Fairy Tales Genesis: Heroes Reborn will definitely appeal to fans of the universe while also offering potential new readers a glimpse at what the characters are up against.

Grimm Fairy Tales Genesis: Heroes Reborn is in stores now.