Replete in a schoolgirl uniform, our heroine faces against the terrors residing within a mysterious library. Will she be able to brave the beasts in the books without getting any nasty paper cuts…or worse? Zenescope brings you Grimm Fairy Tales Presents – The Library #1.
GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS – THE LIBRARY #1
Writer: Joe Brusha
Pencils: Giovanni Timpao
Colors: Liezl Buenaventura
Letters: Jim Campbell
Covers: Caio Cacau (Cover A), Joe Pekar (Cover B)
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Price: $2.99
The Story: The story’s chief protagonist is a high-school aged girl named Sela. As it happens, she’s been suffering from rather generic nightmares for an extended period of time, dating back prior to the death of her mother. All the B-Movie horror fare is fodder for her slumbering journeys, including familiar fare such as a Wicked Witch, a Dracula-looking vampire, a Frankenstein-looking green guy with a grimace, a mummy, zombies, voodoo priestesses, etc.
Her younger brother Thomas seems to have a better understanding of how to manage the day-to-day challenges of his life. While being the son to a multi-billionaire father has provided him with cause for relative happiness, his sister would rather have their father as an active participant in their lives. She even creates phantom scenarios in order to artificially motivate Dad to attend a non-existent event where she claims to be featured.
Today the two children have the opportunity to accompany their father on location. He’s poised to assume ownership of a huge, sprawling library. Together, the 3 of them visit the site of the library and that’s where the adventure begins.
Homicidal Creatures From The World Of Fiction
Dad ends up having a rather heated conversation with the Library’s relinquishing owner, Ms Sullivan. The two kids leave the adults to their business and set about to explore the setting of their upcoming transformative journey.
Sela finds an ornate and mysteriously locked book; Thomas finds the key, and together they find out that a simple incantation can summon a portal between worlds. It appears that the world of popular fiction has been made accessible through this newly established portal. Thomas is the first to be pulled into the vortex. He finds himself in the world of Greek Mythology, facing against a menacing centaur. In the meanwhile, Sela is holding onto the physical constructs of the library for dear life, desperate to avoid being pulled into her personal portal into the prehistoric world.
Cute Schoolgirl With Ample Bosom & Pigtails
The cute schoolgirl with large breasts and pigtails makes me flinch a bit when I consider the audience this book is potentially targeting, but it’s too early in the series to render judgment. For the moment it has me a bit leery.
Artistically speaking, the book is inconsistent. The scale of the environment is unusually large, causing some issues with proportion. Open areas appear to be large enough to accommodate crowds of people, let alone the 5 characters who are featured in this issue. As far as the characters themselves, visual features morph from panel to panel and it’s not an intentional plot device.
The writing establishes an effective tone and the story propels the action. This is not nuanced, intricately scripted stuff here; it’s the kind of mindless fun you might encounter on the SyFy Channel.
BOTTOM LINE: If You Dig Low Budget Action Horror Movies with Schoolgirl Action, This May Be For You
It’s highly likely that Zenescope is hoping to capitalize on the ‘cute girl in a horror story’ vibe that’s been so successful for Tim Seeley’s Hack/Slash series. This falls considerably short of that particular title, but Grimm Fairy Tales Presents – The Library #1 manages to entertain adequately enough, earning 2.5 out of 5 stars.
