The Prince never kissed Sleeping Beauty to wake her up. When she finally rises from her curse, she finds a dark, inhospitable landscape! Find out more in Briar #1 by BOOM! Studios!
BRIAR #1 (OF 4)
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Germán García
Colorist: Matheus Lopes
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Editor: Allyson Gronowitz
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: September 28th,2022
Previously in Briar: Check out the new series by Christopher Cantwell and Germán García that puts a dark twist on the classic fairy tale!
DON’T SLEEP
Briar #1 starts with the classic story of Sleeping Beauty. Briar Rose is cursed to sleep. The story changes when Prince Charming decides to take the crown but leaves Sleeping Beauty asleep, stating that he doesn’t want a bickering wife. The Kingdom was constantly at war, as the Prince and King were warring people, and eventually, the Kingdom fell. One hundred years pass until a hooded figure breaks into the castle’s ruins and kisses Princess Briar Rose.
Immediately upon waking, Briar Rose is thirsty. She stumbles, gets water, and finds a battleground outside her old castle. She defends herself from a giant rat and eventually makes it into a town where the townsfolk sell her into slavery. Princess Rose meets Spider, an iceblood, who tries to save her but is overpowered by the slavers.
The slavers are attacked by cannibals in the desert, and Spider and Briar Rose make an escape. They encounter a local desert man who proceeds to kill himself once he realizes who the Princess is. Spouting a prophecy about the world burning with her return.
A TON GOING ON
I wasn’t sure what to expect with Briar #1. The concept of a dark fairy tale is often a hit or miss for me. Many authors try to be dim and gritty for the sake of being edgy rather than telling a good story. I’m not sure if this miniseries will be good yet, because we are just getting a lot of exposition thus far. The pacing in the story is rapid. Once Princess Rose woke up, I felt like we were going from scene to scene, and it was difficult for me to keep up with some of the ideas. Suddenly, there are cannibals! And they are gone before you can even process what is happening on the page. It was challenging to pick a proper theme amidst all these elements.
The art was solid in this issue, but I disliked the muted color choices from the creative team. However, I fully acknowledge that this is a creative choice, but it doesn’t fit the aesthetics I like for my comics. Great work overall!
BOTTOM LINE: A LOT OF PROMISE
I am not sold on Briar #1, but there is a lot of promise. After the exposition, I want to get into the story’s meat and learn a little more about these characters. With that in mind, this is a decent 3.5 out of 5. I think anyone who likes gritty, dark fantasy will get a kick out of this series.
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Briar #1
Briar #1 has excellent ideas that I hope the creative team can pull off throughout the series.
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Writing6
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Art7
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Coloring7
Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com