Zenescope Entertainment 2020
Written by Raven Gregory
Illustrated by Deivis Goetten
Coloured by Robby Bevard
Lettered by Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios
As the forces of evil, led by Dracula’s daughter, gather with plans to wreak havoc on all that Helsing holds dear, Liesel must race against time to save her former apprentice, Julie Jekyll, from the darkness growing inside her soul before it’s too late. Featuring a star studded cast of the Grimm Universe heroes, Robyn Locksley, and Hellchild, as well as the greatest villains, from Van Helsing’s past, that she has ever faced before.
I am loving every single moment of this. There is a large group of characters that inhabit the Zenescope Universe, though seriously there needs to be more powerful male characters, who all know each other and they form a loose knit family. Like any family they fight like sisters but in the end come together when they need to and I like how that feels here through how Raven is writing this story. I like the way that regardless of which of the books it is we see that it ties into all of them and it just keeps you feeling like your investment in the characters is not just long-term but is cared about and appreciated.
I do like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented extremely well. The way we see the recruitment of characters or the setting up of others is done in a way that showcases Raven's skill, ability and talent to weave the story in a way that is suspenseful and interesting. The character development we see here is great and I love seeing how the characters are always moving forward and how the circumstances and situations they encounter alter them in some way shape or form. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way works with everything else to create the books ebb & flow while highlighting it's structure.
I really do like that we are seeing this being done in such a smart and intelligent manner. Nothing is here that doesn't belong in that precise moment to not only help the story move forward but highlight the characters and how we see them as we think they should.
I really am enjoying how we are seeing the work on the interiors done here. The linework is beautifully rendered and how we see the varying weights being utilised to showcase the attention to detail is fantastic. I love the way we see the composition in the panels and whether it is blanked like the opening which gives it this atmosphere or how backgrounds are utilised to create the drama, depth perception, scale and the overall sense of size and scope for the story Is great. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a strong eye for storytelling. The colour work is beautifully rendered as well. I love seeing how the multitude of hues and tones within the colours are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is beautiful. Also there are some great bright neon style colours that pop in the right places and at the right times to really keep the eye wandering through.
While I love the constant upheaval that is Liesel's life is good reading I do really want to see her come out of this relatively unscathed if you will. She deserves some happiness and a solid win, for now, to be coming her way. Regardless of what I want to see I know that Raven is going to bring us a hell of a story and I can't wait to see the next chapter.