
Zenescope Entertainment 2017
Written by Joe Brusha
Illustrated by Renato Rei, Sergio Arino, Daniel Main & Riveiro
Coloured by Grotieta, Hedwin Zaldivar & Jorge Cortes
Lettered by Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios
The Order of Tarot has long existed in the shadows, but now it has emerged to take its place as the ruler of Earth and the surrounding realms of power. But there are still a couple of people who stand in the way of the Order’s reign… Robyn and Mystere are about to be pulled into a deadly game of survival by a mysterious gypsy who seeks to destroy them both.
What’s to love, the idea of an organization that will encompass the entirety of the Zenescope Universe. There’s really nothing better than an organization that has its fingers and reach into much more than the readership has in mind. For instance this issue sees Robyn and Mary meet up and come to the conclusion that they are both up against an organisation that has cause them problems separately. It’s a nice way to keep tying in various characters, franchises and series in a way that strengthens the Zenescope Universe.
While he’s got time just writing one story Joe’s able to focus on the stuff that matters and it shows in how the book flows. On the other hand what’s up with all the artists on this one? I get that it’s oversized but some time management would’ve taken care of that. Also why does the dude with the skeleton face a weird ass skeleton mask over it? That seems ill conceived and more than a little poorly executed. On the whole however the use of backgrounds here makes me a very happy camper and I like seeing the attention to detail and the intricacy in them.
I do question why Mary seems as old as Robyn when she’s literally just out of high school, if she even graduated. That seems like an oversight and one that should be rectified when rendering her further.
The idea of the Tarot and their agents spread across the world make for intriguing reading and something that could permeate the company for quite some time to come. Don’t rush them or keep them in the spotlight too often then they lose their appeal and effectiveness and knowing Joe he’ll try to overuse them. Subtlety is the key with them let them work behind the scenes until such a time as they are more than ready to make an overt move with all their pieces and agents in place.
This villainess who wishes to regain her name and her place among the Tarot is actually intriguing. She’s brash, too sure of herself and oversteps her bounds with a confidence that doesn’t fit with the organization. This makes her dangerous on both sides of the field and she’s a new introduction that could be quite interesting to see pop up from time to time in various series. I’d love to see Britney and her team have to deal with her for instance as that helps tie them into the larger picture and allows us to see how they would fit into the Tarot plans.
I love the idea, the premise and so far the execution of this oversized one-shot. It has the kind of potential to reverberate throughout the Zenescope Universe in ways that could cause epic mayhem. It’s a high concept that i’m hoping will be used in the right manner.