Author: Pat Shand
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Rating: WORTHY!
DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a "galley" copy ebook, supplied by Net Galley. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review. The chance to read a new novel is reward aplenty!
Artwork by Larry Watts
Colors by Slamet Mujiono
I hate this graphic novel because it's so good and so cool, but really because I never thought of it first! Grrr! I mean it was there begging to be written and I let it slide right on by! But kudos to messrs Shand, Watts, and Mujiono for getting it done.
It felt like I was coming into this part way through, which was odd, because the story was all there, volumes one through five. This tells me that someone needs to write a prequel! The characters were cool, and all drawn from the Robin hood mythology - except for the orcs. Yes, I have to report that there were orcs. In fact they were orc-hestrating an attack most of the time, but you know how it is with those orcs. Maybe we should send them some orc-hids? Or would that be just orc-ward?
Robyn was amazing. The love interest was a little sad in more ways than one, but overall, Robyn was majorly Kick Ass in a comic book world where females are all-too-often just Ass with no justice and no kick. There was a nice mix of characters, nearly all of whom you'd expect: Marian (no gentile lady, this one - especially not at the end!), Will Scarlett, Sir Guy of Gisbourne, Much (presumably the Miller's son?) who had to do about nothing, Tuck (not everlasting), and Avella (not that I recall her from any legends in the Hood, but she was still pretty cool).
Given that this was a seriously upgraded Hood, with magic and portals to another realm (and created as a part of a wider series), I was a bit surprised that the Merrie men were all white Anglo-Saxon protestants. Yeah, I know that they - in the legend - are so for understandable reasons, but I thought the novel could have portrayed them in a more colorful light in this world.
Robyn leads a double life - here in our modern world, as a thief of some skill and renown, and then through the orc-king glass into the medieval world of magic and yes, orcs (led, presumably, by Stephen Orc-king?). Here they battle the evil sheriff or Orc-ingham, but believe it or not, Gisbourne is on the side of the good guys.
I love the way that Robyn and Marian partner-up at the end and return to our world to continue Robyn's other business interests! I recommend this graphic novel.
