Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Writer: Pat Shand
Artist: Manuel Preitano
Editor: Pat Shand
Release Date: 16 March 2016
Price: $3.99

A former anthology title, Grimm Fairy Tales has now morphed into an X–Men style tale of a school, Arcane Acre, where Highborn and Falseblood teens are trained to use their powers to battle evil from other realms. Pitched as a cross between Harry Potter and TV’s Supernatural it could be a mash-up or a mismatch.

Grimm Fairy Tales #120 begins a mini-arc called The Shadow Girl which will run for two issues. The Big Bad here is called Bloody Bones who sends his troop of beasties Harbingers to bedevil mankind.

Skye is the Shadow Girl of the title who, along with her friend Lance, are currently on the run in Philadelphia where they encounter not only the minions of Bloody Bones but a mysterious organisation that claims to want to help them in their struggle.

Grimm Fairy Tales #120 pushes all the right buttons, although it comes perilously close to having too many different elements to juggle with, and will bring back fond memories for those of us who can remember when teenage mutants were all the rage and were even allowed to crack a joke now and again.

Those who can’t remember that far back can just enjoy Manuel Preitano’s superb artwork in Grimm Fairy Tales #120 and revel in Pat Shand’s accomplished twenty-first-century re-boot of the teen superhero genre.

 

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker