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5 (123) 4 (713) 3 (704) 2 (290) 1 (47) 3.5 starsAverage score of 1780 user reviews
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I'll go first 0
As opposed to other Grimm Fairy Tales Halloween issues which I have read, this one was a lot better in terms of when I read it (as in right before Halloween) so it has an advantage in that respect. As opposed to previous Halloween stories, this one channels a different and very specific genre, which could be summarized as the "corn field genre" for bad stuff which happens in corn fields (kind of a variation of the "there is something in the forest" genre.) Anyway using this as the base the col...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Lowest I can go 0
One of the most innovative characters which Grimm Fairy Tales has let loose on the readers is Calie Liddle, she is not certain how much of her supposed craziness comes from herself and how much comes from her ties to Wonderland. Although this is very much not like earlier examples of this series (though it does have a little bit of it in here) this series is now borrowing more from Calie as it looks at Sela's way of dealing with her time in isolation. It is the best issue that the series has s...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
You go now! 0
Well despite myself I didn't want to give up on this series despite the fact the three of the previous all three issues thus far are among the worst that I have read this year. I was hoping for some kind of satisfying ending which might give some meaning to the mess that came before, because although there was some blatantly offensive stuff, I still could understand maybe where the writer might be taking this. But ... I .... was .... wrong. Now that I have read the end of this I am not even s...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
De Jour 0
One might think that by reading the series title that this is bound to be a little exploitative and hammy. The first not so much (though there is one case where a girl gets her top ripped off revealing only her bra to which she replied "Thank goodness I am wearing my good bra.") but the second gets shown a lot. Such a series should not really be designed to be serious I suppose but the downfall here is that it is completely unserious. Some character act like stereotypes, which i ok, but some ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
On the wings of dragons 0
In comparison to the overall series the concept here is really quite ludicrous, but it doesn't really matter as the story is the second best after the second story arc. Dejah is kidnapped by a group of vampires from the moon of Saturn called Titan. The reason for abducting her is that they want information as they plan to invade Mars. Dejah of course refuses to cooperate but the creepy many vampire (and his creepiness is not because he is a vampire but rather because he is creepy in the other...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Wake up 0
It is a beautiful cover (the vista of Dejah standing over top a city) which is too bad because it has nothing to do with the interior. Dejah has made her way to the north and is still deciding whether she should live or die after her supposed betrayal. Once there she meets a hunter from a species long thought exterminated. The interaction between the two though is not what she assumes at the beginning and actually gets a little S&M like. I did like how Dejah comes to escape and her ensui...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Wings of Redemption 0
After that last story arc, the series was maybe on shaky ground. the thing most missing in that story arc was Dejah Thoris who was mostly reduced from hero to victim and who didn't do much of anything. That Dejah is back in this issue is therefore good news for the series, and that the real Dejah is back is even better. The real benefit to this series is that (despite her costume) that Dejah is a really well written female character in this series. When she acts heroically she does so not as...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
No final plea 1
This issue features one of my least favourite of all comic book plots, where a person is mentally controlled and someone else figures it out and tells them to "fight through it." It is almost a cliche that whenever anyone is mind controlled that they will be told this valuable piece of advice and usually after they have already done a bunch of bad stuff which they would never do anyway. In this case it is all the politicking between Dejah and rival kingdoms and between her and her family. The...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Some illness 0
All of the politicking of the previous issue gets ramped up even more now as the witch in charge of Dejah is scheming to gain control of Helium and more. the action unfolds almost too conveniently with the powers of the witch both fitting too conveniently exactly whenever they are needed as well as not really fitting in with the overall concept of the Martian Chronicles. The one bright spot here is Kantos who questions both the motives of the princess and the legality of his own actions, befor...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Already provided 0
As opposed to the previous issue which still channeled some of the same adventurousness here with the Boora Witch taking over Dejah the story becomes bogged down somewhat in itself. It should be said that I find this series so interesting because it mostly ignores all the politicking on Mars and instead focuses on the characterizations of Dejah. Whereas in this issue Dejah is not even herself half of the time, it leaves only the scheming of the houses against one another to tie everything toge...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Keep that up 0
It is worth mentioning before starting to review this issue that I have read the entire story arc with which this is associated and thus I have a bit of bias in the final outcome of these series as I start to write the first part. The concept behind the series at this point is a pretty interesting one as far as I am concerned the first story arc led to a need to rebuild Lesser Helium and in doing so Dejah goes on adventures to make that possible, first trying to find the money to do so (the sec...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Lay Half Naked 0
The usually dependable Grimm Fairy Tales concept goes into familiar territory here as it channels the early part of the series as opposed to the more intricate (and less engaging) format which followed. By this point the Myths and Legends series follows the concept of the original much better, and that is what this feels like - a story based on a legend that is drawn out from the usual single issue. It is a bit of a break that the protagonist is a male character (though this is not unheard of ...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
A mouthful 0
This is one of the best unexpected series to come out of the new 52 (from the third wave). The format is similar to other formats around the comic world (though maybe not a very common setting) and relies on a bit of stereotype in this sub-genre ("what do you mean I am a princess?"). Where it fails from being not the most original it also succeeds in its effective character development and intricate story. There is really not a lot which is here which has never been seen before, but it is bei...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Stop speaking my language 0
The general concept behind this issue is good, but on the whole it feels as though it hits hard when it should be soft and vice versa. It starts out with the somewhat unexpected development of Simon Tycho acting as Kara's friend but this version of Tycho leaves soon enough as the two soon battle. It is not here though where it is necessarily weak though, the battle was actually fairly well thought out for a character that is used to deal with problems with her fists. It was the somewhat unexp...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Starving Artist 0
This issue has the weird distinction of being one that might work better in real life than in comics. The underlying concept is that Kyle is being trained how to control the various parts of the spectrum which he can now access and he starts with Atrocitus and rage. the idea is nice enough except it invokes some much of the Women in Refrigerators concept which started out as a mild protest and now has turned into a mild stunt. It is thus nice to see Kyle move on from the idea of being respons...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Wonder? 0
I suppose in the overall scheme of things that the depiction of Greek Gods in the modern has some appeal to some people but it is mostly lost on me. There is generally enough of interest in modern day that I don't feel that it is necessary to resurrect the past in such a way, even with a character that is somewhat based on the stories. If this series can be given any credit it is that it has made these character current even if it doesn't always fit. The first half of this issue deals with th...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Yellow glare 0
Justice League was probably the first title that a lot of people read in the new 52 because it was the first title. I personally had not real problems with but I had dropped it after the first story arc due to not being able to read every comic that is released. So I did not read much of the second story arc except for the somewhat necessary "kiss" issue as seen previously. I thought I might at least pick up this issue though as the Cheetah is featured so prominently on the cover. Granted th...
4 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Mr. Considerate 0
I had started out in the new 52 reading Grifter and actually somewhat liked it for a while, but then the inevitable happened that I did have to make some cuts and Grifter had to go. I do remember the character being somewhat likable, although the stories were often second rate. I came back to the series though for one reason and that is Voodoo who after getting shown the door in her own series came in here. It is a disappointing first appearance I am afraid, the concept is a cool one, and sta...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Out of radium 0
This is the end of the second story arc in this series. Stylistically this was all there, but in terms of the emotions that were elicited in the first story arc, there was just a little lacking here. I suppose part of the problem is that half of the take in the hoard is somewhat of a villain, so it makes it hard to completely get behind this venture. Of course, it is made easier by a much bigger and menacing villain that is chasing them. Dejah's character is developed well here through her c...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A little closer 0
Whereas the pace dropped off just a little in the previous issue, it picks up again here, but with a different sense. Thus fr in the series the story has been mostly all action and no adventure, but this story is full of adventure a the motley crew explore below the ice at the southern ice caps. What they find is not entirely expected, though they do get what they are after. There are a few plot twists along the way as well, even channeling a bit of the typical adventure stories, where the no...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Two we owe you 0
The pace and the tension of the story arc cuts off just a little bit here as the captives make good on their escape and decide to team up. There are few elements which make this issue not work quite as well as those that have preceded it. The first is that their escape is just a little too easy despite some losses, almost like the writer tried to hurry long through it. The other is the origin story (as it relates to the hoard here) which generally causes a block of text and pictures in the m...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
The coin I found 0
I sometimes enjoy it when I discover a series after the fact, because it means that there is no waiting around for the next issue to find out what happens. It has basically happened every issue so far in this series, but this has probably the best cliffhanger ending thus far. Dejah has already been taken prisoner but here she is taken prisoner by a different group after her last captors become her new comrades comprised of those held against their will. The new captors have different plans th...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A code of one 0
Anyone who is thinking of checking this out for fight between Superman and Wonder Woman might better want to check out the fight from before Infinite Crisis or the fight during the story arc For Tomorrow, as not really of anything occurs here. The story is set in the Second World War with various interested parties trying to get their hands on the first atomic bomb. Superman knows about it but understands it is for the greater good. Wonder Woman is not so keen when she finds out and seeks out...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Double watch posted 0
One of the big problems about following a successful story arc with another one is where to find the new momentum to get the new story going. Seemingly one of the easiest ways is to not find new ground but instead to simply keep some of the same momentum going which is what happens here. There story is to be sure quite different, as Lower Helium has to be rebuilt despite no funds to do so, but as this happens even more misfortune befalls the city as the water starts running dry. This leads th...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
By the arms of a son 0
Sometimes series will build up a story and then let the end of the story only really carry through the momentum without carrying through on what came before. This story does not do this though, as successively each new development becomes the most impressive thing to occur. The entire issue is just a large battle sequence, but it incorporates a lot of solid character development into as well, which makes really the last page the most effective of all. That this is built around a battle sequen...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Proof of intentions 0
The series maintains its overall high quality here as the colossus finally hunts down the representatives from Helium. Knowing that they will likely organize against him he seeks them out in a likely hiding spot. This ends up not directly to his advantage as it creates an unlikely alliance, but surprisingly the action and fun moments are not over there. This series really seem to try hard to maintain the overall tension and action while working with a fun story with also enough moments which ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
As on the day 0
I should say first, that although I have the same reservations about Dejah's costume, that the cover here is quite stunning. I never really consider covers that much, but if they do have a psychological effect to make the interiors more interesting, then it may be the case here. Dejah and her family manage to escape bu the colossus is in full power now and as the battles go on there is still yet a lot of intrigue as well. The colossus is not good news for the Tharks, but seemingly not for the...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
You'll need more than a knife. 0
Although Dejah makes good on her escape here as well as freeing her family, things are not really looking up. Instead of fleeing they must head into the chaos to find another. Meanwhile there is an attack on Lesser Helium which expedites the need to activate the colossus. This is an interesting series thus far as it manages to mix effectively a fair amount of action while also showing off the depth of the characters involved. A single panel can explain what is going on in the character's min...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
The jeddak's son 0
Despite the fact that I like the cosmic setting as much as any other if not more, I have never been particularly drawn to those of John Carter. There is the fact that Mars is too close and that how it is shown is flawed as well as well as the generally ridiculous "costume" which Dejah wears. Recently though I picked up the White Apes of Mars miniseries and I liked what they had done there overall so I thought I might give the main series a chance as well. It seems as though from the first imp...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Self Aware 0
The first story here with Adam and Alanna is probably the best one thus far, as they confront a rampaging self-aware planet which intends to conquer Rann. Faced with the threat of this planet they reason with it but then it must make a decision which is a bit deeper than what one would expect from the silver age. The next feature is a Giants of the Telescope about Warren de la Rue. The second story doesn’t veer too much away from the usual for the series, with a far-fetched plot and not much ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
The rich heiress 0
In the first story here Adam Strange has to conquer a giant robotic version of himself as well as a former emperor that wishes to be returned to the throne. How does he do it? Well it comes down to the usual illogical plan or discovery, which while clever in context would not have really been possible to figure out. The next story is actually one of the more original ones I have read thus far in the series. The premise is at times a little misleading, but at its heart it succeeds to tell a d...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Stopping invasion 0
The Adam Strange story here is not dissimilar to a lot of stories from the era, though this does not much benefit it. After Adam is teleported to Rann he must deal with stranded space travelers who also happen to be Roman gods. His method of beating them in combat is ridiculous and the story suffers because of it. The next story despite being the usual one about stopping space invasions at least has a different format and a resolution which while far-fetched is at least more possible. The la...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
I will be your guide 0
The first story as always is an Adam Strange one, this one with a clichéd cover and a somewhat tired plot, as Adam and Alanna have to battle giants on Rann and get out of it through some not very clever planning. The next feature is a Giants of the Telescope on Pierre Janssen. The next story is another of the “alien invasion stopped by chance” stories which are pretty common and not very well handled as they aren’t here either. The last story is an unconventional one and starts off well about...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Into the eye 0
The Adam Strange story here, despite having a cooler than usual cover, is actually not as good as usual. The Adam Strange lead story is usually one in this series which has the best likability even in the face of some silly occurrences, but this is mostly just a weak story that is very similar to the rest of the weak stories in the series. It is resolved by the hero thinking of something obvious that no one else had ever thought of. Strangely enough though the villain is in the form of a gian...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Bigger in Japan 0
The first story here is not as bad as some, and although there is the somewhat usual reference to nuclear weapons, there is also a Godzilla-like creature called Zaradak that offers a bit of a different approach. After the first story there is a Giants of the Telescope feature on Heinrich Olbers. The next story is a usual one of the series, involving a group of aliens that are fought back despite their superior technology on a loophole. It is usually hard to take these stories seriously, this ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Is that me? 1
This story is just a one-shot but it leaves the reader wanting a lot more. The concept behind this has maybe been done before, but it is far from being overdone – a different personality doing for someone what the other personality cannot (sort of like Fight Club). The Tyler Durden in this case is Rose a teenage girl with the standard problem of fitting in. I haven’t been a big fan of Chuck Palaniuk, but I think in this context that the idea behind this works better. Whereas Fight Club was a...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
What is this place? 0
For a series that started off by ripping off a classic horror movie and then became generally disjointed, it final ends here with an enigmatic, though effective enough ending. On the other hand I am not sure, as it seems like the writers did not think out in entirety what their ending would set up for the character in the future, even making her not what they had set out with. In terms of mysticism applies to Anna, this issue among the few that she has appeared in thus far had the most of it, ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Will be released 0
It should be said in the long run of Grimm Fairy Tales series and stories, that the best have generally fared best with a female character at the center of the action. With Anna out of commission in this issue though (as of the end of the last issue) this might not bode well, except that Lettia steps in pretty well as a heroine figure. The story is not less convoluted here, but with somewhat of a background story being told at least there is some continuity and a better flow even as the action...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Search aimlessly 0
If nothing else it is fun to see Anna let loose as she rarely does in her appearances thus far when she expedites the escape from the church. As it is though, the series still doesn’t really pick up a lot of steam as it reverts to another cliché – voodoo (though this was hinted at earlier.) There are some better moments here as there is a bit more intrigue to go with the magical mystery, but it seems a bit too disjointed at times to really work fluidly and coherently. The characters still com...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Hat off in church 0
The first part of the story here involves an exorcism, but it is so obviously ripped off of the Exorcist, that it makes me wonder if the writers were really just being lazy or that they thought that the reader might not remember some of the highlights of one of the most famous horror movies of all time. Despite this clichéd (and seemingly copied) storyline though this issue does recover with another bit of horror inspired developments later on at a funeral. Some of has been seen before but at ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
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