Originally published at Fangoria.com on April 23, 2011
GRIMM FAIRY TALES: DREAM EATER SAGA #0 (Zenescope Entertainment) is a brutal and twisted prelude, with a strong dose of dark fantasy and blazing adventure. It takes just a single murder to bring about the beginning of the apocalypse. A lonely girl is hell-bent on revenge and will stop at nothing until her bloodlust is quenched. This is a gripping crossover event with an engaging cast of characters, expanding into all the titles under Zenescope comics.
The story kicks off with a violent and bloody killing spree. In a secret village, in the realm of Myst, a sacred truce is held amongst the men and women. Guarded at all costs, no one is allowed to touch or read from the Book of the Lost. The ancient text has absolute unholy power that the world must never see. This is clearly why bandits arrive to slaughter the villagers and steal the forbidden book.
A little girl, Baba, hides under the bed while the chaos erupts everywhere around her. Breaking through the front door is a menacing figure known only as The Dark One. This hideous monster has curved horns on his head and his skin glows bright red. The demon orders Baba’s mother to give up the book. When she doesn’t, Baba witnesses her mother murdered right in front of her eyes.
Consumed with rage, Baba wants revenge against the entire world. No one is blameless in her mind, when she reads from the old book. Everyone alive is held accountable as Baba lets the ultimate power swallow her whole. Driven by madness and vengeance, this thrill-seeker will follow the Dark One wherever he goes. She will stop at nothing to get to him and kill those who get in her way.
Authors Raven Gregory (THE WAKING), Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco have crafted a fantastical revenge thriller. Characters make unexpected choices due to their self-absorbed personalities. Even though there are survivors from the slaughter, a group of self-proclaimed heroes will look away and ignore the cries for help. They choose to hunt after the Dark One instead, but little do they realize, the group now has competition from Baba. The scribes allow room for storylines to develop and a round-up of characters to breath during this 12-part crossover event.
Page by page, the artwork by Anthony Spay is visually captivating. Spay treats readers with well-drawn facial expressions and stylized action. The artist illustrates the snowy fields with dark shadows and a vibe of loneliness. The bright colors by Falk is quite surprising for a bleak story about death and family loss. The major highlight is the gripping images of Baba’s mother being tortured and murdered by the Dark One.
After finishing GRIMM FAIRY TALES: DREAM EATER SAGA #0, readers will no doubt be eager to follow the rest of the epic crossover event. This epic will take place further in WONDERLAND, NEVERLAND and INFERNO. Follow the destruction of the Dream Eater all across the Zenescope titles! This comic will be released next week, and fans can preorder from the official website here.
