Age of Darkness, Volume One

Age of Darkness #1

by Joe Brusha, Dan Wickline, Raven Gregory

The Age of Darkness descends upon the Grimm Universe and Sela Mathers is on a collision course with the most threatening evil she will ever face! The Dark Queen has risen again and leads the dark horde into war against those sworn to defend Earth. Can Sela find a way to protect what she holds most dear even when all efforts to save humanity seem futile?

This epic first installment of the Age of Darkness saga collects Grimm Fairy Tales issues #94-98 and The Dark Queen: Age of Darkness one-shot.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Ebooks, Graphic Novels Comics, Fairy Tales, Fantasy

184 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2014

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Didn't like this at all, couldn't finish it. Subject matter was offensive.

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grimm's Fairy Tales Age of Darkness is a compilation of Grimm's issues 94-98 and the Dark Queen one-shot which joined together tell the tale of the then Grimm Universe.
The Book begins with a verse from Elton John's The Bitch is Back. Fitting as it is the return of the Dark Queen. It is her return that alerts the team known as the Guardians of the Nexus to the evil in their midst. The Guardians consist of Agents Snow, Van Helsing, Hook, Red and Robyn advance to take on this challenge in a setting very much like Disneyland. There they battle the Dark Queen and try to drive her back into her own universe.
The following books spell out the end of each of the comic lines as the Grimm tales take on a new course under the power of the Dark Queen.
Age of Darkness also is a departure from the strong storytelling that had been the staple of the Grimm tales to the artwork in the comics. This is too bad as in the early failure of the Image line launch should have shown the industry, pin-up girl art alone isn't enough to carry a comic book line. You need to have a strong story line too. Something the fan boys will come after week after week. Though you have to admit, the pin up art is pretty good.
I liked it but if the story had better continuity it would have been much better.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading and enjoying Zenescope’s “Dream Eater Saga” and “Unleashed” last year, I was eager to read more stories about the Realm Knights and the various characters in this universe. Next in line is the “Age of Darkness” and I am very happy with how volume one starts out the series.
The “Dream Eater” character is a somewhat interesting, but overall boring villain. The Being from the “Unleashed” series was much more interesting however is a tragic character. The villain, The Dark Queen, in the Age of Darkness series is a straight up evil bitch. She is a ruthless and sadistic character that makes a wonderful villain.

This story relays somewhat of events that happened previously in the Zenescope’s Universe, however unlike lots of other huge story arcs (yes, I am looking at you DC and Marvel comics) it is not necessary to read those stories to enjoy this book.

I do have two criticisms about this book. First, the art is a mixed bag. Each chapter has a different artist team and their quality of work varies greatly. Some of the art is good while others are ‘meh. Second issue is the last chapter of the book. It is a neat idea to show how the Nexus, Highborn, Realm Knights, etc. affects an ordinary family. However, it seems out of place and unnecessary; it halts the flow of the story and ends the book on a boring and uninteresting tone.

Favorite part of the book is the character Gwendolyn the Tooth Fairy. She a fun, interesting, and deadly character who is a great addition to the comics.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting Ready for Realm Wars

Zenescope's Grimm Universe is becoming a pretty complicated place, but this volume helps set the stage for the future.

It appears that the "Age of Darkness" title extends to all four Realms, (Oz, Neverland, Wonderland and Myst), and involves almost all of the Grimm characters and especially the Realm Knights. Zenescope is building to a big promised Issue 100, which is considered a real milestone. After Issue 100 the Universe will split: it will continue along one line with issue 101 and will continue in a parallel but separate line in the 12 issue "Realm Wars" series.

There are three "Age of Darkness" Volumes leading us up to that milestone. This is Volume 1, and includes a one-shot that introduces the Dark Queen and then Issues 94 through 98 of Grimm Fairy Tales. Volume 2, which should come out in August 2014, will include three one-shots - Robyn Hood and two others. Volume 3, which should come out in October 2014, is also composed of three one-shots - an Oz, a Wonderland, and something called Godstorm.

So, if you want to set yourself up for Issue 100 and the following Realm Wars, this three volume set seems to be the way to go and this Volume 1 seems to be the most essential of the three Age of Darkness volumes.

What do we think of this Volume 1? Well, the Dark Queen emerges from Myst, the least developed of the four Realms. She is set against the Realm Knights and the most prominent Knight is Sela Ward, which is O.K. by me since Sela is my favorite long running character and has pretty much developed as the keystone character to the entire Grimm Universe series.

The Dark Queen one-shot gives us the Queen's backstory. Issue 94 sets up some jousting between the Queen's forces and Sela. Issue 95 reintroduces evil Koschei as he teams up with the Queen. Issue 96 offers another test for Sela and brings Helios into the mix. Issues 97 and 98 bring more characters up to speed and further set us up for the Realm Wars.

There is a tremendous range of styles represented by the drawings in these issues as well as in the narratives and the written dialogue. From issue to issue the look and tone, as well as the levels of graphic violence, change. To some this can be disconcerting; I like the variety, but that's pretty much a matter of individual taste.

Maybe the most useful summary is this - whether you are new to the Grimm Universe, a dedicated fan, or someone who dips in and out, this Volume and probably to a lesser extent Volumes 2 and 3, will set you up for the future of the series. And that's a nice place to be.

Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

[Ashley Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review and more can be found at The A P Book Club!

*I received an eARC of this book from Diamond Book Distributors/Zenescope Entertainment in exchange for an honest review*

These Grimm Fairy Tale comics are interesting. They take classic fairy tale characters and totally change them, making them more bad-ass and crazy. They're also a lot sexier than you probably remember from your childhood (especially the females, who wear very little clothing). These comics are definitely written for an older audience, and I do like where some of the storylines go and how they're all interconnected.

But they really don't make all that much sense when you read them on their own or out of order. I've read the Oz comics, and some of the Wonderland ones, so I kind of had a basic idea of the world and what's going on when I started this set, but I got confused really quickly and found myself having to go back and read parts of it again. It was also really frustrating to see little side notes that "hey, you should go read these issues to get more background and understand wtf is going on." Like, no thanks. Just give me a little bit more information in THIS volume and I'll be good. I don't want to go all over creation trying to figure out what's going on. Make it more subtle.

I did enjoy the way all of the good guys band together to try to defeat the Evil Queen, and how the Evil Queen goes about collection minions and turning hearts dark. I liked that all of her words were red, because she's the Red Queen (and also very evil), so the connection was nice. The artwork is also really fantastic, and all of the colors and drawings make it easy to tell which character is which and if they're good or evil.

Overall, I wish I had more knowledge about the background before diving into this comic, and I wish that a little more background was provided in the collection itself. I'm not sure if I'll continue with this storyline, especially if I don't go back and read previous issues, but it's not terrible if you're all caught up. If you're looking for a gritty, sexy, fairy tale retelling, I think these comics would be right up your alley. I'd only give it a 3/5 though.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I've read and seen quite a lot of things with fairy tales in, but I think this might be the first comic book version of fairy tales that I've read.

The Grimm fairy tales are quite violent ones and I felt that this book showcased those quite well. There was a lot of violence in this comic book, but I felt there were a few less recognisable characters than I would have liked.

I did think this was a bit difficult to read without knowing the characters. I had quite a bit of confusion at certain points, even though I found the comic to be quite entertaining. I would have liked to see more of the characters' pasts. The short story of the villain at the beginning was interesting, but I couldn't really see her as a well-rounded character. The best villains are those who don't see themselves as villains.

The tooth fairy story was one that was particularly disturbing. I would have liked to see more of the background on some of the characters killed, though, because there were many of them I couldn't care about being killed because I didn't know them.

The artwork was really nice as well. It was really good to see the art for the covers at the end, too. Plus, a lot of the characters were quite distinctive, which was good; even though I would have liked to see more of them and know about their origins.

I'm not sure if I'd read any more of the comics set in this 'verse, though it would be nice to learn more about the characters and storylines.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, when I requested this I had no idea that this is actually a compendium that's leading up to a new set of comics in this series. I mistakenly assumed that Volume 1 meant the beginning of the whole story. Therefore, this review is going to be short, and mainly about what I actually understood as a reader coming into the series late.

First off, I love the art style but I'm not a huge fan of the character depictions. The characters are extremely stereotypical in the way they're drawn. Male characters are handsome, and generally well toned. Female characters have tiny waists, gigantic breasts, and lovely faces. I absolutely understand that a lot of comics and graphic novels are drawn this way. For this reader though, it's a turn off. Despite the crisp, gorgeously rendered panels, I just couldn't fully immerse myself in the story.

Which is a shame, because the actual story line is fascinating. Imagine a world populated by not just Grimm's Fairy Tale characters, but characters from all areas of fiction. Mythical beings interspersed with characters from Greek mythology. Add in a few original characters, like the Dark Queen herself, and you have a series that's compulsively readable. I kind of want to go back to the beginning, but apparently this volume is the first that actually brings all of these worlds together. Before this, there are separate story arcs and it seems I'd have to read multiple series to catch up. So, we shall see. In the meantime, I'll give this particular graphic novel three stars for entertaining me.

[Amanda G. (Nellie and Co. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about The Grimm Fairy Tales and The Realm Knights, and I liked the overall storyline too. It was a nice change to have much more of a 21st century feel to the premise, something involving technology and effecting how we view the world, and I liked how these features were included and moulded to fit the premise. I like the use of TV's, phones, contacts and something much better, a touch of magic in between it all, which just works wonderfully.

The premise itself was predictable, but I enjoyed learning about the Evil Queen and how she became that way. It was developed and created in such a way that isn't done in other stories, there's always a story of lost love or revenge, rather than a taste for power and murder, which in a twisted sort of fashion, I really enjoy reading about. Unhinged characters is my thing, and the Evil Queen is just that.

I will continue to read more from Zenescope as they continue to release more issues, as will I more than likely enjoy reading about these characters, and the twisted nature of the premise's to the fact that I read the issues out of order, none of it hiders my enjoyment of this wonderful artwork and series, and I really do enjoy reading it when I can.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - The beginning of the book was great, with a violent, disturbing tale of the villain’s origins – appropriate for a true Grimm tale. After that, I was pretty much lost. There are so many characters introduced with no backstory, just irritating footnotes to see this or that volume in the various Grimm series and subseries. Without knowing the backstory of these characters, the overarching plot was a mystery, and the novel instead seemed comprised of gratuitous shots of the women in sexy poses and lots of gore and fighting. I think the problem is not with the story so much as my lack of knowledge of the Grimm world. I do plan to read more of the Grimm series, as I did enjoy the dark take on the Tooth Fairy and thought the magic crime fighting team of Snow White, Robin Hood, and Red Riding Hood was a fun idea. Definitely not a place for novice Grimm readers to start.


Thanks to Netgalley.com for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! This is a major volume in the Grimm Universe with all the realms coming together for an epic battle with the Dark Queen and her Dark Horde. A lot of major characters are in this one with some new ones being introduced as well. Things are getting pretty hairy for Grimm readers, especially like me who can't seem to get a grip on what order everything should be read. But this is definately a set up volume and even though it jumps all over the place it also puts into perspective what is going on with everyone. This volume itself mentions Myst, Wonderland, the New Gods and the Realm Knights. Lots of action and violence as usual but surprisingly tamer than the norm on sex and titillating images. The last issue, written by Pat Shand, one of Zenescope's regulars and a favourite of mine, was very poignant and has a particularly excellent ending. I also think if you've been a dipper into the Grimm Universe so far I think this series is a good place to get reintroduced to the action.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Age of Darkness compilation gives you an impression that it's a brand new story arc. Well, it is, sort of, but the issues compiled within are more periphery stories rather than the main event.

The main villain is the rerisen Dark Queen, who takes command of the Dark Horde to bring war and suffering to the other Realms. It brings together the separate heroes of various arcs, but they only show up sparsely. Having not read them (Neverland, Agent Red, Robin) is a disadvantage, as these issues doesn't even bother to provide any backstory, just a "see so-and-so issue note). But then again, this series didn't get famous for its dialogue and expositions.

The issues mostly deal with side stories regarding the persecution of the highborns and the Dark Queen gathering allies and biding her time. I found most of them boring, except one about the tooth fairy, which does capture the original feeling of what brought me to the series in the first place.

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fantasy comic book trade paperback is entertaining and well-constructed. It is the collection of comics from the Grimm Fairy Tales series and engaging enough to want to know what ensues. It reminds me of the early Image comics.

The plot centres around a group of characters, the Guardians, and the attempt by the Dark Queen and the Dark Horde to bring about the Age of Darkness.

The artwork is very good from different artists and I enjoyed the stories and format. I’d recommend this to any comic lover who enjoys Image Comics’ output, including the obligatory scantily-clad ladies.

Enjoyable enough and I look forward to reading more of the same.

[Elle Markov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love villains, they always have such great, twisted back stories, not to mention they get really cool colors and they always sound so dramatic, oh and best of all they always have really cool powers.

So, this book follows the return of the Dark Queen and her quest to eliminate all the highborns. It was good, the graphics were great and my favorite was by far the scary tooth fairy. She eats human teeth and she also eats human bones. How awesome is that?

The Grimm Fairy Tales graphic novels put a fun and grizzly twist on the characters Disney made too frilly. Definitely get yourself a copy and continued to check out this series.

Rating 4 out of 5
Read@Book

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received this as a NetGalley ARC.

Admittedly, I've been turned off of a lot of the Grimm comics. A lot of the stories were either boring or trite. This book, however, has some potential. Tying in many of the Grimm world characters into a story arc where they find themselves fighting the dark queen is intriguing. Also, it's been interesting seeing how different characters have been envisioned (i.e. the Tooth Fairy, etc.). It's worth a read.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The major drawback with Age of Darkness is that it is a compilation of Grimm Fairy Tales #94-98 which lack a common foe or set of heroes. Rather each issue tangentially touches upon the Dark Queen and her return. If you have not been following the various plotlines, you would be lost picking up this title as the introduction to the Grimm Fairy Tale universe. There is nice action sequences and some plot line, but I just wished there had been more commonality.

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! Each spin off from the Grimm fairy tales a=takes mythology, such as Oz, modernises it, updates it and gives it a twist . With its usual tongue in cheek humour this is the first in a series referencing the Dark Queen. Part origin tale, part expansion of the Grimm-verse this comes highly recommended.

[Taylor Troncin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried to read this a while back and HATED it. I'm not sure why - other than it had a weird vibe. (I know, descriptive, right?) However, I just re-read it and LOVED it. Maybe it's because I took a bit of a break from the series or maybe it's just that I didn't understand it completely the first time. Regardless - I'm back into it!!

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The same old same old- violence, fan service blah blah. It is somewhat interesting, or I would not keep reading it, but I can't say to buy it. Hoopla or some other library service it for sure! I feel like I am missing some parts, like where did Red come from??? I do like that the Queen of Spades is back for sure.
The Tooth Fairy was horrifying and probably the best part overall.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures are good and the stories are pretty scaring, specially the one about the tooth fairy....

Le illustrazioni non sono male e le storie decisamente spaventose, specialmente quella sulla "fatina dei denti"...

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Queen of Darkness arises and evil lurks in the Grimm Universe. Even the Tooth Fairy is conned into a pact with the evil queen. Great stories and art. Highly recommended.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

DPL hoopla

[Kelsey De Bie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love it❤ Its dark, horror and mostly beautiful drawings