BELLE: HUNT OF THE CENTAURS, from Zenescope Entertainment on September 21st, 2022, finds Belle in the fight of her life as a royal clan of centaurs capture Belle and make her the prey in a hunt to avenge their fallen brother.
The Details
- Written by: Dave Franchini
- Art by: Rodrigo Xavier
- Colors by: Juan Manuel Rodriguez
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Geebo Vigonte (cover A)
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: September 21, 2022
Is It Good?
BELLE: HUNT OF THE CENTAURS continues Belle’s quest to free her deceased mother’s soul from Tartarus, and Franchini treats readers to a nifty side quest where the family of a centaur Belle defeated wants revenge. On a small scale, Belle learns a lesson about the effect of consequences on those around her. On a large scale, Belle learns key information that brings her one step closer to her mother. In between, there’s plenty of action, solid art, and way too much talking.
Franchini takes a break from Belle’s main arc to put a uniquely Zenescope spin on The Naked Prey (1965) with Belle as the (not naked) prey. The setup makes complete sense when you consider there are only so many beasts Belle can slay before a few relatives get miffed. Franchini uses the opportunity to do some effective world-building by cluing readers into the Centaur culture with its own set of problems. The resolution builds out Belle’s future by establishing new allies, new enemies, and “key” bit of information for her quest to save her mother’s soul.
The down point may not be a down point, depending on your point of view. Belle thinks (via caption narration) way too much. In fairness, overthinking is one of Belle’s personality traits, but the narration is done to such excess that it doesn’t feel natural in spots. When an arrow whizzes by Belle’s head, she’ll say, “Whoa! An arrow whizzed by my head.” Humans don’t react that way, and the narration becomes off-putting in spots. That type of narration crosses the line between a character “overthinking” and narrating the art, which is unnecessary. If Belle is considering a development, making a decision, or expressing a feeling, the narration makes sense. Narrating the action, when the art makes what’s happening abundantly clear, becomes noise.
Xavier’s art in this issue is quite good and well up to Zenescope house standards. The lines are clean, the panel detail is above-average, and Rodriguez’s colors are excellent.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Belle making her nightly rounds of the city while Mel researches the enigmatic glyphs on the Shield of Heracles. During her patrol, Belle spots an unusual tree emanating power. When she moves in to investigate, a chain with an attached blade shoots from an opening in the tree, wraps around Belle’s torso, and pulls her through.
Belle comes to in the presence of the Queen of the Centaurs, Phola, and her two generals. The Queen declares Belle must pay for killing her brother, so she is to be hunted to restore her brother’s honor. The Queen doesn’t know that her brother was killed as a Thorn in service to Belle’s mother.
We conclude the last act and the issue with close calls, hard truths, and new information.
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Final Thoughts
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BELLE: HUNT OF THE CENTAURS is an entertaining side quest that builds out Belle’s world, develops Centaur culture, and foretells things to come. The art is excellent, and the story holds your attention, but the narration can be excessive at times.
Related Information
Is Beauty and the Beast based on a true story?
Yes, the original novel by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve is a fictionalized account of the real-life relationship between Lady Catherine, a servant to the French Royal Court, and Petrus Gonsalvus, an immigrant to France from the Canary Islands who suffered from hypertrichosis universalis. Gonsalvus was considered a novelty to the French Court because his medical condition caused unstoppable hair growth over his entire body, including his face.
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