BELLE: SHADOW OF THE ROSE, by Zenescope on 11/20/24, sets Belle and Mel out on a mission to find Belle’s bestial brother, who may have been captured by the Council of Thorns.
Credits:
- Writer: Dave Franchini
- Artist: Jim Jimenez
- Colorist: Juan Manuel Rodriguez
- Letterer: Taylor Esposito
- Cover Artist: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
- Release Date: November 20, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $7.99
- Page Count: 54
- Format: Double-Sized Issue
Covers:
Analysis of BELLE: SHADOW OF THE ROSE:
First Impressions:
Consistent with most of Zenescope’s oversized one-shots, Belle: Shadow of The Rose encapsulates a solid premise and ends on a new (as it should) status quo in an oversized issue that gets the job done. Also, consistent with most oversized Zenescope titles, it’s too long for the story being told.
Plot Analysis:
Belle: Shadow of the Rose begins with a flashback that follows Belle’s brother, Alex, as he searches for his mother in an ancient hideaway. His search ends in a trap set by the Council of Thorns, who want to use every member of the DiMarco bloodline to become bestial warriors in service to the Council. The leader of the Council knicks Alex with a magic sword, turning him into the Beast.
Writer Dave Franchini starts the issue with a tight, well-paced flashback explaining how Belle’s brother turned into the Beast she’s sought to cure for years now. It is odd that no mention of the Council, who plays a pivotal part in Alex’s story, hasn’t been mentioned in so long, if ever, but it suits the story well enough.
Now, we find Belle and Mel fighting the Daughters of Leshy after Belle receives a tip that Alex was spotted in the area. Leshy has an ancient pact with humans against interlopers, and his tree-like daughters are happy to enforce the pact. Eventually, Mel diffuses the situation by meeting Leshy in person. Leshy agrees to give Belle and Mel safe passage as the Council has been a thorn in his side (ahem) for too long.
Belle’s fight with the Daughters of Leshy comes out of nowhere, and the setup that explains how Belle got into this mess is glossed over with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it exposition. There are multiple scenes in this double-sized issue that add no value to the story, so one or two of those fluff scenes should have been cut to improve the setup.
Belle and Mel enter the same caverns Alex found years ago, and they encounter the Council of Thorns in exactly the same. Belle is knocked out by a surprise hit to the back of the head. When she wakes up, she’s chained to a wall inside a cell, and her clothes have been swapped out. The head of the Council, who we soon learn is one of Belle’s ancestors, has come to claim Belle as their champion, whether she likes it or not.
The issue concludes with a fight to the death, Mel using a special gift she received from Leshy, and dark tentacles.
Overall, Belle: Shadow of the Rose succeeds in one area where most comics don’t – the lead character winds up with a new and significant status quo. That said, Dave Franchini’s script needed to trim the fat in a few spots.
Artwork and Presentation:
Belle: Shadow of the Rose is our first exposure to Jim Jimenez on this site as an artist, and the net output is solid. It’s fair to say Jimenez had a lot of pages to churn out, so you can see where the pencils/inks lose quite a bit of fidelity, especially in the wide-shot panels, but the comic is generally decent.
Art Samples:
Final Thoughts:
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BELLE: SHADOW OF THE ROSE sends Belle on an adventure to save her brother and defeat a generations-old evil. Dave Franchini’s script ends on a high note by giving the lead character a new status quo, but the double-sized issue suffers from too much fluff to pad out the page count.
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